Bourg-Saint-Maurice to Alpe d'Huez

Stage 12 - Thursday, 19 July - 175 km (109 mi)

< Stage 11 - Home - Stage 13 >

The Stage

Welcome to Alpe d'Huez; the "Dutch mountain". Dutchmen won eight of the first 14 finishes here but we've not won anything since 1989 (the last three winners here were French). But there sure will be a lot of Dutch 'fans' along the 21 hairpin bends to the top. To quote British author Geoffrey Nicholson: "[they] park their campers and pitch their tents along the narrow ledges beside the road like sea-birds nesting at St Kilda". And then loads of them misbehave and make everyone else ashamed to be Dutch...

Back to the race; the triple threat of Col de la Madeleine, Col de la Croix de Fer, and Alpe d'Huez is becoming quite familiar by now but it remains to be seen which GC rider(s) will present themselves here. This is the last Alps stage so if anyone has the legs for it, this is where you can gain some time before the Pyrenees.

Winner: Geraint Thomas

Tour Touristique

The mountains are the seat of the mineral kingdom. The Oisans massif is particularly famous for its crystal hunters who went looking for rock crystal at the price of vertiginous feats. These crystals were used for their intrinsic beauty, or to carve glasses or cups for kings.

View attached image.

View attached image.

View attached image.

View attached image.

View attached image.