Both Etapes recce'd

Garrigou

Just settling down after a hectic two days recce'ing the two Etape courses. Most folks on this forum won't need a lot of extra comment on the Alpine version (yep; it's just as many have observed, a 'mini-Marmotte', but that will suit riders who want some big name climbs on a route which isn't too long for them), but the Massif Central event is a less well-known area in which to ride, so here's my ten pence worth.
Some of the early opinion on this and other forums seems to have been along the lines of "Why bother? Long ride; no great cols; dull part of France". Well, based on today's little jaunt, I'd suggest the reasons for bothering might include:
- superb scenery
- excellent cycling roads
- deceptively testing climbs & correspondingly good descents
- really good finishing kilometre (will make for a great finale when the pros hit it)
- very pleasant towns to be based in around the start & finish
It all opens with a flat/rolling section of about 35km - Roman roads kinda stuff, set in 'big sky' pastoral landscapes. Graham Watson will get some great photos there, Im sure. Then there's a 15km draggy section which never gets too steep but which tops out on the Col de Baladour @ 1200m. Tight descent into Allanche, then a 3-4 km dig over the Col de Montirargues. More rollers into & beyond Dienne, where the first 'proper climb' up to the Col de Pas de Peyrol (Puy Mary) begins. This is a bit of a cracker. Gets gradually steeper as you head up & it really is set in spectacular terrain. Big highland valleys with a snow-capped peak looking a bit like Kilimanjaro off in the distance! Semi-technical sort of descent; not the long straights & gentle sweepers of the Alps & big Pyrenees, but nothing to scare anyone too much either.
Then the fun really starts as you turn left out of Mandailles-St-Julien onto the Col de Perthus. With my pre-hibernation fat stores & 5kg of clothing keeping out the cold, it was an absolute shocker. 8% turns quickly into 10%, then 12% then 14%. Alarm bells ringing; ease off & steady it down; there are 100km left to go. Overall, the Perthus is only 4km at an average of 9.5%, but it's one of those b*ggers which goes downhill/flat for 800m in the middle, so the remaining 3.2km are all 11/12% stuff.
Another good descent of 5km, then they throw you off the main road to head up to a minor ski station - nasty ramp straight off the main road, then it settles to 7%-ish. Fast descending after this section as the route goes back to the main road, which is straight, wide and 7% downhill.
Last 'big' climb is the Col de Prat Bouc, which is pretty steady at 7% for 6-7km. There's the odd 10% ramp, but nothing to scare the horses!
Then follows a superb 30km section, generally downhill, through some twisty village roads, wooded ravines & open farmland. If there's a breakaway still left out there at this stage on Tour day, they'll be going like the clappers & there will be some great aerial photography.
Second to last 'dig' is around 2km past the ruined Chateau d'Alleuze and then it's rollers (with a net downhill) into St Flour. Sharp left turn 1km from the finish, onto a 'just-what-you-need-at-this-stage' kilometre that is made for Philippe Gilbert, but not for me. 7% stuff, with a chunk of 8-10% just to take the sting out of your sprint.
Overall, it looks like a cracker. c3800m of elevation gain in the 208km & plenty to keep you interested along the way. Could be a long, hard day if the weather/wind conditions get nasty, but who said Etapes were supposed to be easy, eh? Maybe one for the 'purists' rather than the 'col baggers', but it'll get my vote & my 75 euros when the online registration opens in November. See you in Issoire.

malcolmfrost

+1
Thanks for that, it rather confirms my decision to go for the Marmotte and Acte 2 this year.

bikeboff

Superb information - thanks for posting. Sounds pretty good to me - I might try for both stages.

BasilBrushTheFirst

I'm going for the Marmotte also, rather than a stunted Etape, although I like the sound of the 2nd stage in the Massif Central - thanks for the review.

deanderwent

Great review. Do you have a Garmin/Google maps version if the route somewhere? I've drawn up a route at http://www.bikely.com/maps/bike-path/TD ... -and-etape
Comparing it to the official profile though, I think I'm missing a climb somewhere, just before the Col de Prat de Bouc?

Garrigou

Sorry, didn't 'Garmin' it. At this stage you can only go by the list of village names & climbs which are given on L'Etape website. Whilst THEY obviously know how they're going to link all of them together, WE were only able to make a (hopefully, educated) guess at how it flows.
To squeeze in an extra hill just before Prat de Bouc, you'd probably need to hang a sharp right just before Murat (albeit the Etape site lists Murat as one of the villages the route will pass through) up through La Molede & Albepierre. Definitely a lump if you go that way, but 'technically' you'd not get to Murat, so it's only a guess, I'm afraid.
Cheers