Alpe d'Huez

Infobox Mountain
Name = Alpe d'Huez
Photo = Alpe-dhuez-arrivee-tour.jpg
Caption = Tour de France arrival line, avenue du Rif Nel.
Elevation = convert|1860|m|ft|0
Range = Alps
Location = FRA
Prominence =
Coordinates = coord|45|03|N|6|02|E|
Topographic

Type=
Age=
First ascent =

Alpe d'Huez is a famous ski resort 1860 metres / 3330 metres (6,102 ft / 10,924 ft) high. Alpe d'Huez is a mountain pasture in the Central French Alps, located on the territory of the commune of Huez, in the Isère "département".

Tour de France

Alpe d'Huez is the most famous mountain climb in the Tour de France. While the tour route varies from year to year, l'Alpe d'Huez has hosted a stage finish almost every year since 1976. The Tour de France first finished a stage on l'Alpe d'Huez in 1952. That stage was won by the Italian road racing cyclist Fausto Coppi.

The climb up Alpe d'Huez is 13.8 km at an average gradient of 7.9% with 21 hairpin ("les 21 virages") bends marked with panels honouring the winners of each stage that has finished there. Having finished there for the 22nd time in 2001, the authorities had to start again at the bottom with a double panel honouring Fausto Coppi and Lance Armstrong.

As the most legendary climb in recent Tour history, the Alpe has been the scene of chaotic crowds in the past 10 years. In 1999 Giuseppe Guerini won the stage despite being knocked off his bike by an over-enthusiastic spectator who stepped into his path to take a photograph (the photographer later sought out Guerini to apologize). The 2004 Tour de France route featured an individual time trial up Alpe d'Huez, which became a chaotic scene crowded with nearly a million fans, some of whom could not resist pushing their favorite rider toward the top. Armstrong won the stage and his time was only 1 second slower than the official record set in 1997 by the late Marco Pantani of 37 minutes, 35 seconds.

Alpe d'Huez is also known as the "Dutch Mountain", a Dutchman having won there 8 of the first 14 finishes. Approximately one of every three fans on the mountain is from the Netherlands. The Dutch have won none of the last 12 stages finishing on Alpe d'Huez however; 6 climbs were won by Italian riders, 3 by American riders, one by Spanish rider Iban Mayo, one by Fränk Schleck of Luxembourg with the most recent winner being a Spaniard, Carlos Sastre.

The peak also serves as the finish of La Marmotte, a one-day, 175-km road cycle ride with well over 5000 m. of climbing. It is also used for downhill, or Alpine skiing.

Winners of the Alpe d'Huez stage at Tour de France

The 2008 finish is at 1850 m, whereas in previous years this has been at 1860 m. [cite web| first=| last=| author= | url=http://mrambaul.club.fr/villes_etapes/villes_a/alpe_d_huez.htm | title=L'Alpe-d'Huez dans le Tour de France | publisher= mrambaul.club.fr| date= | accessdate=2008-07-21]

No turn names were given for the track.

ister cities

Alpe d'Huez's sister cities are:
*flagicon|Italy Bormio, Italy, since 2005.

References

External links

* [http://www.pezcyclingnews.com/?pg=fullstory&id=6182 Pezcyclingnews interview of Historian Jean-Paul Vespini's book "The Tour Is Won On The Alpe" by Matt Wood]
* [http://mrambaul.club.fr/villes_etapes/villes_a/alpe_d_huez.htm L'Alpe-d'Huez dans le Tour de France fr]
* [http://www.alpedhuez.com/ Ski Resort Website (in French & English)]
* [http://www.cycling-challenge.com/alpe-dhuez-five-different-rides/ Map and details of 5 Cycling Routes up Alpe d'Huez (in English)]
* [http://www.alpedhuez.net/ Independent Alpe d'Huez Skiing Guide (in English)]
* [http://www.velonews.com/images/details/10447.15776.f.jpgVeloNews map of the climb with numbered corners]
* [http://cycling.ben.uk.net/Road/Frenchalps/Alpedhuez/alpedhuez_interactive.php Interactive road map with photos of each hairpin-bend and road sign]
* [http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&msid=103696868414170297075.000443654c0cac2b72ddb&z=12&om=0 Google Map of Various Cycling Routes and Landmarks]
* [http://www.cyclefilm.com/marmotte.html CYCLEFILM's Video Reconnaissance of Alpe d'Huez]