L’Etape Du Tour 2016
Having ridden the course at the end of May
with a select group of BCC members here are
some of my thoughts as to what to expect on
the big day. As a word of warning don’t over
analyse my Strava data as that does not
necessarily reflect an accurate picture and we
didn’t complete the course in one ride,
thankfully!
The 2016 Course
Let’s start with the good news. For those of
you that completed last year’s event this
edition is easier but that is a little bit like
saying would you prefer one punch in the face
or two! It is going to hurt no matter how fit or
experienced you are, it is after all a stage of
the Tour De France and an endurance event at
that. However, a good endurance training
plan will lessen the blow.
The bad news. This isn’t an extended Chiltern
100. Yes, it is shorter at about 91 miles but
higher with approximately 11,500ft of
climbing. It most definitely isn’t a Chiltern 100
with an extra couple of hills. There may be
only 4 climbs but each one will take between
1 and 2 hours to complete. Of course what
goes up must come down. Some of the
descents are very technical and in anything
other than dry conditions will be exceptionally
challenging. At the time of writing there are
only 34 days until the start so that leaves 2-3
solid weeks of training before tapering begins.
Col des Aravis
The ride starts in the up market ski resort of
Megeve with the first 10km or so being largely
downhill. Don’t get carried away at this stage,
focus on saving energy but making certain
that your legs are warmed up ready for the
Col des Aravis a 11km climb at 4.8% average
gradient climbing 600m. There is more to a
climb than just the numbers, particularly
average numbers as they often hide steep
sections or even slight descents. This is aptly
demonstrated by the Col de la Colombière
which is an 11.6km climb at 5.8% average
gradient climbing 669m. Sounds a bit harder
than the Col des Aravis but the consensus on
the day was that it was easier even though
the numbers suggest otherwise. It could be
that when we climbed the Col des Aravis it
was raining and the Col de la Colombière was
dry (apart from the wet concrete but more of
that later) but more than likely reflects how
many and how frequently the kicks arrive. In
either case they are certainly similar. The Col
des Aravis has a relatively flat 3km section
which means that the final 6km or so are in
the 7%-8% range finishing with a few hairpins
near the top and a 600 metre section at
11.8%.
Once at the top the descent is fast with good
forward visibility and relatively wide roads.
There are a few hairpins but nothing too
technical. This should prove to be a great
downhill section and at 12km long into Le
Grand-Bornand is an ideal confidence builder
before the more challenging descents.
Col de la Colombière
Once down it is straight back up. This is a
great climb averaging 6% for the first 10km
before ramping up to a steep 9% but by then
the end is in sight. Look carefully and you
might just see the cross on the mountain at
the top. Just why do so many mountains have
a cross at the top? The Colombière is one of
those great climbs that opens into high alpine
pastures with tall surrounding cliffs and a
good view of the route winding its way above
and below. Unfortunately for us the road was
closed half way up in the village of Chinaillon
which led to several creative options in an
attempt to bypass the road works including;
the use of a couple of flights of steps (worked
well), trying to ride through wet concrete
L’Etape Du Tour 2016
(inevitable result) and the very
unconventional use of a lift (cheating).
Jag completing the climb
The descent is roughly 15.5km long and starts
off with a very steep technical section with no
barrier and a vertiginous drop large enough to
make you think. Restraint on the upper levels
leads to a flowing 10km lower down which
should prove fun. Unfortunately for us the
road was covered in diesel from the heavy
equipment repairing the many landslides in
the area. At the bottom there is a 17km
relatively flat run to Mieussy before and some
time to recover before arriving at the foot of
the next climb.
Col de la Ramaz
Your legs will now begin to feel tired just as
the climbing becomes even more serious. Col
De La Ramaz is 15km long climbing just over
1000m at an average of 7%. The first few
kilometres are at roughly 5% but then it
ramps up to 10.5% for over 2km before
averaging between 6.5% and 8.5% for the rest
of the climb.
Gravel Col De La Ramaz (It was flooded when we rode it)
At the village of Messy approximately a
quarter of the way up have a look off to the
right and you will see the start of the snow
tunnel high above which is the hardest part of
the climb. Rumour has it that the climb
reaches 14% within the tunnel but regardless
of its gradient the fact that there is no natural
light and it is a great echo chamber seems to
help with the final push to the summit. The
route then passes the ski station at Summand
in a very pretty bowl before topping out
shortly after. A tough but very pretty climb
and for us a 300m section of gravel at the top
waiting for a layer of tarmac.
The descent is some 16km long and begins
easily enough into the village of Savoliere
followed by 6km of steep roads and tight
hairpins. For us it was by now raining heavily
which caused two problems. Firstly, we were
all so cold we had almost uncontrollable
shakes which felt as if something was wrong
with the bike. Secondly, some of the turns
were so steep that slowing in the rain was
difficult to say the least. Not a comforting
experience but nonetheless manageable. The
bottom section of the descent towards
Taninges is fast open and great fun and a real
opportunity to go for it but watch out for the
dozens of drain covers in the final couple of
kilometres. Once at the bottom a 13km run
along the valley floor, passing Verchaix where
we stayed, leads to the final climb of the day.
Col de Joux Plane
There is no easy way to say this but this is
hard, very hard and we climbed it on fresh
legs. 11.6km long at an average of 8.5%
climbing approximately 1000m. It is
unrelenting and starts with a very tough first
km that averages between 8.5% and 12%.
Think of it this way the climb from Wooburn
Green up Holtspur Top Lane averages 10% for
480m. So as a starter that first kilometre is
twice as long and steeper than our more local
climb. There are a couple of sections at 5%-6%
but the trend for the rest of the climb is 9%10% all the way to the top getting steeper in
L’Etape Du Tour 2016
the final 3km. Though we didn’t see it there
are apparently great views of Mount Blanc.
Col De Joux Plane summit
Lance Armstrong described the climb as the
hardest day of his life on a bike and it may
well be mine as well! It is considered the
toughest climb of this year’s Tour De France
and one of the very hardest in the Alps full
stop! I can hardly wait. Unfortunately, the
road at the top was closed or to be precise
the road at the top was now at the bottom of
the mountain.
other components. If you haven’t changed
brake and gear cables in the last 6 months do
it now as I have seen several cables fail that
have been less than a year old. Don’t ride on a
worn chain or cassette and if you do change
the cassette for a larger one change the chain
as well. A week before the event replace all of
the brake pads regardless of their wear. If
your existing pads are not significantly worn
they can be kept and reused later. The
descent of the Col De La Ramaz in the wet
almost completely wore out my rear pads and
I am not the heaviest of riders. I would also
highly recommend new tyres a week before
departure to allow time to wear off residue
from the manufacturing process but do check
them thoroughly before the big day. As with
brake pads existing tyres can be reused if not
significantly worn. Above all don’t buy
anything new for the event that hasn’t been
tested and that includes equipment, food and
clothing.
My goal this year is to finish without a repeat
of the agony of last year when cramp forced
me to a dead stop for longer than I care to
remember!
Closed ‘road’
For our training camp we stayed at La
Terrasse de Verchaix as guests of Philip and
Louise Taylor. A perfect location in a very
beautiful area. http://www.terrasse-deverchaix.com/
That means of course I can’t tell you about
the descent first hand but it is 11km long with
the upper reaches steep at 11% and technical
though averaging out at 6.5% for its length.
The time will come soon enough when your
training plan is complete and you have a
strategy in place. Don’t forget that your bike
forms a crucial part of the team and it needs
to be in top condition. Now is the time to
think about fitting low gears (I used a 32 tooth
and switched between that and a 28 fairly
constantly on most of the climbs) and test
them. Despite what the manufacturers say
most bikes and group sets will accommodate
a larger cassette without changing any of the
La Terrasse de Verchaix