CCFISH81

Forgive me on the spelling.... I was unable to find it on the tours web site, but does anyone know what stage the Alp De Huez is this year... thanks -

Crack'n'fail

Not included in the tour this year.

oboeguy

I think they needed a break after the insanity of the uphill TT in last year's TDF.

Guest

Amen!

It really is a fun time to watch the riders climb, but last year's was so crazy I think they probably needed a break from it.

Koffee

hebrew_rider

and is lance officailly racing the tdf this year? curse him if so...

SipperPhoto

No Alpe D'Huez? bah!

Ventoux?

Jeff

Laggard

No Ventoux.

You do get Col de la Madeleine, Le Grand Ballon and the Col du Galibier

SipperPhoto

not bad I guess... As long as the racing is good. I do like it when you get some of the more famous climbs in there.

Jeff

Gustaf

I thought it would have been cool for the 100th tour if they had just decided to put in all the most storied and historic climbs. some day hopefully.

DieselDan

The 100th anniversery of le Tour was two years ago (2003). The 100th le Tour isn't until 2012, as 10 le Tours were not held due to WW1 and WW2.

Blackberry

Curse him becuz?

Gustaf

yes I know, thats what I ment

dolophonic

That is not good news. Both of those climbs are epic..

fhfn2000

has anybody here actually climbed Alpe D'Huez? eek!

would be quite the experience.

squeegy200

After last year's circus, Im sure security and logistical issues were considered. I believe a spectator died this year falling off one of the steep edges along the road.

Regarding security:
Didn't Eddy Mercyx lose his last tour on Alp D Huez? Isn't this where a spectator punched him in the stomach while he was climbing 40 seconds ahead of the next rider? He never fully recovered and eventually lost the entire race.

In a press conference recently, it was revealed that Lance had several death threats just prior to this stage and team management deemed them viable threats. So they strategically placed one body guard on a motorcycle ahead of LA and one in the follow car along with Johan Bruyneel.

Eddy recently concurred with a statement Lance made after the completion of this stage when LA indicated that he was only one spectator away from losing the race.

Smoothie104

I think Merckx was punched on the Puy de Dome....


let me google....

HigherGround

I rode it last year, and yes, it definitely was quite an experience! I had driven about 10 or 12 hours the day before, then slept in my car overnight. When I got up the next morning, I walked up the first two hairpins. That was definitely a mistake! They were steeper than the rest of the climb, but it psyched me out to think that the rest of the climb would be that bad

I walked back down to the base of the mountain, and then to the Casino supermarket to get some food. This was the day before the Tour's time trial, so it was a mad house. I hauled my food back to the car, had breakfast, then tried to take a nap. Afterwards I got changed, and rode around the valley to warm up for a half hour or so. The actual climb was tougher than I had expected. My low gear was a 39-26, and I wished I had put the 26 on the crankset! Granted, I didn't have the ideal preparation for it, such as a long drive and sleeping in the car the night before, but I was surprised at how tough it really was. It was also "interesting" to be climbing and trying to dodge people painting the road, cyclists descending the mountain, and people just partying in general. I was pretty hammered at the top. I had taken a vest for the descent, and I was glad that I did because a storm was rolling in. The descent was tough too, simply because of the stress on your arms to brace yourself, and the constant braking so you didn't pick up too much speed. At least I made it back before the rain hit.

I think Paul Sherwen has said that Alpe d'Huez isn't that tough of a climb, but it's the other climbs that usually preceed it in a Tour de France stage that make it tough. Don't believe him!

poululla

I have done both the Col du Galibier and Alpe D'Huez in one day. For me the final 8km of the Col du Galibier was a lot harder than Alpe D'Huez. Here I go over the Col at 2646m after about 6 hours in the saddle....the grimace turns to a huge smile on the decent

The white stuff to the side of the road is snow and ice

HigherGround

I drove over the Galibier on the way to the next day's stage - it was very impressive. My long term goal is to ride La Marmotte, but I know I'll have to do a heck of a lot of training in order to make it.

55/Rad

Divekrb and Poululla - those photos are awesome.

"Honey, where's my passport?"

55/Rad

Joey Bayles

Yes I got to climb the back side of the Alp De Huez to get a spot for last years tour. Got to watch Lance pass Basso. We climed the front a day after the race. The backside is a lot harder.

jkoman

I get to climb Alpe du Huez, Galibier, Madeliene, and many others on the Tour des Alpes with Breaking Away Tours. Last year was 4 days in the Pyrenees...and I'm not a climber!! My brother in law convinced me to go but had already selected this tour. I generally prefer to do only one major (BC or Cat 1 ) climb per day but it's amazing what you can do when you just commit to it. The Tourmalet last year was a beast even trying not to ride it too hard...La Mongie was pretty enjoyable especially 3-4 hoours before the Peloton.

hi565

Curse him?

I dont get it why people hate him. At least honor what this guy has done, I dont see you winning the tour 6 years in a row...

pseudobrit

Yes but the hype surrounding Lance overshadows all the other riders who won six in a row.

hoodlum

What a statement.