How realistic is Alpe du Zwift?

Have you every wondered how realistic Alpe du Zwift is when compared to Alpe d’Huez? I have now ridden Alpe d’Huez twice and Alpe Du Zwift multiple times. In this video I place the rides side by side, although I have to admit that the comparison is not an equal one.
The Alpe d’Huez ride was in 2022, when I have been training for our trip to the Alpes for several months. The Alpe du Zwift ride was on 26th December and was my first ride for 3 weeks (and I am 8kgs heavier!).
Overall I think Zwift have done a great job of re-creating Alpe d’Huez in the online environment. I set Zwift to the highest difficulty setting, so I was mostly using the 34 chainring during this ride (as I was on Alpe d’Huez). My average power and speed were a bit lower, and this was reflected in my overall time. Let me know what you think in the comments.
My time for the official Alpe d’Huez strava segment was 1h 16m 25s, but as you will see, I have several stops - moving time was 1hr 12m 44s. By best time on Zwift is currently 1hr 05m 32s.
If you ever get the chance to ride Alpe d’Huez in real life, you could do a lot worse than practising on Zwift!
🎵 Music from Artlist.io Data overlays (cadence, grade, power, speed) added using Wahoo Element Bolt and Telemetry Overlay.

[@cycliststrainingpartner8877]

In reality Zwifts accent rate is too high. About 20% too high. That means if you match the watts, youll go way slower in real life.

[@DanBirasi]

8kg weight difference in climbing is huuuuuge.

[@OTHCycling]

Indeed! 😉

[@InfoRanker]

Curious, does the Zwift change the tilt of the bike to accommodate the grade?

[@krisbowditch827]

I always been 6 mins quicker to the ski village ( not the official finish extra 2 k) Wish I could go as quick in real life as alpe du zwift 🙈

[@OTHCycling]

Interesting - how many times have you been up Alpe d'Huez? This film was my second attempt, but I had already climbed the Telegraphe, Galibier and Izoard in the two days before

[@bjarnestrand-henriksen]

Great video! Really want to ride Alpe d'Hues. Pro rider passing at 1:27.

[@OTHCycling]

Thank you - I hope you get the chance to ride it. I never noticed the pro rider - Johannes Kulset from Uno-X Mobility. He disappeared into the distance pretty quickly!!

[@bjarnestrand-henriksen]

@@OTHCycling The diffetence between us mortals and the pros 😅

[@OTHCycling]

@@bjarnestrand-henriksen Correct! 😃

[@francesco412]

I guess the 5 min difference can also be due to the different avarage watt..a comparison with same wattage could have been more appropriate but well done anyway

[@OTHCycling]

Indeed - I need to get back in shape first!!

[@Katiew3lls]

Love this content! Would love to see more vids like this. Keep it up 🎉

[@OTHCycling]

Thanks!!

[@lilth501]

One can also allow for the real-world wind variability. It's good to know we have a similar experience for us indoor guys

[@OTHCycling]

Absolutely!

[@eoincampbell-flyfishermana4737]

Hi there! Great idea for a Col video 👍 Can you tell me how you superimposed the data & route images onto your video? I’m planning a trip to return to these Cols in August after 35 years (I retraced Roche’s 1987 Tour for Charity in 1989 and want fulfil one of my bucket list challenges. L’Alpe is one of the passes). Also, I’m spcurrently using a Tacx Flow with Garmin Training app. Would you recommend the Zwift over the Garmin software? Thanks in advance, Eoin 🙏👍🇮🇪

[@OTHCycling]

Hi Eoin. Thank you! I can't comment on the Garmin training app, as I haven't used it. If you train regularly on a trainer Zwift is certainly worth a go - you can get a free trial to test it (I think for a week or two). The power and route data is recorded on a wahoo bolt computer. The gpx file can then be used to create the data overlays using software called Telemetry Overlay. Hope you have a fantastic trip!!

[@glensmall1]

The grade shown IRL was quite different from zwift. They were claiming 11% when you were at around 6%.

[@lindsaywells5810]

Great video. It’s really interesting to see the comparison. What’s next? Keep it up!!

[@OTHCycling]

One day I'll get to Mont Ventoux!!!

[@nickdorey940]

You only have to look at fastest times up each to realise that the Zwift route is much easier than the real road. If you want a much closer approximation to real life climbs and times, then ROUVY is much better.

[@stephenpalfreyman4755]

That just means it's easier to cheat in zwift than it is in real life

[@haveallbeentaken]

MAN! YOU WENT HARD AT CHRISTMAS!!! I know the feeling!

[@TheUnrevealer]

Surprise, no snow there! :)

[@JeffreyThistle]

Actually doesn't surprise me that the actual climb is significantly faster, actual bike is way more comfortable than a stationary bike.

[@frankdocter3785]

On the other hand Zwift usually grossly over estimates speed. Fe. 200 w outdoor is 30k for me. Indoor it's nearly 33, sometimes 34 kph (0% gradient)

[@gustavocabrera2925]

Very similar. Comparing parameters with the videos the are so close. Thanks.

[@OTHCycling]

Thank you!

[@robertschmitz9966]

Please give your chain some lubricant😅

[@Lou-Lou.]

Longer deeper breathes buddy

[@roadcyclist1]

I'm sure you have plenty of practice with those long, deep breaths as you sit on the couch all day watching videos of others actually out on the bike.

[@Lou-Lou.]

@@roadcyclist1 I'm the chairman of my local cycling club 🙂

[@OTHCycling]

I have plenty to work on for sure. I was telling myself to take deeper breaths, but easier said than done when you put yourself in the red before the first hairpin!! 😄

[@Lou-Lou.]

@OTHCycling It made a huge difference for me when I started doing hill climb comps, and the harder you're working the more it will help 😊 fantastic effort btw, the alpe looks incredible in real life!

[@debbiewyler4048]

Nice. Looking at doing it next summer IRL. Good to know how similar they are. Want to know that I can do it before I travel to it.

[@OTHCycling]

Thanks for the comment. If you can do it on Zwift, I'm sure you can do it IRL. The Alpe starts off pretty hard for the first few hairpins and then gets a bit steadier. Make sure you have plenty of gears and enjoy the scenery. It really is a bucket list climb!

[@PureNRG2]

Just completed the Alpe du Zwift for the second time a couple of days ago. Going up just hurts. Going down is a blast😅

[@OTHCycling]

Great stuff - well done!!

[@barryhambly7711]

As I have said putting out power on the road is easier than Zwift I bet you found that even if it felt hard I am not saying it is easy but better for the legs.

[@OTHCycling]

You definitely get more micro-rests, particularly on the hairpins.

[@brodiegreer9915]

Great video man you’re really really good at cycling! Keep up the good work👍👍👍

[@OTHCycling]

Thanks Brodie!!

[@kawesipastorholland]

❤ love the video 🎉 what did you use to display the metric overlay

[@OTHCycling]

Thank you! I use a programme called Telemetry Overlay - it is a bit tricky to synch the video with the GPX data file, but overall pretty easy to use

[@jahames14]

Amazing video the views are amazing! Keep up the good work!

[@OTHCycling]

Thank you!

[@michaelhenry4405]

Is the Alpe just a "on the pedal" non stop climb?

[@OTHCycling]

Not really - there are quite a few easier sections where you get a chance to recover, and the gradient eases off at most of the hairpins. The first couple of kms are definitely the hardest, and as soon as you hit the climb you are straight into 9-10%.

[@madiantin]

Wow! Excellent!! What a great video.

[@OTHCycling]

Thank you - glad you enjoyed it

[@BrewsGamesRides]

Great vid and rides! Cheers and happy new year from Southern California 🍻🚴

[@OTHCycling]

Thank you - Happy New Year to you too.

[@bjschedin1]

Thanks for sharing! I'm an old man on zwift with dreams of riding Alpe d’Huez. Are there spots on the ride to take a "nature break" if needed?

[@OTHCycling]

Thank you - there is a toilet at hairpin 7 (Dutch Corner). You will see me say hello to the guy at the picnic table there - the toilet is the small building behind him.

[@nickdorey940]

Be prepared. The real Alp is harder than the Zwift one.

[@nickdorey940]

The real Alp takes about 15-20% longer to ride than the Zwift version. The Zwift version is very flattering. Hence the fastest TT times for top pros on the real climb are 36 mins for men and 44 mins for women. The fastest Zwift times are 30 mins and 36 mins respectively.

[@lukevirtualgameruk3523]

I'm sure its slower on zwift

[@OTHCycling]

Hard to say really. My faster time is on Zwift, but as others commented, there are many factors which are hard to control for. I'm sure that actually being on Alpe d'Huez (as opposed to my garage!) is worth a few watts in itself.

[@lukevirtualgameruk3523]

@@OTHCycling you don't get that wheel roll on zwift tho. Like outside the wheels carry you when your tired on flats.

[@fredboineau8850]

Interesting comparaison. Have you used the same power meter in both cases ? Power figures from a home trainer can sometimes be significantly different from true power. From the data you show, I calculated 18% more power (in W/kg) for Alpe d'Huez that yields a gain time of about 14% (including a mean weight for the bike) compared to Alpe du Zwift. The consistency of 4% is quite nice

[@OTHCycling]

Thanks for the comment. I have a single sided 4iiii power meter. Whilst the Zwift power is from my Wahoo trainer, it matches the crank based meter very closely

[@pennetierphilippe8529]

n zwift coupled to Tacx Neo ( 1st gen ) i have a difference of 60 watts between Tacx Neo and Assioma Favero Uno ( the good value is Assioma ). Probably because i use 180 mm cranks ( Real value in assioma ).

[@OTHCycling]

@@pennetierphilippe8529 That's quite a big difference! It is around 5 watts for me.

[@pennetierphilippe8529]

yes. That's why it is interesting if you can compare your home trainer with a bike power meter @@OTHCycling . Or you can " destroy " yourself on HT lol

[@fredboineau8850]

Yes it is a huge difference. I also have assioma (duo) power meter and measured a 10% difference (@ 200 W) with my Elite Suito home trainer, which is too high to rely on (in my situation, the home delivers a lower power).