Fighting the granite - Day 20, Tour de France

Col du Galibier (2642 m.)

Filling up at Le Bourg-d’Oisans (724 m.)

Cols du Glandon, Télégraphe, Galiber, Sarenne - Étape 20, Le Tour de France 2026

Riding the route of Day 20 of the Tour de France on my CBR600RR sportsbike. Interesting riding moderately as a sports motorbiker and reading the road as a cyclist. Gives a whole new aspect to these cols I know pretty well. The direct route from Bourg d’Oisans to Alpe d’Huez is 13.7 km. and 1714 m. altitude gain, it’s the famous 21 Hairpins route. Day 20 of the Le Tour this year used a route of 170.9 km with height gain/loss of 5450 m. taking in a number of notable climbs, including the mysthic Galibier.

I rode the route of Le Tour 2026 Day 20 on my CBR600RR sportsbike, riding around a couple of cycle clubs doing much the same route so seeing and reseeing the same bikes, then chatting with some riders. The Tour riders don’t stop at a club van at the cols with refreshments and toolkits, though the Tour riders get sachets handed out as they ride containing who-knows-what, but otherwise these club guys (yes only guys) are doing the same ride. Awesome fitness all of them, assuming it’s fair play.
I watched Étape 20 live on TV in the UK. Riding it myself less than a week later was an opportunity to empathise with these athletes. I saw the places the attacks were made, either spur-of-the-moment or planned and called by the team on the radios. I rode the tunnel leading to Alpe d’Huez and saw where the yellow jersey rider skidded and fell on a metal cover.
But even at this closeness, it is impossible to quell my horror at looking up yet another climb or the despair I would feel after climbing to then ride down, cross the torrent and climb again. It’s their sport, I know I couldn’t do that, perhaps once or twice but not hill after hill. That’s the sport they do. Great to empathise with awe.
After Alpe d’Huez, I rode down the famous 21 hairpins then fighting the granite with sportsbike revs on the magnificent road up to the Col du Lauteret and back to the biker-friendly hotel at La Grave.

Road to the Col du Glandon