If you've ever considered going to Alpe d'Huez, but just haven't managed it, find a way to make it happen. Whether you're trying to climb it in under an hour, or just trying to climb it, you will suffer. You will probably have doubts. You may even want to quit. I watched countless people come into town -- some of them were ecstatic, some relieved, some in tears -- yet we all shared the suffering with the countless riders before us -- the pros, the hard-core, and the little old man on his city bike.
My goal was to break 1.18, twice my age, which I did with time to spare, though i still came in over an hour. But it didn't matter; when I first got to the finish, I zipped up and raised my arms in triumph, though there were no cameras, no fans, no prizes. There weren't even any witnesses that day, only the creation of an indelible memory.
</sappiness>
You can see pictures, and read a little about it here:
http://www.mip.sdu.dk/~glewin/alpedhuez.html
A little preview:
