Tour de France in the Alps

Fausto Coppi filming Louison Bobet (Tour de France 1953)

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The tourist Fausto Coppi filming Louison Bobrt on the Col d'Izoard at the Tour de France 1953

Defending champion Fausto Coppi didn’t attend the Tour de France in 1953. He was  rather preparing for the World Championships. However, he trained in the Alps during July. So, he visited the Tour de France as a tourist. During the 1950s, there was a unique  4-man group in the peloton, later called the “G4” by … Read more

Federico Bahamontes on the Galibier (Tour de France 1954)

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Fedrico Bahamontes solo on the Galibier on the 19th stage of Tour de France 1954

Federico Bahamontes rode Tour de France for the very first time in 1954. He was picked for the Tour 1954 by Julián Berredero, the director of the Spanish team (and King of the Mountains 1936) in previous summer already. The real race for Bahamontes started in the Pyrenees.  On the 12th stage, which included Tourmalet, … Read more

Bernard Hinault and Greg LeMond on the top of L’Alpe d’Huez (Tour de France 1986)

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Vintage image of cyclists on the top of the hill riding side by side hand in hand.

Alpe d’Huez witnessed plenty of legendary moments since its introduction to the Tour de France in 1952. One of them is the famous 18th stage in 1986,  when Bernard Hinault and Greg LeMond reached the top hand in hand.

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Tour de France 1949

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The 36th Tour de France was held between 20 June and 24 July 1949.  The route was divided into 21 stages and included 4808 km. This was the first time the race visited Spain (9th stage). They also took a trip to Belgium and Italy. The Tour de France in 1949 was one of the … Read more

Winning at Alpe d’Huez in yellow jersey

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Geraint Thomas wins the Alpe d'Huez stage while wearing yellow jersey at the Tour de France in 2018

Although since its introduction to the Tour de France in 1952, Alpe d’Huez witnessed several pivotal moments of the race, especially regarding the fate of the yellow jersey and the overal victory, it happened only in 2018 for the very first time, that a current yellow jersey wearer cyclist won the stage on the top … Read more