Tour Story: Dutch Corner on Alpe d'Huez

The September edition of Cycle Sport features ten stories from the Tour de France. For story number ten we sent Matt Walsh to spend 24 hours at Dutch corner on Alpe d'Huez. He survived in tact to tell the story of a crazy party, enjoyed by thousands. All photos by Jered Gruber

The iconic climb of Alpe d'Huez is famous for its 21

hairpin corners that snake up the mountain, each bearing the name of riders who have won on this fearsome climb.

However one corner stands out and commands a higher level of fame and notoriety. This isn't because of a ramp up in gradient but thanks to a change in ownership. Corner number seven of Alpe d'Huez during the Tour de France isn't French, it's Dutch.

This transformation occurs as thousands of Dutch fans dressed in orange take over the mountain and throw the loudest, most boisterous party of the Tour. A carnival atmosphere that's borderline crazy, out of control and perhaps even dangerous depending on your definition of riot.

When race organisers decided to celebrate the 100th birthday by torturing the riders with a double ascent of Alpe d'Huez, they also guaranteed that Dutch Corner would be twice the madhouse.......

Read the full story in the September edition of Cycle Sport magazine. In the shops now and available on all digital platforms including iTunes, Google Play, Zinio, Kindle and Nook.