Haunted by Alpe d'Huez victory, Beat Breu sculpts the mountain of his exploits

Beat Breu, the Swiss cyclist forever linked to his iconic 1982 victory on Alpe d'Huez, has channeled his complex relationship with the legendary climb into a unique artistic endeavor. For ten years, Breu dedicated himself to sculpting a miniature mountain, a seven-turn, one-meter-high representation of the very slopes that both defined and haunted his career.

This meticulous creation, which he began in 2007, serves as a tangible manifestation of his triumphs and struggles. "Every time he had a bout of the blues, the man from St. Gallen would go into the kitchen and add a detail, a character, a fir tree. He would redo the route," the report states, highlighting the deeply personal nature of the project.

Breu's life has been marked by significant challenges, including surviving a stroke in 2003. Despite this, he made a remarkable return to professional cycling at nearly 50 years old, initially driven by a promotional deal for an energy drink. However, this venture proved problematic when the drink was found to contain industrial cleaning products, adding another layer of "bad luck" to his story.

Now working as a car parts seller, Breu continues to refine his Alpe d'Huez sculpture. The process involves carefully painting advertisements in their original lettering or sometimes rushing the details, driven by an urgency to "get to the top as quickly as possible." The report notes the presence of support vehicles, a broom wagon and an ambulance, at the base of his artistic slope, underscoring a sense of preparedness and perhaps a lingering awareness of past health scares.