L'Alpe d'Huez

Tomorrow (Tuesday, July 18, 2006) the Tour de France stage climbs the most famous route in cycling, L'Alpe d'Huez. The last time the race included the mountain, in 2004, Lance Armstrong won an individual time trial there. There were an estimated 900,000 spectators watching him from the sides of the road. That's a bit misleading because the spectators are actually IN the road. In some places there's barely enough room for one rider to get through. One year an eager camera-toting fan actually knocked the eventual winner of the stage off his bike because he didn't get out of the way in time. Several riders from the 2004 tour are in the current race. If your a fan of cycling, or even if you're not, this stage is worth watching.