Etape 2008
Comments
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Ken's spot on. The whole experience for me has been great each time.
The night before L'Etape 2006 was a nightmare, World Cup final, Italy v France. Everyone was out in the square watching TV, so the early night went to pot, decided to watch it. Even though they lost they were still letting off fireworks until 3:30, up at 4:30 so possibly 1 hour of broken sleep.
This year we're OK because the Euro 08 final is the week before. At the start you really are buzzing and my HR was high despite just waiting (and sharing a joke with Chris Hoy). The comradeship on the road is superb IME.
I'm using 50/36 & 12-27, if you can use a standard double cool. I did first time and hated every single triple user that passed me spinning their away up the mountain.
Twitchy Town is about right
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i remember an e-mail from cyclomundo saying not to expect to see your name on the website until May so i'm not panicking just yet.
i know i'm not going to sleep well the night before i'l be a bundle of nerves and excitement, it's good to know that i won't be the only one.
if those of us who dn't yet have our bib numbers do have to start at the back then we'll just to form our own group
i'm getting the sleeper train down from paris on the thursday night/friday moning so i'll get to Tarbes at abot 8 am so at least i'll have 2 days to chill out and get prepared.
on the gear front i'm going to fit a compact next month to give me 50/34 with a 13-26 hopefully that'll be okpm0 -
Mike, that's the same gearing as me - Campy 9 speed by any chance? Would've liked an 11 or 12 but think I'll be OK without for the etape, will just have to spin more if there's ever a chance to get any speed up, which probably isn't a bad thing. looks like we'll all be starting at the back - not really surprised, just hope the broom wagon gives us a bit of a start!0
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Mat, it's a 10 speed campag couldn't seem to find the 12-26 i wanted but i don't think it's going to make much difference - with any lick i'll be descending fast enough that i'd spin out a 50 x 12 anyway and i'm definatley more concerned about going up than coming downpm0
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I am interested in doing this next year ....
What are the top tips with the logistics?
Getting accomodation at the start & finish must be a nightmare ...0 -
Most people, myslef included, have done it through a sports travel company like Cyclomundo or Sports Tours International (Same as Graham Baxter i think). they do varoius packages which include event entry and accomodation with local transfers but you have to get down there yourselfpm0
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Entry to the Etape for UK cyclists is only available via one of the appointed travel agents, i.e. Sporting Tours or Cyclomundo. They then offer the places with an extortionately priced travel and hotel package.musto_skiff wrote:I am interested in doing this next year ....
What are the top tips with the logistics?
Getting accomodation at the start & finish must be a nightmare ...
It's a damn shame.
The only alternative is to enter via an address in France should you have access to one.0 -
andyp wrote:
Entry to the Etape for UK cyclists is only available via one of the appointed travel agents, i.e. Sporting Tours or Cyclomundo. They then offer the places with an extortionately priced travel and hotel package.musto_skiff wrote:I am interested in doing this next year ....
What are the top tips with the logistics?
Getting accomodation at the start & finish must be a nightmare ...
It's a damn shame.
The only alternative is to enter via an address in France should you have access to one.
Not quite true that entry via sports tour companies always involves over priced inclusive packages. Some of them offer a limited number of entry only deals. Admittedly they are scarce and they are more expensive than the Velo entry but they are there. I pre registered for this year's event for an entry only and got one from Cyclo Mundo.
If you want an entry only then either do this with one of the tour companies in Sept/Oct or get access to a French address and buy Velo in Feb.Where the neon madmen climb0 -
musto_skiff wrote:I am interested in doing this next year ....
What are the top tips with the logistics?
Getting accommodation at the start & finish must be a nightmare ...
If you pay for a Etape weekend in Yorkshire with Sporting Tours (£400) and you will get a entry then its just a matter of sorting out your accommodation and travel.
http://www.sportstoursinternational.co. ... ng-weekend
You could always put the bike on the car and drive over and camp that would be the easy way rather than getting flights and looking for rooms.
If I were you I would do it now.0 -
As I said, extortionate packages. £400 quid for an entry and a weekend in Yorkshire? Jesus wept.daowned wrote:If you pay for a Etape weekend in Yorkshire with Sporting Tours (£400) and you will get a entry then its just a matter of sorting out your accommodation and travel.
http://www.sportstoursinternational.co. ... ng-weekend
You could always put the bike on the car and drive over and camp that would be the easy way rather than getting flights and looking for rooms.
If I were you I would do it now.0 -
andyp wrote:
As I said, extortionate packages. £400 quid for an entry and a weekend in Yorkshire? Jesus wept.daowned wrote:If you pay for a Etape weekend in Yorkshire with Sporting Tours (£400) and you will get a entry then its just a matter of sorting out your accommodation and travel.
http://www.sportstoursinternational.co. ... ng-weekend
You could always put the bike on the car and drive over and camp that would be the easy way rather than getting flights and looking for rooms.
If I were you I would do it now.
Look at the weekend package details - £125 less if you don't want an etape entry.
That's outrageous.0 -
It is outrageous of course.
I don't know about anyone else but for me this trip will be costing in the region on £1500 for a few days in France for myself and partner who isn't doing the Etape but if they were it would only be a extra £125.
Since we are not all loaded with bags of cash which includes me it's a very large layout and I don't think I would be justified in doing the Etape again under the current pricing system.
No mistake about it tho its going to be a great experience, first time for me and I plan to make the most of it and have a great time, visit a few famous sites get loads of photos and catch a stage of the tour, so as another member said: you have to make the most of the whole experience.0 -
Well, yes, it's not cheap, for sure. It's my first time and I have booked with Graham Baxter Sportstours. I am flying to Toulouse from Gatwick and they apparently meet you there.
I have no idea what I am letting myself in for. It's impossible to know how much training I am meant to be doing. I am getting in a 100k ride most weekends and plenty of kms in during the week now the weather's beter. But something tells me I am still not doing enough.
I guess I need to wind up the distance between now and then. I am trying to put some interval training into my rides too.
if any of you old timers has any advice for a newbie - feel free to open up!0 -
I watched the free DVD which came with C+ again last night. They had some macho gears on - I think only one had a compact 34/25, the rest seemed to be on 39/23 and the like. No wonder they appeared to struggle on 3km of 10% on that gear. 3km of 10% - difficult to imagine isn't it?
34/27 is macho enough for me 0 -
popette wrote:I watched the free DVD which came with C+ again last night. They had some macho gears on - I think only one had a compact 34/25, the rest seemed to be on 39/23 and the like. No wonder they appeared to struggle on 3km of 10% on that gear. 3km of 10% - difficult to imagine isn't it?
34/27 is macho enough for me
If It was me going to do the Etape, I'd wimp out and fit a 13-29 along with the 50/34 to be on the safe side. You never what you might be feeling like at the end of a long day...0 -
popette wrote:3km of 10% - difficult to imagine isn't it?
34/27 is macho enough for me
A climb near me has a section 3.6km at 11.5%, that's not hard to imagine, just hard to do. I need 34/27 on this and I'm only 62kg. I can get up 10% average for 8km on 34/24 later in the spring (the high passes clear of snow as my fitness imroves!!).
I'd defintely go with 34/27 or 34/29 for the Etape this year as the climbs are not too fierce but very long and it's nice to have something to fall back on if/when the legs go wobbly.
www.aubergepyrenees.com0 -
I'm also switching from 25 to 27 for the big day. I 'm sure I'll be glad for it on Hautacam.0
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popette wrote:I watched the free DVD which came with C+ again last night. They had some macho gears on - I think only one had a compact 34/25, the rest seemed to be on 39/23 and the like. No wonder they appeared to struggle on 3km of 10% on that gear. 3km of 10% - difficult to imagine isn't it?
34/27 is macho enough for me
Poppette, this is good, and my guess is you'll climb most of the Tourmalet with one or more gears in reserve-which is planning sensibly-
I think there is only one difficult section where it gets steeper just before La Mongie. underneath some avalanche covers for the road
I'm no mountain goat and climbed it last year in 42/25 on a borrowed bike, and later on on my own bike, in 34/21
The Hautacam is IMHO only slightly more difficult“It is by riding a bicycle that you learn the contours of a country best..." Ernest Hemingway0 -
Anyone have experience with Renting bikes from Etape suppliers like CycloMondo? I plan to rent a bike to avoid the hassel of flying overseas with one and dragging it around post-Etape with my non-riding partner.
I am wonderin if the road bikes are in good shape. I was told they Rent Scott bikes.0 -
Does anyone know what the total ascent is?
I've been looking for a figure on the usual sites but can't see an estimate - any ideas?0 -
Popette
From the route i mentioned earlier, Bikely calculates the total ascent as 7220 metres. seems a bit high to me, but don't know how accurate bikely is.
the main climbs seem to be 1600m for the tourmalet and 1000m for the hautacam, i dopubt the rest of the route could account for 4500m0 -
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rendo wrote:Popette
From the route i mentioned earlier, Bikely calculates the total ascent as 7220 metres. seems a bit high to me, but don't know how accurate bikely is.
the main climbs seem to be 1600m for the tourmalet and 1000m for the hautacam, i dopubt the rest of the route could account for 4500m
That sounds much too high. Last year's Etape was about 4500m ascent and the MArmotte is reckoned to be 5500m0 -
I have read somewhere that there is approx 1000m climbing on the run out to the Tourmalet - added to Rendo's numbers, that gives 3600m in total.
On the Mondovelo website, it qoutes 3000m....
Rich0 -
kmahony wrote:rendo wrote:i mapped this from the descriptions take from the tour route. only difference is at the start, but comes out at 164km, strangely the tour route says its 156
http://www.bikely.com/maps/bike-path/20 ... pe-du-tour (hope this works)
http://www.letour.fr/2008/TDF/COURSE/fr ... .html#comm
Good call on the route.
I've had another look and now make it:
1) Pau to Loucrop 82km (1050m)
http://www.bikely.com/maps/bike-path/Pa ... Etape-2008
(There's about 4-5km missing from the start)
2) Tourmalet 38km (1800m)
- 20.5km @ 2.4%
- 17.5km @ 7.4%
http://www.climbbybike.com/climb.asp?Co ... ntainID=25
3) Descent 32.5km
4) Hautacam 16.5km @ 7.5% (1250m)
http://www.climbbybike.com/climb.asp?Co ... ainID=6855
Total 169km (4100m) .... please tell me I've done something wrong!!!!!!!
Hi Popette, take a look at my earlier post. There's plenty of room for error, but I'd say it's safe to assume somewhere between 3800m and 4400m of climbing.0 -
The user and all related content has been deleted.0
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sports-log have made a google flyover of this years route and uploaded to youtube.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FzKTUl_nMl8
love the way it kicks-up half-way through 0 -
I agree about having nice low gears - I have previously used a touring triple with 26x25 lowest on etapes which has been the subject of many an envious glance later on in the event by those struggling with 39x25.
This year I'm thinking 50/34 and 12-30, but I do like to spin.
In 2004 there was a kilometre or two of 17% which most at the rear end of the field, including yours truly were walking up. There was a chap with a standard double on this section nearly killing himself riding up it - I overtook him while walking and pushing my bike!I\'m sure I had one of those here somewhere0 -
kmahony wrote:kmahony wrote:rendo wrote:i mapped this from the descriptions take from the tour route. only difference is at the start, but comes out at 164km, strangely the tour route says its 156
http://www.bikely.com/maps/bike-path/20 ... pe-du-tour (hope this works)
http://www.letour.fr/2008/TDF/COURSE/fr ... .html#comm
Good call on the route.
I've had another look and now make it:
1) Pau to Loucrop 82km (1050m)
http://www.bikely.com/maps/bike-path/Pa ... Etape-2008
(There's about 4-5km missing from the start)
2) Tourmalet 38km (1800m)
- 20.5km @ 2.4%
- 17.5km @ 7.4%
http://www.climbbybike.com/climb.asp?Co ... ntainID=25
3) Descent 32.5km
4) Hautacam 16.5km @ 7.5% (1250m)
http://www.climbbybike.com/climb.asp?Co ... ainID=6855
Total 169km (4100m) .... please tell me I've done something wrong!!!!!!!
Hi Popette, take a look at my earlier post. There's plenty of room for error, but I'd say it's safe to assume somewhere between 3800m and 4400m of climbing.
I don't think it is safe to assume that. It's less IMO, though I am keen to find out what it is.
If there is 1000m out to the base of Tourmalet, and then 1300m climbing Tourmalet (climb by bike measurement from Campan), and then 1170 up Hautacam from Argeles Gazost (not quite the etape route I don't think), then it looks like we're talking about more like 3500m
Can anyone give a reliable source for the amount of climbing out to the base of Tourmalet?0
