Forget Paris. There’s no stage more iconic to the Tour de France than the one that includes the brutal Alpe d’Huez. The steep “hors categorie” ascent up the Alpine peak to end the stage separates potential champions from mere mortals, as the weak fall away from the peloton and the expert climbers push ahead through the fan-crowded hills. In other words, even if you’re not so addicted to the Tour that you TiVo coverage of every stage and watch it when you get home from work even though you’ve already followed the so-called “gaps” while at work, this stage is indisputably — for the casual observer or the hardcore enthusiast — the one to watch.

With live coverage of this year’s Alpe d’Huez stage inconveniently taking place tomorrow during work hours, why not head over to Capitol Hill’s Sonoma at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday to catch a rebroadcast of the stage? Sonoma is teaming up with Manayunk, Pa.’s Cadence Cycling and Multisport Center to present a screening of the stage to benefit two regional junior development bicycle racing programs. Besides getting to watch the stage in style and helping some deserving and talented athletes, your $25 donation will get you tasty appetizers, beer, and wine (French, we hope) — and the chance to win one of two $500 all-day camps at Cadence just outside of Philadelphia’s Center City. That is to say, you do well by doing good.

Purchase advance tickets online today until 7 p.m. via this link. Or head over to Sonoma tomorrow evening and pay at the door. Aside from our pre-allocated $25 entry fee, our money is on Floyd Landis to take the stage — though don’t count out Australia’s Cadel Evans, Russia’s Vladimir Karpets and Denis Menchov, and even Ukraine’s youthful Yaroslav Popovych.

Sonoma
223 Pennsylvania Avenue SE
(202) 544-8088