The Alps – Mountain Passes: A Tour de France pass without cars – the legendary 21 hairpin bends of Alpe d’Huez

​Mont Ventoux, Col du Galibier, Col du Tourmalet and Alpe d’Huez – these are the four sacred mountains of the Tour de France. During the television broadcast, you usually don’t see much of these famous tarmac strips, because spectators crowd the roadside in rows, leaving the riders barely any space to pedal.

Add to that campervans, fireworks, alcohol, singing and crowds. So if you want to take in the sacred 21 bends of Alpe d’Huez – each dedicated to a stage winner – in peace and quiet, you should choose one of the seven days in summer when the road is closed to car and motorbike traffic.

The initial climb is brutal

From 7 July to 25 August, the 14.4-kilometre-long southern ramp from Le Bourg-d’Oisans up to Alpe d’Huez will be closed for three hours almost every Tuesday. This means you can focus on your heart rate right from the start, on the initial gradients of up to 13 per cent, without having to worry about exhaust fumes or cars overtaking.

After that, the hairpin bends climb the slope at a slightly gentler average gradient of 8 per cent, and a sort of ‘uphill flow’ sets in. Halfway up, you pass through Huez, ride through the famous Dutch bend (number 7) and are soon cheered on in silence by the graffiti along the roadside walls and the names painted onto the tarmac, which flash by beneath your tyres.

It’s likely that even on these days you won’t be the only one tackling the hairpin bends and will be overtaken by Strava record-chasers. But you’ll also strike up conversations with relaxed amateur cyclists who now travel from all over the world to conquer this famous climb for themselves at least once in their lives. And whilst you’re there, you might as well tackle the nearby passes – the Col de la Croix de Fer, Col de Sarenne, Col du Lautaret, Col du Galibier and Col du Glandon – whilst you’re at it.

These are the car-free days at Alpe d’Huez

• ​​​​​Dates: Tuesdays, 7 July, 14 July, 21 July, 28 July, 4 August, 18 August and 25 August, from 9 am to 11 am on each occasion
• Starting point: Le Bourg-d’Oisans
• Info: de.routedesgrandesalpes.com/grands-cols/alpe-huez

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