Alpe d'Huez: 21 bends, 14 km, and why the first two hurt most

Alpe d'Huez is not the longest or the highest climb in the Alps. It is 14 km, about 1,120 m of climbing and a top at 1,860 m, which most Alpine passes beat comfortably. What makes it famous is the road itself: 21 hairpins stacked up a cliff above Le Bourg-d'Oisans, each one numbered and each one carrying the names of riders who have won here. Here is how it is built, how to pace it, and what to know before you go.

The climb, bend by bend

The Alpe d'Huez tourist office gives the official figures: 14.454 km from Le Bourg-d'Oisans at 717 m to the resort at 1,860 m, 1,121 m of height gain, an average of 7.9% and a maximum of 14%. Our track on this page starts in the centre of Bourg, so it is a little longer at 15.0 km, with a flat first kilometre before the road turns uphill. The bends count down from 21 at the bottom to 1 at the top, and each sign shows its altitude: 806 m at bend 21, 1,713 m at bend 1.

• The first two kilometres: the hard part. The Oz-en-Oisans tourist office says the first 2 km are the steepest of the climb, above 10%. Our track agrees: its steepest kilometre, at 11.1%, comes straight after the start. There is no warm-up.
• Bends 17 to 7: the rhythm. Past bend 17 you reach the hamlet of La Garde, where the tourist office notes a short gentler stretch of about 200 m. From bend 15 the road steepens again for over a kilometre, and from there it settles into 8–9% between the bends. A monument to Joaquim Agostinho, who won here in 1979, stands at bend 14.
• Huez to the top. At bend 7, by the Saint-Ferréol church at about 1,390 m, there is water. Then the road climbs through the village of Huez. The last three bends start at the junction above it, at a gradient similar to the lower slopes, and bend 1 opens into the resort. The official finish line is at the top of Avenue du Rif-Nel, about 300 m past the last roundabout.

How to pace 14 kilometres of hairpins

For most club riders this is an effort of an hour or more: long enough to punish a hard start, short enough to tempt you into one. Past the first ramp the climb is unusually regular, so the job is simple. Get through the opening two kilometres without going into the red, then ride the rest at one steady effort.

• Hold back for the first 2 km. They are the steepest of the climb and they come when your legs are cold. Ride them at a power you could hold for an hour, not for ten minutes, even if that feels very slow. Our guide to pacing a climb with power explains why the minutes you gain here cost you more later.
• Use the bends. Each hairpin is flatter on the inside line for a few metres. Shift up, stand for a few pedal strokes, sit back down.
• Gear for 8–10%, not 7.9%. The average hides the fact that very little of the climb is below 7%. A compact with a 32 or 34 sprocket keeps your cadence sensible on the lower bends; see gearing for climbing.
• Drink before the climb, top up at bend 7. The lower slopes face the valley and can be very hot in summer. Hydration in the heat covers how much to carry.
• Descend with care. The way back down is the same 21 hairpins, often busy with cars and riders coming up. The Oz-en-Oisans tourist office recommends taking a windproof for the descent.

Why it is Alpe d'Huez

The Tour de France came here first in 1952. According to the resort's own history, it was the first summit finish in the history of the race, and Fausto Coppi won it. The Tour did not make it a habit straight away: the climb returned regularly from 1976 onward, and the resort lists more than thirty stage winners since. That is why the bends carry names. The tourist office in Oz explains that each stage winner is associated with one of the 21 bends; with more winners than bends, many carry more than one name.

The record belongs to Marco Pantani: 37 minutes 35 seconds in 1997, an average of 23.08 km/h. In 2026 the Tour finished here twice in two days, with stage wins for Tadej Pogačar and Richard Carapaz.

When to go, and what to watch for

• Season. Oisans Tourisme lists the climb as open every day from the beginning of May to mid-November, depending on snow and weather.
• Traffic and heat. It is the main road up to a big resort, so expect cars. The Oz tourist office's advice is to start early, when traffic is lighter and the air is cooler.
• Timing yourself. The official start is opposite the EDF gate, 300 m after the junction at the bottom.
• Make it a bigger day. If you are building towards a sportive that finishes here, riding the Étape or the Marmotte covers how to prepare, and our Col de la Croix de Fer guide covers a neighbour.

Ride it in Moveee Indoor

The route on this page follows the real road from Le Bourg-d'Oisans through the 21 bends, with its height at every point. In Moveee Indoor your smart trainer reproduces that gradient as you ride, so the shock of the first two kilometres arrives exactly where it does on the mountain, and the world around you is built from map data of the real place. It is the best way to practise what this climb demands: starting slower than you want to.

Ride it once to get a baseline, then again before your trip with a planned power for the first ramp. Your rides are saved with their power data, so you can see whether the second half was faster than the first. It runs in the browser or as the Mac and Windows app. Prefer your own device? Download the GPX above and load it into any app that rides GPX files.

The short version

14.5 km, 1,121 m and 21 numbered bends from 717 m to 1,860 m. The first two kilometres are the steepest, so ride them gently and settle into one steady effort for the rest. Start early, take water at bend 7 and a windproof for the descent. Ride it on the trainer first and the hairpins will feel like old friends.