Alpe d’Huez, FRA

21 hairpins. Numbered in reverse. Every single one carries the name of a Tour stage winner. Riding Alpe d’Huez means riding through the history of cycling.

Alpe d’Huez at a glance

The climb starts in Le Bourg-d’Oisans at just over 700 metres: 13.8 kilometres, 1,090 metres of climbing, averaging 7.9 percent with ramps of almost 15. Hors Catégorie, finishing at 1,860 metres in the ski station. There are steeper climbs, and certainly longer ones. But none whose hairpins sound like these: Coppi, Zoetemelk, Pantani, every corner a sign, every sign a stage.

Route description

The first hairpins are the steepest: between bends 21 and 16 the gradient holds a constant ten percent and more, and the GPS track shows the hardest kilometres of the whole climb right here. This is where you find out whether you are having a good day.

From bend 15 the gradient settles at seven to nine percent. The rhythm comes. The corners wind through light forest, now and then the view opens up to the Romanche valley below. In Huez, the old village at bend 7, Dutch Corner awaits. The last three kilometres flatten out, the ski station appears, the finish arch often still stands from the last race. Whoever arrives here has not conquered the hardest climb in the Alps. But the most famous one.

History and racing

In 1952 the Tour de France held its very first summit finish on the Alpe. Fausto Coppi won in 45:22, took the yellow jersey from Andrea Carrea and kept it all the way to Paris. Then nothing happened for 24 years. Only in 1976 did the Tour return, Joop Zoetemelk won, and the Dutch made the mountain their own: eight of the first 14 stage winners came from the Netherlands, which is why bend 7 at the church of Saint-Ferréol still explodes as Dutch Corner today. The parish priest at the time, Jaap Reuten, rang the bells after every Dutch victory.

The winners’ list reads like the who’s who of cycling: Hinault 1986, Pantani, Armstrong, Geraint Thomas 2018, Tom Pidcock 2022. The speed record belongs to Marco Pantani with 36:40 from 1995, measured over the 13.8 kilometres. In 2013 the 100th Tour invented the double ascent: the Alpe twice in one day with the Col de Sarenne in between, Christophe Riblon won. The Tour was last up here in 2025, with the finish of stage 18 via the Col d’Ornon. And because there have long been more winners than hairpins, the lower signs now carry two names each.

Practical tips

Best time: June or September. In July and August the mountain is overrun, tourist cars, campervans, fans on the road. Start before 7 in the morning and you will have the hairpins almost to yourself. Water is available in Le Bourg-d’Oisans before the start and at the top in the station, nothing in between: carry two bottles. The hairpins are wide and well surfaced, it never gets tight.

How does Alpe d’Huez compare?

Soberly speaking, the Alpe is a medium-length HC climb, shorter and lower than the great passes of the region. The Galibier is the alpine heavyweight next door, twice as long and 800 metres higher. If you ride the Alpe and want more, add the Col de Sarenne at the top: six easy kilometres, then a fantastic loop back down into the valley. That is the Riblon route of 2013, just without the crowds.

Alpe d’Huez is featured on our 100 Climbs posters in DIN A1 format.

My own experience

Alpe d’Huez – a legend. It was obvious that we had to ride the climb on our trip to the French high Alps, whatever reputation precedes the mountain. It was, so to speak, a mandatory task, and that is what it remained. Not a highlight, but still beautiful when you arrive at the top. In any case a demanding mountain, especially in the July midday sun.

How many hairpins does Alpe d’Huez have?

21 hairpins, numbered in reverse from 21 at the bottom to 1 at the top. Each bend carries a sign with the name of at least one stage winner. Since there are now more winners than hairpins, the lower signs carry two names.

What is Dutch Corner?

Bend 7 at the old village of Huez, by the church of Saint-Ferréol. Dutch riders won eight of the first 14 Tour stages on the Alpe, and ever since, tens of thousands of orange fans celebrate at this corner. The former parish priest rang the church bells after every Dutch win.

Who rode the fastest time up Alpe d’Huez?

Marco Pantani, 36:40 in 1995, measured over the 13.8 kilometres from Le Bourg-d’Oisans. Slightly different values circulate depending on the measured distance, but the top of the list always reads Pantani.