Arensman and Van der Poel trip down memory lane ahead of Alpe d'Huez, the Tour de France's 'Dutch mountain'
CyclingFriday, 24 July 2026 at 09:50
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Follow us on GoogleOn Friday and Saturday, the Tour de France circus heads to Alpe d'Huez: the 'Dutch mountain'. A Dutch man has won there seven times, while Demi Vollering won there in the 2024 Tour de France Femmes. Interestingly, of this year’s Dutch participants, only one has ever climbed it during the race. But there are plenty of memories, as is the case with so many young Dutch cyclists.
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Alpe d'Huez was included in the Tour de France for the first time in 1952, with Fausto Coppi as the winner. Then it wasn't until 1976—exactly 50 years ago—that Joop Zoetemelk became the first Dutch winner. In 1977 and 1978 (after Michel Pollentier was disqualified for doping), Hennie Kuiper was the top finisher.
The famous climb was a regular feature in those years, so there were plenty of opportunities for the thriving Dutch climbers of that era. Peter Winnen won in 1981 and 1983, after which the legendary climbing duo of Steven Rooks and Gert Jan Theunisse managed to conquer the mountain once again in 1988 and 1989. Steven Kruijswijk made another attempt in 2018, but aside from Vollering, Theunisse is the last Dutch male cyclist to have won on the Alpe.
Thymen Arensman: 'I went there on vacation'
Thymen Arensman is the Dutch rider who may have the best chance of succeeding Theunisse this weekend. As a former history student, he knows the story. “It’s a very special climb. The Dutch mountain, with, of course, the famous Turn 7. I think it’s very special to be able to race there at the end of the Tour,” said the rider who won at La Plagne last year.
"I have some really fond memories of it, because, like so many other Dutch people, I went there on vacation with my parents when I was a little boy," Arensman explains. "Even as a child, I was really eager to tackle that climb—and preferably as soon as possible. Those are wonderful memories."
"We did a final training camp with most of the guys on the team at the top of Alpe d'Huez, before the Tour. We’ve done the climb a few times, but it’s still just as tough as when I rode it as a kid. I’m really looking forward to those two stages, especially Turn 7,” Arensman said, looking ahead.
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Van der Poel climbed Alpe d'Huez as a child; Van Baarle has done it at the Tour de France
The most famous Dutch rider in this Tour de France is Mathieu van der Poel, who also climbed the mountain as a child. “The first time I cycled up Alpe d’Huez, I had to give up halfway because I hit the wall.” It’s been a while since I’ve been there—if I remember correctly, that was actually both the first and last time. I’m expecting a great atmosphere,” he said after his time trial, briefly looking ahead to the two days of the final weekend.
Of the Dutch riders in the Tour—14 in total—only one has ridden this climb before in the Tour: Dylan van Baarle in 2022. In addition to Van der Poel, Mike Teunissen—a native of Ysselsteyn and a fellow villager of two-time winner Peter Winnen—also missed it in 2022 and 2018.
"My father lived next door to Peter for a long time, that's true. And actually, it was my grandfather who got Peter Winnen started on cycling. I haven’t spoken to Peter myself in a while anyway, but even though they call it the ‘Dutch mountain,’ that steepest section doesn’t really appeal to me as a non-climber,” Teunissen laughs, as always.
"It was already crazy at Le Markstein, so I'm curious. It's just a matter of time before something goes wrong, so maybe it'll happen this weekend," Teunissen says, highlighting another side of the spectacle. “A lot of people who don’t know much about cycling go there too, just for the party. So I’m really curious to see how that’s going to play out. It’s not that it scares me, but sometimes it can be annoying.”
Read more below the photo!
Mike Teunissen, a fellow villager of Peter Winnen, is climbing Alpe d'Huez for the first time.
Eenkhoorn and Van Dijke are really looking forward to Alpe d'Huez
Pascal Eenkhoorn hauled his sprinter Tim Merlier—who has since dropped out of the race—over the mountains during the first two weeks, so he knows firsthand that things can get crazy on the climbs. “It was absolutely beautiful, of course, but yeah, it’s really crowded. And I think it’s going pretty well, even though some of the turns are a bit tight.”
"In principle, they are on the road and, of course, very noticeable. But fortunately, it’s not so bad that we come to a complete standstill," said Eenkhoorn, who is also set to make his Alpe d’Huez debut. “Dylan has ridden it a few times. He did say it’s beautiful, but not really a ‘great’ climb. But then again, the crowd there is really great.”
Tim van Dijke fully agrees with Eenkhoorn. “I’ve actually been saying this ever since the route was announced: I want to make it through that stage no matter what, just for that Dutch turn. I really hope there will be a huge crowd of Dutch fans there. I think it’ll be even crazier than the footage we’ve all seen. It’s just such a massive, famous mountain, and it falls right in the middle of the vacation season.”
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Tom van der Salm (27) comes from the charming town of Zeilberg (Deurne) in the Netherlands and has been working as editor-in-chief & journalist at IDL Pro Cycling's parent site, In de Leiderstrui, since 2019. He travels with the peloton from the Tour de France to the AlUla Tour and from the World Championships in Rwanda or Canada to the Zilvermeercross in Mol. In his spare time he enjoys playing football, mountain biking, running, walking with his Labrador/Stabyhoun, investing, holidays, (specialty) beers, reading, cooking and watching sports & documentaries!
Contact: [email protected]
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Latest Comments
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- - Not sure I buy the narrative that UAE is “in trouble.” One bad day depth-wise doesn’t equal collapse. Pogi and Del Toro looked sharp; illness in the team ≠ leaders fading. Let’s not overhype it, yeah?andrewf24-07-2026
- - Seixas talking podium at 19 is wild. Kid’s got legs and a head on his shoulders. Daan Hoole shoutout was deserved—rode like a diesel today.breakawaybikerd24-07-2026
- - Quick question: if Del Toro is fine and UAE stabilises, how exactly can Red Bull-BORA isolate Pogačar on the Alpe? Is it about seeding riders in the break for satellite support or just pure tempo from the base?cyclechamp4524-07-2026
- - Alpe d’Huez x2 days is brutal scheduling. If Yates is still cooked and McNulty’s out, pacing for Pogi could get sketchy on the lower ramps. Crowd control absolutely needs to be tighter—barriers in the final 5 km, please.robert6524-07-2026
- - Great insight into how thin UAE looked today. When only Grossschartner is there with 5k to go, the sharks smell blood. Remco smart to play it cool and let Decathlon hammer Del Toro if there’s any weakness.bikebuffj24-07-2026
- - Tom and Primož on the same bike brand again? Pinarello marketing team licking their chops. Vamos Rogla, još samo jedan Vuelta!pedalpowe2924-07-2026
- - Slightly skeptical—Q5 is ambitious but are they ready to support a full Grand Tour GC bid? Depth in the mountains matters more than headline names.cyclechamp4524-07-2026
- - Five Vueltas would be insane. Even at 36, if his TT’s on song and he avoids the classic Roglič crash day, he’s right there. Form in August is everything.samanthak24-07-2026
- - Bahrain out, Astana aiming at Vlasov… that does make Q5 the logical landing spot. La Gazzetta backing it gives it legs. Still, no deal yet, so calma ragazzi.robert6524-07-2026
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