Build your Alpe d'Huez Triathlon plan
Your coach opens with the Alpe d'Huez Triathlon set for July 28, 2027, asks about your week and your fitness, then writes every session of your triathlon plan. Free, and you can start as a guest. About 39 weeks to go.
Start your Alpe d'Huez Triathlon plan- Formats
- L, M
- Terrain
- Hilly
- Taper starts
- July 19, 2027
Alpe d'Huez Triathlon distances
- L 2.2 km swim, 118 km bike, 20 km run
- M 1.5 km swim, 28 km bike, 6.4 km run
Course
The Alpe d'Huez Triathlon course
Both races swim in the Lac du Verney reservoir at about 700 m, a lake closed to swimmers the rest of the year, and both finish their bike legs with the 21 hairpins of Alpe d'Huez (13.9 km at 8%) to T2 at about 1,800 m. The L bike covers 118 km and 3,200 m of climbing over the Alpe du Grand-Serre (15 km at 6.5%), the Col du Malissol and the Col d'Ornon before the final ascent.
Read the full course notes
The L run is three 6.4 km loops (20 km, 340 m of climbing) on mixed track and tarmac toward the Col de Sarenne, at altitude. The M is 1.5 km swim, 28 km bike with 1,415 m of climbing (15 km up the valley to Bourg d'Oisans, then the 21 bends) and a single 6.4 km run loop.
- Terrain
- Hilly
- Formats
- L, M
- Race-day conditions
- The lake has averaged about 17 °C over the last five editions and usually sits between 16 and 22 °C, and wetsuits are mandatory. Late July at the 1,860 m finish area is usually mild, around 9–18 °C, while the valley floor can be much hotter during the climb, with afternoon thunderstorms possible.
What to train for
Climbing is everything: build long rides with 2,500–3,500 m of ascent and regular 45–75 minute climbs at steady, sustainable power.
Fit gearing low enough to keep cadence up on 8–10% ramps for an hour, and rehearse fuelling on the climbs.
Practise running off long climbs in bricks, ideally at altitude or on hilly trails, because the run starts at about 1,800 m with climbing on every loop. Get used to cold water in a wetsuit before race week.
Sample week
A sample Alpe d'Huez Triathlon training week
A week from the middle of the build, about six weeks out. Your plan sets the real distances and paces from your own fitness and adjusts them every week as you train.
- Monday
- Swim, 45 min: drills and technique
- Tuesday Key session
- Bike, 1 h with climbing repeats
- Wednesday
- Swim, 45 min: steady intervals at race effort
- Easy run, 40 min
- Thursday Key session
- Run, 40 min with tempo segments
- Friday
- Rest, or 20 minutes of mobility
- Saturday Key session
- Long ride, 1 h 30 min, then a 20 min run off the bike
- Sunday
- Long run, 1 h easy
Your build to race day
Taper
Tapering for the Alpe d'Huez Triathlon
Start the taper seven to ten days before race day. Trim the volume in all three sports, keep short race-pace efforts in each, and do one last short brick so running off the bike still feels familiar. The course is hilly, so keep one short hill session in the first taper week to keep the climbs familiar. With the race on July 28, 2027, your taper starts around July 19, 2027.
Also in Claude
Ask Claude for this plan
Add AthleteSpace to Claude once, then paste this prompt and put in your own numbers.
Build me a triathlon season for the Triathlon de l'Alpe d'Huez on July 28, 2027. I train about [hours] hours a week, [days] days a week.
Alpe d'Huez Triathlon training questions
How long should I train for the Alpe d'Huez Triathlon?
Most athletes give a triathlon sixteen to twenty weeks of focused training on top of an existing base. The coach counts back from your actual race date, so if you have less time than that it builds the best plan the remaining weeks allow rather than pretending you have longer.
What is the Alpe d'Huez Triathlon course like?
Hilly. Both races swim in the Lac du Verney reservoir at about 700 m, a lake closed to swimmers the rest of the year, and both finish their bike legs with the 21 hairpins of Alpe d'Huez (13.9 km at 8%) to T2 at about 1,800 m.
How cold is the water at the Alpe d'Huez Triathlon?
The lake has averaged about 17 °C over the last five editions and usually sits between 16 and 22 °C, and wetsuits are mandatory. Late July at the 1,860 m finish area is usually mild, around 9–18 °C, while the valley floor can be much hotter during the climb, with afternoon thunderstorms possible.
When should I start tapering for the Alpe d'Huez Triathlon?
Start the taper seven to ten days before race day. Trim the volume in all three sports, keep short race-pace efforts in each, and do one last short brick so running off the bike still feels familiar. The course is hilly, so keep one short hill session in the first taper week to keep the climbs familiar. With the race on July 28, 2027, your taper starts around July 19, 2027.
Do I need an account to get a Alpe d'Huez Triathlon training plan?
Start as a guest and save a free account later. Your coach writes your triathlon plan and adapts it every week as you log your training. No card.