Alpe d'Huez and the Tour de France
The Tour de France was in town, or more accurately, we were in town for the Tour de France. The weekend after running the Eiger Ultra 51km, we made our way to Alpe d'Huez in France, the ultimate stop on the tour. It was something I'd been dreaming about since I was 13.*
If you're reading this, there is a good chance you've never been there, so let me try to describe this a little bit. The town of L'Bourg d'Oisans lies in a deep valley in Southern France, about 2-3 hours away from Geneva. From there, one can go up the mountain on either side. On one side lies the ski resort town of Alpe d'Huez at the end of a road with its famed 21 hairpin turns, averaging 9-10% grade, and unrelenting in its ascent. Halfway up is the old village of Huez with its medieval buildings and the Dutch corner.
The Dutch corner. The route up the mountain is famous for two things: the importance of the long climb on deciding the outcomes of many past Tours, and the insane crowds that line the road. Chief among the latter is the Dutch corner. Days before the race, soon-to-be crazy drunken Dutchmen camp out on a large hairpin corner in Huez village. The road is painted orange, bars are set up, and men turn into drunks. The party begins early and goes on long.
For several days, amateur cyclists will journey to this cycling mecca and try their luck on the mountain. Alpe d'Huez itself will be full of cyclists and bicycles everywhere. Meanwhile, my kids were occupied for the day after we bought them day passes for summertime mountain activities - ziplining, wall climbing, bobsledding. Meanwhile, the adults were drinking and eating.
I had neglected to reserve a bike to rent for the weekend, so instead I took off on foot to run the mountain. Here's what it looks like:
The run up the hill was modest but not too difficult. I think it's harder on bike than on foot. I passed a few cyclists and then got passed by a few others on the flatter sections.
Race day was amazing. Insane. Wild. Exciting. We sat with Columbians, Americans, Swiss, Germans, and an assortment of people cheering the cyclists and just enjoying and celebrating cycling, the mountain, and French culture. We partied into the night. I ran up the rest of the mountain past the ski lifts in the morning before we headed out for the next section of our pan-European holiday. It was hard to top the Eiger Ultratrail, but what can I say, it's the Tour de France!
The Columbian fans were out in full force. Some even forgot their pants!
* This was my third visit to TDF - having been to a couple of stages while living in Europe, including Alpe d'Huez.
If you're reading this, there is a good chance you've never been there, so let me try to describe this a little bit. The town of L'Bourg d'Oisans lies in a deep valley in Southern France, about 2-3 hours away from Geneva. From there, one can go up the mountain on either side. On one side lies the ski resort town of Alpe d'Huez at the end of a road with its famed 21 hairpin turns, averaging 9-10% grade, and unrelenting in its ascent. Halfway up is the old village of Huez with its medieval buildings and the Dutch corner.
The Dutch corner. The route up the mountain is famous for two things: the importance of the long climb on deciding the outcomes of many past Tours, and the insane crowds that line the road. Chief among the latter is the Dutch corner. Days before the race, soon-to-be crazy drunken Dutchmen camp out on a large hairpin corner in Huez village. The road is painted orange, bars are set up, and men turn into drunks. The party begins early and goes on long.
For several days, amateur cyclists will journey to this cycling mecca and try their luck on the mountain. Alpe d'Huez itself will be full of cyclists and bicycles everywhere. Meanwhile, my kids were occupied for the day after we bought them day passes for summertime mountain activities - ziplining, wall climbing, bobsledding. Meanwhile, the adults were drinking and eating.
I had neglected to reserve a bike to rent for the weekend, so instead I took off on foot to run the mountain. Here's what it looks like:
Looking down at the ski village of Alpe d'Huez and mountains across the valley.
The ski village in the background
My kids had fun zip-lining all day.
The road closed early Saturday for the race
Looking down on the old village of Huez
A couple of shots of the old village
Each hairpin turn is numbered and marked commemorating a stage winner.
Looking across the valley.
The road is empty now, but it will be filled with Columbians by morning.
Finishing the climb.
The run up the hill was modest but not too difficult. I think it's harder on bike than on foot. I passed a few cyclists and then got passed by a few others on the flatter sections.
Race day was amazing. Insane. Wild. Exciting. We sat with Columbians, Americans, Swiss, Germans, and an assortment of people cheering the cyclists and just enjoying and celebrating cycling, the mountain, and French culture. We partied into the night. I ran up the rest of the mountain past the ski lifts in the morning before we headed out for the next section of our pan-European holiday. It was hard to top the Eiger Ultratrail, but what can I say, it's the Tour de France!
We partied all night in the streets before the race, cheering on incoming (amateur) riders
The Columbian fans were out in full force. Some even forgot their pants!
The promotional vehicles races through, tossing out goodies to all the crazy boys and girls
Oh yeah, and then some cyclists raced on by.
* This was my third visit to TDF - having been to a couple of stages while living in Europe, including Alpe d'Huez.
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