Alpe d’Huez a melting pot of classic Tour ingredients

Stage 19: Modane Valfrejus – Alpe d’Huez, 109.5 kilometres

A thrilling finish is in store on stage 19 as the Tour returns to Alpe d’Huez after three years for what promises to be a spectacular showdown between the podium contenders through the 21 bends of the legendary hors category climb.

This stage will separate the wheat from the chaff as it runs in the opposite direction to yesterday over the Col du Telegraphe (26.5kms) and the north face of the Col du Galibier (48.5kms) before completing the 40 kilometres descent to the village of Bourg D’Oisans and the foothills of the finishing climb.

This stage has all the ingredients to make it one of the most fiercely contested in this year’s Tour. It is short at just 109.5 kilometres.  It is the last climb of the Tour. And it is followed by the individual time trial where every second that can be gained in advance could make all the difference at that day’s end.

The climbers should attack early in the stage leaving the race favourites with little or not time to settle into the race. This stage will be very difficult to control. When the riders are not climbing they are descending and the long drop to Alpe d’Huez will complicate the team tactics.

The Col du Telegraphe could catch a lot of riders cold coming just 26.5 kilometres into the stage. The category one climb is the easiest of the day but that will come as little comfort to those struggling to avoid elimination on the 7.1% average gradient.

The climb from the north side of the Galibier is just over six kilometres shorter than the previous day’s expedition over the mountain but the 6.8% average gradient is almost 2% steeper from thisside over a distance of 16.7 kilometres.

Carlos Sastre won the Tour when he claimed the stage win on Alpe d’Huez when the race last visited the climb in 2008. The Spaniard and the then CSC-Saxo team played a tactical mastercard on that occasion and their race winning strategy will not be lost on the new generation of Tour challengers.

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