Day 9 -
13.2 km from Bourg d'Oisans
(el. 755m) to Alpe d'Huez summit
- 7.8% ave - 10.6 % max
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more
Alpe d'Huez info:
*
55km
round trip returning down
Col de Sarenne (bottom route map);
or
*
26.4km up and retrace back down (first route map below)
Perhaps the most famous of climbs on the Le Tour, it is not the toughest one. L'Alpe d'Huez (el 1,780m) has hosted a stage finish almost every year since 1976. Le Tour first finished a stage on L'Alpe d'Huez in 1952. That stage was won by famed Italian cyclist, Fausto Coppi - below.
The climb up to the ski resort at Alpe d'Huez (el 1,780m) is 13.2km (initial 2km elevates only 6m) at an average gradient of 8.1%, 1,071 vertical meters, with 21 hairpin bends marked with panels honouring the winners of each stage that has finished there. The fastest climb ever was achieved by Marco Pantani (died 14 Feb 2004) in 1995: 36 min 50 sec.
From Bourg d'Oisans to the Col de Poutran and a little further on, the Lac Besson. The Col de Poutran is at 1,995m and the car park at the Lac Besson is 2,080m. You can find the road at the top of the ski resort next to the cable car to the Grande Rousses.
After an hour at Le Sommet soaking up the ambience at a café, we then descend Col de Sarenne over 22.6km to Rochetaillée initially retracing the final six hairpins and then turning right onto D211B to Rochetaillée where the final route map below evidences nine switchbacks between 12 and 17km. Upon arriving at Rochetaillée hook a hard left for a 19km straight-ish stretch back to Bourg d'Oisans.
7 of the switchbacks Switchbacks on the road to Alpe d'Huez marked with numbered signs. Sign "1" is for the "last" hairpin
Our 55km loop from Bourg d'Oisans 13.2km up L'Alpe d' Heuz and then 22.6km down Col de Sarenne to Rochetaillée (brown flag), then 19.6km SSW returning to our 1st Base Camp at Bourg d'Oisans
