Etape 2010
Comments
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is that far from the finish line then ? or from the place we cycle to after the finish line ?ASO organizes a shuttle service on Saturday, July 17th from Tourmalet and from Bagnères-de-Bigorre (where the parking lots are located) to Pau
doh !0 -
boondog wrote:
is that far from the finish line then ? or from the place we cycle to after the finish line ?ASO organizes a shuttle service on Saturday, July 17th from Tourmalet and from Bagnères-de-Bigorre (where the parking lots are located) to Pau
doh !
Bagneres d Bigorre if thatsthe one you asking is 25km from Mongie...but its all downhill !!!! Apart from a few flatish bits at the end
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I'm trying to work out a way to get both myself and the bike back from the finish to Pau, and also for my wife to be at the finish. That's not going to work if I then cycle off for 25km and she has to make her own way down. Thx for the info, can see this might be a logistical nightmare.0
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Yes I see what you mean..no three is not possible
Only way I could see it work ....is you drive the ( I cant remember if you said you had a caravan or not ) tvan / car to La Mongie. Kiss the old girl good bye an d ake the last shuttle back to Pau.
Next day she could walk to the fnish line at the Tourmalete, It is about 3 km uphill , and see you finish.
Then you wait for all the traffic to die down and drive to your destination then
Alternatively she will have to risk getting stuck in traffic the next day driving up to la Mongie or leave very early an dhope for the best
Eitherway I cannot see them allowing he to drive to the Finish at anytime of the day !!!
Good Luck
Cas0 -
thx, no we're in a car, staying in Pau. Was going to drop the car off the day before, and was hoping for a miracle that we could see each other at the line and come home together.
Funny, 180km or so to do the race, then another 25km to get to the car
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Believe me, after getting to the top of the Tourmalet, you will enjoy the 25km downhill run!
There is an easy solution for the missus. There are spare entries going on the Etape site. Get one for her and she can cycle up with you.0 -
took us about 2 hours, if not more, to get off Ventoux last year - I was quite envious of the cyclists flying downhill while we all parked up waiting for the queue to move an inch.
In 2008, Cyclomundo offered a partners package - might be worth checking if your wife can get in the bus with them. I don't know if they still do it and of course, there would be a charge, but it might help your logistics a bit. When I did the partners thing, we stopped half way and cheered riders for about an hour and then had the most fantastic picnic. It was a fantastic day. Perhaps worth sending them an email......0 -
should add that this may have only been open to partners of cyclists who were with cyclomundo - can't quite remember - but there wasn't a great uptake on that occasion anyway.0
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Sorry to hijack but how many miles a week have you guys been doing to train for the Etape ?
I'm doing the Otzal Radmarathon and just getting in as many miles as I can but no idea if it's enough or anything to compare it too.
I'm doing at least 200miles a week but struggling for time for to get over 250.
I know its a simplified way to look at it but it'd at least give me a guide.
Thanks25th August 2013 12hrs 37mins 52.3 seconds 238km 5500mtrs FYRM Never again.0 -
I have ramped it up over the last month to about 350 - 450 km a week..but found that i was getting fatigues easily..
No point doing too many miles if you just end up knackerd al the time
So I have now converted to doing less km..but ride at higher intensity
I also have done a sportive or similar every weekend for the last 1 month
That should be enogh I think0 -
I noticed some folk need their partner to get to the finish of the Etape day leaving from Pau. I have emalied a taxi firm that quoted me 250euros which I think is a bit steep.
However I think it could be cheaper if you shop about. If 3 or more share the transport costs then it could work out well.
PM me if anyone is interested.0 -
on mileage - I've been doing about 450 a month so quite a bit behind your 200+ per week. I've only manage 3/4 rides per week on avg. I've done one long ride per week - usually fairly fast paced club run of around 4 hours or a sportive (about 1 per month since March). My longest ride is 110 miles on Etape du Dales. I find that riding a little less means I've had less colds and so have managed greater consistency.
My legs are a bit tired now so I'm having a lighter week now. I'll do one more hilly club run. I'm out there a week before so I'll either ride tourmelet or marie blanque and then it will just be short spins until the big day.
I'm feeling pretty fit now.0 -
I'm starting to ramp up a bit now, but not too much. Commute in an out every day, so thats 100m a week, 2 or 3 turbo sessions adds an extra 70 or 80, and then a longer weekend ride adds another 80, so on a good week thats 260m, can't think I can find any other time to train beyond that.
oh and my legs have been feeling tired for about 3 years now, thats normal right ?
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Interesting that nobody has mentioned gearing... I'll be going down to a 34x29, how about you?
All three big hills start relatively gently before ramping up. It's probably sensible not to be conned into going hard at these hills. Also, among the few people I've met who have ridden this trio, the common consensus seems to be that the Marie Blanque is the worst thing we'll have to tackle all day. Nice to get it in your back early!
Your Brucie Bonus for beating the first climb is that some way along the plateau between the Marie Blanque and the Soulor is the half-distance point. It's a comparatively short run home from there!
Another thing to consider is how bad the weather might be. Pack everything, keep an eye on the forecast and carry what you need to be flexible. You don't want to have to complete a 20km descent in a gilet and fingerless mitts.
Oh, and by the looks of my start number, I will be driving the damned wagon. :shock:0 -
Got a reply from a taxi firm in Pau. The english is not that good.Hello,
I can set to has 8 personnes. le time of route 1:30, price Pau- Mongie 100 kms = 180€. For the road he(it) suffirra to leave before the closure of roads. I stay has your listening
Cordially
Didier
( Saddened for the translation if she(it) is not correct)
From what I can make out from this is that they have transport for up to 8 that will go from Pau - Mongie for 180 euros.
I suspect the going before closed roads need some looking in to? and I dont get the "le time of route 1:30" bit.0 -
Also, among the few people I've met who have ridden this trio, the common consensus seems to be that the Marie Blanque is the worst thing we'll have to tackle all day. Nice to get it in your back early!
The last 3k of the marie blanque do ramp up 11,12,13% i think, but believe me thats the easy bit of the ride out of the way!
If its hot, the gorge up to the start of the Tourmalet is like an oven, the gradient 'gently' upward will eat away at you. Then the 'real' climb begins!
Having said all that the scenery along the whole route is spectacular. Enjoy!0 -
Snoppy wrote:I suspect the going before closed roads need some looking in to? and I dont get the "le time of route 1:30" bit.
Spoke to someone in pigeon english at letapedutour.com who said that the entire route will close 1 hour before race.
I/we could not understand if he meant 1 hour before race start (6am) or 1 hour before riders are due on that section of the course. Any ideas?0 -
Sure it must mean a 1hr30min drive. I got another reply from a taxi firm today.
I would be quite happy if at least 3 could share the fare but the more the better. Failing that I will just go it alone.Hello
Here is the taxi fare from Pau centre to La Mongie. from 1 to 7
passangers.
Day fare from 7:00 AM to 7:00 PM: 150€
Night Fare from 7:00 PM to 7:00 AM: 190€ (can make 10% discount if you
book 7 days in advance).
You can reserve on line in web site
Best regards0 -
Snoppy, how are you thinking of getting back down again afterwards ? taxi again ?
just wondering what times the roads will open again.0 -
Hi,
It looks like I might end up being a driver for my other half to do the etape.
If I do (it's not 100%) then I'll be doing the same as last year - driving from near the start to the finish village first thing in the morning. I will have at least of couple of places in the car.
Last year I drove Montelimar to Ventoux, setting off from the campsite at the same time as my 3 passengers headed to the race start. I ended up parked about 500m from the roundabout by the arrival near Mt Serine.
This year I'll be aiming to leave early as well, and get parked at or near Le Mongie.
The advantage to this is that I'll be at the arrival village when the shell-shocked, heat exhausted cyclists stagger over the line.
The disadvantages are a v. early start, hanging about at the finish all day and the big traffic queue to get off (as someone else mentioned, it took AGES last year).
Drop me a line if I can help anyone with transport. As I said, it's not 100% definite that I'm doing it, but it'd save a taxi. Also, please bear in mind that I'll be going one way - I will NOT be heading back to Pau that evening.
Cheers,
Tim0 -
Snoppy wrote:Sure it must mean a 1hr30min drive. I got another reply from a taxi firm today.
I would be quite happy if at least 3 could share the fare but the more the better. Failing that I will just go it alone.Hello
Here is the taxi fare from Pau centre to La Mongie. from 1 to 7
passangers.
Day fare from 7:00 AM to 7:00 PM: 150€
Night Fare from 7:00 PM to 7:00 AM: 190€ (can make 10% discount if you
book 7 days in advance).
You can reserve on line in web site
Best regards
Snoppy could you PM me the details of that cab company pls0 -
all quiet on this thread, everyone out training ?
Wondered at what point people will start to taper for this event ? My plan is a 6-7 hour hilly ride this weekend, then my final big ride on 3rd July, around 130 miles taking in every hill I can. After that I'll still commute, but more steadily, and in the final week I'll just cycle once or twice to turn the legs over.0 -
boondog wrote:all quiet on this thread, everyone out training ?
Wondered at what point people will start to taper for this event ? My plan is a 6-7 hour hilly ride this weekend, then my final big ride on 3rd July, around 130 miles taking in every hill I can. After that I'll still commute, but more steadily, and in the final week I'll just cycle once or twice to turn the legs over.
Pretty much exactly what I'll be doing. I will do a few short sharp rides in the penultimate week, similar intensity to regular training rides but much shorter.0 -
if they can get RP sorted, I might try the 3 lap challenge to see what effect the training has had on me. That'll be interesting.0
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I'll be carrying on training as usual until July 4th when I'm doing the 100 mile Burgess Hill 1066 sportive. For the final two weeks I plan just to keep myself ticking over with a few commutes/shorter rides but certainly nothing too strenuous.0
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Ramping the training up to around 300 miles a week at the moment. Have struggled to get to any Sportives this year as work has got in the way. Seem to be going ok, but not as happy as I would like to be.
On the plus side, I finally got my number through. 935. Marvelous! 0 -
gumball3000 wrote:Ramping the training up to around 300 miles a week at the moment. Have struggled to get to any Sportives this year as work has got in the way. Seem to be going ok, but not as happy as I would like to be.
On the plus side, I finally got my number through. 935. Marvelous!
How does work get in the way of Sportives , but no in the way of doing 300+ miles a week at the moment
And how the hell did you get such a great number ....Are you sure there isnt a 9 missing at the front :roll:0
