Unprecedented Alpe d’Huez double header awaits at Tour de France - ‘Something special is going to happen’

With Tadej Pogacar looking to land a fifth Tour title of his career, he faces an exacting task in the coming days - and will have to do so without domestique Brandon McNulty after he retired on Thursday due to sickness.

When the Tour route was announced, eyes quickly alighted on the fact that the two stages before Sunday’s Paris finale featured a rare back-to-back finish at Alpe d’Huez. 

While it has been done before, the race organisers have put a fresh spin on the idea to come up with what is an essentially new challenge for the peloton.

In 1979, the first double header happened with back to back stages here and in 2013 it occurred on a single stage. 

The first time, stages 17 and 18 finished at the Alpe d’Huez, and the second of the two was a controversial out-and-back stage that started with the riders descending the famous 21 hairpin bends before looping back up to the ski resort.

For stage 18 of 2013, there was a double ascent, with the riders also having to negotiate the descent at Col de Sarenne, won by French rider Christophe Riblon. Incidentally, if no French rider picks up a win in the next three days, it will be only the third time in history that the hosts have not won a stage at the Tour – after 1999 and 1926.

In 2026, what sets the next two days apart is that the usual ascent takes place on Friday, and then for Saturday, the lesser known Col de Sarenne features. 

The Col de Sarenne has been used before, but only as a descent. This is the first time it has been used as a climb.

Stage 19 is a short stage at 128km starting from Gap, and features Col Bayard, Col du Noyer and the Col d’Ornon. Then comes the 21 hairpins.

Stage 20 - the queen stage - features an enormous 5,600m of climbing as part of a 171km route that includes the holy trinity of the Telegraphe, Croix de Fer and Galibier (the highest point in the race at 2,642m) ahead of a first-ever ascent to Alpe d’Huez via the narrow and uneven roads of the Col de Sarenne. The riders will join the road below the ski resort and ride through the final five hairpins of the classic route before the finish.

The Alpe d’Huez was first employed in the Tour de France in 1952, when Fausto Coppi won, and the next visit came 24 years later in 1976. It was here that kickstarted a succession of wins from Dutch riders, leading to the Alpe being christened the ”Dutch Mountain.”

Looking ahead to Friday’s race, TNT Sports experts Matt Stephens and Robbie McEwen were excited to see how the riders would rise to the challenge.

Stephens said: ”Tomorrow is going to be a celebration of all things cycling. It’s only 127.9km but densely packed, in that is 3,500m of elevation. Before we get to Alpe d’Huez, we’ve got the Col Bayard, Col du Noyer, Col d’Ornon, and then we come to the classic finish on Alpe d’Huez. 

”We’ve got this crowd here, and you can sense that something special is going to happen. There is nothing quite like this. This is cycling’s natural stadium and we’re going to bring it to you here, and I cannot wait.”

McEwen added: ”It is really tough whether you’re at the front or at the back of the race. What I really hope is that the big group of favourites all arrive at the foot together because there’s such anticipation not just from the fans and the media but the riders themselves to race this climb. 

”I really hope we get that GC battle with the favourites battling for the win. Riding this climb is incredible.”

For Pogacar, Alpe d'Huez remains one of cycling's defining climbs, even if he believes its reputation is built as much on history as difficulty.

"Alpe d'Huez, of course, carries enormous prestige," he said. "But Mont Ventoux is also very iconic, just like the Tourmalet.

"Those two or three are in a league of their own in terms of prestige in France, even though they’re certainly not the toughest climbs. It’s mainly their history that makes them so iconic.

"I think it’s going to be extra special this year because we’re finishing on Alpe d'Huez two days in a row."

Pogacar is also targeting another stage victory after his most recent success at Le Markstein, insisting every win carries added significance because of the effort invested by the entire UAE Team Emirates-XRG organisation.

"Then winning no longer feels like something that’s just mine, but something that belongs to the whole team," he added. "Everyone works incredibly hard for it, and that motivates me to keep winning.

"Everyone does their part and makes a lot of sacrifices, so the responsibility falls on my shoulders to see it through. And well… winning is just fun. I’ll never deny that - it’s still a wonderful feeling to cross the finish line first. That’s very satisfying.”

Pogacar expects vast numbers of spectators to line both ascents of Alpe d'Huez and admits the atmosphere should be unforgettable - although he hopes supporters do not overstep the mark.

He added that there have been moments when he was scared of the proximity of fans, mentioning problems caused by inadvertent distractions.

"Sometimes," he began. "In the time trial, there was one moment where I had to go off the position and I would consider myself as being trusting of the people but there was one moment I thought I had to think about it, but it was all good.

"On the climb, we were going really fast and people don’t realise and sometimes pull away the flags, and it’s not as quick, so the flags are dangerous. I think there’s going to be a lot of people and [it’ll be] a bit chaotic, so I hope nothing crazy or dangerous happens, but you never know.

"I expect it's going to be insane. We already saw it on Le Markstein - I've never seen such a huge crowd before. But I think Alpe d'Huez might even top that. It's going to be a great finale to this Tour."

The 27-year-old even joked that he is relieved his partner, Urska Zigart, is not driving his car up the mountain this year after the crowds left it covered in fingerprints during the 2022 Tour.

"I'm actually kind of glad that Urska isn't driving my car up there like last time," Pogacar laughed. "I remember how dirty that car got because everyone was touching it and shaking it.

"So yeah, I'm actually glad I don't have my own car parked there right now, because I think it's going to be a madhouse."

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