Alpe du Zwift VS Alpe d'Huez: Preparing For Reality?

The famous Alpe d'Huez, a climb steeped in Tour de France history. But just how does it compare to the Alpe du Zwift? Chris rode both to find out....
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Leave us a comment below!

[@madiantin]

"You should complete it in 45 mins - an hour and a half depending on your fitness." Me: Laughs in 2.5 hours plus.

[@HuSanNiang]

I have it still on my list, at the moment nothing more than 600km .. not sure I could do it under 2,5 hours at all. Will wait for a rainy weekend.

[@teejfalconaf]

I hear ya, Madiantin! (I was gonna say 'bro' - glad I clicked first. :D ) Just did my first climb of this in about 2:10. :\ I'm of a similar vintage and clearly not in danger of entering TdF anytime soo...well..ever. :D

[@madiantin]

@@teejfalconaf 2:10!! I salute you! Fantastic!

[@teejfalconaf]

@@madiantin Take another stab when you feel up to it. Now you know what to expect and can maybe pace yourself better. I took 15 minutes off on a 2nd attempt by not charging in so aggressively and maintaining a more controlled HR through the climb. When I did have to take breaks it was due to dead legs instead of blowing up heart/breathing.

[@madiantin]

@@teejfalconaf ​@@teejfalconaf I did it for the TOW in just under two hours...but it nearly killed me and I didn't enjoy it at all. =D High fives to you on taking off 15 mins!

[@drillpenguin]

Should've tried the 'Wahoo Suckr Air''... It artificially sucks oxygen out of your room to replicate altitude climbs! Or try the 'Wahoo Blastr Bastrd' which generates random wind conditions in your garage! However both can be adequately replaced by eating a curry the night before then riding your bike.

[@AgravepasmonK]

lmfao

[@rawdonwaller]

Ahahahaaa. Too funny.

[@dpgrenfree]

Genuine loud laugh to that comment :)

[@the-lonely-ous1767]

:D

[@joshd2861]

This literally might be the funniest comment I've ever seen on youtube.

[@ndegraafndg]

Thought when watching this video when it came out "wish I could do 300 watts up there" when I could only manage just over 200w. Now as of today averaged 309w and climbed just over 48 minutes. Also my segment in ask GCN Training helped me a achieve this. Thank You GCN

[@ChristianNorling]

Nice work 💪🏻

[@coyz8015]

Well done! What was your question to the GCN people?

[@bountyhuntermk2520]

Bore off - who honestly cares?

[@Kieran0]

​@@bountyhuntermk2520why wouldn't you care?

[@yutehube4468]

How long and how many miles did it take to go from 200W to 300W?

[@sevenrats]

I am primarily a mountain biker. I very recently got on zwift as a good way to stay fit during the unrideable periods over the winter. I was very surprised how not fit I was riding a road bike on zwift. I was not used to the higher cadences at all. My legs were strong for short bursts but not for spinning over 80 rpm. So now I am riding mostly on zwift over the winter even on days I could ride outside. I'm getting a better workout and not freezing to death. I am currently at level 8 and my FTP is a lowly 147. I saw race event today Road to the Sky Alpe du zwift KOM. Opportunity! I entered the D class. Stayed within myself and did the climb in 1:54 and came in 225 out of 299. Never thought I was going to die, kept my heart rate around 165 and just kept going. No stops. It is so long! I averaged 127 watts. It is definitely a test of mental toughness, especially for the D class riders. A lot of riders quit.

[@chrismccaffrey8109]

Howdy! I hope you’ve still been enjoying it in the couple years since this comment! I’m same boat, primarily a skier who mountain bikes in summer, training on Zwift for some other projects. Wild how little the fitness seems to translate sometimes but psyched cause there’s such a huge amount of potential gains with a measurable and straight forward way to get there

[@bigslacker666]

@@chrismccaffrey8109 Also a skier/snowboarder and summer MTBer. Kinda hard to ride bikes in winter in Tahoe where I live and why would you with so many resorts to ski anyway. :D But this season I committed to using Zwift to get me in shape so that I'm ready to go in spring when the lower trails melt without that long ramp up period to get back to bike fitness. So far so good, though there are days where leg soreness from Zwift is felt on the slopes!

[@oldtwinsna8347]

You just need to build up your aerobic base. Keep at it.

[@chrismccaffrey8109]

@@oldtwinsna8347 howdy! Nice reminder to check in after a couple months. Increased my FTP nearly 40 watts, max 5 second power up a few hundred watts as well. Lost 10 lbs which helps the W/Kg too. Psyched to see what I can get up to in summer with a couple more months to train!

[@yutehube4468]

At any level, not quitting is a massive thing. I have an eBike and nearly quit up Werneth Low (John Street) the other day... a voice inside your head tells you... you can't quit, you can't get off and walk and you don't. Then you keep repeating it and get fitter. Don't ever quit!

[@stephenmacdonald6751]

rode alp d'huez in january 2019 with me on a hire bike from the shop in the valley and my dad 60 years old on his brompton I will never forget that day

[@markalfresco]

Hi, am thinking of riding my Brompton up a few mountains, can you tell if he changed gears or chain ring? Thanks

[@stephenmacdonald6751]

Hi Mark, he kept the gearing the same as standard, hope this helps

[@markalfresco]

Wow, he must be strong, so I better start hill training, thanks

[@Ah_Lee_Sun]

I’m amazed he rode a B up The Alpe. Fantastic achievement (I have a B too with the max gearing and wouldn’t ever think of it)..

[@PlayGamesRideBikes]

I strive for the day I can average 300W+ for that amount of time. So insane!

[@enwezornzegwu2494]

Crazy figures. Totally agree!

[@Dennis4523]

It’s not hard , you just need dedication and a training plan

[@THAxBLiNt]

@@Dennis4523 What training plan do you recommend?

[@numberonealcove]

@@tvi82 You think the number of men who have threshold power greater than 300 watts is roughly equivalent to the number of humans who can run a sub 10 second 100 meter? You are way, WAY off the mark. Look at Zwiftpower. You'll see that 95% of a rider's best 20 minute time (threshold power by definition) equaling 300 watts is only good enough to put that athlete in the 85th percentile of all riders. Meaning that roughly 14% of the people on Zwiftpower can average greater than 300 watts up Alpe du Zwift. Yes, it is very trainable. At least it is for most men of average or greater size. If you are a woman or a man under 65 kg or so, it gets very difficult, as raw power is directly proportional to body weight.

[@davethedogdude]

LOL, when your 59kg it's hard.

[@zedatomic8342]

Great video Chris - really enjoyed this and gave a good perspective on virtual riding on Zwift vs riding in the real world. I guess the next step would be to setup an oxygen tent over your Zwift bike and as you gain virtual altitude the oxygen is reduced in the tent!

[@nw2s]

New Wahoo product idea after you get the Climb? Wahoo altitude simulator mask with Bluetooth controlled variable suffocation levels based on actual Zwift altitude.

[@ironrace2004]

Sadistic

[@kevinawood]

Bluetooth controlled variable suffocation levels? Brilliant idea!! LOL!

[@adamsellick8116]

Good idea... Untill it malfunctions and you fall off the bike😂

[@sebh670]

@@adamsellick8116 Thats fine if it auto-pauses ...

[@smarizmendi85]

I trained for Mt. Ventoux climbing Alpe de Zwift. I felt perfectly fit when the real life Mt. Ventoux effort came.

[@djlemma]

And now you can ride a virtual Mt. Ventoux in Zwift as well!

[@Oslerian]

Brilliant idea for a video, and you executed it so well. Well edited; practical and fun to watch. I can’t believe you can speak with a HR of 191.

[@eduardorider7211]

Doubt I reach level 12 on zwift but did climb the real deal when I was 58 in 1hr 7mins ,that was 5 yrs ago.

[@malcolmmay6088]

The level is just an accumulation of miles. It is not a statement of fitness or capability, just that you have ridden a number of hours. I almost level 30 and have over 5000 miles on zwift. Its a great training program. I rode the hill when you had to be level 20. Glad they dropped it.

[@akshayeakki]

now you can do it as you can unlock it at level 5 for a short period of time. go try it. all the best

[@marcdaniels9079]

Nice work 👍

[@THOELL2737]

so there is hope for me thank you great job

[@beeble2003]

As Malcolm said, level on Zwift is just a measure of the distance you've ridden, plus bonuses for completing pre-defined routes. You can now ride AdZ at level 6. Up to about level 10, you don't even need to ride very far: as I recall, I was gaining about one level per ride, and I usually just ride 20-30 miles on Zwift.

[@MrJadiin]

lol HR 191 and still having a conversation.

[@cliffcox7643]

I can do that, but im usually saying, help, when,,,,,,,, will ,,,,,,, we .... stop.

[@garth3743]

Right? Not sure how some people can handle that.

[@joesaunders8561]

Please can you do a video challenge with GCN GMBN GTN EMBN and GCN ITALY AND GCN Espanol

[@joesaunders8561]

William Sambo I was going to but the battery ran out

[@CPTPHRizz]

Would have been great if you did an overall graph overlay (outside over inside) for HR, Distance, Time and Watts. Would be interesting to see...

[@rasmus9311]

Yeah thought that would be the whole point of the video, slight disapointment

[@alexmorgan2818]

Yeah it seems that he did the climb on zwift about 12mins faster than in real life at approximately the same power output. Shows how much easier it is on zwift!

[@arjanpetersen]

@@alexmorgan2818 that is irrelevant. It is just relative.

[@litenantjv]

@@alexmorgan2818 alpe du zwift is lil bit shorter than real life

[@zyghom]

if you can talk - present - while having 191 HR then you are real man! ;-)

[@willhogarth9945]

Great Vid. God help us heavy low FTP riders. I'm having a go of Alpe d'Huez on Rouvy next week and hope to manage about 200w :)

[@daz_the_cyclist8961]

I've ridden both and the real one is a bit more of an effort to do. And a lot better views 👌. Alpe de zwift is awesome, but your surroundings are still your pain cave. Ps you can't buy a Jersey at the top on zwift 🤣

[@madmonkeycycling9098]

I've found the real one not have as much steep gradient changes as the zwift one, but on zwift it's easier to pace and it's over much quicker. I prefer the real Alpe

[@trinerd]

It was the opposite for me, the real deal felt so much easier. Suppose the excitement of being there, the first section was hard but once I got to the first hairpin and started seeing names of champions, it inspired me.

[@frazergoodwin4945]

The gradient and the road layout is the same for the two (even though I've never ridden the real one I know it well because, well its where I go Skiing). There are some features in the Zwift version that aren't on the real one - the gallery after bend one for example (that's in this clip) gives the climb more of a feel for the Tourmalet from Campan than Alpes D'Huez, and there's other gallery sections more reminiscent of the Stelvio from Bormio. Its not the gradient or the shape of the road - but the feel the view gives as you ride... Just wonder if these features were the designers planning ahead for features that could be swapped out and used in future climbs of Zwift du Tourmelet or Zwift du Stelvio....

[@MrScrofulous]

You look so happy and fulfilled on the real mountain, and utterly miserable on the indoor trainer. I love snow (ski tragic) so I would be thrilled to be riding on those alpine conditions as well.

[@joeschmoe3630]

This is really good. One of the best GCN productions.

[@gcn]

Thanks Joe

[@ironrace2004]

I imagine the increased cadence can also be due to the stability you have indoors. On that incline you are moving slower, requiring a slightly greater effort to stabilize.

[@ACCPhil]

It eases off after the first 4km and even a fat git like me can spin nicely. The first section is steep though.

[@andrewb2874]

Thank you for doing this comparison. As I live in the US, I was wondering if my training on wahoo kickr was really going to help my ride up the Mortirolo and Gavia in May. Keep up the good work!

[@adamkulchyski]

Would anyone be helpful with an answer on how to access the climb in Zwift? I have finally reached level 12 and I can't find the climb as easily as I had hoped. Your help is appreciated. Thanks.

[@adamkulchyski]

It's okay. I did finally find it. For those wondering the same thing, since they don't simply name it, Alpe Du Zwift in the Watopia World. LOL Too simple to ask for for us newbies. ;) That being said, shoot yourself over to Watopia when starting, then select Routes and then scroll down to "Road to Sky" or "Tour of Fire and Ice" and they are the most straight and direct to Alpe Du Zwift (aka alpe d'huez). But if you want more selections, look for the routes with the most meters of climbing and you are sure to get the climb included. One that looks amazing is, "The Uber Pretzel". Almost 3000m of climbing over 128km. Anyhow, I hope this helps some other seekers of the not so obvious answer. :) ;)

[@robbchastain3036]

Outdoor Chris v. Indoor Chris, that's a duel worth watching. Thanks, Chris, and with a big enough imagination, inside is actually outside, and that's a beautiful thing.

[@johanvandermerwe2928]

I rode Alpe d Huez twice last time 5 years ago and when it came to Zwift immediately went up for comparison. Found it very similar but slower indoors. Probably fitter when actually there and definitely younger then.

[@exericsb]

Is the zwift difficulty setting 100% for comparison? Just want to have the idea of the real experience, thank you and love GCN.

[@jonathanzappala]

I did 1:03 during my SST medium workout. I hope it bodes well for when I do it in August in real life. I’d like to get an hour. I hear that takes 3.7w/kg in god weather in real life, but I wasn’t doing that much though. Here is to parting for good weather that day!

[@byrons4]

This was a really informative video, thanks! I've only been Zwifting for a few months and have wondered about the transferability of the platform/the riding. I figured that the #s weren't really going to lie (ie, watts and HR), but to see this specific comparison done was fun to watch. Keep up the great work!

[@jasonmcgrody9472]

I love videos like this because it's great to see all the physical effort the presenters put in to bringing us weekly content. It's genuinely inspiring.

[@scottvessey915]

Alp de Zwift was great training for the Sa Calobra climb on a Mallorca weekend trip 👍

[@JasCar1967]

probably more likely for me to get to Alpe d Zwift...living in Australia it's probably 30 hours to the real one

[@reganmaus]

Jason Carmichael try Rouvey, it’s a smart trainer app that has Alp De Huez and is based on actual video and GPS data.

[@mattlatham8405]

Just did my first run up alpe du zwift today I couldn't believe the effort to the first corner but got settled in and managed 85mins... Need a lot more training to bring that under an hour but it was an achievement.

[@glasshouse75]

Some wattage that. Absolutely nailed it and I’d struggle to hold 220 for the whole climb.

[@deans2239]

when Chris said it should take anywhere between 45 min and 1h30, i cried a little. my time isn't close to that 45 min mark :-(

[@johnbarrick4836]

Dean Sinclair did you have your set at 100?

[@Nathan-1234]

I just unlocked it and it took me 2 hours 1minute at 75%-80% but I am a short fatty so I guess I should be happy with it

[@riseshine3177]

@@Nathan-1234 i prob would need even more time😁 Be proud of yourself🤞🏼

[@Nathan-1234]

@@riseshine3177 Yeah I'm hoping to progress a bit. I had forgotten when I commented that I had done the Three Sisters 47.7k 895m elevation route 4 times day after day before doing Aple du zwift, hopfuly with a rest I can improve on that time! :)

[@lekhapratap1652]

Teleportation budget is back! Happy Earth Day!

[@scoobydruid]

sometimes I watch these kinds of GCN videos just to be amazed at how strong the GCN riders are. They do things I can never achieve, which is fun to see! 200 HR, I'd literally go into cardiac arrest lol

[@legomanmerlin]

Have you seen the cycling tattooist when he rides chain gang his goes above 200, as he says like some sort of hummingbird heart - I can’t break 170 now 😂

[@DrJRMCFC]

Alternatively, don’t give a load of cash to Zwift to get to level 12 or whatever like someone hooked on a candy crush app but set your smart trainer to 8% gradient and watch a tour stage going up the alps on your tv/tablet while you pedal

[@nickzourikian4555]

@J NR Good suggestion. Q/ How does one "set" their smart trainer to replicate 8%?

[@chadwilliams4148]

In Zwift settings. It defaults at 50%. Set it to 100%.@@nickzourikian4555

[@顾凯文-z6k]

Nick Zourikian most smart trainers has a dedicated app

[@nihilivocem5768]

I'd love to have a go at the real climb. Just got my "Masochist" achievement from Alpe du Zwift (an achievement I didn't even know existed). Glad to hear that the heat creates at least comparable decrease in output to altitude, as someone who lives in a completely flat country I don't have the chance to experience altitude at all.

[@laurentHK]

Alpe is definitely a must on a cyclist bucket list, as the surrounding climbs (Galibier, Madeleine..) and Ventoux. If interested to bring your "Masochist achievement" to another level, we will be happy to help. do check out our site www.belovelo.com kind cycling regards. Laurent

[@matthewdickinson3692]

Really enjoyed this video, thanks Chris. Using Alpe d' Zwift to help me prepare for a Bavaria trip later this year.

[@stanroberts229]

Curious about how Kinomap’s version would compare. Good job!

[@tonyvandijk4339]

In 2019 I did train for Alpe d’HuZes (climbing the Alpe d’Huez 6 times in a row for charity, raising money for treating cancer) on Zwift. Since I live in the flat Netherlands this was the best way to train frequently for long training sessions of climbing. I did use the Wahoo Climb for this. The virtual bike is way lighter than nu real bike, but it still got me familiar with the posture of climbing and in great fitness. Without it I could not have prepared so well, and because of the preparation I enjoyed all 6 times of climbing the mountain. Ofcourse all the music and shouting people all Across the climb helped with that as well ;)

[@thestockjockey]

329W is right where I want to be before I go to that great velodrome in the sky

[@yspegel]

Finaly got lvl12 on zwift, was so happy I did Alp du zwift right away....... twice.... in row, 49min and 55min ^^

[@kevinjohnson4695]

Nice. I've done Alpe du Zwift maybe 8 times in the past year and my best is 73 minutes. But I'm old, 57, and can so far only average about 200W. I should have started cycling 35 years ago!

[@darinsteele7091]

@@kevinjohnson4695 I'm 35 and 72kg's and I only started cycling last year and my FTP is 200, so for 57 you're doing good!

[@neilgj6305]

Thank you for this Chris. I am doing Mont Ventoux and Alp dHuez in July the week before the PRL (which is my reason for coming to the UK from Cape Town). All of my training will be on Zwift. I do plan to put in about 250-300km with about 1200m of climbing a week for the next 9 weeks. My question is about recovery and the altitude effect. How quickly did you recover from the effort? If I do MV on Monday and AdH on Tuesday, do you think I will be able to recover in time for the PRL, do you think I will recover enough from MV to do AdH 24 hours later? I am not racing I am riding it. I weigh about 93kg with a FTP of 290 at the fresh young age of 52. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

[@Bikejon]

Great video. I have ridden both but first rode the real Alpe in 1993 and then again in 2007. But the Zwift effort, look and feel was really similar to what I remember. Unfortunately I'm not 72kgs like I used to be and I suspect I've dropped a few watts too since those days so I'm a little way off Chris' time. But happy enough with a sub 50 mins. Chapeux to Zwift for the climb but I recommend going out to the real thing if you can.

[@stuartdryer1352]

Those of us who live in Houston and places with a similar climate know that heat is poor man's altitude. I wish there was a way for Training Peaks to account for it in a training stress score (TSS).

[@sundown6436]

Aparently the amount of oxygen is not going to be the same on the Alp as in the basement :p

[@daveyoung6680]

Superb video Chris, love to see you chaps suffering in the name of cycling :-)

[@carerra911]

I just completed it first time today 1:39 I didn't even think I could do it

[@kevinknutson7205]

Can you please do Innsbruck next?!

[@LUCYDIAMONDBOXER1]

I've just landed in Tenerife, I used Alpe Du Zwift to practice for Mount Tiede climb on Wednesday..... See how the training has transferred 😉

[@brianmessemer2973]

Let us know!

[@gullane79]

SAF1981 I did exactly the same, tiede wasn’t as bad as i thought

[@razerbaz]

i am going in 2 weeks and doing the same how did it go

[@LUCYDIAMONDBOXER1]

Just cracked Mt. Tiede. Its awesome to climb and the decent is superb. Amazing views and landscape in the crator. I prodomintely used my power zone 2 and some 3 out of the saddle. My FTP is 336W and 3.97W/kg so I felt fresh at the top. On the decent into the crator use arm warmers and reapply sunscreen at your stops. Definitely recommend the trip

[@LUCYDIAMONDBOXER1]

@@razerbaz Very well thanks. You're in for a treat when you get out here. Its a superb climb with amazing views /roads and landscape. Start early around sunrise to beat the sun and wear arm warmers on the decent in to the crator and down Mt. Tiede.

[@F1TZGER4LD]

BEAST, Chris! I started cycling end of April 23, did my first attempt at the ADZ a couple days ago n got 68mins. Sub 60 should be achievable now I know what to expect. 68mins of pain might I add but addictive pain. We go again 😂👍

[@gonetoearth007]

dude is strong! nice watts and great video! Now just put everything in perspective and pay homage to Il Pirata who climbed it (out of the saddle no less) in 37:00....still a record today...

[@michaelkadlicz7331]

Of course full of Doping right up to his hairline

[@danjeory3659]

@@michaelkadlicz7331 as is virtually the entire world of professional and semi-professional cycling

[@seanmasseforreal]

45min to 90min my arse, try doing this at 120kg! 129min !!!! Decent after the fact was wicked though...

[@charlesborlase2238]

I know that feeling. no less exhilarating to get to the top though :)

[@johnora3857]

198 bpm? Wow, i am glad to see 178!

[@danjo1967]

you know you can still get the kickr climb to go up/down normally at lower trainer settings; eg; with you trainer at 50% settings - you can set the kickr climb wheelbase to double (x2) what it is, and it will adjust like it was at 100%.

[@stephenmorris6202]

Really good video. Chris is an excellent presenter and great addition to the GCN team

[@jonathanspring7051]

Phenomenal Stats, I really didn't think it was possible to do those Watts and maintain that HR - well done, very inspirational!

[@camallan1]

Opie is a total monster

[@jonathanspring7051]

@@camallan1 yep for sure!

[@dubbya57]

Could you not stand up on the trainer also to break up the cad? Also, could try a breathing device to "mimic" altitude.

[@ccmp23]

Chris, how was the descent? Is that not a big part of the reward of the climb??

[@brannmacfinnchad9056]

I believe he said he skipped the descent because he felt the roads were sketchy with the snow. Smart to not risk it.

[@kaveac]

47 minutes! Wow. Impressive.

[@scawticus6085]

I'm amazed at how high you can sustain your heart rate. At the moment if I do much more then 183 (sprint) I'm about ready to puke haha. Just did the alpes su zwift yesterday and was curious. Ride on! Haha

[@Nicoya]

And I'm just sitting here on my couch wondering what a "bucketless climb" is... 🤔

[@ToxicDonkey55]

“ Bucket list “ I think

[@brucelangsteiner4599]

This was a excellent comparison! I can see that if I do the Alp du Zwift it will easily prepare me for the Alp dHuez. Particularly since I live at 7,300 feet in elevation and the summit of Alp d'Huez is only 6,100 feet. However, I seriously doubt I will be anywhere close in time to your effort.

[@DanielBristotdeOliveira]

Zwift costs me more than actually going there.

[@sevenrats]

zwift is expensive. An xbox live membership costs $60 for the whole year and you can play a million games. zwift is 3 times that for just their service and there isn't really that much content compared to xbox for say Forza. The graphics are only ok. Really all it is a data collection system. The real reason it costs what it does is because people who own $5000 bikes can afford it.

[@lsiBzn]

@@sevenrats Spin classes are about 25 euros in many cities across europe. Gym memberships are minimum 45 euros (in Paris usually around 100 though) per month. Zwift is a much smaller market than video games with millions of players. However smart trainers are incredibly expensive for what they really are, their prices is only justified by the amount of companies selling them. To be honest I think zwift should double their price... People only subscribe during winter month and this is heads down the easiest way to a structured workout.

[@sevenrats]

@@lsiBzn You think they should double their price????!!!!! Contrarian.

[@ravinmad666]

Just got 3" Krietler rollers and although I'm a bit of a weed 228FTP, I can assure you these rollers will get you very fit. There's is absolutely no chance of a rest when pedalling. And spinning at 120 rpm on a compact chain set the resistance can be anywhere from 85 Watts to 435 Watts. Need more resistance ride a bigger chain set. Need less resistance spin slower they're plenty flexible enough. I don't think I'll ever be able to hold 435 Watts for 20 minutes but that can be a target.

[@FL3Xi77PvpandMore]

Isi Gym memberships in Paris are about 30€

[@brunopoguet9684]

I've made same exercice on Ventoux: 1h40 on my bike vs 1h42 on my BKool trainer. Quite real ... except the win on the top that usually slow you.

[@domkuliasa4409]

Lol that is nothing compared to sapa in Vietnam on my lode touring bike 30km at 10%

[@user-yx1qk4sk5t]

Hypobaric chamber Zwift setup

[@mbrown1680]

Cheers Chris, very interesting comparison, I've ridden Alp du Zwift twice now and I feel pretty good about it... thanks to you and the GCN crew....

[@jeremyglenn3130]

All that work on the real deal to not descend, bummer

[@indorock]

I've descended it while being underdressed....it's not a good time. Numb toes and fingers, shivering all over.

[@bjarkenielsen8515]

I decented 16 climbs (Route des Grandes Alpes) last year and my brakes overheated quite often. Up and down with camping 14 kg gear and water. I liked the climbs more than the decents. I liked the flats the least. I won't bring any camping gear the next time I try big hills like that.

[@stevek8829]

@@bjarkenielsen8515 damn it boy! Most would be shedding stuff like a wagon train crossing Death Valley. That's one place where disk brakes are the clear choice.

[@gregvassilakos]

The big difference starts when you get to the top and turn around to go back downhill. How does the downhill experience compare between Zwift and the real world?

[@paulbradley48]

Greg Vassilakos on a kickr you have to keep peddling to keep moving (unless it’s been updated and I’ve not got the update) where in real life you can recover by free-wheeling on the downhill

[@kevinknutson7205]

As part of the mere mortals that barely see the 200 club for an hour, I am genuinely shook when I see numbers like that. Madness

[@neil7769]

Weirdly I was almost thinking the opposite - Chris is a moderately big sprinter-type and in fact it looks like he was only putting out a bit over 4w/kg for the 50mins. That's in mortal territory (even if his massive sprint power numbers aren't, as seen in the recent "is lower faster?" video!

[@yutehube4468]

What will the Zwifties think of next? An ANT+ "mask" that depletes you of oxygen to match the oxygen levels of outside + a Wahoo Kickr (or whatever) that puts resistance on, based on the wind speed of the same day you really did that climb... 🤣I'm laughing, but for realism this would bring it a step closer when it comes to beating your PB.

[@retahrdretahrd9871]

Just another boring Zwift advert from gcn.

[@chiefrocker12]

Great work Chris, I have experienced the real Alp d'Huez in 2017 and did not do the level of training that you have demonstrated here that can be done in your own home. I am assuming the Wahoo Climb equally brought some realism. Stats were surprisingly close.

[@Mar.Marz.83]

This video is super! Very well done, I never did Alp du Zwift, but you took away from me any doubt if going for Zwift/indoor trainer or not

[@Quevallyn]

Excellent video. Looks like I need a few more hours on Zwift so I can level up enough.

[@lisapet160]

Wattage Game. Overheating VS Hypoxia 0 : 0 Weight Lifting Game. Virtually Lighter VS Really Heavier 1 : 0

[@alexk3806]

Brilliant. You guys ask "what if", and then go out and do it.

[@stanwatson2904]

Great video Chris. And nice effort, you really gave it your all.

[@markbentley4343]

Its great that you mentioned putting the realism level up to 100%. That is a must imo to replicate the lower cadence efforts needed and resultant impact on the muscles. Also agree indoors is roughly 10% quicker than outdoors. Great comparative review! 👍👍😊😊

[@jasonpapworth4428]

Great video! Really interesting! ....i hope that chair gets a wipe down between sweaty presenters flaking on it 🤣 especially Lloydys beer sweat!

[@currieg1]

Your flop into the chair after indoor session reminded me of my collapse onto the couch

[@nijaveg]

Cool Zwift commercial! Also, glad to know I beat a GCN presenter up Alpe D'Zwift but nearly 2 minutes at that, albeit a sprinter but I am still happy with that. Now for the real challenge, beating Vegan Cyclist's time.

[@criggie]

There are training studios around the world that are equipped to replicate lower-oxygen air, to simulate training at altitude. I've not used one but always wanted to. vertexaltitude.co.nz/ is capable of training at 5400 metres, which is a kilometre higher than anything in the US (FYI Alaska has 10 peaks higher than that.) Doubtless there's something near you, eg google says www.altitudecentre.com/ is in London.

[@ciaranfinnegan8935]

Am i the only one that the subscribe icon in the middle of the screen is super annoying for

[@higdolini]

Hello you all...I've been training on a Schwinn 800 IC for the last few weeks. I calibrated it accordingly and am progressing quite nicely. I know that you hardcore bikers will say that a setup such as the one in this video or other similar ones are much better for training. But are they so much better? If I can stay at the very front of a ride up Mt. Ventoux until the finish line, which is a beast of a hill, it does require a lot to keep up with the riders in the front pack. So, am I correct in assuming that if I can keep up with the best of them (in that one ride, not worldwide :)), my a bit more modest setup is quite efficient as well, yes? Thank you for your answers, wherever they may come from :). Ride on :)

[@EndUser-yu7gg]

46 minutes ... Dude... are you human? ... best iu managed is 77 minutes ... i have a long way to go to get down to that 60 minutes or less! ... maybe i hurting myself by using TimeTrial Only bikes which means No drafting bonuses or power ups ...

[@11B4V]

Considering I live at 9000 ft it should replicate nicely on Zwift.

[@patrikajohansson]

Interesting comparison, but I don't understand why the oxygen level would make a difference to the time if you are able to output the same power? Less oxygen should limit your ability to produce as much power but maybe that was fully offset by the high temperature indoors? Weight however could of course play into it but 4:30 minutes seems like a lot to attribute to the weight. Maybe it's just that the modelling of the climb isn't perfect?

[@jorisbakker4530]

Can you do a garage tour or something of the presenters their bikes

[@randyisrad]

Do EVERY zift climb, real vs zwift, please

[@cleggycyclist]

Where does he find the Zwift Volcanoe KOM in real life?

[@babygerald4645]

That's some dedication from Chris- suffering the ride up Alpe D'Huez without even enjoying the descent. Thanks for the comparison between the two-- I'm going to hit AdZ for the first time this week.

[@laurentHK]

If you love downhill, I'll advise you to try out Col du Galibier (34 km non stop )...unfortunately the pass might not open before mid may

[@BrunoVasco]

"when I get to the top... IN A MINUTE" #confidence

[@kacy750]

travolta @ normal heart rate...predator @ 190+ heart rate. great video

[@gaul849]

You can wear a face mask to simulate a poor man's altitude oxygen controlled chamber. You can make gaps at the flap at the start of the climb then at the end you can close them. Yes head wind and cold will make you slower. Rolling resistance will also make a massive but is the route you rode the same as zwift where you were cutting hairpins on zwift. Also is the kicker only makeing an up and down gradient changes dose it take into account of the cambier on the road any gradient over 10% with sharp hairpins will feel like someone has put gum on tyres.

[@jacobmarx8184]

The real question if did Chris unlock the lightweights at the top of the Alpe 😂

[@w3ftm]

Nah, If it was hist first (second, third,forth,fifth) time, he'll have got gloves :-)

[@AlexRochette]

Brilliant. Both very entertaining and insightful.

[@johnpatrickflynn]

Alpe D’Huez was one of my biggest disappointments ever as it is so traffic heavy. Diesel fumes annoyed me. I genuinely believe that the only reason it is used for the Tour de France of the amount of space top to facilitate all of the to entourage. Therefore it’s not really that much of a beauty spot. However You can see a lot of beauty spots from up there. There are in fact tons of alternative climbs with hardly any traffic on them that are much nicer to side

[@davidzof]

You need to ride out of season, although even then there is quite a bit of commercial traffic going up and down. The road was first used in the early 50s after it was rebuilt and made 2 lanes by local politician Joseph Paganon so it would have been a pretty cool climb back in the day and the natural amphitheatre is a great spectacle. If you ride the back road via Villard Reculas it is a lot quieter and there are nicer hairpin climbs to ride, try the Col de l'Arpettaz north of Albertville.

[@galeforce7022]

The Col de sarenne is much more beautiful and no traffic.

[@chriscovino9246]

I did alpe d'huez on computrainer. Eff me, I thought i was going to die. Tbh, i broke the computrainer. the owner of it had told me not to do it. I felt badly...

[@rliao]

I'm really surprised that the hypoxia due to altitude didn't have a more detrimental effect on the outside performance

[@oldtwinsna8347]

It's 6k feet elevation at the summit. It's not that high when it comes to elevation and oxygen depletion. You would lose about 10%, unacclimated, at the top. But most of your time would be spent at elevations far less so more like an average of 5-6% loss. Some tiny amount is made-up for in less dense air to allow a bit of lower air resistance, to which does count since Alpe' isn't terribly steep to begin with. Keep in mind a lot of climbs start at the 6k level. Denver, Colorado, a mega city of millions, sits on a flat next to the Rockies at an elevation just a bit under this.