Etape Du Tour Act II (Gearing advice)

skippa76

Hi there

I have signed up to do the Etape Du Tour Act II in July. I'm a regular cyclist and have started to ramp up the miles in preparation for the race. Being based near Manchester I am familiar with lumpy terrain but nothing on the scale of the Etape.

I currently ride a 10 speed compact and I have a lowest gear of 34/28... this is more than suitable for my regular rides and I rarely have to go down that low... but the Etape is a different kettle of fish entirely.

If you've done the Etape before I'd be interested to know what gearing you used and how you found it?

Hopefully the 34/28 will suffice but if feedback suggests otherwise then I may need to look at a new chainring/cassette combo.

willy b

Did Acte 1 last year on Traditional gearing up front and a 12:25 up the back. I was a little worried about this, but took the view that I didn't want to go through the expense of swapping to compact and a easier gearing for 1 race!

Anyway, I managed fine and finished in a good time. Thing I found was that I could have probably done with an easier gear, but that woudl have slowed me down, at least with this gear I just had to get on with it and shut up!

Anyway, doing Acte II this year, on same gearing see you there.

rc856

If you're also strong enough, I think that would do you.
I don't get out on the bike as much as I would like but 34/29 has seen me over the main climbs in the Alps and Pyrenees.

spokegeezer

34/28 will be plenty - its less climbing than Marmotte

skippa76

Thanks for the feedback folks. I'll keep the set-up as it is. I did Mount Etna last year on a rental which was a heavier bike and a 34/25, so doing the etape on my own lighter bike, with a more forgiving gear ratio will surely be a breeze

LeDomestiqueTours

Assuming you aren't a dedicated spinner then you should be fine on a compact with a 28 on the back. You won't be seeing gradients much above the mid teens along the route so if you can get around the steeper stuff in and around Manchester on your current gearing then you should be fine.

Check out our blog post below which gives you an idea of what you'll be taking on:

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