'Just don't do anything stupid': Tour de France fans are already partying hard on Alpe d'Huez
CyclingFriday, 24 July 2026 at 09:41
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Follow us on GoogleAlpe d'Huez is packed with RV motorhomes, tents, and people who partied all night long on the Alpine pass. Stunning scenes, but the Tour de France organisers—along with, among others, Visma | Lease a Bike CEO Richard Plugge—are concerned about the riders’ safety during Friday's Stage 19.
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In recent years, the Tour de France has been passing through Alpe d'Huez less and less frequently, but this year the organisers are pulling out all the stops with no fewer than two finishes on the col. Stage 19 on Friday will feature the traditional climb, with 21 hairpin turns and the finish just past the village. Stage 20 follows on Saturday; with over 5,600 meters of elevation gain, it will be much tougher and feature a different approach route.
Friday’s stage, in particular, looks set to be dangerous for the riders, as Alpe d’Huez has shown in the past that spectators lining the roadside can be unruly. Footage from Thursday night into Friday shows that the French flocked to the col in droves and partied into the early hours with fireworks, music, and singing.
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Alpe d'Huez closes at 2:00 p.m; fans have been waiting for a week
Since chaos is expected on Alpe d'Huez, the organizers have decided to close the pass on Friday starting at 2:00 p.m. Journalists were also advised to arrive early, which meant that cars were driving up the mountain late into the night on Thursday. Fortunately, they were warmly welcomed by the celebrating fans and weren’t bothered too much.
Unfortunately, that’s no guarantee for the riders in Stage 19, so the Tour organizers issued a message—often rather vague—addressed to everyone who will be at Alpe d’Huez on Friday and Saturday, as well as at other mountain passes. “Friday’s stage is expected to draw large crowds, with many fans lining the roadside. Please follow the safety rules below,” the message reads.
"Don't touch the riders, don't use flares, keep your phone behind the barriers, don't stand on the road, don't obstruct riders with flags," is listed in ALL CAPS. The author of the post then decided to stop there and simply wrote: “Just don’t do anything stupid.” Let’s hope it works...
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Pogacar, Evenepoel, and Seixas express their concerns about Alpe d'Huez
After Stage 18 of the Tour de France, the top contenders in the Tour de France general classification expressed their concerns about the 19th stage to Alpe d'Huez. Tadej Pogacar, Remco Evenepoel, and Paul Seixas were already looking forward to it, but they also all made nervous comments about safety on the climb. “Hopefully they’ll put up ropes and barriers starting from the base for the last 5 kilometers,” said Evenepoel.
"We'll see just how extreme it is," added the Belgian rider from Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe. Seixas called on the French riders to behave themselves. "Hopefully everything goes well on Alpe d'Huez, because it can be dangerous there." And Pogacar? He said, “It’s going to be fantastic. I hope nothing goes wrong, but yeah… we’ll see.”
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David Bavin-HobbsChief Editor
David has been working in the sports & cycling industry for 16 years. Covering racing, business and technology, he has worked in communications for cycling companies, teams, and as a journalist. His proudest achievement is winning the first bike race he ever entered. He hasn't won a race since.
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