Longest Hill?

a raft of negetive comments. hmm

maybe i'll just do it geared. although...... not having a geared bike might put the stoppers on that.

Wasn't meaning to be negative - but Alpe d'Huez, like all Alpine climbs, is a very different beast from anything you'll find in London. An average gradient of 8% may sound pretty easy but when it's 14 kms long you need low gears. I've ridden it fresh and done it in under an hour but I've also done in at the end of the Marmotte, having ridden 100 miles and 3 cols, and it's taken me an hour and a half. The weather is a big factor too, especially if it's very hot or very cold. I'm sure it's possible to do it fixed but I think you'd need a gear of around 40 inches for it to be pleasurable.

There is an alternative, the bike shop in Bourg d'Oisans, at the foot of Alpe d'Huez, rents out pretty decent bikes by the day so you can always go for that option.