It's the most famous climb in the world, the site of the Tour de France's first-ever mountaintop ending, and a stage finish almost every year since 1976. It's 8.7 miles long, with 21 hairpins, each named after a stage winner; an absolutely punishing average grade of 7.9 percent; and a total elevation gain of 3,641 feet.
Translation: It will crush you. But it doesn't necessarily have to cost you that much. Cycling Classics' self-guided five-day Oisans Valley Cycling tour, which also has a few other famous climbs (Galibier and Les Deux Alpes) on the itinerary, is just $785 (cyclingclassics.com).
Photographer: Gero Breloer/Corbis
Comments
That is a magnificent ride but I'd recommend looking at any number of touring companies. My experience with Cycling Classics in France was they are well meaning but disorganized. They failed to deliver on many promises and so I would not recommend them. I participated in a guided tour and it was not up to it's advertised quality.
Flag ThisCyclomundo offers a very similar ride (guided or self-guided) from Geneva to Alpe d'Huez. Cyclomundo's Alpe d;Huez trip was actually featured as one of Outside's 2011 Best Trips of the Year, so it's definitely worth checking out. The company is run by a Frenchman named Bruno Toutain that has been riding in the Alps his whole life, so he really knows his stuff.
Flag Thisif you're going to run a picture with a story about l'alpe d' huez at least make sure it's a picture of the climb itself.
Flag Thisif you're going to run a picture with a story about l'alpe d' huez at least make sure it's a picture of the climb itself.
Flag ThisThat climb in the picture is not Alpe d'Huez! If you go with a tour, you will pay a lot! If you do a little homework you can do the ride yourself and save lots of money to buy some nice French food or souvenirs or light weight parts for your bike, or all of the above.
Flag ThisI rode Alpe d'Huez some years ago while on an excellent tour provided by Breaking Away Bicycle Tours. I don't know where the above photo was taken, but it is NOT Alpe d'Huez.
Flag ThisI rode Alpe d'Huez some years ago while on an excellent tour provided by Breaking Away Bicycle Tours. I don't know where the above photo was taken, but it is NOT Alpe d'Huez.
Flag ThisI rode Alpe d'Huez some years ago while on an excellent TDF tour provided by Breaking Away Bicycle Tours. I don't know where the above photo was taken, and while it appears to be a dramatic climb it is NOT Alpe d'Huez.
Flag ThisI rode Alpe d'Huez some years ago while on an excellent TDF tour provided by Breaking Away Bicycle Tours. I don't know where the above photo was taken, and while it appears to be a dramatic climb it is NOT Alpe d'Huez.
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