Visiting Alpe d'Huez TT

debe said:

- Is there an actual chance of putting up the tent
somewhere or would we have to sleep in the car?

I've wild camped over at the col de la Sarenne, this is also
a back way into l'Alpe d'Huez and I've camped at the lac
Blanc. There is no official camping at l'Alpe d'Huez but the
lac Blanc would have the advantage of having the excellent
chalet-restaurant of the same name nearby. You could ask the
tourist office if they are setting up a temporary camp site.

Quoted message said:

- Would it be more wise to camp "wild" somewhere in the
valley and walk up the hill early in the morning? Is
there any chance of catching a spot for putting up the
tent somewhere close to the town?

There are campsites in Bourg but they are probably
pretty full. I would consider one of the official sites
around Allemond.

My parents-in-law normally watch the stage, they leave their
car at Bourg at around 10am and walk up to la Garde. The
followed the whole stage by helicopter once!

Personally I would have thought the corner near the church
at Huez village would offer a good vantage point both up and
down the hill. Take some good binoculars.

If you cycle up be sure to lock your bike.

There is also a bed and breakfast (gite d'etape) in
Sardonne, another back route into Huez.

oisans.comenglishOpen ↗
/index.html

The gite is owned by Gillian Fabre.

Quoted message said:

When does the first rider start the race, 10 o'clock in
the morning?

Sounds about correct: 200 riders, 2 minutes interval= 400'
6h40', Last arrival around 17H or may be a little early,
like first rider at 9h. Unless they have them start with 1
minute interval??

Quoted message said:

- Is there an actual chance of putting up the tent
somewhere or would we have to sleep in the car?

You can find spot to put your car and the tent close to it,
so you can use both.

Quoted message said:

- How packed is the hill 2 days prior to the stage?

More than likely starting to built, but you should be able
to find a spot

Quoted message said:

Would it be more wise to camp "wild" somewhere in the
valley and walk up the hill early in the morning? Is there
any chance of catching a spot for putting up the tent
somewhere close to the town?

It s another option, less convenient than the first one
though. With your tent and car with you, it s like the TDF
is going in front of your house. You can have breakfast,
aperitif, lunch, even take a little nap...:-) But if you
want, there is camping places in Bourg d' Oisans, the town
in the valley.

Info on bycicle around Bourg d ' Oisans"
cycling.uk.netbdo.htmOpen ↗

Campings: A LA RENCONTRE DU SOLEIL **** Bourg d'Oisans, tél.
04 76 79 12 22, fax : 04 76 80 26 37, email :
[email hidden], 73 emplacements, ouvert : du
10/05 au 14/09, Rest.bar-salle de réunion-salle de jeu- lave
linge-sèche linge-parking-piscine-animation-accès
pers.mobilité réduite-ch.vac.acceptés - loc.chalets

LA CASCADE **** Bourg d'Oisans, tél. 04.76.80.02.42, fax
: 04 76 80 22 63, email : [email hidden], internet
: pro.wanadoo.frcamping.lacascadeOpen ↗, 123
emplacements, ouvert : du 15/12 au 30/09, bar - snack -
salle TV/jeux - piscine
- animations - salle de réunion - lave linge - sèche linge -
local vélos - accès pers.mob.réd. - ch.vac.accept.

LE COLPORTEUR *** Bourg d'Oisans - 38520, tél.
04.76.79.11.44, fax : 04.76.79.1.49, email : info@camping-
colporteur.com, 135 emplacements, ouvert : mim-mai à fin
septembre, rest. bar - salle TV/jeux/réunion - animations -
lave linge - sèche linge - local vélos - ac. pers. mob. réd.
ch.vac.accept. loc.chalets

LE VERNIS *** Bourg d'Oisans, tél. 04.76.80.02.68, email :
[email hidden], internet : oisans.comleOpen ↗
vernis, 54 emplacements, ouvert : du 15/12 au 25/04 et du
1/06 au 10/09, Salle de réunion/jeux - piscine - mini golf -
lave linge -local skis- aire aménagée campings car -
ch.vac.accept - loc.chalets/bung/carav/ -

LA PISCINE ** Bourg d'Oisans, tél. 04.76.80.02.41, fax :
04.76.11.01.26, email : [email hidden], internet
: camping-piscine.comcamping-piscine.comOpen ↗, 126 emplacements, ouvert :
toute l'année, rest/ bar - salle TV/jeux/réunion - animat.-
gde piscine - lave/sèche linge - park. privé - local
skis/vélos - ac.pers. mob.réd. ch.vac. - loc.chalets

or here: bourgdoisans.comindex fr.htmOpen ↗ I
could not access the english version though.

Have fun

This is what it was like three years ago:
angelfire.comtour 2001.htmlOpen ↗

Two days before the race the road up the mountain will be
pretty packed full. There will be plenty of places along the
secondary roads to pitch a tent though. By the night before
the race almost every available flat spot will be taken.

If it were me I would put a rack on top of the car and
bring bicycles.

The road will be closed fairly early and that includes
bicycle traffic. Once the TT starts it is foot traffic only
on the course.

It is hard to predict what the atmosphere will be like. With
a regular road stage there is a big buildup until the race
actually comes through. With a TT there is racing going on
all day and the road isn't available for partying and
dancing. I'm expecting it to be insane but not as insane as
a typical road stage up the Alpe.

Bob Schwartz [email hidden]

debe said:

I know there is quite a number of guys aroung in rbr that
have watched the TdF live on the road, thus I would like
to gain some knowledge from your experiences.

as would many others! thanks much for posting this, and to
the folks that have replied with good solid facts.

i bought a copy of the beautiful velopress "alpe d'huez the
legend" book, which i highly recommend. the photos starting
on page 6 clearly show where folks are camped prior the
arrival of the peleton. now the maps really make sense!

in the photos, the course turns left at the Y that's 2
switchbacks below the top. is that always the case?

it appear that folks are tenting on the hill above the last
switchback.

i'll be the one in the rei half dome with the alaska flag.

can anyone tell us the price range(s) for lunch and dinner
in the restaurants in l'alpe?

i presume that because of the altitude, it can chill quickly
at night. will a fleece blanket bag be sufficient, or should
i bring my down bag?

Quoted message said:

can anyone tell us the price range(s) for lunch and dinner
in the restaurants in l'alpe?

Depends of your way to lunch or dinner, but i d say you can
get a lunch for
12/15 Euros, dinner for 20/up...

Alpe d Huez , as a resort has higher prices than the valley.
Also being one of the Tour stage , there is always the risk
of rip off or price increase.

I d recommend for lunch to shop at the Supermarket in Bourg
d Oisans or in the little stores in Bourg d oisans ( bread,
ham, cheese, fruits, ... ... ) and to do a summer pic-nic.
And keep the restaurant option for Dinner. I d go away fron
l Alpe d huez though.

As for the altitude and the chill, Yes, this is mountain,
the weather and temperature can change drastically very
quickly. I ll take the down bag.

Quoted message said:

Hi all !

I know there is quite a number of guys aroung in rbr that
have watched the TdF live on the road, thus I would like
to gain some knowledge from your experiences.

My girl and I want to visit the Alpe d'Huez TT stage this
year and I am not quite sure yet, what our chances are to
actually catch a spot. As far as I've heard yet and seen
on TV the town in the valley is pretty packed the day
before the stage.

The assumption is that the mountain may collapse under the
weight of all of the spectators, since there won't be any
other places to watch the race... no other mountain cols...
just one little 12k piece of roadway for all those fans.

Quoted message said:

The current plan is: The stage takes place on July 21st.
Since this year the TT should start pretty early, I don't
know when the roads will be closed for spectators to go
uphill on bikes.

Rumor has it that the roads into town will be closed to both
cars *AND* bikes extremely early on the morning of the race.
This is not typical; normally, they allow bikes to ride into
the vicinity of a stage anytime they want (although not on
the course itself). How successful they'll be is anybody's
guess, but at present the plans are such that they won't
allow anyone to even get close to the town that morning.

Quoted message said:

We want to go up the hill by car on July 19th (2 days
before), spend the 20th there and watch the stage on the
21st. We have a small Volkswagen Polo, so I hope to catch
a small side along the road somewhere, and we have a tent
etc. with us to stay overnight.

- When does the first rider start the race, 10 o'clock in
the morning?

They haven't yet posted the details, but I'm guessing it
will start later than that. In general, all stages are
designed to finish at around 5pm, in order to maximize TV
news coverage. That means longer stages start earlier than
shorter stages. If we assume 150 riders remain by this
stage, with a one-minute interval for the first 90 riders,
two-minutes for the next 30 and then three minutes for the
final thirty, it would take 4 hours, meaning that the first
rider would be off at 1pm. This is entirely guesswork at
this point.

Quoted message said:

- Is there an actual chance of putting up the tent
somewhere or would we have to sleep in the car?

You see people doing either. There seems to be little regard
for pitching tents on private property, nor does anybody
seem to mind.

Quoted message said:

- How packed is the hill 2 days prior to the stage?

I've ridden up Alpe d'Huez two days prior to a normal stage
up the mountain, and there weren't too many people on it at
that time. However, that's on a normal stage, not one in
which there are many other places to watch the race. The
climb up Alpe d'Huez, as famous as it is, is, aside from the
actual finish, just another climb. It's crazy to try and get
anyplace near the finish of a stage, by the way. My point is
that it's likely to be pretty intense compared to a normal
stage. Tough to know exactly what to expect, because a TT up
Alpe d'Huez (for the TDF) has never been done before, if I
recall correctly.

Quoted message said:

- Would it be more wise to camp "wild" somewhere in the
valley and walk up the hill early in the morning? Is
there any chance of catching a spot for putting up the
tent somewhere close to the town?

The "town" isn't that big, and is likely to be pretty over-
run. However, get a good Michelin map and study the side
roads. It's truly amazing how uncongested the alternate
routes can be; you'd think the "locals" (French cycling
fans, as opposed to tourists from elsewhere) would have a
clue about such things, but no, they sit in their cars, for
hours and hours, creeping along towards the stage. The
experienced tour operators, on the other hand, know the back
roads quite well (having been there before) and get in and
out much more quickly.

Quoted message said:

I would be greatful for any suggestions/hints/information.

Best regards debe

--Mike-- Chain Reaction Bicycles
www.ChainReactionBicycles.com

Thanks all for your extensive replies !

Got the information I needed, and will report when I'm back
from the TdF including pictures.

Best regards debe

debe said:

Hi all !

I know there is quite a number of guys aroung in rbr that
have watched the TdF live on the road, thus I would like
to gain some knowledge from your experiences.

My girl and I want to visit the Alpe d'Huez TT stage this
year and I am not quite sure yet, what our chances are to
actually catch a spot. As far as I've heard yet and seen
on TV the town in the valley is pretty packed the day
before the stage.

The current plan is: The stage takes place on July 21st.
Since this year the TT should start pretty early, I don't
know when the roads will be closed for spectators to go
uphill on bikes. We want to go up the hill by car on July
19th (2 days before), spend the 20th there and watch the
stage on the 21st. We have a small Volkswagen Polo, so I
hope to catch a small side along the road somewhere, and
we have a tent etc. with us to stay overnight.

- When does the first rider start the race, 10 o'clock in
the morning?

- Is there an actual chance of putting up the tent
somewhere or would we have to sleep in the car?

- How packed is the hill 2 days prior to the stage?

- Would it be more wise to camp "wild" somewhere in the
valley and walk up the hill early in the morning? Is
there any chance of catching a spot for putting up the
tent somewhere close to the town?

I would be greatful for any suggestions/hints/information.

Best regards debe