Tour de France 2011 - Alpe D'Huez



skinnywheels

New Member
Apr 30, 2011
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Hi all... I am taking a trip across to Grenoble in July to do some cycling and to watch Alpe D'Huez and the Grenoble TT.

With the Alpe D'Huez stage, I've heard its possible to cycle up the route on the day (way before the riders get there obviously)...

I can't see anywhere that says you can't, but suspect its too good to be true! Does anyone have any advice?

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www.skinnywheels.posterous.com
 
i would say you could cycle up the Alpe the day before, im not sure though. On flat stages, there is a huge amount of people on the roadside and there is a huge caravan of publicity, authorities and media that cover up the road well before the cyclists pass, so i imagine that on a stage like the Alpe d'huez riding on the same day would be restricted somehow,
 
I visited the TDF in 2009 and saw the Pyrennes stage (Barcelona-Andorra). I assume the Alpe stage would be organized in a similar fashion to what I saw:

The roads are closed to vehicle traffic about 4-6 hrs before the riders get there. There are many people riding up the roads though, and the crowds are usually good about cheering them on. The publicity caravan starts arriving maybe 1 hr before the riders do, and most people are off the roads at that time, usually because it is dangerous given the number of vehicles in the caravan and how quickly they can be travelling.

I would think you'd be able to ride the stage before the riders and caravan get there. Bring your bike!