Never too early, in Cyclo’s opinion, to book a truly grizzly ride for next year; and today should be that day with the official opening for competitors looking to test themselves in the 2012 Alpine Challenge – a 4-day multi-stage with around 120km-per-day and the best part of 7000 meters of climb. The event, set to run September 5 to 9, 2012, is designed to provide a Tour de France like experience, complete with road closures, motorbike outriders and lead vehicles and with competitors lulled into a false sense of security on a relatively flat day one, only to be battered by three days of ferocious-looking mountain stages.
The 2012 event also offers the chance to ride the route (if you can keep up) with Irish Tour de France winner Stephen Roche who has ridden the AC before and commented: “The experience of riding The Alpine Challenge brought back all the feelings of that crazy La Plagne mountain top stage in 1987 when I won the Tour de France. The most real it can get for an amateur.”
Full details of the event and entry information at www.thealpinechallenge.com