Alpe D'Huez is a classic, and brutal, Tour de France climb. It was first introduced to the Tour in 1952. The 12.3 km climb starts in the town of Le Bourg-de-Oisans, and has 21 hairpin turns (counting from the summit down).
Stage 18 from Gap to Alpe D'Huez was an epic one for several reasons -- it was the 100th Tour de France, and the riders would do the climb, not once, but twice. Let me tell you, walking it was tough enough (once). =)
It had become our selected stage -- the one that we were willing to do whatever it took to get up and into the action. Several days prior (at Col de Manse) we had heard that the small climb that was included in between the double summits of Alpe D'Huez had already been closed for days, and that anyone with a campervan or car who wanted a spot was already on the roadside of the climb. What this all meant was that we were gonna have to hoof it.
We awoke before 6AM that day, stumbled out of our tent, and hit the road. We had packed our bags and lunches the night before, knowing time was of the essence. Traffic wasn't too bad heading north from the campsite, but the cyclists were out in full force already. It was slow going as we neared Le Bourg-de-Oisans. We knew we would have to cut our losses, and parked about 3.5 km from town (along with thousands of others.) There was time enough for a quick breakfast, and then we hoisted our packs replete with liters of water, lunch and a bottle of wine (of course), and set off to join the throngs.
Bourg was bouncin' for 8AM in the morning. The little bread store was already out of bread (a supreme crisis in a French town), but we were told more was on the way. We walked a bit further, found some croissants and some diesel powered coffee, and continued to follow the crowds and the blocked off streets to the base of the climb. The atmosphere was truly electric, and you could tell just how excited everyone felt. Flags from every country were present, and at the base, people were selling all types of Tour memorabilia in addition to breakfast, sandwiches, and of course, beer. I pity the few who were trying to drive cars at this point, as it was just an exercise in futility. The decision to go it on foot was the right one. =)
Then we saw the banners for the start of the climb -- 12.3 km to go. We didn't know exactly how far up we were going to walk, but were aiming for getting at least to Dutch corner (#7, meaning we would have at least 13 hairpin turns to walk, and at least 8 km to go). We settled in and started to climb. There were campervans, tents, walkers, runners, hikers, bikers, signs, and more along the way.
At this point, the roads were essentially closed to vehicles, so we had the whole road to play on. The temp wasn't too bad, but boy was it humid and it wasn't long before we were gulping down the water (knowing that we would be on the climb until well after 6 PM by the time it was all said and done.) We continued to work our way up, and the view of the Alps just kept getting better.
The climb went quickly as there was so much going on -- music playing, people singing, all of the cyclists -- just awesome. We stopped for a few little breaks to take in the action, but before long we were taking the hiking path that would take us right into Dutch corner. We came out the the trees and walked right into a legitimate street party. They even had a DJ. The color orange was everywhere and everyone was having a blast.
We wandered a bit, took part in a few songs, and headed back down a couple of hairpins to secure a spot on the roadside with a seat (i.e. concrete alongside the road.) Lunch consisted of some delicious sausage, cheese, bread and our wine. The perfect rest stop before the caravan started coming through -- huge vehicles on a very tiny road. =)
After a few hours of admiring the views, we saw the riders climbing up from below. The closer they got, the louder the cheering became. We could see a BMC car first, and then got word that it was one of our favorites from the US -- Teejay Van garderen leading the climb. We were in a great spot just after a corner, and we could see everything -- the riders were literally within arms reach. Amazing! I'll let a few of the pictures tell the story from here!
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| Teejay Van garderen leading the way up the first ascent! |
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| Christophe Riblon, 2nd up the first ascent -- he would go on the win this epic stage. |
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| Me cheering the peleton on! |
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| Sky and the yellow jersey on Chris Froome |
We then had about and hour and half before the riders would come around again, which turned out to be a great time to snack on the pain-au-chocolat left over from the boulangerie that morning and a quick nap in the brief period of sunshine. It was tough to get updates as to what was happening on the descent and the start of the 2nd ascent, but if you listened closely, people were passing info from radios and satellite TVs around. The riders came even closer the 2nd time around -- see below for some fantastic shots!
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| Jens Voigt, up close and personal! He is the oldest rider in the race at 42 yrs. |
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| Chris Froome, on the attack |
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| Alberto Contador, previous Tour de France winner (would go on to finish 4th overall) |
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| Fans frequently run alongside the riders up climbs |
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| How we knew who was coming up! Check out that gradient! |
It truly was a magnificent day for so many reasons -- the atmosphere, the people with whom we interacted, the riders & the epic nature of the stage itself. It was a special experience to be a part of such a great event -- and to be so close to the action. The day was worth every step up Alpe D'Huez. We were pulling for Teejay Van garderen to win, but it was Christophe Riblon who finished the stage first. Songs and cheers erupted from the French fans all the way down as be began our descent. Upon finally reaching the car a few hours later, we entered the traffic that was leaving town. It was slow going, but the day was worth it. When we got back to our campsite, we showered and tucked ourselves into our sleeping bags, falling asleep with the contentment of one of our best days yet.
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| On the Champs D'Elysees for the finish |
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| Looking through the crowds to the riders |
We arrived in Paris several days later to watch the final stage's finish on the Champs D'elysees, which was lovely, but it was crowded and much less personal than our previous Tour de France experiences. The riders came onto the Champs just before sunset and the Arc de Triomphe was illuminated after the finish. After a late-night stroll back to our little Paris apartment, we said good-bye to the 100th Tour de France and an epic couple of weeks. I think we'll be back. =)
Click below for more photos of the beautiful Alps and up close and personal with the cyclists!
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