Thinking about Nibali in 2018, Visma CEO Plugge is holding his breath for Alpe d'Huez: 'More and more dangerous'
CyclingFriday, 24 July 2026 at 09:52
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Follow us on GoogleThis weekend, the cycling world’s attention is focused on Alpe d’Huez, where the Tour de France will reach its grand finale. Richard Plugge, CEO of the Visma | Lease a Bike cycling team, is really looking forward to the two stages finishing on the Dutch mountain. But he’s also wary of the large crowds of fans, as he told IDL Pro Cycling this week.
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A month and a half ago, Plugge himself cycled up the famous mountain as part of Alpe d'HuZes. “Together with people from the team, Rabobank, and Pon, our main sponsors, we climbed it six times for charity. KWF Kankerbestrijding has been the charity we’ve been supporting for years.”
"When people compliment us or strike up a conversation, we always say, 'If you'd like to contribute, please make a donation to the KWF.' “We did that again this year; we try to raise as much money as possible for the fight against cancer,” said Plugge, who participated in Alpe d’HuZes alongside Nathan Van Hooydonck, among others.
Read more below the photo!
Richard Plugge in the Tour.
Interview with Richard Plugge Ahead of the Tour de France Stages on Alpe d'Huez
Richard, want to go to Alpe d'Huez this weekend?
"This is, of course, the quintessential Dutch mountain, and we're really eager to shine here with one of our riders. It's one of the most beautiful and iconic mountains in the Tour de France."
"Besides, this is simply one of the most beautiful mountains for the Dutch. We have fond memories of this place: Joop Zoetemelk, who managed to win here, Steven Rooks, Peter Winnen... it's all fantastic."
Was it already something special to you when you were growing up, or does it still hold a certain mythical appeal?
"I once wrote a little book about the 21 most beautiful mountains that every Dutch person should climb. And there’s a good reason why there are 21 of them." (referring to the number of hairpin turns on Alpe d'Huez)
How do you expect them to go? On the one hand, you hear a lot of positivity, but on the other hand, there’s also some skepticism among the riders about whether everything will go smoothly.
"With the fans?"
Yes, after last weekend, when there were also quite a few of them.
"The day Jonas Vingegaard crashed (Sunday on the Plateau de Solaison, ed.) was pretty rough. I can only hope that the fans along the roadside will behave themselves a little. It's becoming more and more of a problem."
If there’s one major threat to the Tour de France, it comes down to two things: first, the roads and the course. It’s simply getting more and more dangerous. That’s also why Jonas crashed; it was just a very dangerous spot that wasn’t marked properly.
"And second, the public. People just jump out in front of you. Just yesterday, quite a few people jumped out in front of our car. They have no idea what that means when you're driving. If they do that to a cyclist, it's extremely dangerous."
"How can they handle that? You heard riders further back in the pack say they had to stop because there were people on the road."
"I've said it before: this is exactly the right moment to announce that we're closing off this mountain. If you want to hike to the top, you'll have to pay a symbolic fee—a euro, ten euros, whatever. At the very least, that creates a barrier, so only the true fans will make the climb."
"There are also a lot of people now who think it's Carnival, who spend the whole day guzzling beer and eventually don't know what they're doing anymore. That's really going to be a problem. Again: the course and the crowd—I think those are the biggest dangers for the Tour de France."
Are you afraid that things might really go wrong on a mountain like that someday? Of course, things did go wrong for Guerini on Alpe d'Huez back in 2002...
"And let's not forget Nibali. (The Italian broke a vertebra in 2018 after colliding with a fan on Alpe d'Huez, ed.)"
Read more below the video!
So yeah, I’m keeping my fingers crossed. Over the past two or three years, we’ve had quite a few climbs where I thought, “Is this going to be okay?” We even had one instance where motorcycles were stopped by the crowd, preventing the riders from continuing. It’s getting worse and worse. I hope they can get the safety measures sorted out.'
Is the Tour de France circus sometimes too big for the places where it takes place?
"Yes, that's basically what I'm saying. The two major dangers for the Tour are the course—because it's getting increasingly difficult to make it safe with all the speed bumps, roundabouts, and unmarked traffic islands—and spectators who just jump out onto the road. So hopefully we’ll be spared that this weekend.”
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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
- - Tom and Primož on the same bike brand again? Pinarello marketing team licking their chops. Vamos Rogla, još samo jedan Vuelta!pedalpowe2924-07-2026
- - Small correction: the piece says his 2026 results were poor, but we’re in 2025 season context, right? Did you mean 2024? Kinda confusing timeline.bikebuffj24-07-2026
- - “Senseless violence” sums it up. This is getting loco. How many top pros need to be sidelined by motorists before federations make daytime training corridors? Vamos Stan, sterkte!robert6524-07-2026
- - Wait, Wout van Aert was there earlier—does that mean the team had escorts or signage at any point? Do pro teams usually ride with a follow car in these camps or is that only during recon?davidm24-07-2026
- - Speedy recovery, Stan. Training at altitude around Les Arcs is already sketchy with narrow roads and blind bends; delivery vans run tight schedules. Drivers need mandatory passing clearance laws enforced,5m minimum. Force some penalties and behavior will change.pedalpowe2924-07-2026
- - The parallels with McNulty and Meurisse getting hit the same week are chilling. If Meurisse suspects foul play and now Dewulf too, that’s a pattern, not coincidence. Race orgs and FFC better step up with public awareness and police presence around training zones.samanthak24-07-2026
- - Can someone explain why the van would “veer back right too fast” after passing? Is that a common issue drivers do with cyclists in the Alps, like cutting in before clearing the group?bikebuffj24-07-2026
- - Horrible to read this. Dewulf’s account lines up with what we’ve been seeing all season: increased hostility towards riders. Glad someone snapped the plate. Hope the gendarmes actually follow up this time.jennifer1924-07-2026
- Che bel gesto di Matthews, davvero. Respect for Eleana and her nonno. Moments like this are why Le Tour = magia.michael5424-07-2026
- Great story, but the writing leans a bit heavy on the sentiment. Would’ve loved a tad more race context—course profile, wind, how his TT compares to his 2017 shape.jeremya24-07-2026
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