As the weekends seem to flash by with the speed of Peter Sagan approaching a stage finish line, my time to train and condition for the Etape Du Tour is reducing at an alarming rate. That said, things are going well. 100 mile rides in each of the last weekends are a good indication that the distance of the event shouldn’t be an issue, and completing my first ever 200km+ ride last month is further proof that definite progress has been made! Whilst a broken laptop has hampered the frequency of my blog posts (until now), the frequency of my cycling has only increased.
There’s now less than three weeks to go until I take part in the biggest sporting challenge of my life. Since October last year when the Etape route was announced it’s been a dominant part of my life, and after 9 months of boring my friends, family and colleagues with talk of preparation and time on the bike, I’m already wondering what life will feel like on Monday 17th July. Will I wake up in my bed with a coveted finishers medal around my neck, or be thinking up my excuses and weighing up the cost of a fresh attempt in a year’s time?
Feedback from Etape finishers I’ve met has been positive, in that my distances, climbing ability and speed are on point, but with the uncharted territory of two mountain climbs in one day, plus the broom wagon to contend with, means the apprehension is going nowhere. Since my last blog post the details of the time schedule and feedstations for this year’s running have been released along with my bib number. Starting in pen 9 along with my partner in crime Stuart, we’ll be leaving Briancon at around 8.07am, roughly an hour after the first group. With a required average speed of 32kmh for the first 60km, I’m hoping that the route profile is accurate in showing a predominantly downhill affair until the first feedstation. Anything other than this will mean being dependent on slotting into a peloton and getting the benefit of a draft, which whilst always beneficial, is not something I want to have to rely upon in case of crashes or poor communication.
After this first, very fast, and hopefully downhill section, the climbing starts with a the category 3 Cote de Demoiselles Coiffees climb. A 3.9km “bump” with an average gradient of 5.2%. In the interests of familiarity I have sought to compare each climb to one already experienced, and for those of you who’ve read my blog posts on cycling in Mallorca, this first climb of the day equates to roughly half of the Col De Sa Batalla, my favourite climb on the island. What can I take from this? The gradient is shallow, but not to be taken lightly, with a climbing speed of 14kmh. The full climb in Mallorca takes me around 30 minutes, so it’s safe to assume a 15 minute ascent time. I know this is manageable with a summer temperature of around 30 degrees, and has always been a precursor to larger climbs later in the day, just like in the upcoming Etape. So far, so good!
Moving onto bigger and more challenging cols, after descending into Jausiers the category 1 Col De Vars stands in my way. After 20km of what looks like a steady 2-3%, the road pitches up at Le Glezolles to an average of 7.5% for 9.3km. So, a steadily climbing road followed by a category 1 climb of this distance? My direct comparison has to be Sa Calobra, the most notourious climb in Mallorca, known for it’s spectacular architecture and unforgiving cliff-side hairpins that leave little margin for error when descending. My experiences on a climb of this length have taught me 2 lessons, don’t go
into the red, and don’t bother looking up. This will be a ‘head down and concentrate’ section with regular intakes of food and water. Knowing the hardest climb of the day will await, I need to ensure my climbing speed doesn’t exceed 10kmh, which should still see an ascent time of just under an hour. Whilst I know I shouldn’t push out of my comfort zone at this stage, the time schedule suggests a climbing speed of 12kmh, and this will be where any buffer zone made against the broom wagon thus far will be much needed.
Once the Col De Vars has been crested I should be able to enjoy the technical descent and gain some time on the 21km freewheel into Guillestre, which hosts the final feedstation of the timed course. With a required descent speed of 29kmh, I would be confident of making up enough time here to be able to stop in Guillestre and take on food and water before the final leg of the day. After 15km of gentle ascent, the famous left turn on the D902 will take me onto the Col D’Izoard, a 14km ‘Hors Categorie’ climb with an average gradient of 7.3%. The numbers themselves don’t
sound too bad, but knowing there’ll already be over a century of miles in my legs at this point means it will be nothing but very, very hard work. For a comparable, the Izoard will be somewhere in between my first ascent of Mont Ventoux from Bedoin, and Alpe D’Huez. Small Alpine villages line the route, with kilometre markers to chart progress and Googled pictures of the sun bleached rocky pillars in the Casse Desert remind me of
the bald moonscape of ‘Le Geant’. What can I take from my experiences? The answer is not a lot, as it will be about form and motivation on the day, but knowing not to aim for a given ascent time, and to relax and enjoy the moment will be key. With a suitably motivational tune in my head (something along the lines of Rocky or Karate Kid, maybe even the Baywatch theme!), I need to settle into a rhythm and expect nothing from my body. With the time schedule commanding a 
minimum ascent speed of 8.5km, I know that even with tired legs this should be achievable, and if by this stage it’s not enough I know I’ll have given it my all. Having climbed other legendary HC climbs in the Alps in recent years, I know it can be done.
What has come as a little surprise since the detailed reveal of the route and time schedule, is that the descent back to Briancon has been included as a section of the route, taking the day to over 200km. Whilst the official timing will stop at the summit of the Izoard, there will be an expectation of descending back to the Etape Village rather than heading straight back to my chalet for a much needed cold shower. Either way, adrenaline levels are likely to be at such a level at the end of the descent that it might be prudent take stock back in the town, hopefully with the opportunity to do so with a well earned beer!
With only two weekends remaining before the Etape, the training is now pretty much complete, with little more than can be achieved in the short space of time left. This weekend coming will include my last 100 mile ride, before my bike goes into the trusted mechanics at Bicicielo Birmingham for a full service. Some fresh new red bar tape will be included, dressing her up nicely for the special day, and provided the Ryanair trip can be survived, the risk of any mechanical issues should be low. In the last weekend, a short ride of no more than 70km will be the plan, so as to not risk injury and just ensure everything is running smoothly. After that, shake out rides of 10-20km should see me maintain the conditioning up to 16th July with no major issues. Fingers crossed!
Thanks for reading
Eugene
The Accidental Mamil 