ALPE D’
HUEZ
Twenty-one hairpins. The amphitheatre of the Tour de France.
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Black aluminium frame · acrylic glass · ready to hang · free shipping
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ALPE D’ HUEZ.
Twenty-one hairpins. Each with a name. Together the most famous climb in the world.
Alpe d'Huez is not a mountain pass in the classical sense. It is a ski resort at 1,850 metres that has become, through the Tour de France, one of the most recognisable place names in the cycling world. The ascent from Bourg-d'Oisans in the Romanche plain is considered one of the most iconic stage finishes in history.
The route covers 13.8 kilometres with 1,090 metres of altitude and an average gradient of 7.9 percent. The famous 21 hairpins are numbered from bottom to top, from 21 down to 1 – hairpin 7 is the steepest at 14 percent. Each hairpin is named after a Tour winner who was first to cross it: from Coppi to Induráin, Armstrong (since removed) and Pantani.
What makes Alpe d'Huez special is not only the gradient but the atmosphere. In the years when the Tour finishes here, hundreds of thousands of spectators line the hairpins. Those who ride the ascent themselves in a Tour year – days before the race, when the inscriptions are still fresh on the asphalt – experience one of the most intense encounters between cycling history and lived sport.
The first Alpe d'Huez stage of the Tour was won by Fausto Coppi in 1952. A 24-year pause followed before the mountain was included again in 1976. Since then it has become a fixture of the race – sometimes appearing twice in the same edition.
Tour history & Records.
Alpe d'Huez has been used as a Tour stage finish 30 times (including twice in one edition). The record winner is Marco Pantani with two stage victories (1995, 1997). Lance Armstrong's five wins (1999–2004) were subsequently deleted.
Most famous stages: 1986, when Greg LeMond and Bernard Hinault rode the ascent side by side and crossed the line hand in hand. 2001, when Lance Armstrong distanced Jan Ullrich on the final hairpin with a glance over his shoulder – the most iconic photograph of the modern Tour. 2022, when Tadej Pogačar rode solo to the top and dominated the race.
The current hairpin names begin at hairpin 21 with "Coppi" (at the bottom) and end at hairpin 1 with "Pantani" (just before the finish).
What you should still know.
The poster shows the ascent from Bourg-d'Oisans: 13.8 km, 1,090 metres of altitude, average gradient 7.9%, maximum 13%, 21 hairpins.
The poster shows the elevation profile with hairpin numbers. Depending on the print version, the names of stage winners can be shown as annotations.
As a printed poster in 21 × 29.7 cm, 30 × 40 cm and 50 × 70 cm on 200 g/m² premium paper – optionally ready-framed in a black aluminium frame (framed also in 70 × 100 cm). Alternatively as an instant PDF download.
Usually 3–5 working days within the EU. The PDF download is available immediately after ordering.
Alpe d'Huez is the ultimate Tour de France gift for any cycling fan. We also offer gift vouchers.
Further Passes
This mountain pass is also available as a minimalist graphic poster – personalised with a name and date.