Alpe d'Huez: "The climbers' Champs Elysees"

PIC BY TDWSPORT.COM

T-Mobile's Giuseppe Guerini is perhaps best known for his win at Alpe d'Huez in 1999, when, while alone in the lead, an amateur photographer knocked him off his bike, apparently not realising just how close the Italian was while he looked through the viewfinder.

Guerini remounted and won, and still rates it as his best-ever win. "I knew immediately that it would be the victory of my career," he told L'Equipe.

Referring to the Alpe as "the climbers' Champs Elysees", Guerini suggested that it could be tackled slightly differently on Tuesday's stage. "This year, riders will have to be careful not to use too much energy, as this is the first of three stages in the Alps.

"Alpe d'Huez is a very strange climb," Guerini continued. "To win up there, you need to really know the climb, or have a good amount of experience."

Guerini - 49th overall, 36-23 down on race leader Oscar Pereiro - has both qualities, and will be hoping he has the legs to repeat his greatest-ever victory, adding to the stage win he took between Issoire and Le Puy en Velay at last year's Tour.

• Back to top
• Email to a friend