So far there have been 29 winners on Alpe d'Huez in the Tour de France, and another name will be added to the list on Friday. But far fewer among that number - just three in fact since the Alpe was first tackled in 1952 - can say that when they reached the top of the climb's 21 curves, they were also en route to victory in the race overall.
"If you ask me how much it means to win on Alpe d'Huez, there's an easy way to explain that," says Carlos Sastre, who claimed the outright victory in Paris just 48 hours after he had conquered the climb in the 2008 Tour. Having retired in 2011, Sastre still feels the power of that accomplishment.
