A Ride Up Alpe d’Huez

Alpe d’Huez isn’t the most difficult or picturesque climb I’ve done here in France, but the battles that have taken place on this mountain is what gives it’s allure. While riding up it I recall in 2001 where Lance Armstrong faked his vulnerability, gave Ullrich “the look” and rode away from the field. Or in 1997 when Marco Pantani attacked three times and only Ullrich could match him until he cracked and Pantani soloed to win in record time up the Alpe (36m 5s). The magic time for us punters to make is 1hr. I had great legs yesterday and if I wasn’t taking photos I’m pretty sure I would have matched Pantani’s time. We’ll never know now, will we…

Enough talk about me and my rivals. Here are yesterday’s photos of the ride which went up Alpe d’Huez and over to Col du Lautaret.

Note: Photos and writeup of Stage 18 may be slightly delayed. We’ll be on the mountain until late tonight and will have hundreds of photos to sort through. Enjoy the stage!

: Coming up on corner #7. You can hear the euro-techno music from Dutch Corner a mile away. “There’s only two things I hate in this world. People who are intolerant of other people’s cultures and the Dutch” -Austin Powers

: Right across corner #9 (Dutch Corner) the Rapha Mobile Cycle Club is parked. Stop by, say g’day and get a coffee, and party with the Dutch.

: Is there anyone left in Norway this week? Between the Norwegians and the Dutch, I believe it’s technically called an “invasion”

: Alpe d’Huez is 13.8 km at an average 7.9 per cent, with 21 hairpins named after the winners of stages there. There were too many when the race made the 22nd climb in 2001 so naming restarted at the bottom with Lance Armstrong’s name added to Coppi’s.

: Tunnels galore here in this part of the French Alps. What ever made the French think they could build road through these cols is beyond me…

: My two Sydney mates who have been dragging me up the hills - Paul and Dare. Check out Paul’s blog of the trip at: www.cheekymonkeytdf.blogspot.com

: The Col du Lautaret from Alpe d’Huez. Beautiful climb with relatively easy gradient

: Riding up the Col du Lautaret where hundreds of campervans were already parked in anticipation for stage 18

: Watching the race on television from the Col du Lautaret at 2058m

: Bikestyle Tour guide, Belgian Ex-pro and great bloke Eric De Clercq (the Galibier behind him). He had a wonderful career from 1991 to 2002 in which he had 19 victories. On the ride back to the hotel he was telling me about the time he got in a break for 200km in the Tour de Flanders and got caught. Andrei Tchmil won that year.