Tour Returns to Alpe d'Huez with Back-to-Back Summit Stages
Organisers say the two stages will use different approaches, including a first-ever Col de Sarenne route, to sharpen the general classification battle.
- Alpe d'Huez will host consecutive summit finishes on Friday and Saturday as the Tour de France concludes its intense Alpine trilogy, with the general classification at stake.
- Tour director Christian Prudhomme described Saturday's 170.9-km route from Bourg-d'Oisans as potentially the toughest mountain stage in Tour history, featuring 5,450 meters of climbing and four categorised ascents.
- Slovenia's Tadej Pogacar, a four-times Tour winner, leads the field, while 19-year-old Frenchman Paul Seixas sits fourth overall, 20 seconds behind Mexico's Isaac del Toro.
- Local authorities restricted vehicle access to Alpe d'Huez from Thursday to Sunday night due to massive spectator interest, as Decathlon CMA CGM sports director Julien Jurdie expects a "direct showdown between the main general classification favourites."
- Riders will tackle the traditional climb's 21 hairpins during Friday's finish, with UAE Team Emirates-XRG sports director Mauro Gianetti saying, "We're hopeful Tadej can go for the win here, because it's important for the general classification.
58 Articles
58 Articles
On 4 July the Tour de France 2026 started in Barcelona, 21 stages are on the program. Overview of the stage plan.
The 19th stage of the Tour de France connects Gap to the Alpe d'Huez this Friday, on the eve of a 20th that will also end at the top of the legendary pass.
Hundreds of thousands of pilgrims go up the mountain, tens of thousands go up it themselves every year. Alpe d-Huez is more than a famous mountain arrival: a place of rituals, memories, wonders and dramas.
The Alpe d'Huez is not the hardest and certainly not the most beautiful, yet
The Independent
The Independent (US)Why locals are protesting an iconic Tour de France climb: ‘Nature is not a stadium’
A new route up Alpe d’Huez could provide a compelling test on the penultimate stage – but, Lawrence Ostlere writes, ecological issues provide cause for concern as the Tour’s environmental footprint comes under scrutiny
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