Alpe d'Huez Dutch Corner - The Biggest Party In Cycling? | Tour de France 2018
Alpe d’Huez is an iconic climb in the sport of cycling and has gained prestige through many a historic Tour de France battle upon its slopes. Our man James was on the ground to soak up the atmosphere and party with the fans on Dutch Corner!
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Dutch corner is undoubtedly one of the most atmospheric places along the Tour de France route. We checked out the stories of some of the fans and took a look at the happenings on corner seven.
Have you ever ridden Alpe d’Huez? Or been to Dutch Corner? Let us know in the comments. 👇
If you enjoyed this video, make sure to give it a thumbs up and share it with your friends. 👍
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Music: Epidemic Sound
Ain't Nothing Gonna Bring Us Down (Instrumental Version) - Aldenmark Niklasson
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Crowd Arena Cheer 3 - SFX Producer
Photos: © Velo Collection (TDW) / Getty Images & © Bettiniphoto / www.bettiniphoto.net/
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Leave us a comment below!
Have you ever ridden Alpe d’Huez? Or been to Dutch Corner?👇
I met James at turn 7, got a selfie, cheers guys. Great party atmosphere on the mountain. Have ridden Alpe d'Huez 6 times, feel like I'll been coming back every year.
Yep I've done it a few times, I was there last year and seen the tour but they didn't go up Alp d'huez
Nice to meet you Jez
They b nutz 😆
Global Cycling Network Last year @La Marmotte. Huez is educational... Epic suffering and experiance.
Wow, that is a tremendous amount of mineral water stored up on that hill! Good to see everyone taking hydration seriously during this heatwave.
if they were athletes, there would be water..
The coloured smoke probably was a major factor in Nibali crashing. They need to sort that out, and get the so called fans who are in the way of the riders behind barriers. Or since you can’t barrier off everywhere, just get them away completely and let respectful fans enjoy it and let the riders race in safety.
Chris Till Nibali crashed km's further at the funnel at start of the barriers
maybe not from dutch corner, but there was a similar huge plume of yellow smoke right before nibali crashed. I thought it was tasteless to uncritically revel in the atmosphere that led to a rider suffering a potentially career altering and certainly race altering injury. the smoke needs to go.
I haven’t seen many things more stupid than those flares. Pointless.
Like other people said: it was not at the Dutch corner, but at the barrier funnel. A friend of mine was there (before and after) the Tour. He said people were standing there with a fog machine! People with flares > idiots. People with fog machines > retards. He also said the funnel itself was a strange and dangerous situation.
I love it when GCN does cultural content like this. It makes cycling as a whole much more interesting and approachable to non-cyclists.
Great Production values guys!!! GCN is looking/sounding like a major playa! Keep it up:)
Love this video! Glad to see GCN taking time out from the serious stuff to party like the pros! Loving the new content and the energy from these new presenters!
glad you enjoyed it plenty more new content to come,
Haha! Never thought i'd see party montages and electronic music at GCN! Way to go!! 🔥🤟🏼
Should've sent Dan with all of that... mineral water.
okimy no, he'd get lost for weeks and resurface somewhere in Amsterdam, after which he would've go into treatment for alkoholism (again) and miss so many GCN shows xD
Ive watched GCN for 3 years, and this is one of the best videos yet. Well done!
Thanks Dante! Really glad you enjoyed it
so glad you enjoyed it, there will be plenty more exciting new features coming up so keep an eye out !!!
I have to say. This new way of video editing is really great. Well done!
Thanks Sander, glad you enjoyed it
Well done. Great insight.
Cheers Suresh, glad you enjoyed it
Bucket list trip
Good video enjoyed that!😃😃👏
Cheers Gary
Nice one Jimbo!
What always amazes me is the length of time some people stay on the mountains. What this video does not fully answer however is how manage to live there. Toilets? Washing? Food? I know nothing of the area so are there any local (ish) shops? Are the people who stay on the mountains for days or weeks on end completely self sufficient? Also, what must the clean up be like? If it's anything like a music festival it can't be too pleasant.
Great Insight into turn 7
Glad you enjoyed it myminx
haha good stuff. nice atmosphere
It sure was incredible!
Nice vid James, well done.
Glad you enjoyed this one Gethin
Thanks Gethin, really glad you enjoyed it was an incredible experience,
Is it just me, or the new presenter brought bit of a fresh party vibe to the channel? Music background and editing at top level. Well done. Unfortunately, most of us here are right. Nibali's crash is due to one of those irresponsible cycling fans. Sad and infuriating. Shadow has been cast.
Dutch corner nr. 7 Orange courage... Yesssss
I’ve always wondered two things: why the orange smoke bombs and who cleans up all the garbage afterwards?
They need to sort out Crowd control on the tour, it's getting beyond a joke with the flairs and throwing shit ...
Hi Mike, Dutch Corner was heavily policed and barriers between the fans and the riders. It's something we discuss further on the GCN show later on today which you may be interested in.
They need to run a snow plow up the road a few minutes before the riders.
Hi Mike, Yes this year was the first year, Dutch corner was railed of with ropes and barriers, and very heavily policed. So the tour is really working on the crowd control
Too many things inebriated fans causing issues on the course. It’s gotten even more out of hand.
The reason why I love cycling
james should be in baywatch or something! + i was at home watching this and can feel the atmosphere
haha glad you enjoyed it
Ya made it in life. Comment liked by gcn. Damnnn
Good content!
Glad you enjoyed it Lorenz
Basque atmosphere and crowd is the best in the world
Love the video but its a small pack of idiots (those are not fans of cycling) that bring the shame to REAL fans of this beautiful sport on that famous corner. I'm also against smoke flares but the atmosphere up there is electric and it gives some of the riders that small little push at the end of their ropes to make it to the top.
Glad you enjoyed the video, it's true there can be a few who make it dangerous but our experience of Dutch Corner was pretty awesome like you say
So, it's like a frat party but with Eurodance and more diverse flags?
Only just watched this. I'm Dutch and this is indeed how we roll,!!! 🤪🤪🤪🤪
Hopefully a safe ride in this year's tour de france on the alpe d'huez stage! As a cyclist, I almost can't see the footage regarding how dangerous it usually gets there!
Definitely one of the most iconic climbs in the alps! (of not for the many many more iconic cols in the alps! 💪🏼🤪
Very interesting! Not quite folie douce
Come on man.. It has to be the Dutch people. Like in almost every sports they are the most fanatic.
And dutch corner was the area with the best behaving fans!
Really think the colored smoke should be banned!!! Poor Nibali! However, at what other world-class sporting event can you just “show up” and watch for free?!!! There’s something beautiful about that
James should have said "the first mineral water on Alpe d'Huez".
So you celebrate by disrespecting the riders who are trying to breath while racing up that beast by gassing them out? What is wrong with you?
Bryon it is not disrespecting the riders, the passion of the fans is clearly evident when you're there and that's what we wanted to show.
semi-morons who only care about the party and have no thought at all about the rider's well-being.. bizarre from so-called cycling fans
After that I can't claim I wasn't there...... but as for being the best party in cycling, think Si may agree with the CX world champs has the edge
This new presenter is definitely a bro
The rookie presenter has no clue, that’s not beer it’s mineral water. I can see Dan the boss shaking his head from here...
hahaha,
Now listen to The Cycling Podcast’s Kilometre Zero episode about Dutch corner which was posted last week and get the history behind why the Dutch started congregating by the church (pun intended).
2:11 legends 🏴🏴🏴🏴
Come to Tulsa, OK for the Crybaby Hill party.
good video guys, full party out there!!
Guillermo Cheers, glad you enjoyed it
U should go to any belgian cyclocross event
Was colored smoke on stage 12 worse than tear gas on stage 16? Maybe both should be avoided
Now, that's a party I want to go to!! Great video, thanks for shooting the TDF atmosphere from the sidelines #2019goals
Glad you enjoyed soaking up the atmosphere on Dutch Corner as much as we did!
Seems to be mostly Americans, Aussies and Scots at Dutch corner ;)
Yes this is all good you cant stop people from having a good time, but the TdF should really have more security on these climbs. Just look at them all drinking alcohol going absolutely crazy just next to the riders. This is the reason Nibali is now out of the Tour.
There actually was a lot of security and the corner was heavily policed.
GCN has changed so much from Dan, Matt and Si just arsing about on bikes but I have to say I am really enjoying the scope of new content.
Unfortunately the fans put Nibali out of the Tour on this madness....
As far as we can tell that was just an accident as opposed to the fans being irresponsible
So extending your arm past the barriers and leaving a camera strap there as Nibali was centimeters away is responsible? Hum.
Yeah responsible cycling fans goes 1 cm to the face of raiders with smokes, barely standing on their feet for how much drunk they are.. and you call that an accident???? Nibali risked to end up on a wheelchair for his life thx to the negligence of ASO and stupidity of those 'responsible' fans. I've been on Giro d'Italia stage finish and can tell it's a great party even if you watch it sober behind a barrier.
Not sure that I would enjoy watching cycling from the "sidelines" but this looks super fun. Is there a Brazilian corner?
It really was fun Matheus, the atmosphere was incredible!
I got to see the end of a Tour de France race and it was a lot of fun. I was on a flat stage so the whole parade went through early and we got to see the finish sprint.
Global Cycling Network I need to go 😍
TheGerm24 that does sound pretty awesome 🤔
Yes, there is a Brazilian corner, but the wax job you have to get to get in is brutal.
Love it. Laughing at the haters.
venite a riempire lo zoncolan!
Get me a bit emotional. Wonderful atmosphere.
Sure is pretty incredible
How many mineral waters then James? 😁
a lot Ben !
You poor bugger James. I hope you were compensated for your hardship.
Sitting there, wearing a cycling cap and with a BMI of 40, behind a table, a pack of cigarettes on it and some trash of empty beer cans at the side of the road. #cyclingfans
Niels Caesar All sports fans
grhmcchrn agree
BMI>VO2max = Fan
haha, what fans would think smoke flares were a good idea too. bunch of idiots
No one parties like the Dutch.
This video has me questioning whether or not James was a nightclub promoter in a previous life 🤔
😂
About the whole smoke thing: GCN is only showing us what Dutch corner is like, and don’t think they are trying to encourage the use of smoke. They’re just taking the opportunity to do some epic cinematography. (Bravo GCN editors) P.S. Can we have a video introducing the camera and editing crew? I feel like they do so much work and get almost no recognition.
You've got it spot on there Jonathan, the whole idea was to show the sheer passion and atmosphere at Dutch Corner. Really great to hear you liked the editing on this one.
I didn't like this video for some reason.. Its one of only a few from GCN I found disappointing. Everyone has there own opinion though I guess.. I don't see it as passion myself. You want to see passion then come to any day of the tour de Yorkshire. We don't run alongside the riders, we give them space, we are not fuelled by alcohol and yet there is a happy carnival experience.. Even the riders sing its praises.. I guess there will always be different types of fans, like opinions I said at the start.. I agree its maybe only a few fans that spoil things but this rowdy type of behaviour is not for me.. Some at GCN may see it as passion, oh well.. Two cents worth said....
Some people's dream is to race TdF or win it. Mine is to party at the Dutch corner as it passes
Those freakin idiots that already dangerous sports make more dangerous and those idiotic flares, should be removed.
Now this is proper content
Glad you enjoyed this one guus
Strange how such a flat country, like Holland, has produced so many great climbers. Lucien van Impe, Steven Rooks and Gert Jan Theunisse ok maybe not the last one
Well, Van Impe is from Belgium. But they don't have mountains in Belgium either. ;)
I am proud to be an Dutchman
Gotta love seeing all the purist hating on this becouse it doesn’t fit in their narrow point of view 👀
But you didn’t need to glorify those smoke GCN
In no way are we trying to glorify, but instead show the amazing atmosphere on Dutch Corner
Baby Boris having a whale of a time here. Who'd have thought someone with a hyphenated surname would talk so posh?!
These are not fans they are yobs , the riders hate them
i hate it how my country men at any sporting event just claim a small part of it and make it there own little bubble
Gekoloniseerd.
Disappointed in GCN for glorifying the drunkin behavior that has been a problem to the riders. Shame on you GCN and Play Sports Network!
How are we glorifying it Gt George? This is what Dutch Corner is like, full of passionate fans. Barriers were up to protect the riders and no incidents between riders and spectators.
glorifying it by giving them publicity and airtime. next year will probably be even worse now due to the coverage you're giving it. they should organise a party in town instead of letting the drunkards on the mountain
The Dutch have always been great cycling fans, but should be ashamed this year after adversely affecting the race outcome due to their rowdy/drunken behavior. I hope next year the fans can still have fun without the need for more barriers.
Dutch corner actually has barriers between the riders and the spectators and it's heavily policed. We discuss this on the GCN show later, you may be interested in tuning in.
How did it affect the race? Nibali's handlebars caught a camera strap.
Nibali didn't crash here, but km's further at the start of the barriers actually
Check out the parking lot at any American college football game and you'll see real parties. It's ridiculous what drunk people will do.
You have no idea :)
My first GCN video that I didn't like. I don't care if the fans have fun. But, the smoke and crowding into the road is dangerous for the riders. Those morons need to be chased away. To glorify bad behavior just encourages it.
Sorry you didn't like this one. In no way are we trying to condone any irresonsoble behaviour, but instead show the passion of the fans. Dutch Corner is heavily policed and they have barriers between the fans and the riders which prevented any incidents.
Thank you for your clarification. I think that because this was posted just after the incident in which one rider crashed I assumed it was the same location.
It's easy to make negative comments about the fans on Alpe d'Huez BUT you really need to have experienced it on race day.....awesome !! Long may it continue !!!
But exactly for how long? Maybe until instead of "just" getting a fractured vertebrae the first rider becomes a paraplegic?
selfish
Yet, in my option, the Alpe d’Huez should be closed down... The are too many idiotic fans.
Most of the fans are there to embrace the sport and the passion is evident. It's the minority that may cause a few problems, but Dutch Corner is actually the most heavily policed of all the corners on Alpe d'Huez.
The riders love the Dutch corner
They do? Every single rider loves it? I highly doubt that. I’d bet a lot of moola more hate it than like it.
They should totally banned those smoke and alcoholic drinks. Too dangerous for the riders
XgenZeepee Why would the alcohol be dangerous to the riders? The riders are not drinking it so they're not cycling drunk
+oreosaysb00, when people are drunk they tend to do stupid things.
Vegan Beaker Well then you arrest them if they do that.
+oreosaysb00, me arrest who? I'm just pointing out that people act stupid when drunk.
Vegan Beaker I mean the police arrest people if they behave badly
GCN don't glorify the use of smoke...dutch corner is simply the hell for cycler. don't follow their bad actions!!!
jacopo perugini That is not true, Dutch riders love it
We have to disagree there, Dutch Corner actually has an incredible atmosphere. It was heavily policed and barriers between spectators and the riders.
Global Cycling Network there are not barriers between the fans and the riders. we can see that in your video! Besides Nibali falled down in the dutch corner....
Might want to look a bit better then. The non-barriered area was not Dutch corner and Niballi's crash was kilometers further up the road.
A bunch of drunkards endangering riders and having "lots of fun" with that? Thanks, but no thanks!
nice video, with the very worst editorial point of view
Dutch Corner is the worst face of cycling.
First
Alot of party poopers in this comment section 😔
John Nich the real party is TDF itself.
Why are there so many negative comments below? It seems to me mostly of people who have been rarely or never at the tour, and without historic awareness. Rember the strap of the bag that made Lance Armstrong fall. Most riders actually really enjoy the atmosphere and the many fans. That said there are a few dumbasses between the otherwise great fans, but there's little you can do about that. Self correcting behaviour among fans might be the best way.
There can always be a few at any event that can get a bit carried away, but you're right, Dutch Corner is full of passionate fans enjoying the Tour
Shame on GCN for glorifying this idiocy! These are not true cycling fans. BARRIERSBARRIERSBARRIERS
Dennis in no way are we glorifying it. We wanted to show the sheer passion that the fans had on Dutch Corner. It is actually the most heavily policed climb on the Alpe d'Huez and there are barriers. Plus, no accidents or collisions between cyclist and spectator happened on Dutch Corner.
glorifying alcoholism isn't great... and many of those idiots running alongside the riders, waving flags in their faces, smoke flares? these guys should be on a market square with a big screen, not on the mountain. poor show