Etapes 2012

dodgerdog · November 2011

Registered for Acte 2 - gulp!

Now to start thinking about the admin and training (as well as how to break the news to SWMBO - She who must be obeyed

)

mz__jo · November 2011

brianonyx wrote:

The logistics look tricky, so this is plan a:

drive down say on the monday or tuesday with 18 year old son and both our bikes and stay in an apartment we have in val thorens, which is about 2 hours from albertville.

Spend a few days aclimitising and practising.

son, who isn't entered, does the chauffering.

Slight risk with plan a:

- son passes his driving test. He failed the first one.

- son agrees to come a long way and be a chauffeur when his mates are planning a first lads trip abroad.

Think I need a plan b, just in case.

So given i'll be staying a fair bit away from albertville, have a car, how is the best way to manage dropping car off at the finish, getting back to Val thorens the night before, getting to the start the next day???? Is anyone else facing this challenge??

I would check at least with your insurance company and possibly AA legal services as well. I think it may be illegal for your son to drive in France before he has 2 years experience in UK. At the very least he will need an "A" plate to be legal, which will look very odd on a UK registered vehicle. The speed limits for "A" drivers are different (as are the points allocations on licences for french nationals). Check now before committing to your plan!

willy b · November 2011

Entered Acte 2!

Did Acte 1 last year which was my first event of this type, and it was amazing. Acte 2 though might kill me. 120 miles

With the medical form, depending on your Doc you might have to pay. Cost me £22, but they were perfectly happy to sign it. However my friend's doc refused to sign it... He then "became" a doctor with some help for a famous Stationary store, never had any issues

brianonyx · November 2011

mz__jo wrote:

brianonyx wrote:

The logistics look tricky, so this is plan a:

drive down say on the monday or tuesday with 18 year old son and both our bikes and stay in an apartment we have in val thorens, which is about 2 hours from albertville.

Spend a few days aclimitising and practising.

son, who isn't entered, does the chauffering.

Slight risk with plan a:

- son passes his driving test. He failed the first one.

- son agrees to come a long way and be a chauffeur when his mates are planning a first lads trip abroad.

Think I need a plan b, just in case.

So given i'll be staying a fair bit away from albertville, have a car, how is the best way to manage dropping car off at the finish, getting back to Val thorens the night before, getting to the start the next day???? Is anyone else facing this challenge??

I would check at least with your insurance company and possibly AA legal services as well. I think it may be illegal for your son to drive in France before he has 2 years experience in UK. At the very least he will need an "A" plate to be legal, which will look very odd on a UK registered vehicle. The speed limits for "A" drivers are different (as are the points allocations on licences for french nationals). Check now before committing to your plan!

Nope. UK full licence is all someone needs. EU sees to that. Inidividual counties may apply their own age limit and France's is 18. He will not need to show an A Plate on a UK registered car.

malcolmfrost · December 2011

Logistics:
If we all keep an eye on this forum, there are bound to be ways to work things out, I'll be down in Albertville without my usual support crew (at the moment) so a possible would be to drive up the day before, leave a car/van up at La Toussuire and drive back to Albertville on the day.
This is how we did the Ventoux Etape, we even gave a lift back to Montelimar to another couple.
Generally there are so many people in the campsites with the same problem something gets sorted, so don't worry too much at this stage.
If you're really hard though, it's pretty much all downhill back to Albertville, so you could always ride it!

dandrew · December 2011

Doing Acte 1
Anyone know of anywhere in Albertville with available accommodation? It all seems to be booked up. Don't fancy a long ride to get there on the morning of what will be a long time in the saddle!

dodgerdog · December 2011

Signed on for Acte 2,

What are everyone thinking of running on for this,
my initial thoughts are to run a 28T with a compact front, have done Aubisque and Tourmalet before but on consecutive days on a hard tail, will a 28T cassette be low enough or would I be better off getting the SRAM 11-32T (I am running on RIVAL) cassette and a Rival Medium Cage rear mech?

Thoughts appreciated.

As a baseline often do Cat 3 & 4 hills across the Mendipis and have an early season training camp oin Snowdonia at the start of Mar to begin to get the legs in climbing mode. Will possibly do a week in May in Majorca (if I can convince SWMBO).

Cheers and happy riding

mrc1 · December 2011

Dodgerdog wrote:

Signed on for Acte 2,

What are everyone thinking of running on for this,
my initial thoughts are to run a 28T with a compact front, have done Aubisque and Tourmalet before but on consecutive days on a hard tail, will a 28T cassette be low enough or would I be better off getting the SRAM 11-32T (I am running on RIVAL) cassette and a Rival Medium Cage rear mech?

Thoughts appreciated.

As a baseline often do Cat 3 & 4 hills across the Mendipis and have an early season training camp oin Snowdonia at the start of Mar to begin to get the legs in climbing mode. Will possibly do a week in May in Majorca (if I can convince SWMBO).

Cheers and happy riding

Running a compact you should be ok on a 28T rear, but if you prefer to spin then you may want to go with the 11-32T (bearing in mind that this will leave some pretty big gaps further down the block).

The below blog post has a great (in my own opinion 8) ) summary of the route of the Etape Act II and may be helpful in preparing yourself for the Aubisque, Tourmalet, Aspin and Peyresourde!

http://www.ledomestiquetours.co.uk/2011/11/etape-du-tour-act-2-2012-the-cols/

Cheers

Rob

brianonyx · December 2011

I think I will be going for the SRAM 32 rear cassette, which when combined with my front compact 34 should be low enough to keep me spinning.

Does anyone know if a standard 105 rear changer will work with a 50/34 front 11/32 rear. Will I have to buy one of those long hanger derailleurs??

dodgerdog · December 2011

Rob,

Cheers for the guide, very useful as a prompt to my fading memories of going up and down Aubisque and Tourmalet

stanthomas · December 2011

mrc1 wrote:

Does anyone know if a standard 105 rear changer will work with a 50/34 front 11/32 rear.

I couldn't get a 10-speed Ultegra GS mech to clear an XT 11-32 on a Dolan frame. Might have been able to do it with a longer B-screw. I had an XT mech available and it runs just fine with that. Hangers differ frame to frame; it would be worth trying before splashing out on an MTB mech. Note that Shimano's 10-speed MTB rear mechs are not compatible with 9/10-speed road.

brianonyx · December 2011

Are shimano 10 speed shifters compatible with SRAM rear mech's?

Gazzaputt · December 2011

brianonyx wrote:

Are shimano 10 speed shifters compatible with SRAM rear mech's?

Best asking this in workshop of buying advice. I think no as the pull on shimano is 2:1 and SRAM it's 1:1

malcolmfrost · December 2011

mrc1 wrote:Does anyone know if a standard 105 rear changer will work with a 50/34 front 11/32 rear.

I couldn't get a 10-speed Ultegra GS mech to clear an XT 11-32 on a Dolan frame. Might have been able to do it with a longer B-screw. I had an XT mech available and it runs just fine with that. Hangers differ frame to frame; it would be worth trying before splashing out on an MTB mech. Note that Shimano's 10-speed MTB rear mechs are not compatible with 9/10-speed road.

I am running a 50/34 with a 30 from IRD and a short cage successfully, I just had to screw the b limit right in. Shimano are now doing a 12-30 10 speed in Tiagra, so that may be a solution. You will prob need a new chain. The 30 was great on the Marmotte, just what I needed!

kaptepia · December 2011

I'm tempted to enter Act 1 this year but have reservations given my 2010 experience of bottlenecks on the Marie Blanque.

The Col de Madeleine comes very early in the ride so there will be no opportunity for the field to thin out. Bottlenecks seems a real possibility again - does anybody know how wide the road is here and whether it could take that volume of riders?

LeDomestiqueTours · December 2011

Dodgerdog wrote:

Rob,

Cheers for the guide, very useful as a prompt to my fading memories of going up and down Aubisque and Tourmalet

No problems - glad it was helpful. Please feel free to send it on to your mates!

http://www.ledomestiquetours.co.uk/2011/11/etape-du-tour-act-2-2012-the-cols/

Gazzaputt · January 2012

Thoughts are now turning on how the hell to get back to Albertville after the ride.

I'm traveling down by train so won't have a car.

Thoughts? Don't fancy riding all the way back

sunburntknees · January 2012

Thumb a lift? I'm sure there will be plenty of cars heading back that way.

stonehouse · January 2012

Is anyone aware of how the Etape's are managed? I'll be living in the area by the time the Pyrenees Etape is staged and would quite like to do a couple of the climbs, but not the whole Etape, is it feasible to ride "cling on" or will I get collared by the Gendarmes and sent away?

stanthomas · January 2012

...like to do a couple of the climbs, but not the whole Etape, is it feasible to ride...

The road is closed for the duration and the French take a very dim view of this kind of thing. Maybe no one will notice but if they do collar you I suspect they'll be quite unpleasant about it; you're unlikely to get away with a simple 'clear off'. Entries are still open, so enter like everyone else - or ride the route on another day.

stonehouse · January 2012

Ah, fair enough I thought by now that the entries would have been closed, I'll go sign up!

brianonyx · January 2012

I have tried to go back to my schoolboy physics to see how much less power is needed if I lose 5kg of weight. If I did it in 7 hours (no idea if that is reasonable) and the climbing is 7000 metres then losing 5kg would save around 14 watts of power needed to complete the event.

Assuming bicycling is not 100% efficient then my Maths suggests that if I save that amount of weight then I probably need to expend 50 ish Watts less when climbing the hills for the same effect. Quite a difference.

richa · January 2012

brianonyx wrote:

I have tried to go back to my schoolboy physics to see how much less power is needed if I lose 5kg of weight. If I did it in 7 hours (no idea if that is reasonable) and the climbing is 7000 metres then losing 5kg would save around 14 watts of power needed to complete the event.

Assuming bicycling is not 100% efficient then my Maths suggests that if I save that amount of weight then I probably need to expend 50 ish Watts less when climbing the hills for the same effect. Quite a difference.

7,000metres climbing? Really?

Have a look at these links:
http://cyclinginfo.co.uk/blog/3945/cycl ... s-on-bike/
http://www.training4cyclists.com/how-mu ... lpe-dhuez/

In time terms, this equates to approx 60seconds difference per 1,000m ascent per kg.

So, for 5kg loss and 7,000m(?) ascent, it would save 35mins. Not to be sniffed at.

brianonyx · January 2012

RichA wrote:

brianonyx wrote:

I have tried to go back to my schoolboy physics to see how much less power is needed if I lose 5kg of weight. If I did it in 7 hours (no idea if that is reasonable) and the climbing is 7000 metres then losing 5kg would save around 14 watts of power needed to complete the event.

Assuming bicycling is not 100% efficient then my Maths suggests that if I save that amount of weight then I probably need to expend 50 ish Watts less when climbing the hills for the same effect. Quite a difference.

7,000metres climbing? Really?

Have a look at these links:
http://cyclinginfo.co.uk/blog/3945/cycl ... s-on-bike/
http://www.training4cyclists.com/how-mu ... lpe-dhuez/

In time terms, this equates to approx 60seconds difference per 1,000m ascent per kg.

So, for 5kg loss and 7,000m(?) ascent, it would save 35mins. Not to be sniffed at.

You're right, I was completely wrong about the ascent. Have just checked a mampmyride of the route and it is only (!) 4645 M ascent.

dandrew · January 2012

Oh and last year Act 1 was only 3,200m ascent and that seemed a lot!

Ron Stuart · January 2012

brianonyx wrote:

RichA wrote:

brianonyx wrote:

I have tried to go back to my schoolboy physics to see how much less power is needed if I lose 5kg of weight. If I did it in 7 hours (no idea if that is reasonable) and the climbing is 7000 metres then losing 5kg would save around 14 watts of power needed to complete the event.

Assuming bicycling is not 100% efficient then my Maths suggests that if I save that amount of weight then I probably need to expend 50 ish Watts less when climbing the hills for the same effect. Quite a difference.

7,000metres climbing? Really?

Have a look at these links:
http://cyclinginfo.co.uk/blog/3945/cycl ... s-on-bike/
http://www.training4cyclists.com/how-mu ... lpe-dhuez/

In time terms, this equates to approx 60seconds difference per 1,000m ascent per kg.

So, for 5kg loss and 7,000m(?) ascent, it would save 35mins. Not to be sniffed at.

You're right, I was completely wrong about the ascent. Have just checked a mampmyride of the route and it is only (!) 4645 M ascent.

You get a different answer depending on what software you use last years Etape Cymru on mapmyride came out at around 1800m ridewithgps was nearer 1000 more!!

stanthomas · January 2012

Just look at the profile on the event website and add it up. Comes to somewhere between 4500m and 4800m.

Ron Stuart · January 2012

The penny isn't dropping.

I'll will try again.... the guides are no guide at all when they all give different answers to the same question.

Audax UK have a standardised approach which may or may not be 100% accurate but the one thing it does do is give a consistant comparison between events. Sportives are completely misleading as regards metres climbed as I have already posted. :roll:

Rodrego Hernandez · January 2012

Ron Stuart wrote:

The penny isn't dropping.

I'll will try again.... the guides are no guide at all when they all give different answers to the same question.

Audax UK have a standardised approach which may or may not be 100% accurate but the one thing it does do is give a consistant comparison between events. Sportives are completely misleading as regards metres climbed as I have already posted. :roll:

You can either ask people who have ridden it, ride it yourself, use mapping software or maybe even get a specialist measuring company to do it for you. It isn't the fault of an organiser that there are different answers given by different sources. There isn't a UK sportive association that standardises things so just come to your own conclusions or just ride the events and not worry about it.

Ron Stuart · January 2012

I am far from worried Rod, just trying to put right a misconception. British Cycling are taking much more of an interest in Sportives these days and have produced some guidelines, it wouldn't be a major task for them to recommend a particular way of measuring metres climbed and then if taken up by those hard done by organisers it would give riders a much more consistant comparison from one event to the other. Not rocket science mate.

Etapes 2012

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