Starting to think about the Etape

garetjax

Im thinking of having a go in 2012. I want Entry Only and combine it with a family holiday.

From initial reading it looks like I book entry only via a Tour Operator (around 200 euros) or try to book via the official website, which is cheaper but Im less likely to get in. Have I got that right ?

I am wondering how easy is it to get a family room near ( within a few miles of) the start or get a pitch on a campsite?

I have read about shuttle buses to the start...is it neccessary to book a shuttle bus to the start ?

Sorry if my questions sound naive. I have done a couple of mountain bike events in Austria and so I am fully familiar with the physical side of slogging up an Alp but these MTB events were easy enough to enter online, and I just booked a room on line in the town from where the events started. This Etape business however sounds like a whole new ball game....

Garrigou

If you register on the official website on the day it opens to entries, you should be fine. The approved operators just perpetuate the myth that "you might not get in" in order to extract their €150 profit.
Accommodation availability will entirely depend on the location of the event & how close the start or finish are to a decent sized town/city with plenty of beds. Same with shuttle buses - depends on what your other transport options are (e.g. can your family drop you off & collect you afterwards).

garetjax

ok i will try that.

From past posts it sounds like the english language version of the official website did not allow registration but the french one did.

garetjax

ok i will try that.

From past posts it sounds like the english language version of the official website did not allow registration but the french one did.

I am the god of hell fire

I did this years Alps event as a novice/outsider which was just superb

I booked on the day it opened through the French side of the website and got the early bird bargain rate, the english side of the site was v e r y s l o w

I went with some mates who chose not to do the event
We booked a hotel 15km from the start or so around February costing 50EU each per night

I would suggest staying near the start as you need to register a day or two before
Plus you also need to be there for stupid o'clock on the day

The operator lays on a shuttle bus for you to ditch your car at the finish the day before and then take you back to the start
You must book this prior to arrival

Everything else is easy!

I see no need to go through a tour operator TBH

You can pay ££££ for guaranteed entry through a company and their own food stops but the regular stops were just fine

Anything else I can help you with?
Just ask

Best of luck

niedermeyer

Garrigou wrote:

If you register on the official website on the day it opens to entries, you should be fine. The approved operators just perpetuate the myth that "you might not get in" in order to extract their €150 profit.Accommodation availability will entirely depend on the location of the event & how close the start or finish are to a decent sized town/city with plenty of beds. Same with shuttle buses - depends on what your other transport options are (e.g. can your family drop you off & collect you afterwards).

Sorry, completel;y wrong. ASO charge the operators €200 per entry. In past years where there was a 'monopoly', they just absorbed it in what seemed like outrageous prices. This year it has been a lot more transparent, and the agent entries has dropped off dramatically (around 60%). This of course is not at all to ASO's liking, losing a potential €125 difference on around 2000 entries - expect further changes this year.

For info, before you start ripping into the operators too much, an aquaintance who works for one of them told me about VSO - ASO's travel agency arm. They are the only ones who get advance knowledge of routes and dates, and hoover up as much accomodation as they can and try to sell it on at a massive mark up. They (VSO) were offering rooms at Club Med in Alpe d'Huez for 630€ per night.

The dirty, foriegn, bastards.

Do the Marmotte instead.

Brian B

Hey GaretJax - totally off topic but arent you dead somewhere in the forests of the Anar?

garetjax

Brian B

I never grew out of those books...

Tom Butcher

The Marmotte might not be a bad shout actually - I did it this year and thoroughly enjoyed it. OK it isn't on closed roads and the traffic at times (the Telegraphe mainly) was a nuisance but overall I'd recommend it, it's an excellent route guaranteed and if you enter in the first few days you know you can get in and there are lots of people who will give advice on the best places to stay, travel etc. Looking at the Alpe D etape this year I thought it's just a shorter version of the Marmotte - if i'm travelling that far I want my money's worth !

alanp23

I agree. The beauty of the Marmotte is that you pretty much start and finish in the same place. (Give or take a few thousand vertical metres)

That removes a lot of the travel issues as well as being just a terrific ride.

FJS

Or try the Maratona, closed roads, and accessible through tout operators at no extra cost (and a fraction of the Etape prices mentioned)

Brian B

+1 for the Marmotte. Did it this year and it was a fantastic. Cannot remember the event that goes over the Gavia and Mortirolo but I have done the loop on my own and that was a good day as well.

usedtobefast

Regarding accommodation near the start it's always worth talking to the local tourist office as they may know of small apartments to let that haven't been booked up by the big tour operators. We did this and got luck this year and ended up staying just across the river from the start in Modane.

From my experience this year it's easily do able to enter and manage the logistics of the Etape without going with one of the tour companies, just make sure you do your research on the area, registration opening times, shuttle bus operations etc and have it planned out in advance. This year we travelled across France on Sat and managed to get registered late Sat which made the 6 hour round trip to drop the car at the finish and get back possible. The one thing I would have done differently would have been to travel down on the Friday and so had the whole of Sat to register, ride and relax.

FJS

Brian B wrote:

+1 for the Marmotte. Did it this year and it was a fantastic. Cannot remember the event that goes over the Gavia and Mortirolo but I have done the loop on my own and that was a good day as well.

That would be the Gran Fondo Internazionale Girodana (used to be called Gran Fondo Marco Pantani). Some mates of mine did it, and it seemed a great event, but a little bit more fringe than the Maratona (or Marmotte and Etape). If you've done the Marmotte, try the Maratona - everyone I've spoken who has done both says it's the better organised event of the two.

lochindaal

Now you can get entry for the Etape via the website it is fairly easy to do it on your own.

There is loads of speculation nearer the time what the route will be. Just book multiple hotels at different potential start villages that are free of charge to cancel and keep the one that is needed.

Or if you want try my poorly planned late option this year, buy a £30 tent and pitch at at the start line!

The Marmotte as already mentioned is also a great ride.

garetjax

Thanks again

Definitely leaning toward the Marmotte. I hadn't realised it's the same route every year and so will be easier to arrange and plan a holiday round.