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- Alpe d'Huez climbs 1071 m over 13.8 km at an average 7.9% gradient, with 21 numbered hairpins from Bourg d'Oisans to the summit at 1860 m.
- Fausto Coppi won the first Tour stage to finish on the climb in 1952; each subsequent stage winner has their name painted on a bend.
- The lower slopes (bends 16 to 18) are the steepest — pacing through the opening kilometre decides whether you crack or fly later.
- Marco Pantani's 1997 ascent of 37:35 is the cleanest modern benchmark; most faster times have been struck from the record after doping admissions.
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The climb at a glance
Alpe d'Huez rises out of the Oisans valley above Bourg d'Oisans in the French Alps, switchbacking up the southern flank of the Grandes Rousses massif to the eponymous ski resort at 1860 m. What makes it iconic is not the raw statistics — it is the visibility: 21 hairpins stacked so tightly that the whole climb can be read from the valley floor.
The bends are numbered in descending order, from 21 at the bottom to 1 at the top, and each carries the name of a Tour de France stage winner. The roll of honour reads like a history of post-war cycling: Coppi, Hinault, Bugno, Pantani, Indurain, Sastre.
Alpe d'Huez — key stats (Bourg d'Oisans to summit)
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Length | 13.8 km |
| Average gradient | 7.9% |
| Steepest sustained section | ~11% (bends 16 to 18) |
| Elevation gain | 1071 m |
| Summit elevation | 1860 m |
| Hairpin bends | 21 |
| First Tour appearance | 1952 |
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Tour de France history
The climb made its Tour debut on 19 July 1952, when Fausto Coppi soloed away on the lower slopes to win the stage and effectively seal his second Tour title. That day was the first true mountain-top finish in Tour history; the concept was considered so brutal that organizers waited 24 years before bringing it back.
Since 1976, Alpe d'Huez has hosted a Tour stage finish roughly every second year. Joop Zoetemelk, Bernard Hinault, Peter Winnen, Pedro Delgado, Gianni Bugno, Marco Pantani, Lance Armstrong, Carlos Sastre and Pierre Latour have all won summit finishes here. The 2013 Tour climbed it twice in a single stage — once on the traditional road and once after the Col de Sarenne descent, re-ascending via La Garde-en-Oisans.
Two moments stand out. In 1999 Giuseppe Guerini was struck by a fan's camera near the summit and crashed, but remounted to win. In 2004 the uphill time trial drew an estimated one million spectators, with bend 7 — the Dutch corner — a wall of orange.
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Iconic moments
Marco Pantani's 1997 ascent of 37 min 35 sec is the cleanest accepted benchmark. Several faster times exist on paper, but Lance Armstrong's 2004 time trial and others have been removed from the official record following doping sanctions. To most French journalists, the 'real' record still belongs to Il Pirata.
The 1986 finish is the most photographed: Bernard Hinault and Greg LeMond arrived hand-in-hand after weeks of open warfare inside La Vie Claire, Hinault publicly yielding the stage to his younger team-mate.
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How to ride it
The mistake every visitor makes is treating the bottom like a sprint. Bends 16 to 18 — the first three after leaving Bourg d'Oisans — hold over 10% for several hundred metres. Go into the red here and the final six kilometres will be a death march.
Gear low. A 34x32 or equivalent compact is sensible for most amateurs. The gradient never dips below 6% for any sustained stretch until the final two bends, and the air at 1800 m is thin enough that breathing rhythm matters more than raw power.
After bend 5 the gradient eases and the resort town becomes visible above. Treat this as the tactical reset: eat, sit up, take stock. The final two kilometres are a psychological test — you will hear the crowd from the ski station before you can see the finish line.
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When to ride
The road opens from late May once snow is cleared. July and August are the busiest months — Tour-like crowds in places — but offer the most reliable weather. Start before 8am to avoid both the heat and the worst of the descending tourist traffic.
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