Alpe d’Huez back at the summit

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To tackle this legendary pass, a big bike is not enough. The ascent of Alpe d'Huez is 21 bends spread over 14 km, which are making their return to the Tour de France since 2022. Enough to bring a smile, even under the downpour, to two cyclists from the local club. “It’s something for us cyclists and residents here that makes us dream. We tell ourselves that they’re going to be there, that we’re going to see them”rejoices José Gardien, amateur cyclist at the UC de l’Oisans (Isère). “It’s extraordinary. This is where we are now. We can no longer park. There are motorhomes and flags everywhere”explains his friend, Serge Goulaieff.

A crazy atmosphere, tens of thousands of spectators and memorable events, like in 1986, with the breakaway of Bernard Hinault and Greg LeMond, enemy brothers, who finished hand in hand. A legendary image which will celebrate its 40th anniversary next year and, for the occasion, the Tour will stop not once but twice at Alpe d'Huez and in the Oisans valley, where cyclists flock every year from all over the world.

In a hotel, two steps is the guarantee of renting all the rooms, but not only that. “That's the short term. Yes, we're going to have people. Yes, it will be full. Yes, it's going to move. And the long term is advertising. The fact is that Oisans, Alpe d'Huez, is a land for cyclists”underlines Chrystelle Sert, hotelier.

For Killian Courtadon, cycling professional, it also promises a lot of work. Enthusiasts often come to try out the course. “There are already a lot of people who come with their bikes, their families. There are also a lot of people who come to rent bikes, to repair bikes, because they are not ready for what awaits them here. It’s still going up a lot”he explains. Difficult and potentially decisive, the two stages at Alpe d'Huez will take place just before the finish on the Champs-Élysées.