The Alpe d’Huez. The Dutch can’t get enough of this iconic climb: half of the ascent is full of orange-clad crowds. And while everyone in the Netherlands hoped for a victory on the “Dutch Mountain” they will unfortunately have to wait a little longer. What a stage though. These were legendary race moments that should have every bike racing fan glued to their screens. The only negative points about this stage were incidents involving the crowd, sadly.
Despite the stage win by Team Sky’s Geraint Thomas, the long and heroic attack by Dutchman Steven Kruijswijk is what many Dutch fans will remember, as well as the sterling performance by Tom Dumoulin. A special mountain, with many stories to tell.