Your chance to be a Le Tour legend – for a day
Registration has opened for the 2013 Etape du Tour which gives 10,000 amateur riders the opportunity to ride the Tour de France stage from Annecy to Annecy Semnoz.
Etape du Tour will be held on Sunday July 7 on a course ridden by the pros two weeks later on July 20. It will replicate Stage 20 of the 2013 Tour de France.
Roads will be closed to traffic, the course will be secure and there will be excellent medical support.
Just like the Tour de France, the entire race and each individual climb will be timed.
It’s a classic 130km alpine stage, taking in the climbs of the Cote du Puget(796m), Col de Leschaux(944m), Col des Pres(1142m), Mont Revard(1463m) and the final climb up to Le Semnoz(1655m).
A key feature of the course is that it starts and finishes at the same place, making it much easier for participants to move around and find accommodation.
UK sports tour company Sports Tours International has details of the Etape du Tour on its website, where it advises:
"The Etape du Tour is a serious cyclo sportive. It is ridden at a strong pace and if you are not quick enough, you will be swept up by the Broom Wagon on one of the climbs or even earlier, so it is important to do a lot of training in the months before the event.
"You should be able to ride on the flat at a pace of 25/27kph (minimum) and be able to climb in the mountains at over 12/15 kph, even for the steepest sections, and your stamina really must be good enough to last the full distance.
"So, get yourself a good training plan"
Check out: www.sportstoursinternational.co.uk
Ian Jarrett
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