No Alpe Duez this year?

[My_Aching_Fiets]

...or am I misreading the guide?

A little strange considering this is LA's final TdF. Anyone know why, and how many other recent tours have skipped Duez?

MAF

 

[whiteboytrash]

To dangerous because of its history (everyone wants to be on the mountain) and also last years spitting fiasco....

....do you also think that the Tour organisation design the route for one rider ? Come on ? No man is bigger than the race.....

...or am I misreading the guide?

A little strange considering this is LA's final TdF. Anyone know why, and how many other recent tours have skipped Duez?

MAF

 

[My_Aching_Fiets]

To dangerous because of its history (everyone wants to be on the mountain) and also last years spitting fiasco....

....do you also think that the Tour organisation design the route for one rider ? Come on ? No man is bigger than the race.....

Thanks, whitetrashboy.

Oh, and thanks again for telling me what I was thinking too. After all, I thought I was asking a simple question out of simple curiousity. I had no idea that I was dealing with such clairvoyance where reading such depth and detail into a person's psyche via an internet connection was possible.

I'll bet you can guess what I'm thinking about you right now, huh?

 

[Nein11]

I dont know....Eddy was getting pretty big a few years back...i think he has lost some weight recently though.

 

[rakkun]

Hello M_A_F,

For starters, your misspelling of the alpine ski resort is searing on the eye. L'Alpe D'Huez it is.

And, in the light of what you said, about this being LA's last TdF (" A little strange considering this is LA's final TdF. ")..... I don't see what else anyone could have concluded from that. To interpret that sarcastically as misguided clairvoyance did sound very rude.

Cheers.

Thanks, whitetrashboy.

Oh, and thanks again for telling me what I was thinking too. After all, I thought I was asking a simple question out of simple curiousity. I had no idea that I was dealing with such clairvoyance where reading such depth and detail into a person's psyche via an internet connection was possible.

I'll bet you can guess what I'm thinking about you right now, huh?

 

[JDM]

The Alpe has never been ridden every year. I believe the organizers try to schedule it every other year when they can. I know it was ridden the last two years, but not in 2002.

 

[My_Aching_Fiets]

Hello M_A_F,

For starters, your misspelling of the alpine ski resort is searing on the eye. L'Alpe D'Huez it is.

And, in the light of what you said, about this being LA's last TdF (" A little strange considering this is LA's final TdF. ")..... I don't see what else anyone could have concluded from that. To interpret that sarcastically as misguided clairvoyance did sound very rude.

Cheers.

A thousand pardons for the offense, rakkun. French isn't one of the three languages I speak.

And your analysis of my question happens to be a little "searing on the eye" as well. Last I checked, a good portion of the 275 million yanks who have an interest in this year's TdF would probably make an effort to watch one final L'Alpe D'Huez (was that better?) run by LA.

To interpret the $$$ that stem from Yanks being interested in the TdF as "one man being larger than the tour" is about as ridiculus of a stretch as one can make.

Sorry I mistook this forum for one of civility.

 

[Scotty_Dog]

Sorry I mistook this forum for one of civility.

Don't let it bother you at all. Hostility reigns supreme this time of year, especially with LA on top of his game and in control of the TDF. It completely pisses off most of the anti-Lance crowd, and conversely makes most of the pro-Lance people downright arrogant.

Regarding whiteboytrash, well you can probably guess which group he leans toward.

 

[MJtje]

Lol, dutch people say it as it is Staan we om bekend!

A thousand pardons for the offense, rakkun. French isn't one of the three languages I speak.

And your analysis of my question happens to be a little "searing on the eye" as well. Last I checked, a good portion of the 275 million yanks who have an interest in this year's TdF would probably make an effort to watch one final L'Alpe D'Huez (was that better?) run by LA.

To interpret the $$$ that stem from Yanks being interested in the TdF as "one man being larger than the tour" is about as ridiculus of a stretch as one can make.

Sorry I mistook this forum for one of civility.

 

[Bjorn P.Dal]

Last I checked, a good portion of the 275 million yanks who have an interest in this year's TdF would probably make an effort to watch one final L'Alpe D'Huez (was that better?) run by LA.

come on... where did you check this? what readings do OLN have anyway? whats so special with d'huez and armstrong ?

 

[Scotty_Dog]

whats so special with d'huez and armstrong ?

Not much, just arguably the most famous climb in the TDF.

Oh, also:
2001 - stage win by 1'59" with "the look"
2004 - TT stage win by 1'01"

 

[bianchiguy]

To answer the original question:

L'Alpe D'Huez has been the stage finish 24 times since 1952. The most famous yes, but not used annually.

Winners of the Alpe d'Huez stage at Tour de France

2004 : Lance Armstrong (USA)
2003 : Iban Mayo (Spain)
2001 : Lance Armstrong (USA)
1999 : Giuseppe Guerini (Italy)
1997 : Marco Pantani (Italy)
1995 : Marco Pantani (Italy)
1994 : Roberto Conti (Italy)
1992 : Andrew Hampsten (USA)
1991 : Gianni Bugno (Italy)
1990 : Gianni Bugno (Italy)
1989 : Gert-Jan Theunisse (Netherlands)
1988 : Stephen Rooks (Netherlands)
1987 : Federico Echave (Spain)
1986 : Bernard Hinault (France)
1984 : Luis Herrera (Colombia)
1983 : Peter Winnen (Netherlands)
1982 : Beat Breu (Switzerland)
1981 : Peter Winnen (Netherlands)
1979* : Joop Zoetemelk (Netherlands)
1979* : Joaquim Agostinho (Portugal)
1978 : Hennie Kuiper (Netherlands)
1977 : Hennie Kuiper (Netherlands)
1976 : Joop Zoetemelk (Netherlands)
1952 : Fausto Coppi (Italy)

*In the 1979 Tour de France, there were two stages at l'Alpe d'Huez.

 

[DiabloScott]

Last I checked, a good portion of the 275 million yanks who have an interest in this year's TdF would probably make an effort to watch one final L'Alpe D'Huez (was that better?) run by LA.

Not to be uncivil, but you have grossly overestimated the number of Yanks who give a hoot about the Tour de France.

 

[rakkun]

Hello M_A_F,

I speak only English and Mandarin. I have bothered to spell the name of a landmark in the host country that has legend written all over it, despite my shortcoming in European linguistics. Bothering with spelling means a lot more than merely being anal. It reflects reverence and respect.

And may I remind everyone that civility begets civility.

What I think whiteboytrash is saying, on face value, is that it is entirely up to the the organisers of le Tour to incorporate whatever they see fit for the race route. They don't really have to give a hoot if a pile of Yanks want to see Lance riding up L'Alpe again, or if a hundred Afghanistanis want the Tour to go to Kabul. It's their Tour to run, and as long as the route remains of epic proportions, I'm content to follow the action and endeavours of 180+ riders for three weeks in July.

And I agree that L'Alpe D'Huez, although being the stuff of legends, is just as pass-up-able as any other climb on the route, so long as the organisers see fit. After all, many many other cols in the Alps and Pyrenees are also as legendary, if not also more challenging. The action of Stages 10 to 12 in the Alps, the climbs up Courchevel (Discovery and Lance murdering the peloton rider by rider), Col de la Madeleine and the Col du Galibie (which is this year's highest mountain, won impressively by Alex Vinokourov on a well-ridden break) have each been suffering to the max for everyone in the peloton.

The TdF has been around before Lance started to own it, and it will still be around after he retires. The ASO has gotta have some principles to stick by.

Cheers.

A thousand pardons for the offense, rakkun. French isn't one of the three languages I speak.

And your analysis of my question happens to be a little "searing on the eye" as well. Last I checked, a good portion of the 275 million yanks who have an interest in this year's TdF would probably make an effort to watch one final L'Alpe D'Huez (was that better?) run by LA.

To interpret the $$$ that stem from Yanks being interested in the TdF as "one man being larger than the tour" is about as ridiculus of a stretch as one can make.

Sorry I mistook this forum for one of civility.

 

[Le_cannibale]

Well, out of the six times Lance has won, L'Alpe has been there three times so this year is the odd year out. The situation last year was not a good one to repeat because of the danger to the public and riders.

I would also like to say that if they were fitting the Tour to what Lance wants L'Alpe would be replaced by Mont Ventoux, which he has never won on.

 

[tcklyde]

I imagine the appeal of L'Alpe D'Huez rests almost purely on the switchbacks and that you can't descend it (there's only one way up). It's not a particularly pretty climb, nor is it the highest, the steepest, the longest, or the hardest. It's only been around since the 50s and it wasn't widely in the Tour until the 80s.

Personally, I think it's an ugly climb. Nothing but washed out mountain side crisscrossed by a small road. Ventoux is tons harder (and much prettier for the first 2/3s of the climb). One of my least favorite Tour climbs.

 

[JohnO]

Ventoux is harder, prettier, and has more history to it, but the Armstrong-Ullrich duel in 2001 has to be one of the legendary moments in cycling.

Are you coming or not? And the answer is - not!

I imagine the appeal of L'Alpe D'Huez rests almost purely on the switchbacks and that you can't descend it (there's only one way up). It's not a particularly pretty climb, nor is it the highest, the steepest, the longest, or the hardest. It's only been around since the 50s and it wasn't widely in the Tour until the 80s.

Personally, I think it's an ugly climb. Nothing but washed out mountain side crisscrossed by a small road. Ventoux is tons harder (and much prettier for the first 2/3s of the climb). One of my least favorite Tour climbs.

 

[tcklyde]

Ventoux is harder, prettier, and has more history to it, but the Armstrong-Ullrich duel in 2001 has to be one of the legendary moments in cycling.

Are you coming or not? And the answer is - not!

Yes, well, how about the Beloki attack, Armstrong counter on Ventoux in 2002? Also pretty cool.

One of the myths that bothers me about the 2001 Armstrong attack on L'Alpe is that "Armstrong looked into the eyes of Ullrich" and then attacked. Armstrong didn't look into Ullrich's eyes. Ullrich, and all the bunch in that group, were wearing dark sunglasses. (And JohnO, this wasn't directed at you, just an observation.)

 

[jitmo]

Yep, i think it was a look to see what bodies were remaining and too asess the situation. The commentators are to blame for the eye thing, which really was an assumption. I noticed a day or so ago Liggett got all confused on a rider saying he was this guy than that guy, meanwhile Sherwin was trying to politely correct him without losing his job. Funny. But i do enjoy the excitement they add on those dull days with hypothetical things like "what if?"

Yes, well, how about the Beloki attack, Armstrong counter on Ventoux in 2002? Also pretty cool.

One of the myths that bothers me about the 2001 Armstrong attack on L'Alpe is that "Armstrong looked into the eyes of Ullrich" and then attacked. Armstrong didn't look into Ullrich's eyes. Ullrich, and all the bunch in that group, were wearing dark sunglasses. (And JohnO, this wasn't directed at you, just an observation.)

 

[Tonto]

Would definitely have to agree that Ventoux is my favourite, well ahead of L'Alpe d'Huez. I spent two weeks on holidays in a little house in the village of Bedouin, just at the foot of Ventoux, and famously where Tom Simpson was supposed to have stopped at a bar to knock back a load of brandy on that fateful day. The view from the top is stunning, with the clouds whizzing by and making it clear just how the mountain got its name.
My most memorable l'Alpe d'Huez stage would have to be Lemond and Hinault in 1986. I think the big fuss about the Alpe d'Huez stage started in the late 80's an dearly 90's when it was in the race almost ten years in a row and you had guys like Theunisse and Bugno who would state their intention before the Tour started to win on the Alpe.