Mystical climb of Alpe d'Huez

After fuelling up at breakfast, we will head off to the base of possibly the most famous cycling climb in the world – Alpe d’Huez.

21 switchbacks of Alpe d’Huez After fuelling up at breakfast, we’ll head off to the base of possibly the most famous cycling climb in the world – Alpe d’Huez. We will warm-up along the valley before starting the climb. The 13 km climb with 21 switchbacks became legendary in its inaugural year when motorcycle television …

21 switchbacks of Alpe d’Huez

After fuelling up at breakfast, we’ll head off to the base of possibly the most famous cycling climb in the world – Alpe d’Huez. We will warm-up along the valley before starting the climb. The 13 km climb with 21 switchbacks became legendary in its inaugural year when motorcycle television crews were used for the first time during the Tour. The opening 3 km of the Alpe, where gradients are steepest, force you to question your enthusiasm. Rest assured gradients temper and you’ll settle into a rhythm with the marked reminder of champions past at each turn.

Once we reach the summit and take our obligatory podium photos, we’ll return to the fabulous village of Bourg d’Oisans. There are great cafés in the village as well as sporting stores with Alpe d’Huez memorabilia, boutique clothing retailers and vendors selling local crafts.

For our non-riders today, we will visit the same beautiful French villages of watch cyclists conquer the mountain. The spectrum of cyclists expressions is pain through to absolute joy. We’ll return to our hotel mid-afternoon to enjoy the pool area and catch up with the summit finish of today’s race.

Our stronger riders have an alternative journey back to our hotel on the bike. From the summit of Alpe d’Huez, we’ll follow an alternative balcony road to the valley and descend back to our hotel. A 90 km day, including the summit of Alpe d’Huez.