Alpe d' Huez may not be the steepest or longest climb in the Alps but it is one of the most historic because of its rich history in the TdF. And because of the TdF fans, it's one of the biggest natural cycling amphitheaters in the alps. Although the 21 hairpin turns give this climb an iconic look, each turn bend is numbered and includes a name on a sign after each legendary stage winner.
For our stay in the Alps (after traveling from Embrun, France to Bedoin, France), we went from the Provence region to the Alps. It wasn't until we are around 30 minutes out from our Airbnb in Le Bourg d'asians that the mountains started to grow. I researched several options as to where to stay for our "home base" for the last 9 days of our cycling-cation and Le Bourg continued to come up. When my best friend Carley also gave her recommendation for Le Bourg, I felt confident with our Airbnb booking, which sits at the base of Alpe d'Huez. Plus, the town center is a 5 minute walk from our Airbnb, the grocery store is a block away and there is a heated lap pool located just a few blocks from our Airbnb.
Alpe d' Huez Key Stats
Length: 8.6 miles
Elevation gain: 3674 feet
Summit elevation: 6069 feet
Average gradient: 8.1% (max gradient 13-14% with the hardest section in the first 2.5 miles leaving Le Bourg with gradients hitting 10-11%)
This climb has been a staple of the TdF since 1952. Marco Pantani (one of Karel's favorite cyclists, who has passed away) had the record of 37:35, set in 1997. That is until this year when Tadej Pogacar smashed the record and went 35:26 on stage 19 of the TdF. In comparison, my climb up of Alpe D'Huez on Monday was 1:16 for 8.8 miles. ;)
The climb wakes your legs quickly so make sure to get in a good warmup. There's a beautiful bike path called The Green Lane (voie verse) which goes from Allemon to Venosc. You can get on this car-free bike/run/walk path in Le Bourg. The entire path is 12 miles (flat) and runs along the river.
With a steep 9-11% pitch over the first mile, there's no easing into this climb. However, with each hairpin turn, you get a bit of relief as you can ease up (get a drink) and get some momentum before you tackle the next section. And with each kilometer, the signs countdown from 21 so you know how far you have come (and how far you still have to go). Each plaque/sign also features a previous tour winner so if your eyes are good, you can be distracted (and look forward to something) with every turn. Your first summit is the village of Vieil Alpe and then you eventually reach the village of Alpe d' Huez. The road up can be busy with cars but they are accustomed to cyclists. You will also be in the company of many of cyclists on the road (climbing and descending). Make sure to make your way to the very top of the village (there's a summit sign) to signify you did the entire climb.
For our first day in the Alps, we did this route. We climbed up Alpe d' Huez and continued down the Sarenne Pass. It's been really cool to revisit some of the routes that we rode on for the 2022 Haute Route Alps. Ironically, the current Haute Route Alps route came through our town on Tues/Wed and the riders did their time trial ("rest day") up Alpe d' Huez. During our experience with Haute Route, we descended down Alpe d' Huez so we finally got to check off this iconic climb. Sarenne is a beautiful pass but the road is incredibly rough near Alpe d' Huez, with some loose gravel on the road in a few turns. The road is very steep and narrow as you leave Alpe d' Huez so be careful descending. There's a short climb before you officially start the descend into the forest. Then the road gets much nicer. Although the road is quiet of cars, be on the lookout as the road is very narrow. You will pass through a village (which also has a fresh water spout) before making your way towards the lake. We then did a few short climbs before we started our climb up to the Auris Balcony Road. Although this road is incredibly beautiful, be careful as it's not a well-maintained road, there are tunnels, the road has a lot of gravel and you'll encounter the occasional car (be careful on the blind tight corners). As you carefully descend down the balconies, you merge into the descend of Alpe d' Huez which then takes you back to Le Bourg.
