Remember that crazy downhill mountain bike race from Chile that we featured a few months back? Well here's another one that is sure to have you questioning the sanity of the riders once again. It's called the Megavalanche and this year it was held on the famed Alpe-d"Huez in France. The race gets underway at the 9840-foot summit, and features a mass start that has the riders scrambling, jostling, and crashing into one another as they careen down the side of the mountain. The chaos at the beginning is just part of the fun however, as the course features 6000 feet of vertical drop, spread out over 18.5 miles, through terrain that is as beautiful as it is treacherous.

It took this year's winner, a man by the name of Remy Absalon, 40 minutes to complete the course, with other riders continuing to roll in over the next few hours. To truly appreciate what they had to go through however, you'll need to watch the video, as it really is one impressive and scary ride.

This weekend, the cyclists competing in the Tour de France will roll into Paris and across the finish line after three weeks of racing. Those guys have nothing on the insane riders in this event.

[Photo courtesy Alpedhueznet.com]

Megavalanche 2011 Alpe d'Huez

Filed under: Biking, Arts and Culture, Festivals and Events, Europe, France