Zipp,
Good to hear from you. Speedy recovery from your cold. I chickened out and rode indoors avatar style with a friend who has the same indoor trainer rig.
If ____, _______ and _______all line up, I too would like to ride the real Alpe d Huez then Ventoux. Don't stuff me in a seat tube just yet but last year I failed an attempt to ride Greylock and Wachusett.
My virtual version including cramped room, small screen, fan, tire noise and my grunts and groans isn't quite as slick as
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_cgyHJxI7DA.
I do look forward to spinning outdoors: exercise, air, scenery and time to contemplate like....
what if my kids put my ashes in a seat tube? What if they rode Alpe D Huez, forgot and there I stayed until someone decided to convert the bike to a single speed urban machine. Wouldn't ashes get in the bottom bracket? Do I really want to be lodged in bearing grease?
I gotta get out.