Alpe d'Huez, France
Alpe d'Huez, France
Alpe d’Huez is the first of four mythical Tour de France climbs in feature in our list and its status within cycling’s greatest race is such that it was climbed not once, but twice, during the 2013 edition.
Alpe d’Huez is one of the sport’s great battleground, with each of its 21 hairpins named after riders who have won at the summit of the ski resort of the same name.
The gradient is relentless from the beginning and its steepest pitches come over the course of the opening two kilometres from the valley town of Bourg d’Oisans. From there there’s little respite as the road scales the rock face at a gradient which rarely drops below eight per cent.
Vital statistics
Length: 13.2km
Average gradient: 8%
Start elevation: 754m
End elevation: 1,799m