Etape 2008

dombo6

Does anyone know if there's a way to dump all the etape results into a spreadsheet? So far I've only been able to see 20 at a time which would be painfully slow.

Rich.H

Dombo6 wrote:

We went via Cyclomundo, told them we expected to complete in 8 hrs and got bibs in the 3800s. As it was we were pretty accurate - our group finished between 7' 38 and 8' 20" including stops. Maybe the French operators get better blocks of bibs?

I too went with Cyclomundo (entry only) and gave them a finishing time of 7h 30m. I ended up with 7140.....

Rich

FransJacques

Chainer, to give you a good insight into the suffering of the pros, be sure to check out the Chris Boardman show on Monday night on ITV4 at 8pm called "The last hour" or something similar.

Cycling for me is a suffering sport and you need a penchant for Schadenfreude in those key moments in a ride/race where you're feeling like crap but you take a look at the guy next to you and he looks worse, which spurs you on since you know you finally have an advantage over at least one person in the field. It's so easy to get caught up in mental images of the victors smiling on the podium holding a bouquet above their heads, but these movies are good to give insight into the work that goes into it.

So if you watch it, forget all the achievement and success and warehouse the images of Boardman's pain in your head and call upon these next time you're suffering and remember that no matter what you feel, Boardman and Lance have been there and done it 100 times worse. Personal faves are Roche collapsing at La Plagne, JF Bernard in 1987 on a mountain TT with a big line of spit swinging from his mouth, and Delgado the same year in yellow whincing uncomfortably while trying to match Roche in a later TT. All fantastic moments of suffering. Enjoy!

Datameister

kmahony wrote:

Anyone get sticky stuff from the number on their jersey and jacket?
Any tips for getting it off?

This would be the sticky stuff that sticks to anything except race numbers. Hand washing an d lots of washing powder and elbow grease. Its clean now but took 20 minutes.

Compared to the Tourmalet and Hautacam, that's just the blink of an eye.

Finished in 8:56:30, just to prove that 100kgs of weight is NOT an excuse for not doing it, but would reiterate previous comments. "Ride within yourself on the climbs" and then rip your legs off later on the flatter sections if theres anything left.

I have one question. How do you just ride one Etape and not come back for more?

stjohnswell

got round in a cold and damp 8h22. my goal was just to finish so i'm feeling really pleased. my training only really consisted of one long ride per week, but crucially a training weekend in the alps and some sportives really hardened the mind up. i cannot imagine any amount of training could have replaced these.

i'd recommend bikestyletours for trips. i think there was about thirty on the trip, small enough for that personal touch.

SunWuKong

Git round in 8:53.

The weather matched nearly every long ride I've done this year. The run to the Tourmalet was as I expected, joined groups going about 35 kmh which in a group is fine for me. I kept it steady on the three small climbs and just found another group at the top.

I had a real bad time on the Tourmalet. The last 8 km were a nightmare and I wasn't sure I was going to finish. I'm sure it was down to not eating enough before hand. Aware this was the likely cause I ate a lot at La Mongie knowing I didn't have to worry about the broom wagon. My ride time up to the summit was pretty much 2 hours, and not that enjoyable at that. On the descent I was glad of bringing my long fingered gloves and fuund people were descending amazingly slowly.

So having bombed past a load of people I found it tough going on my own into a bit of a head wind so again joined a group going about 35 kmh and continued to drink and eat at the back. At the water stop at the bottom of the climb to Hautacam I said hello to Popette then refilled and after about 50 metres saw family. Quick stop for hugs then onto the climb not really sure how I'd go after the Tourmalet. But in contrast I felt OK and started pushing on (for me). Overtaking was hard because of congestion and saw a couple of spills due to half wheeling. Anyway it took me roughly 1:20 to get the finish, which I'm pretty happy with.

Overall I really enjoyed the day and I'm not going to worry about my time. I had hoped to go a fair bit quicker but possibly didn't eat enough due to being wary in the conditions.

I too was with STI and found them it all to go fine. This being my 3rd Etape with Baxter's and never had an issue with them. Although, it's not really Baxter's anymore.

dombo6

Etape reports may have been done to death, but I love reading how other people got on so here's my take on the day FWIW:

Awoke 0430 to cold thin drizzle. A rushed breakfast and an optimistic slathering of face arms and legs with Factor 30, then joined 8,000 other madmen assembled in numbered pens to await the 0700 start of what promised to be a long day in the saddle and heaven knew what weather horrors awaited us in the high mountains.

Announcements, all in French, were garbled except for the words “tres dangereux", "descent" "Tourmalet et Hautacam". A sombre mood descended on the crowd. Then we were off, barrelling through the slick streets of Pau at speeds up to 25mph on closed roads, waved through red lights and junctions by kindly gendarmes. The locals had turned out in force to cheer us on our way and to witness the many crashes on wet, greasy corners as riders caromed into strategically placed padded crash mats.

Compared to the actual stage, when 200 professional riders whistle through town at 30+ mph in about 20 seconds, our less skilled bunch of 8,000 skidding about in the wet was the better value spectacle.

The first 60 miles were fast, the trick being to stick in a bunch and save energy by slipstreaming, tucked close behind the wheels of those in front and trusting them not to brake or swerve. All the while eating carb gels and sipping energy drinks to keep fuelled. Lourdes came quickly, and our first food stop. Grab some water and fruit and catch another bunch, reaching the first proper climb, an easy 5kms through some woods as friendly spectators cheered us up the hill. Some sweeping turns and we were on the flat, powering towards the base of the Tourmalet and our first real test.

A thoughtfully placed road sign informed us that La Mongie, a ski resort 5kms from the summit, was 22kms away. Only 13 miles. Except it was straight up.

Cloud cover so low that it sat on the road kept us cool but deprived us of the spectacular view as we climbed upwards, banter having ceased now as everyone withdrew into their own private world of pain. At these times no gear is too low and I ground along at speeds that at times dropped below 4mph, mildly curious as to how I stayed upright. I even passed a few people, although there were no Armstrongesque power attacks as I dropped them awestruck in my wake – just a slow creeping gain as I inched past perhaps a half mile an hour faster.

More food at La Mongie, an architectural horror best shrouded in mist. Bikes strewn everywhere, empty water bottles, gel wrappers and banana skins added little to its limited charms. Riders emerging haggard-faced through the grey gloom, cold and damp, to squabble over a quarter ham sandwich or orange slice. Suitably refreshed I crawled the final few kms to the summit, and a much deserved descent.

A child's picture of a mountain is often an upside down V. Tourmalet has a similarly very obvious summit. One minute you are toiling in your lowest gear at 5mph, the next your legs are spinning like a flywheel as you scrabble to change up a dozen gears at once as the bike accelerates to 30 mph and the first series of downhill, dung-slick hairpins.

Road bike brakes are next to useless at the best of times. On a wet Pyrenean descent they are as effective as sticking your hand out the window of a speeding car. A sound like a rifle shot rang out. A tad harsh way to eliminate the slower riders, I thought, but no, a nearby rider’s tyre had exploded, his overzealous and continuous braking having superheated his rims.

So I now had a choice: brake, burst a tyre and perhaps die, or don’t brake, miss a bend and certainly die.

Thankfully I avoided his fate and hammered down the mountain, closed roads allowing full use of the racing line around the bends, but aware that a lapse in concentration could smear me against the rocks or catapult me into the white void without even a view to enjoy for my last five seconds on earth.

The clouds behind and above us, we were soon in a gorge where a bunch of us swept along through beautiful scenery taking full advantage of the closed roads. One more town before a straight run along the valley led us to the base of Hautacam and our final climb.

Spectators were out in force on the lower slopes and it is a real boost to have total strangers yelling encouragement as you toil up a hill. So up I rode, rain jacket tied around my waist, trying to spin a low gear of 30x25 but only managing to tap out a slow steady rhythm.

Kilometre markers ticked by, each showing also the average slope for the next km. Not one was lower than 8%. 12km, 11, 10 then single figures. My computer seemed broken, so slowly did the distance display change. 9kms is six miles so twice up one of my local climbs in Surrey. 5kms is just once up that road. One old boy just ahead of me gave up at that point, turned around and began his sad-faced descent. The 3km marker was passed – less than 2 miles now. My house to the railway station. Except a mile of that is downhill.

Finally we passed under the 1 km to go arch. There were no heroic sprints here. How far can that be? Just over a thousand yards - home to newsagents and back. Two more hairpins, the path of the road picked out by a line of riders. I could hear the bleeping of the timer mats getting louder, then rode over them and they bleeped for me.

Game Over.

Joy! A medal and a bottle of water were thrust into my hands.

I glanced back at the inflatable Finish arch and the steady stream of ashen-faced ghosts emerging from the swirling clouds, then made my way to the start of the descent. Two by two we were let go at fifty metre intervals for a cold downhill back to base and real food.

8 hours 6 minutes

A fantastic day but as somebody else has said, how do you only do this just once?

Hugh A

I don't think there's any real logic in the numbering system, although I don't doubt that a lower number will in general enable a faster time.

In particular it helps to be able to get to feed stations before the main rush and all the goodies have gone - although a bit of cunning and going for the further desks can achieve a similar result. There is also a chance that riders in general will be going faster in groups and that you won't get stuck in any traffic jams where everyone gets off and walks on the first steep hill with a narrow road!

I've been on organized trips and entry-only and the number allocation seems completely random - have had low 3000's to high 7000's and in between. My best time was with the lowest number.


Having said all that - to paraphrase what Toks was saying - there's no substitute for fitness. The thing that will get you round in a good time is the right training, not that I've been doing very much of it myself but I have a pretty good idea by now of what I can get away with and still get round ok.

Rich.H

4h 19m :shock:

Even if you add 20 mins for the extra 16k that we did, its still unbelievable....

Rich

James LC

Well the pros (I won't say who and spoil it) finished in 4hrs 19mins all be it on a 13 km shorter measured route as their first few k's out of Pau were untimed and before the Depart Real.

EDIT: beaten to it!

[Deleted User]

The user and all related content has been deleted.

007stucumber

Here's my story, FWIW.

Jeez - what a strange day. I was staying near Bordeaux, so Saturday I drove 5 hours round trip, just to sign on: the actual sign-on process was very, very efficient - British cyclosportive organisers take note.
Next day, I was up at 3am, porridge, bananas, and another 2 hour drive to Pau hippodrome for the start. About 30 miles out from Pau, I had to stop driving for a few minutes, because a combination of heavy hailstones, rain and the dark made driving impossible.
To be honest, being a fair weather cyclist at the best of times, I seriously considered abandoning even before the ride started (like it seems about 1000 sensible riders did) - there's no point riding if you're not going to enjoy it, after all.
No loos at the start village, so Pau hippodrome will not be the place to visit for some time to come ...
I'd ridden the Aubisque last year, and frozen my nuts off at the top when it had been sunny in the valley, so knew what to expect for the ride, so it was full wet weather kit to start. Once again, the start was well organised, and we were soon tootling through Pau.
It became very clear, very quickly that this was not going to be a great day in the saddle, so I decided to treat it as a training ride, albeit one some 70K further than anything else I'd done this year.
Cold, wet, cold, wet, Cote de Loucroup, Cote de Labatmale, cold, wet, cold, wet, towed half of France behind me (wheelsuckers!).
Et puis: Le Tourmalet! First few km - fine 4%ish, into the cloud. Then it starts getting steep (8-10%), but was manageable on my 'climb anything' lowest gear of 39x34 - just a case of finding a rhythm and persevering. I felt absolutely fine spinning up the climbs -
the power output is similar to a 90 minute time trial, and as I found out a couple of years ago at Alpe d'Huez, I passed many more cyclists than I was passed by, and therein lay a problem. I had been given a low start number (7400+), and, having ambled along for the first 70k or so, I was left with a lot of people to pass on the climbs: think 'Ditchling Beacon' on London to Brighton day, and you get the idea!
I didn't bother with the La Mongie refeed station, as fluid intake was not a problem in the cold, and I had enough gels and stuff with me anyway.
The descent off the Tourmalet was long, cold and bloody scary, but dry for the main part. Again, it would have been lovely in clear weather, as there are great views from the top. I stopped for a coffee at the bottom of the hill, before riding on to the Hautacam.
Hautacam was very similar to the Tourmalet - ie cold and wet - but was even more Ditchling Beacon, as the road was divided into 2 for the ascent and descent and many cyclists were by now walking up the slope. Again, I spun my way to the top reasonably comfortably, although I can see why the pros are not fond of this climb, with its constant changes in gradient, that average about 8%, but vary between 'downhill' and 13%. Cloudy all the way up, which was a shame given the superb views afforded by the lower slopes.
Very cold at the top, particularly as we had to hang around for 45mins before being allowed to descend. Although we'd finished at the summit, the descent was the worst part of the ride: I had to stop a couple of times to get some heat back into my fingers (which I did by running my hands around overheated wheel rims!).
Overall riding time was 7.21. Official time was 8.07.
Sir Rannulph Fiennes always says that what you need more than anything else for repeated endurance challenges is a short memory. It's now a week since this rather miserable day out, and I'm already looking forward to next year's Etape - hope its the Ventoux, though!

Clem

musto_skiff wrote:

FransJacques wrote:

The unfair game about sticking Brits at the back were the Sunday Times and other articles that came out in which the ASO mocked the "have a go Brits" many of whom have not done well over the years. The ASO tried to typify this as lack of prep, but when the voiture de balais starts literally 20 after you cross the line, a flat or 2 or a serious bonk due to empty-when-you-finally-get-there ravitaillment tables can spell disaster.

So how do you enter from the UK and an independant at get a resonable number?

I've no idea but I had a 4000 number and my mate was in the 6000s - alphabetically he's down on me but he finished 27 minutes (and 900 places) ahead of me. We both entered at exactly the same time through Baxters.

musto_skiff

Clem wrote:

musto_skiff wrote:

FransJacques wrote:

The unfair game about sticking Brits at the back were the Sunday Times and other articles that came out in which the ASO mocked the "have a go Brits" many of whom have not done well over the years. The ASO tried to typify this as lack of prep, but when the voiture de balais starts literally 20 after you cross the line, a flat or 2 or a serious bonk due to empty-when-you-finally-get-there ravitaillment tables can spell disaster.

So how do you enter from the UK and an independant at get a resonable number?

I've no idea but I had a 4000 number and my mate was in the 6000s - alphabetically he's down on me but he finished 27 minutes (and 900 places) ahead of me. We both entered at exactly the same time through Baxters.

I'm wondering if this event perhaps has become a victim of it's own success and that we'd be better off finding a smaller event as our first overseas trip ... any suggestions?

chainer

Thanks for the really great advice everyone and the sympathy! Much appreciated.

Toks - I think you may have hit the nail on the head. I do lots of sportives and long rides, but I guess I don't exactly push myself. I thought - wrongly - that if my objective was only to finish the Etape, I wouldn't need to. How wrong I was.

I am not overweight. I weigh 83kgs and I am 6' 3". I think that's ok. Could probably be lighter tho.

Lots of you have mentioned the HR, but I am not sure what to do about that. How does that help me? Sorry if it's a dumb question. I have a HRM and a Garmin and when I come back from a ride it's all in there, but I don't know how to interpret it. How can knowing my heart rate on rides help me prepare for climbs like the Tourmalet?

Can someone explain this?

Thanks again everyone.

liversedge

Chainer,

For comparison, I am 6'1 and got down to 70kg for the Etape in 07 (it was a struggle but I got there). 83kg is heavy at 6'3 for a cyclist esp. when you hit the mountains - ideally you need to be at 15% or lower body fat.

With a HRM its about training in zones to force adaptation in recovery. If you regularly pootle around, even at long distances, you just get more efficient but not stronger. When climbing you need to be strong and able to sustain power for the duration of the climb. If you have a power meter then sustaining an average of 180w for the day and 250w whilst climbing is ok for finishing the etape if you have shifted those extra kilos.

Head over to the training forum - they will give you LOTS of advice on getting the most out of your garmin.

There's always next year!

TriPyrenees

I managed to get an entry via Velo Magazine Subscription. I do live in France which helps but any one can subscribe to the Magazine. On January 9th they open up about 1000 slots for subscribers. I managed to get 1887 which was not bad, last year I was 3500 something.

I also entered a few people with the post in application form. Even here in France you need to get it off via registered mail to get it there quick, those numbers were in the late 7000's.

What really annoyed me was looking into the next pen and seeing the Trek Travel lot. All on brad new Treks, full team kit, radios and worse thing of all, numbers starting at 200. They are either very lucky OR paid allot of money which suggests the more money spent the better your start number.

The price by the way is 56 euros which is good value for money in my opion. I doubt the Etape will be back in the Pyrenees next year so I will be having a year out but take a look at subscribing to Velo and also finding someone with a French address to send in the application form. Much better than paying a fortune for an entry only or a complete package.

Ian

Datameister

TriPyrenees wrote:

What really annoyed me was looking into the next pen and seeing the Trek Travel lot. All on brad new Treks, full team kit, radios and worse thing of all, numbers starting at 200. They are either very lucky OR paid allot of money which suggests the more money spent the better your start number.Ian

you too could have this service for the princely sum of $4495 (an extra $1150 if you don't want to share a room with another snoring cyclist) with a further 'upgrade option' to the Astana Team Bike (Trek Madone 6.5 Pro Bike-Porn) at an unspecified cost.

Personally, I think I'll go for self organised again in future and spend that sort of money on a bike I get to keep afterwards.

wildmoustache

ok i got 6h39 mins and a silver for my age group. pleased with silver as last year i missed it.

found this etape much easier than previous two but was stronger.

can't wait for 2009.

kosta

Don't know if any British based rider has ever done it , but I actually rode TO the etape from West Midlands UK AND back taking 6 days to ride each way , Portsmouth-Caen overnight crossing and Caen-Portsmouth overnight on the way back .
Riding an average 120 miles a day prior to the etape might have somehow deprived me from a better finishing time , but I am happy with my result - 7 hrs 11 min.
Since I didn't have a car at the bottom of Hautacam I had to ride back to Pau where I was based. Fortunately a french club came past and gave me a good tow back to Pau.
So , West Midlands-Hautacam-West Midlands in 15 days including two rest days either side of the etape ........it wasn't easy , not sure I would do it again ..

kmahony

Kosta, you rode there and back and put in a time of 7h11. Impressive.

Chainer, losing weight will help, but getting in long hard miles was the key for me. I thought I'd get to start in Pau half the size I started the year, but only lost 7-8kg to get down to 94kg (6'1"). I use the hrm simply to gauge what heart rate I sustain over a period of time and then ride to that. I'd done loads of sportives this year and pushed a bit more on each one. Was confident the day before, but unwell on the day, so a close call in the end at 9h50. I'll be looking to go better next year.

wildmoustache

kosta wrote:

Don't know if any British based rider has ever done it , but I actually rode TO the etape from West Midlands UK AND back taking 6 days to ride each way , Portsmouth-Caen overnight crossing and Caen-Portsmouth overnight on the way back .
Riding an average 120 miles a day prior to the etape might have somehow deprived me from a better finishing time , but I am happy with my result - 7 hrs 11 min.
Since I didn't have a car at the bottom of Hautacam I had to ride back to Pau where I was based. Fortunately a french club came past and gave me a good tow back to Pau.
So , West Midlands-Hautacam-West Midlands in 15 days including two rest days either side of the etape ........it wasn't easy , not sure I would do it again ..

great effort. i rode down to the etape this year. actually think it helped a bit ... being out of the office and spinning gently along. not ideal prep perhaps, but better than being at work.

daowned

Can anyone make anything of this site http://dvd-etape.com/ I remember spotting it somewhere Pau. I take it is a DVD of the etape but cant make much of this site eg: any clips, is it a reccie dvd or was it filmed on the day, how much is it, will I see anything past the bad weather, ect ect

The Kennington Kaiser

Not sure I should be admitting this to everyone who were in the 6,7 and 8000s, but I got a bit lucky. As I was riding towards the last pen to take my place at around 6.45 I saw two of the old girls guarding the pen for the 3000s having a natter and the third of them dealing with another cyclist so I slung my cap over my number and rolled into the pen at a 'brisk pace' and headed to the front as quickly as I could without drawing too much attention to myself. Had a few nervous moments as I expected a hand on the shoulder at any point but in the end tookl it as a good omen and it got me a five minute start on my mates in pen 4. Got me a few funny looks in the first few kilometres as one or two riders were wondering how I'd get there so quickly (speed of light, monsieur)
I know, I know. If we all did this it'd be anarchy, but it lightened the spirits on an otherwise grim morning start.

hobbescp

liversedge wrote:

Chainer,

For comparison, I am 6'1 and got down to 70kg for the Etape in 07 (it was a struggle but I got there). 83kg is heavy at 6'3 for a cyclist esp. when you hit the mountains - ideally you need to be at 15% or lower body fat.

]

Chainer,

Whilst the above is true for competitive cyclists, at 6'3 and 83kgs you should be fine in theory (albeit not taking into account your body type). I am not a particularly heavy set bloke and am 6'4 and 93kgs. I'm also reasonably certain that my bodyfat is not under (or anywhere near) 15% (propensity for burgers and beer...).

There are a lot of very experienced people on here with very high standards (I'm not knocking you guys out there) but don't get down on yourself thinking that you have to transform yourself into a pencil thin wippet before you can complete the etape. This was my first etape, it was bloody tough, but I got round in 9hrs. I say this not to boast but just to reassure you that it's doable without looking like Rasmussen's weedier brother.

Good luck

Datameister

I would also reiterate the above.

I'm just 5 feet 10 and a bit, wavering around 100kg, and with a BMI that puts me firmly in the 'obese' category.

I got round in 8 hours 56 and a bit minutes, without killing myself, and without putting my HRM into bleeping territory on any of the climbs.

The heaviest weight you carry is the one between your ears.

DominicB

Dombo6 wrote:

Does anyone know if there's a way to dump all the etape results into a spreadsheet? So far I've only been able to see 20 at a time which would be painfully slow.

I have done it. You have a pm

Sfelt

kmahony wrote:

Anyone get sticky stuff from the number on their jersey and jacket?
Any tips for getting it off?

Hio KMahony
I had the same problem gortex over a wet cycle top soon steamed the number off.......I washed the gortex in fabric softener by hand it came off easily, the cycle top went through on a normal wash and it all came off. Bon lavage!

Toks

chainer wrote:

Thanks for the really great advice everyone and the sympathy! Much appreciated.

Toks - I think you may have hit the nail on the head. I do lots of sportives and long rides, but I guess I don't exactly push myself. I thought - wrongly - that if my objective was only to finish the Etape, I wouldn't need to. How wrong I was.

I am not overweight. I weigh 83kgs and I am 6' 3". I think that's ok. Could probably be lighter tho.

Lots of you have mentioned the HR, but I am not sure what to do about that. How does that help me? Sorry if it's a dumb question. I have a HRM and a Garmin and when I come back from a ride it's all in there, but I don't know how to interpret it. How can knowing my heart rate on rides help me prepare for climbs like the Tourmalet?

You've essentially got two choices to make you a fitter rider for Etape type/hilly sportives. Raise your sustainable power output generally - hence become a much fitter (stronger) rider. Or loose weight which will mean your much lighter so can climb better. A combination of both is would be the best option. I'll ask again, during your training how have you tested your fitness levels? Have you seen times improve on a dedicated training loop, sportiv times, threshold power etc.
Plodding along 'simply getting the miles in' without even moderate efforts of intensity will after a few months result in zero improvement for time constrained amateurs and is a complete waste of time in most cases. In fact I'd argue that you can sometimes get so used to this type of training that mentally you can't motivate yourself to do anything else. In general fast friendly efforts in the 1-2 hour range will serve your needs a lot better then throw in a long ride once a week. If you can comfortably average 15mph for your long rides then your friendly fast efforts should be a less comfortable 17/18mph. Don't get too hung up on the heart rate thing either, use it as a reference but don't let it have overall control of your efforts. In my opinion Perceived exertion (feel) is a much better guide and PM's even better. Good luck with your training - AND WHEN YOU ARE TRAINING MAKE SURE YOU ARE TRAINING. STOP PLODDING OR YOU'LL JUST BE A PLODDER!!!

Shavedlegs

I suspect this thread has really ended, anyway.

A while ago, whie designing my training. I did some research into why Paula Radcliff was so good at the marathon.

The answer lies in her history of being average at 5000m and 10000m. She trained to run at the speeds required to be competitive at those distances, she didn't set the world alight but it was all good training. She had basically spent years doing intervals for the marathon.

I could go into more detail, but the bottom line is you can't expect to run a 2h30m marathon if you can't do have a half marathon in 1h15m. You need to train you body to those speeds.