The great passes of the Tour de France
Alpe d’Huez
S1 • E2 Jun 24, 2013 26m
The Alpe d'Huez looks like a wall. After the 14-kilometer climb, the racers reach the summit. The road winds up the mountain in 21 hairpin bends until it reaches the heart of the ski resort at an altitude of 1,860 meters. The hairpin bends are numbered: from hairpin bend 21 at the bottom to number one just before the finish line. Hundreds of thousands of spectators line this spectacular route. Above all, many Dutch people come here to celebrate the victories of their compatriots. The heroes of this stage are Pierre Rolland, Fausto Coppi, Jean Robic, Bernard Thévenet, Marco Pantani. But the cheating of the Belgian rider Pollentier and the head-to-head race between Bernard Hinault and Greg LeMond will also be forever associated with this climb. (Text: arte)