Cycling Alpe d'Huez: The 21 bends, stats and how to ride it

The average gradient looks manageable on paper, especially compared with some shorter and steeper Alpine climbs. The difficulty is holding a sensible effort for well over an hour if you are not a particularly quick climber. There is no proper descent or long flat section where you can stop pedalling and recover. The hairpins offer a few seconds of relief, but Alpe d'Huez is not especially generous with free rests.

Easy gearing makes a considerable difference. A compact chainset paired with a 32T, 34T or even 36T largest rear sprocket gives you room to keep your cadence comfortable when the road rises above 10%. Grinding a heavy gear places more load on your leg muscles and joints, which can tire your legs earlier and place additional strain on sensitive knees. A mountain or gravel bike may also provide the lower gearing needed to keep turning the pedals comfortably.

How do the 21 bends count down?

The first numbered hairpin is bend 21, not bend 1. From there, the signs count down as you climb towards the resort. It is a useful mental trick: forget about the summit for a while and concentrate on reaching the next number. Admittedly, the system feels more encouraging at bend 5 than it does when the first sign announces that you still have 20 to go.

The road rises sharply almost as soon as you leave Bourg d'Oisans. Bends 21 to 17 form the hardest opening part of the ascent, with little time to find your rhythm before the steeper gradients begin. Once you reach La Garde, the road briefly becomes gentler and gives you a chance to settle down.

Above: The numbered signs count down as you climb, with bend 16 marking the road through La Garde.

The middle of the climb passes the hamlets of Ribot d'en Bas and Ribot d'en Haut. At bend 14, a memorial commemorates Portuguese cyclist Joaquim Agostinho, who won on Alpe d'Huez in the 1979 Tour de France. Farther up, the road passes Sainte-Ferréol and enters the village of Huez.

Bend 7 is better known as Dutch Corner. Dutch riders claimed eight Tour de France stage victories on Alpe d'Huez, and their supporters turned this bend into the festive orange-clad gathering place seen during the race.

Above: Bend 7, better known as Dutch Corner, on the Alpe d'Huez route in ROUVY.

By bend 5, the summit feels close, but there is still some proper climbing left. Bend 1 brings you into the resort rather than directly to the finish line. Seeing bend 1 is excellent for morale, although the road has not quite finished with you yet. The climb then continues through Alpe d'Huez to the official timed finish.

Above: The timed finish comes after the 21 numbered bends and the final ride through the resort.

How to pace Alpe d'Huez without blowing up

Start more conservatively than you think necessary. You are fresh, the road is famous and the timing marker makes it remarkably easy to forget every sensible pacing decision you made before arriving.

Hold back until at least La Garde. If you ride with power, aim for a sustainable climbing effort rather than chasing an ambitious average during the opening ramps. Heart rate is also useful, although it will gradually rise as the climb continues, particularly in warm weather.

I rode Alpe d'Huez in 2016 and again in 2023, and this is the advice I would give anyone riding it for the first time: respect the opening bends. Losing a little time there is far better than spending the remaining hour trying to recover from the first ten minutes.

The inside of each hairpin is considerably steeper than the outside. Where it is safe and you can stay on your side of the road, taking a wider line can briefly reduce the gradient and help you keep your cadence. Do not sprint out of every bend. It may feel impressive for the first three. By bend 12, your legs will be keeping an accurate record of every one.

Use the gentler section near La Garde to drink and bring your breathing back under control. It is a chance to recover, not an invitation to chase back every second you deliberately gave away lower down.

Eat before you begin and carry enough fluid for the conditions. The exposed lower slopes can become very hot in summer, while temperatures higher up may be noticeably cooler. If you expect to take well over an hour, bring a gel or another easy-to-eat carbohydrate source rather than waiting until your legs start to complain or you begin to run low on energy.

TIP: Alpe d'Huez is only one part of the region's cycling history. Explore the Haute Route climbs of the French Alps and start building the sustained climbing fitness they demand on ROUVY.

Why is Alpe d'Huez so closely linked with the Tour de France?

Alpe d'Huez hosted its first Tour de France stage finish in 1952, when Fausto Coppi won the Tour's first summit finish. It did not return until 1976, but later appearances produced enough memorable racing to make the mountain one of the event's most recognisable landmarks.

Above: Bend 3 carries the name of Marco Pantani, who set the fastest recorded ascent of Alpe d'Huez in 1997.

The numbered bends carry the names of stage winners. Marco Pantani set the fastest recorded ascent in 1997, completing the 14.5 km course in 37 minutes 35 seconds. Giuseppe Guerini's 1999 victory is remembered for a different reason: a spectator knocked him from his bike shortly before the finish, but he got back up and still won.

Alpe d'Huez is genuinely worthy of the often overused word "iconic". The profile is demanding but not extraordinary by Alpine standards. Its identity comes from the countdown, the crowds and the history attached to almost every part of the road.

Riders planning a longer trip can combine Alpe d'Huez with other French Alpine passes featured in our Route des Grandes Alpes guide. It also belongs naturally on a list of cycling holidays in Europe, especially when combined with nearby climbs such as Croix de Fer, Galibier and Glandon.

Ride Alpe d'Huez on ROUVY

A smart trainer adjusts the resistance as the gradient changes, so the hard opening section still needs to be treated with respect. Give yourself at least 15 minutes of easy riding before starting the climb.

Above: The Alpe d'Huez route profile on ROUVY shows more than 1,100 m of elevation gain and very little opportunity to stop pedalling.

Check your gearing before you begin. Depending on your setup, that may mean fitting a wide-range cassette, using virtual shifting with compatible hardware or configuring suitably low climbing gears on a smart bike that supports custom gear ratios.

A strong fan, a towel and enough fluid matter more indoors because there is no airflow from forward movement. Indoors, overheating can undo good pacing almost as quickly as an enthusiastic first kilometre, only with considerably more sweat on the floor.

The virtual climb is useful for learning where the gradient eases and testing your pacing before an outdoor trip. It also gives the ride a clear purpose during winter: rather than doing another anonymous block of climbing, you can practise pacing on the climb you plan to ride.

There is no shame in treating your first attempt as reconnaissance. The mountain will still be there when you return, and you will know not to get carried away at bend 21.

ROUVY also offers other roads connected with the Tour de France, which you can explore in the Tour de France route guide. For further ideas, see these cycling bucket-list routes.