Local environmentalists have started a campaign against the Tour de France‘s use of the Col de la Sarenne as part of the race’s toughest mountain stage of 2026.
Located deep in the Alps, the 12.9-kilometre Col de la Sarenne is due to be tackled as the last major ascent of the 2026 race, forming part of a double assault over two days of the nearby Alpe d’Huez.
It also mentions that apart from the possibility of huge numbers of spectators lining the route, although it has yet to be confirmed that fans will be allowed to stand on the roadside there. It adds that helicopters will overfly the race, and that the same route will be tackled by thousands of amateur riders earlier in the week as part of the Étape du Tour – although again this has yet to be fully confirmed.
The same petition also highlights concerns about up to four types of wild birds, including golden eagles, whose hatching periods take place in the Sarenne area or in adjoining valleys in July. It points out that the Col de la Sarenne usually has a speed limit of 20kmh and that the road – narrow and unbarriered in some places – is closed for eight months of the year.
Past measures in the Tour and other races in areas at risk of major ecological damage have ranged from the banning of spectators to the limiting of race vehicles to motorbikes – as happened in the 2025 Vuelta a España on the highest part of the ascent to Bola del Mundo on stage 20, for example. Other measures have included a ban on the publicity caravan or on race convoy cars using their horns.
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