Tour de France 2018: Stage 12 preview
Bourg-Saint-Maurice Les Arcs - Alpe d'Huez, 175.5km
At the difference of the previous day, the third Alpine stage features famous climbs: Col de la Madeleine, Croix-de-Fer and L'Alpe d'Huez.
Between the first and the second giants, organizers have added the spectacular Lacets de Montvernier that made the highlights of stage 18 in 2015. For safety reasons, the access was forbidden to the crowd so one could encourage Romain Bardet on the conquest of his first Tour de France victory at Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne.
La Madeleine, on its northern versant, is the climb of famous failures, since Eddy Merckx lost contact with the top of world cycling in 1977 (his last Tour de France) and finished more than 13 minutes after Hennie Kuiper at L'Alpe d'Huez.
The iconic finish of the 21 curves named after the stage winners is back on the route, three years after the last visit of the Tour. French riders are unbeaten on the now-called Dutch mountain this decade: Pierre Rolland (2011), Christophe Riblon (2013) and Thibaut Pinot (2015).
The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!
Latest on Cyclingnews
-
'I'm a fighter' – Two crashes and a puncture not enough to stop Samara Maxwell riding to MTB World Cup victory at Pal Arinsal
Rider from New Zealand climbs back to XCO top step after fighting back to front and then launching a last lap attack -
Sarah Sturm and Zach Calton plunder Utah gravel for solo wins at Crusher in the Tushar
Emma Langley and Torbjørn Røed ride to runner-up positions as race returns from year off due to wild fires in area -
How to watch the Tour de France 2025: TV, Streaming, official broadcasters
Where to watch the biggest race in the world this July -
Tom Pidcock conquers 'home' cross-country race in Andorra round of UCI Mountain Bike World Series
Third time is the charm as Olympic Champion scores the victory at Pal Arinsal course after fourth row start