Any top tips for catching next years Tour on the Alpe?

Will be staying in Briancon so will probably drive and park somewhere nearby. Then maybe walk up or ski lift or something?

Will have bikes though will most likely leave back at digs, save having to keep an eye on them all day.

We’re there for a week so riding can be saved for another day…

It will be very very busy. You will need to get there days before to get a good spot.

Also that stage uses the road from Briancon so will closed for most of the day. Again you will need to set off early to avoid the road closure. The stage starts in Gap so you can’t go that way to avoid the road closure.

Make the effort though, it will be a great day out.

Plan would always have been to start early but hadn’t realised they were using the road up through Serre Chevalier.

Any maps around for the stage 18 route? Looked earlier but couldn’t find anything…

Take everything you would need for sitting on a hillside for about 12 hours….fold uppy seats are really good/drinks/grub etc…it’s the best wait for about 1/2 an hour of action I’ve ever done…walking or riding is the only way to get to a good spot…try and pick a place where you can see the riders coming from a distance(as they’re tramping on,even up a hill)

I could only relate With the riders at the very back and they still looked relatively fresh….enjoy! 🙂

http://www.letour.fr/le-tour/2013/us/stage-18.html

Any tips? do it, you won’t regret it.

I did this in 2011 last time Le Tour visited the alpe (did it this July too) and it’s a great experience.

I was staying in Briancon too. I would query what Pete says as the route from Gap approaches Bourg from the south whereas Briancon is on the east.

Assuming that’s okay, we set off from Bourg about 9am and drove the 50 miles to just outside Bourg (admiring the Galibier on your right as you are about halfway). The road started getting busy so we just dumped the car on the side of the road (along with hundreds of others) got out the bikes and rode. I would take the bike, unless you will be fighting for a place at the top there will be plenty of space to leave your bike.

In fact even when we were right on the top at other mountains we left our bikes and were never worried about them. There really is a different vibe on an mountain. That’s not saying don’t be careful but I certainly felt much safer. Plus there will be literally thousands of bikes and most of them will be more expensive than yours (whatever you have) so yours will be low down the list.

They only tackled the alpe once in 2011 so got there about 4pm’ish. They will be arriving earlier in 2013 so you may need to adjust your leaving time accordingly.

It will also be much, much quicker to return down the alpe at the end of the day on a bike and of course more fun.

Here’s a short video of the day: you can see where we stopped the road wasn’t busy at all. We had been to the top but turned around and came down again to get some shade as it was absolutely roasting that day.

[video]https://vimeo.com/30693168[/video]

Alpe d’Huez

and here’s an even shorter video when I recognised Jens Voigt

[video]https://vimeo.com/28211181[/video]

Jens Voight – shut up legs

Other top tips are to take plenty of provisions and be prepared to wait a long time.

Take a decent sized flag if you can. Very handy for waving around and spotting yourself on the telly afterwards!

I’m going again next year so perhaps see you there!

Don’t bother trying to park on the mountain. Park in the valley somewhere and ride up carrying what you need. Huez and upwards will be manic. The whole mountain will be busy, but the upper sections will be all orange.

Pete, might just be me but I can’t see a route map there…profile suggests they’ll heading in from the West rather than up from Briancon?

No route map yet only the profile.

Where are you based Haze? I know the area very well and have the Michelin and IGN maps for the area I could show you the route.

Matt – no intention of parking on the mountain, will be staying nearby but realise we’ll have no chance of getting a spot unless we’re parking up a day or two before.

MTB-Idle – that sounds like another option, drive in fairly near and ride up. Had thought about riding in from Briancon but would be a very long day with being stood on the Alpe for hours as well. Understand what you’re saying regarding the bikes, could always carry a lock up for peace of mind.

Pete – assume you mean where I am in the UK, I’m in the Midlands near Wolverhampton/Dudley.

We did it 2 years ago, i’D echo whats said above arrive early! We were there 2 days before the stage and pitched up our tent just by the football pitches on some greenery! Take supplies and party hard!

Great couple of day

that’s the idea. We drove on the day of the tour but still arrived in plenty of time and found a space as you can see from the video.

Approached from the east and there are loads of places you can park up. all you need to do is time it right.

It is of course rideable from Briancon but I can guarantee it is a long, long ride and you won’t fancy heading home afterwards. I rode from Briancon to the top of the Lauteret (bottom of Galibier) the previous day and it is a tough ride and that is only about a quarter of the distance.

After the Col de Sarrene they drop down on to the road from Briancon to Bourg d’Oisans.

Your a bit far away then Haze.

Ace, we have the Lauteret and Galibier on the list of rides to do whilst we’re out there, also the Izoard and hopefully the Alpe itself (whether that be TdF day or another).

No worries Pete, cheers.

I think that way is North of the Alpe rather than Briancon side, hoping we’ll be well clear of that road by then anyway.

from Tim Moore:

As a variant on a sporting theme, Alpe d’Huez annoys the purists but enthrals the broader public, like 20/20 cricket or nude volleyball. Last year, a full-blown tent-stamping riot had required heavy police intervention. During this year’s clean-up operation, down in a ravine with the bottle shards and dented emulsion tins, a body turned up. He’d fallen off the mountain and no one had noticed. When the Tour goes up Alpe d’Huez, it’s a squalid, manic and sometimes lethal shambles, and that’s just the way they like it. It’s the Glastonbury Festival for cycling fans

My kind of party!

No it is not.

Ah cheers, was thinking of Sardonne.

Mtb-idle I think that I’ve seen that video posted on Bike Radar before? I’ll be there next year…..I plan on being drunk and excited in the extreme 8)