The 21 hairpins by car, a Tour de France story

On 4 July 1952, Fausto Coppi conquered Alpe d’Huez in the Tour de France’s first timed ascent here, and the mountain has spoken cycling ever since. Twenty‑one numbered hairpins—each bearing a winner’s name—string 13.8 km and 1,071 m of elevation from Le Bourg‑d’Oisans to the resort at 1,860 m, skirting La Garde and old Huez village, with hints of the Roman route above the Sarenne gorge. Enamel plaques recall Pantani’s 1997–2001 exploits, Hinault’s 1986, Zoetemelk’s 1976, while the average gradient sits at 8.1% and kicks to 11% at the base.

This half‑day is hands‑free: your driver handles the road while you take in stories and scenery. Hotel pick‑up in Alpe d’Huez or Bourg‑d’Oisans, a Mercedes at your disposal, and flexible stops at key bends to read the plaques, compare stage times, and stroll five minutes to the Sarenne overlook. We pause at Hairpin 7 for coffee with a Romanche valley view, then continue to the Plateau des Bergers before looping back via Huez village and its 17th‑century Saint‑Anne church. The climbs become a narrative, not a chore.