Dutch riders dreaming of crazy party corner of Alpe d’Huez

VOIRON – Dutch Corner is known for being the biggest and craziest party in cycling.

Thousands of orange-clad, booze-fuelled cycling enthusiasts and young revellers flock to corner seven of Alpe d’Huez every time the Tour de France climbs the iconic mountain.

And they create a unique, noisy and hectic atmosphere – even by the most prestigious Grand Tour’s mountain pass standards.

In 2026, the Tour will head up the 21 Alpe d’Huez hairpins on July 24 – and some of the Dutch fans rocking to Europop tunes will have already been there for days by the time the peloton passes.

More Dutch riders have won a Tour stage on Alpe d’Huez than any other nationality, including the host country. For Dutch riders in this Tour, this will be a poignant moment.

“It’s a super special mountain, of course, Dutch Mountain and the famous corner seven,” said Dutch rider Thymen Arensman before the Tour began.

Arensman has been on Dutch Corner before – and not just for training rides.

“I have super special memories of this climb because when I was a little kid, like so many other Dutch people, I went there with my parents on holiday,” said the 26-year-old Netcompany Ineos rider, who won two Tour stages last year.

“I was really keen and eager as a little child to do this climb also as fast as possible.”

Arensman and his Netcompany teammates trained on the Alpe d’Huez hairpins before the Tour began.

“We did the climb a few times, but the climb is still just as hard as I remember as a little kid,” he added.

“The famous corner seven will be amazing.”

Just getting to that point of the race this year will have been no mean feat, given how hard the 113th edition of the race has been.

A suffocating heatwave in the first 10 days, as well as record-breaking speeds have made this Tour tougher than almost any other in history.

But the hardest part of the race was saved for the end, with three consecutive uphill finishes in the Alps before the procession around Paris on July 26.

For some riders, just getting to the end of the Alpe d’Huez stage within the time limit is the goal.

“It will depend on how the legs feel and how tight the time limit will be that day. But for sure, the corner, I’m looking forward to (it),” said Frank van den Broek, who is riding in his third Tour.

Meanwhile in other news, the International Cycling Union (UCI) on July 22 defended night-time anti-doping tests at the Tour after controls involving race leader Tadej Pogacar and rival Jonas Vingegaard drew criticism, saying the fight against doping remained an “absolute priority”. 

It said such checks were “exceptional” and carried out only in “limited and justified circumstances”.

The night-time controls have been criticised by the international riders’ union CPA, which said this practice “runs counter to the intended objectives” because of their impact on riders’ recovery.
AFP, REUTERS