Controversial call to "privatise" 2026 Tour de France on Alpe d’Huez: “Let’s charge admission, have VIPs, and create something to make money!”
Cycling
Even before the peloton heads back to the slopes of Alpe d’Huez twice during the 2026 Tour de France, the iconic climb is already at the centre of a fierce debate about cycling’s future. Former B&B Hotels manager Jerôme Pineau has reignited the long-running question of how the sport should fund itself — and he has gone straight for the sport’s most sacred cow: free roadside access.
Speaking on RMC Sport’s Grand Plateau podcast, Pineau floated the idea of charging spectators on the upper slopes of the Alpe, arguing that the sport must evolve financially if teams are to survive the growing economic divide.
“I’m going to shock some people, but they’ve created a stage that will go up Alpe d’Huez twice. So let’s privatise the last five kilometres of Alpe d’Huez," he proposes somewhat controversially. "Let’s charge admission, let’s have VIPs, let’s create something to make money!”
Pineau framed the proposal not as a luxury initiative, but as a lifeline for privately backed squads competing against state-funded giants. “Historically, cycling is a popular sport, a free sport. But a free sport where there are no more riders on the road because there are only two teams, Bahrain and UAE, is less fun, isn’t it?”
“We’re the last major sport that’s free” — Madiot pushes back
Groupama - FDJ boss Marc Madiot firmly rejected the idea, insisting that the sport’s open-door character is intrinsic to its identity. “I’m in favour of free access; we’re the last major sport that’s free. It’s one of our strengths. And we have to be realistic; we won’t solve our problems by offering more hospitality.”
Madiot also raised a structural concern often overlooked in surface-level funding debates — the financial imbalance created by differing employment and tax systems across Europe. French teams, he stressed, operate under far heavier employment obligations than some rivals. “Why not consider having all teams legally based in Switzerland to ensure a uniform social cost?”
His broader warning painted a picture of a sport drifting away from its roots. “Apart from the emirs and state sponsors, it’s difficult to exist in the peloton these days. The problem with cycling is that it used to be a popular sport, for workers and farmers, and now it’s becoming a sport for the rich.”
Groupama - FDJ boss Marc Madiot is one of the most experienced figures in Pro Cycling
A winter debate with real-world stakes
Every off-season brings talk of structural reform, but Pineau and Madiot's exchange speaks to a deepening divide. With state-funded superteams reshaping the WorldTour and private sponsors increasingly thin on the ground, the sport’s fundamental question remains unresolved:
Can cycling protect its heritage of free access while creating a sustainable financial model for the future?
For now, one thing is certain — the conversation isn’t going away, and Alpe d’Huez has suddenly become a testing ground not only for legs, but for tradition, economics, and the very soul of the sport.
Kieran WoodDeputy Editor-in-Chief
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He regularly contributes to DartsNews.com and CyclingUpToDate.com, where he covers professional cycling and darts. In cycling, his work includes liveblogs from major races, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, alongside race reports and analysis. He has also conducted interviews with professional riders.
His reporting spans the full racing calendar, from one-day classics to stage races, with a focus on accurate, real-time coverage and clear contextual analysis. For statistics, results, and historical context, he regularly uses resources such as ProCyclingStats. To support reporting on rider activity and training context where relevant, he also references Strava.
In his work, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles as new, verified information becomes available.
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- It would likely be a very steep section of 4.1 km, not changing the average gradient considerably, with the climb remaining 10.1 km at 11.8%. It would reach 20% on the gravel. It would start 1.6 km in, and finish with 4.2 km left to climb (before the short final descent)
Rafionain-Glas02-11-2026 - Welcome to the off-season.
santiagobenites02-11-2026 - guillaume martin is wuite a surprise as a gc rider.Ketterechts02-11-2026
- Who cares what Bruyneel thinks. He and his best mate Lance, the biggest fraud in the history of sport, have no place commenting on anything but how to lie and cheat!whit2pet02-11-2026
- Eeesh!Lozza02-11-2026
- bravo! a rider likes jonas needs motivation and he needs to believe in being able to reach goals. he - like anybody else in the world - doesn't believe that he can win the tdf with pogi present. and what's it worth for when pogi is not there? second class victory only. he has checked all three grand tours, so what is left if not retire? the classics! go for it, jonas!Ketterechts02-11-2026
- i am sure that under the pretext of medical examination a lot worse has happened when they were under.abstractengineer02-11-2026
- dude, Lemond never even was in the same race as Armstrong. He throws all these aspersions on other American riders who might usurp his throne as the greatest ever American racer. He doesn't say a single thing about (foreign) dopers who he actually raced against. Biggest douchebag move ever. I used to revere that guy, now I despise him. His actions are so weird.fatsupermodel02-11-2026
- This is just stupid, You do what you are good at not what you are weak at. He has no results to speak of when he participated. Even Froome, Conatdor had very little. With Pogi there he wont win none of the classics. he is already 30+ with a few years left at the top. It takes years to get good at classics. Is that really worth the effort???abstractengineer02-11-2026
- Sure, little fella.awp02-11-2026
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