Etape 2010

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Comments

  • de_sisti
    de_sisti Posts: 1,283
    Casbar wrote:
    Mccaria wrote:
    This year I went a step further and took Quinine tablest from a day days before the race.......No Cramp at all

    You also need to drink a lot and take some salt and magnesium

    Works for me ....Hope this helps next time

    I've just tried to get Quinine tablets from the chemist. I was told they're only available
    on prescription. :( Is the the experience you had?
  • Casbar
    Casbar Posts: 168
    De Sisti wrote:
    Casbar wrote:
    Mccaria wrote:
    This year I went a step further and took Quinine tablest from a day days before the race.......No Cramp at all

    You also need to drink a lot and take some salt and magnesium

    Works for me ....Hope this helps next time

    I've just tried to get Quinine tablets from the chemist. I was told they're only available
    on prescription. :( Is the the experience you had?


    Yes....and when you mange to get them, dont pop them like samrties !!!

    Otherwise just try flat Swepps...not as potent and has too much sugar, but it also does the job
    exercise.png
  • FransJacques
    FransJacques Posts: 2,148
    Stagger, I've been ticking the boxes for over 10 years so believe me when I say it's not the people themselves I'm talking about but the way they've affected the event. The issue, I wrote, is the ASO, STI, Baxters, and other companies have zero'ed their crosshairs on people who want to do it but have no clue - the effect on my last (2009) from my first (1997) is tremendous. Where it used to be 4000 it's now 10,000. If you think that doesn't dilute the experience you don't get it. Instead of spouting off you should take a coach trip with STI next time and then see what a great experience you've had.

    But don't take my word it, read the STI thread which came back to life. This is what happens when too many people reply on too few service providers. I have no issue with new riders, in fact I feel sorry for them, because having raced, ridden, toured my bike on the continent for the last 15 years (and speaking the lingo) I'm not in that bend-over-and-take-it position. Ever since 2000 I've made my own arrangements, getting an entry from beardy Ron and booking my own hotels and flights.

    And no there's nothing wrong with fat effers who can't ride, Evans, Cyclefit, GPM 10 et al LOVE, abosolutely LOVE, these guys. But the issue is when 3000 such people start in front, clog up the road (again, get your facts and read about many folks who had to walk up a mountain) and eat all the cakes at the feed stop (again, read the accounts).

    So, in summary, from combining all the threads about etapes etc on this site, it CAN be a wonderful experience but many don't think it is. Some just finding this out, I decided after last year that it was time for a change so I went to Scotland instead.
    When a cyclist has a disagreement with a car; it's not who's right, it's who's left.
  • nigelsmith
    nigelsmith Posts: 16
    Ive only been riding a year and enjoyed the etape as a first experience and managed under 8 hrs. Having done the route earlier in the year i managed the quickest pace I could amongst the crowds before the MB as it was always going to be an awful bottleneck. It seems to me that the problem is with the organisers who are trying to milk every pound of profit from the event - there are just too many entrants - half of the people with the tour organiser I went with didnt make it round - they were swept up along with the 3000 or so others. So I agree with FJ (not the way he puts it) that too many riders must by definition misunderstand the training required or the toughness of the ride. Whats the solution? Maybe more starting pens with start times based on a previous years time much more rigorous view of potential time for a newbie might be the answer. I ceratinly wouldnt want the etape to be exclusive - the other two guys I rode with took longer - one took over 10.5 hours and still loved it.
  • nigelsmith
    nigelsmith Posts: 16
    Ive only been riding a year and enjoyed the etape as a first experience and managed under 8 hrs. Having done the route earlier in the year i managed the quickest pace I could amongst the crowds before the MB as it was always going to be an awful bottleneck. It seems to me that the problem is with the organisers who are trying to milk every pound of profit from the event - there are just too many entrants - half of the people with the tour organiser I went with didnt make it round - they were swept up along with the 3000 or so others. So I agree with FJ (not the way he puts it) that too many riders must by definition misunderstand the training required or the toughness of the ride. Whats the solution? Maybe more starting pens with start times based on a previous years time much more rigorous view of potential time for a newbie might be the answer. I ceratinly wouldnt want the etape to be exclusive - the other two guys I rode with took longer - one took over 10.5 hours and still loved it.
  • FransJacques
    FransJacques Posts: 2,148
    What some sportives finally fugured out is to give people start times such as 6:45, 7 am or 7:15 am to spread people out a bit more. Don't forget that the etape starts 10,000 people within 1.5 hours which is the usual time slot many UK sportives use to send off 200-400 people...just an indicator.

    This year was the first year they advertised bib numbers relating to past finishes but I got a 3xxx number after finishing ~1100th last year and my buddy who was ~450th was 5xxx so go figure. Coordinateur de l'Etape du Tour - "Les dossards de l'Etape du Tour-Mondovélo seront dorénavant attribués en fonction des performances sportives des concurrents." I guess en fonction de means is one criteria or many?

    Biggest person to blame is ASO and good ol Thomas Delpeuch who know what he has and knows how to milk it. The cost they charge locals vs us is criminal and we suck it up so what's he going to do? Lower the cost? Lower the number? Never. I suppose since I've spent few years learning and comparing stories and organizing things for friends by ringing the ASO in Paris to get last minute dossards. etc. you get an idea of how things work, how unfair they are and how arbitrary they are.
    When a cyclist has a disagreement with a car; it's not who's right, it's who's left.
  • niedermeyer
    niedermeyer Posts: 1,075
    Another example of ASO ripping the @rse out of the event is the rubbish start village- back in the day there would be a great selection of food etc and you could actually spend a bit of time there. Now it's just the big manufacturers showing off identikit bits of carbon fibre and the likes of Rapha who can claw back/justify the thousands of euros needed to secure a pitch.
    _________________________
    Well son, you tried your best and you failed. Let that be a lesson. Never try.
  • stagger
    stagger Posts: 116
    FransJacques wrote:
    Stagger, I've been ticking the boxes for over 10 years so believe me when I say it's not the people themselves I'm talking about but the way they've affected the event. The issue, I wrote, is the ASO, STI, Baxters, and other companies have zero'ed their crosshairs on people who want to do it but have no clue - the effect on my last (2009) from my first (1997) is tremendous. Where it used to be 4000 it's now 10,000. If you think that doesn't dilute the experience you don't get it. Instead of spouting off you should take a coach trip with STI next time and then see what a great experience you've had.

    But don't take my word it, read the STI thread which came back to life. This is what happens when too many people reply on too few service providers. I have no issue with new riders, in fact I feel sorry for them, because having raced, ridden, toured my bike on the continent for the last 15 years (and speaking the lingo) I'm not in that bend-over-and-take-it position. Ever since 2000 I've made my own arrangements, getting an entry from beardy Ron and booking my own hotels and flights.

    And no there's nothing wrong with fat effers who can't ride, Evans, Cyclefit, GPM 10 et al LOVE, abosolutely LOVE, these guys. But the issue is when 3000 such people start in front, clog up the road (again, get your facts and read about many folks who had to walk up a mountain) and eat all the cakes at the feed stop (again, read the accounts).

    So, in summary, from combining all the threads about etapes etc on this site, it CAN be a wonderful experience but many don't think it is. Some just finding this out, I decided after last year that it was time for a change so I went to Scotland instead.


    fairplay, I was perhaps a tad harsh, if your ire is directed primarily at the organisations. I guess the real problem is numbers of people doing it/wanting to do it increasing year on year, whether thats influenced by the likes of STI or not. Seems the only real solution is to restrict entry numbers.
  • Kléber
    Kléber Posts: 6,842
    FransJacques wrote:
    The cost they charge locals vs us is criminal and we suck it up so what's he going to do?
    I've wondered about this, since Britain and France are both EU members, how can you charge different prices based on nationality or postal address? This sort of thing isn't allowed normally.
  • ugo.santalucia
    ugo.santalucia Posts: 28,312
    FransJacques wrote:
    Stagger, I've been ticking the boxes for over 10 years so believe me when I say it's not the people themselves I'm talking about but the way they've affected the event. The issue, I wrote, is the ASO, STI, Baxters, and other companies have zero'ed their crosshairs on people who want to do it but have no clue - the effect on my last (2009) from my first (1997) is tremendous. Where it used to be 4000 it's now 10,000. If you think that doesn't dilute the experience you don't get it. Instead of spouting off you should take a coach trip with STI next time and then see what a great experience you've had.

    But don't take my word it, read the STI thread which came back to life. This is what happens when too many people reply on too few service providers. I have no issue with new riders, in fact I feel sorry for them, because having raced, ridden, toured my bike on the continent for the last 15 years (and speaking the lingo) I'm not in that bend-over-and-take-it position. Ever since 2000 I've made my own arrangements, getting an entry from beardy Ron and booking my own hotels and flights.

    And no there's nothing wrong with fat effers who can't ride, Evans, Cyclefit, GPM 10 et al LOVE, abosolutely LOVE, these guys. But the issue is when 3000 such people start in front, clog up the road (again, get your facts and read about many folks who had to walk up a mountain) and eat all the cakes at the feed stop (again, read the accounts).

    So, in summary, from combining all the threads about etapes etc on this site, it CAN be a wonderful experience but many don't think it is. Some just finding this out, I decided after last year that it was time for a change so I went to Scotland instead.

    What you say is very sensible... unfortunately these events are oversubscribed. Starting all together is not a great idea with 10K riders, especially if the order of pecking is not based on real value of the athlete but on how much he's prepared to pay to get at the front of the queue.
    I have decided to give up on big sportive events for similar reasons.

    On a different note, I was amazed by how the Velo club Roubaix organised the Paris-Roubaix this year... despite having 3000 riders on the narrow pave' sections in atrocious conditions, there were no problems whatsoever... no queues at the feeding stations, no clog-ups on the roads, no hassle...
    I am now curious to see how ASO will mess it up next year... apparently they will organise their own competitive Paris-Roubaix sportive.... :lol:
    left the forum March 2023
  • lochindaal
    lochindaal Posts: 475
    I've wondered about this, since Britain and France are both EU members, how can you charge different prices based on nationality or postal address? This sort of thing isn't allowed normally.

    You are allowed to charge any end price you want for goods to anybody. They could theoretically charge each individual person a different amount. What cou can't do is restrict trade. You should therefore be able to buy the €60 entry from Velo magasine and they can't stop this. Not quite sure how they do :?
    Tri Coaching
    https://www.h3otriathlon.com
  • Garrigou
    Garrigou Posts: 145
    They don't stop anyone buying their entry via the forms supplied with Velo magazine (as far as I'm aware). It's just that it's a 'ballot system' (names pulled out of the hat) & the turnaround times are very tight if you're waiting for a copy of Velo to reach you in the UK and you then need to get the medical done, raise a cheque in euros & send it all back before the closing dates. So, many people feel like paying extra to e.g. STI etc is worth it to avoid the hassle and have the certainty of knowing you've made it 'in'.
    If you have a mate/contact based in France who'll buy Velo on the day it hits the shelves & you get your act together in advance in having a medical certificate ready, then you can enter just like the locals. It's not as much hassle as some of the tour operators would have you believe.
    Between me & Eddy Merckx we've won pretty much everything worth winning on a bike.
  • jhop
    jhop Posts: 369
    What you mean we can stll do what we always used to?
  • caw35slr
    caw35slr Posts: 439
    Mccaria wrote:
    No Ugo it was not lack of training. Lot of miles done, lot of long rides, including the likes of the King of Downs and plenty of 80+ mile rides averaging 16 mph on reasonably hilly terrain. Some people seem more susceptible to cramp than others, unfortunately I seem to be one of them.

    You don't happen to use Salbutamol, do you?
  • hanagardner
    hanagardner Posts: 2
    whitehart wrote:
    There are still a few places left on this service from Kingston in SW London, which is £30 cheaper than packing it down and sending it in the hold with Air France:

    * Secure bike transport from Hampton Wick to Pau return
    * Your bike insured upto £2500 in the event of loss or damage
    * No need to pack your bike into bike bag/box
    * Price: £110

    http://lafuga.cc/tours/_tape_bike_shuttle

    Hi,
    Just to say that I found this other company who are offering bike transport to France, http://www.BikeBoxOnline.co.uk
    Good luck!

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