STAGE 17
When it comes to epic stages in the Alps, this year's stage 17 will hold its own against any other in Tour history. Proof is in this list of mountains:
- Col du Galibier
- Col de la Croix de Fer
- L'Alpe d'Huez
Racers will grind up all three of these "hors catégorie" climbs. The first two make take a back seat to the third when it comes to high drama, but there's no doubt that the 2008 Tour organizers have saved the best mountain stage for last.
The only certainty in this stage is that nothing is certain. After climbing both the mammoth Galibier and Croix de Fer climbs, the race will probably devolve into a contest of pure survival on L'Alpe d'Huez, and an early break will probably be gobbled up by the favorites en route to the top. The top climbers who are far down in the overall classification will surely take aim at this stage, and it's likely that white, polka dot, and yellow jersey competitions may be decided by the end of the day.
The landscapes of Galibier and Croix de Fer are epic, but the scene on Alpe d'Huez is iconic. This is the most dramatic climb in the sport of cycling on the most dramatic day of racing. The road's 21 switchbacks will be swarmed with mobs of shirtless, sun-burnt cycling fans as wire-thin climbers hollowed out by 17 days of racing will battle tunnel vision as they trade attacks up the mountain. One of these men may seize victory of the Tour on its most hallowed climb. Whoever wins this stage will earn a place in cycling history, if not the yellow jersey.
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See why the Alpe d'Huez is the greatest mountain in Tour history, complete with this year's analysis of Stage 17, Google Earth flyovers, and classic photos from this iconic peak. Watch more in our
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Google Earth Flyover: 2008 Tour de France
See more race coverage at
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Photo 1
Location: Unknown
Switchback in the clouds
Location: 45.077976°, 6.047845°
Photo 0
Location: Unknown
Working into a rhythm mid-way up L'Alpe
Photo 2
Location: Unknown
L'Alpe does not relent
The town of Alpe d'Huez
Location: 45.092490°, 6.062822°
The grades ease off significantly as the road arrives at the ski resort town atop Alpe d'Huez.
The ramps
Location: 45.065762°, 6.043167°
The switchbacks of Alpe d'Huez have gained a certain degree of un-earned infamy. The switchbacks themselves aren't the hard part of the climb--in fact, they're the flattest spots on the road. It's the ramps that come off of each switchback that take a toll on the riders, and of course the sustained stretches of steep grades do some damage as well.
Col de la Croix de Fer
Location: 45.227151°, 6.203585°
The second hors catégorie pass of the day, Col de la Croix de Fer will likely whittle both the day's breakaway and the yellow jersey group. Riders will have 24 miles to catch on before the base of Alpe d'Huez, but but given the length of the climb and the steepness of its uppermost slopes, time gaps between groups may be significant at the summit.
Location: 45.091399°, 6.055784°
The first switchback
Location: 45.071642°, 6.038704°
Each of Alpe d'Huez's 21 switchbacks are marked by a sign listing their elevation and a previous Tour stage winner (or two).
Location: 45.088430°, 6.055784°
Bourg-d'Oisans
Location: 45.054909°, 6.030679°
The base of Galibier
Location: 45.035079°, 6.405373°
From the top of the Lautaret climb, it's 5.3 miles (8.5 kilometers) to the Galibier summit; it may not seem like a lot, but this year's route ascends the steep side of Galibier, gaining almost 2,000 feet of elevation in that short stretch.
Location: 45.090005°, 6.058831°
The second switchback
Location: 45.066413°, 6.041772°
Cow pasture
Location: 45.088793°, 6.060162°
Cattle will get a front row seat to high Tour drama around a wide pasture a few switchbacks below the top of the climb.
Location: 44.908748°, 6.627116°
Col du Galibier
Location: 45.065337°, 6.410909°
The 8,678-foot summit of Galibier is often the highpoint of the Tour, but this year it's actually the third highest peak of the race (behind stage 16's Bonette-Restefond climb and the Col Agnel from stage 15). When the Tour first climbed Galibier in 1911, only three riders were able to summit without walking their bikes.<p>
It may be the first hors catégorie climb of three on the day, but there will still be a major selection here: by the top, expect only the leaders and their strongest climbing domestiques to remain.
Col du Lautaret
Location: 45.042781°, 6.425457°
After leaving Briançon, Tour riders will ride 16.3 miles up to the Col du Lautaret, a modest climb that serves as a gateway to Galibier. The Lautaret will not blow apart the pack, but by the time they reach the foot of Galibier, riders will have already been climbing for nearly an hour.
The fifth switchback
Location: 45.068414°, 6.042491°
Location: 45.070945°, 6.044283°
Location: 45.067762°, 6.041837°
Col du Télégraphe
Location: 45.202965°, 6.444769°
After the first chunk of the Galbier descent, riders will climb for about 3.7 miles up to the Col du Telegraphe. The climbing isn't much, but it's the descending from here on that is extremely tricky, fraught with hairpin turns, high exposure, and not much in the way of guardrails (save for the foot-high cement walls that do more to maim cyclists that anything else). A mistake here could cost someone the Tour.
Location: 45.041917°, 6.414728°
It's not all switchbacks
Location: 45.080824°, 6.059046°
The "Dutch Corner"
Location: 45.077036°, 6.053338°
Cycling fans from Holland descend upon this corner of Alpe d'Huez and set up camp for an orange-clad party when the Tour comes. Dutch riders receive the lion's share of their encouragement.
Briançon
Location: 44.892759°, 6.629734°
The second highest city in Europe, <a href="http://www.bicycling.com/tourdefrance/30moments/4.html" target="blank">Briançon</a> is oft-visited by the Tour de France having hosted the race 44 times (22 as a start, 22 as a finish). In 2007, Mauricio Soler claimed victory here after a solo conquest and descent of the Galibier.
The base of <a href="http://www.bicycling.com/tourdefrance/30moments/13.html" target="blank">Alpe d'Huez</a>
Location: 45.062730°, 6.037459°
Five switchbacks down
Location: 45.072369°, 6.051149°
If tunnel vision hasn't set in yet, riders will enjoy a fantastic valley overlook at the fifth switchback.
