ALPE D'HUEZ AND CYCLING
If there's one racer for whom Alpe d'Huez is a special place, it's Jeannie Longo, who has skied in the resort since she was a child and owns a flat there, from which she used to go out in the mountains in preparation for her season. Her husband Patrice Ciprelli was also a ski instructor at the resort. And yet, her only major competitive event in the Oisans resort remains one of her biggest disappointments. The women's racing calendar almost never took them to Alpe d'Huez, so the final stage of the 1992 Tour Cycliste Feminine was particularly eagerly awaited as it ended at the summit of the 21 corners. Despite her knowledge of the terrain, Longo was outclassed by Leontien van Moorsel, who won the stage twice, taking the leader's jersey from the Frenchwoman and winning the race by nine seconds! The Dutch rider did it again the following year, when the race also finished at Alpe d'Huez. She again won the overall in this event, which had succeeded the women's Tour de France that had come to an end in 1989, ahead of another French rider, Marion Clignet. Clignet told Cycling News in 2022: "For me, one of the great moments was climbing Alpe d'Huez because it was the start of an era of change and a potential step forward for women's cycling.” In the men's Tour de France, Alpe d'Huez has been successively in the hands of the Italians (seven wins since Fausto Coppi in 1952), then the Dutch (nine wins since 1976, but none since 1989), until the French regained control of the summit with three consecutive victories (Pierre Rolland, Christophe Riblon and Thibaut Pinot in 2007, 2009 and 2011). Over the last ten years, however, the 21 bends of the Oisans have come under British control, with Chris Froome taking yellow in 2013 and 2015 and Geraint Thomas and Tom Pidcock taking the last two summit finishes in 2018 and 2022.
SIGHTS
- Church of Notre-Dame-des-Neiges
Foundation: built in the 20th century (1969).
Style: contemporary.
Characteristics: it is famous for its original tent-shaped architecture and its stained-glass windows painted by the Isère artist Arcabas. Legend has it that the Dutch father Reuten rang the bell every time one of his compatriots won the Alpe d'Huez. In reality, the bells are rung at every finish.
History: financed by donations from parishioners and numerous benefactors, the church was built using simple materials (concrete for the circular frame, copper for the roof, glued laminated timber for the framework, translucent glass for the dome).
- Pic Blanc
The undisputed highlight of the resort is the 360-degree panorama from Pic Blanc, which rises to an altitude of 3,330 metres and has been awarded 3 stars in the Michelin Green Guide. It offers uninterrupted views of 1/5th of France: Mont Ventoux, Taillefer, Belledonne, Chartreuse, La Meije, La Muzelle, Mont-Blanc and the Aiguilles d'Arves.
- Brandes archaeological site
Foundation: site of a mining village.
Altitude: 1,800 m above sea level.
History: silver-bearing galena was mined here from the 12th to the 14th century before being abandoned after the galleries flooded in 1330. The mine was operated on behalf of the Dauphines of Viennois. It was used to finance the collegiate church of Saint-André de Grenoble in 1228 by André, Dauphin of Burgundy. At the end of the 19th century, a small oratory was built on the remains of the church.
Characteristics: At the very beginning of the 12th century, silver prospectors moved into Brandes, the highest medieval village in Europe. For over two centuries, these men mined a rich deposit of silver-bearing lead, probably linked to the Dauphin's monetary workshop. Mining took place at altitudes of between 1,750 m and 2,800 m. The ore was mined using fire and chisels, both in the open air and in galleries. The remains paint a picture of an original society organised around a fortification, a church surrounded by a necropolis, a large settlement and mining galleries.
Listed as: Historical Monument in 1995.
- Huez and Oisans Museum
It has been awarded the Musée de France label and features a new exhibition on the Brandes archaeological site. There is also an exhibition devoted to the Maquis de l'Oisans, and since December 2014 there has also been a new exhibition entitled "Il va y avoir du sport!" (There's going to be sport!), which allows visitors to discover the birth of Alpe d'Huez as a sports resort and to revisit the epic story of the 1968 Winter Olympics, the bobsleigh events... It also talks about the Tour de France and other various themes that have helped to create the identity of Alpe d'Huez.
TO EAT:
- Farcis de l'Oisans
Another great mountain recipe from the Oisans region. It consists of making dumplings from raw grated potatoes, bread soaked in milk, bacon, finely chopped leeks and cabbage, chives, parsley and eggs. These dumplings, bound with flour, are cooked in a stock in which potatoes and bacon (or diots = sausages) are cooked at the same time. Once cooked, the stuffing rises to the top. They are now ready.
