etape du tour 2014 pau - hauticam

gooch134 · 19-11-2013 11:33am #1

Hello everyone. Four friends and I are interested in cycling this great event. We have all registered online and have been accepted. Now the hard part.

None of us have ever done this before. Thinking of staying in hauticam for duration of trip. Has anyone stayed there before? Where else would be a good alternative place to stay? Would like to stay close to pyrenees.

Flights. Where is the easiest cheapest place to fly into? Toulouse , biarritz. I know this has been done before as etape regularly start in pau and take in pyrenees.

Bike rental. We will all need to rent road bikes. What options available? I have googled rent a bike in france and the major players are already booked out for this event. I have tried the irish site bike touring but they have decided against etape 2014. I don't know of any other irish based groups whom accommodate the event.

We are all based in kerry and cork. Any one with ideas on how to best proceed with our cycle much appreciated. Is there an irish etape group that gets together for an event like this?

montac · 19-11-2013 12:45pm

Hi Gooch
I rode the Pau-Hautacam etape back in 2008. We stayed in a hotel in Argeles-Gazost, a nice village, which isn't too far from Hautacam. A coach was provided to get us from Argeles-Gazost to Pau for the start.
If you arrive a couple of days before the etape, then you can do a few good rides up super cols such as Luz-Ardiden, the Tourmalet, the Col du Soulor.
I travelled with Onyourbike.ie, who were fantastic. I wasn't a member of a club then, and that would be the biggest piece of advice I'd give you - join a club! You will steadily increase distance, speed, and technique.
Enjoy!

gooch134 · 19-11-2013 3:21pm

Thanks for your reply.

Onyourbike.ie not interested this year. I have taken your point about arriving early and sampling few of the iconic cols on board. I will also check out your town for accomodation availabilty.

Did onyourbike.ie take care of your bike or did you rent locally? Is there another tour operator that may be able to get our bikes out from Ireland if all else fails? We are hoping to rent locally but need to act fast as bike rentals are already being booked.

Were you able to descend hauticam to your accomodation after you completed the climb or was there another way down the mountain? I assume you are not aloowed descend when others are climbing up. I suspect the Broom wagon might not be too far away so that may not be an issue. I suspect we will not be able to cycle far after completing the course.

Cheers again

montac · 19-11-2013 4:18pm

Onyourbike brought our bikes to and from France and I rode my own bike on the etape. I am not sure of options for rentals, but I know there are a few top bike shops in / near Argeles-Gazost. We stayed in Les Cimes hotel, which was ok, and they were very accomodating re bikes and gear.
Another option might be here:
http://www.pyreneescyclinglodge.com/
I believe velopeloton (of this parish) is linked to this lodge, which would be perfect for returning from the Hautacam.
When we finished at the Hautacam, we were free to cycle down the mountain - so the route to the summit was a two way road. It was cold and wet by the time I finished (not too far in front of the broomwagon!), so make sure you are prepared for all conditions!

Koobcam · 19-11-2013 4:38pm

gooch134 wrote: »

Hello everyone. Four friends and I are interested in cycling this great event. We have all registered online and have been accepted. Now the hard part.

None of us have ever done this before. Thinking of staying in hauticam for duration of trip. Has anyone stayed there before? Where else would be a good alternative place to stay? Would like to stay close to pyrenees.

Flights. Where is the easiest cheapest place to fly into? Toulouse , biarritz. I know this has been done before as etape regularly start in pau and take in pyrenees.

Bike rental. We will all need to rent road bikes. What options available? I have googled rent a bike in france and the major players are already booked out for this event. I have tried the irish site bike touring but they have decided against etape 2014. I don't know of any other irish based groups whom accommodate the event.

We are all based in kerry and cork. Any one with ideas on how to best proceed with our cycle much appreciated. Is there an irish etape group that gets together for an event like this?

I think Lourdes is fairly near to the Hautacam climb, might be an option to stay in also. For flights, there's Bayonne and Toulouse as you mentioned, also I think Carpentras. Personally, I reckon you would be better off taking your own bike-I'm assuming you have your own bike at this stage since you'd need to put in a fair few miles to be able to get up the Tourmalet. I also signed up for the Etape so I'd be interested also to find out about decent places to stay. Last year, I also did the Etape. I arrived a week beforehand, though as I was flying from China, I had jet lag to content with also. It was definitely useful though to have done some of the climbs before the actual race, though you also probably would not want to be killing yourself with climbing the week of the event. Also, would be interested in keeping in touch with you and any other lads who are doing the Etape, just to compare notes on training and maybe share some info on flights, hotels etc

velopeloton · 19-11-2013 4:50pm

montac wrote: »

Onyourbike brought our bikes to and from France and I rode my own bike on the etape. I am not sure of options for rentals, but I know there are a few top bike shops in / near Argeles-Gazost. We stayed in Les Cimes hotel, which was ok, and they were very accomodating re bikes and gear.
Another option might be here:
http://www.pyreneescyclinglodge.com/
I believe velopeloton (of this parish) is linked to this lodge, which would be perfect for returning from the Hautacam.
When we finished at the Hautacam, we were free to cycle down the mountain - so the route to the summit was a two way road. It was cold and wet by the time I finished (not too far in front of the broomwagon!), so make sure you are prepared for all conditions!

We are fully booked that week, have been for months.

I would forget about renting. Take you own bikes, it is by far the best solution. All bike rental is probably gone by now anyway. Try www.ardidenvelos.com they speak English.

You could send them with shipmytribike.com they are really good, I highly recomend them.

Again I would say that all the hotels in Argeles are probably full by now. You should look for a hotel in Lourdes, it will be downhill after the finish. For the start ride to Pau or arrange a taxi. It is 41km approx and is flat so should not be too much of a problem if riding in a group, a good warm up, there will be lots of riders doing it. You will need to go to Pau the day before to sign on so you will know how long it will take. From Lourdes take D937 rather than D940, nicer road and a lot less traffic.

It's an easy route next year, 145km with 3600m of climbing. Hardly a challenge at all

velopeloton · 19-11-2013 4:53pm

http://youtu.be/StzyxRwOlGo

gooch134 · 19-11-2013 5:19pm

Thanks koobcam & velopeloton, some good info.

I have been looking at Lourdes and Pau and both places are geographically sound. I was trying to be a little more optimistic and find something in the heart of the pyrenees. If I fail to find something close to hauticam then I will look at Lourdes as next best option.

The thought of bringing my bike on a plane with me is just too off putting at moment. I will get in touch with shipmytribike.com if bike rental fails. I have a compact 50/34 and 11/25 casette. All my other mates have similar gear ratios. Assuming I do not want to change to a triple what casette will see me to the finish. Collected one on wiggle last week 12/32 for 16 euro, impulse buy, doubt I will ever use it. I dont want to change the rear derrailer to a long cage. What is the max allowable number of teeth a short cage derailer can handle. I believe it is somewhere around the 30 tooth mark. I would like to know from koobcam what gear ratios you choose for last years etape and what ones you will choose for this years.

As for the 40km warm up, that sounds interesting. Must now work on the lads. Any thoughts on driving over for the event. I may have my wife and 2 1/2 year old child with me so the thought of driving a few days to get there could spell disaster. I may have to fly anyway but the other lads could drive over but would like to know how long it takes from rosslare limiting stops to a minimun.

Thanks again

velopeloton · 19-11-2013 5:44pm

gooch134 wrote: »

Thanks koobcam & velopeloton, some good info.

I have been looking at Lourdes and Pau and both places are geographically sound. I was trying to be a little more optimistic and find something in the heart of the pyrenees. If I fail to find something close to hauticam then I will look at Lourdes as next best option.

The thought of bringing my bike on a plane with me is just too off putting at moment. I will get in touch with shipmytribike.com if bike rental fails. I have a compact 50/34 and 11/25 casette. All my other mates have similar gear ratios. Assuming I do not want to change to a triple what casette will see me to the finish. Collected one on wiggle last week 12/32 for 16 euro, impulse buy, doubt I will ever use it. I dont want to change the rear derrailer to a long cage. What is the max allowable number of teeth a short cage derailer can handle. I believe it is somewhere around the 30 tooth mark. I would like to know from koobcam what gear ratios you choose for last years etape and what ones you will choose for this years.

As for the 40km warm up, that sounds interesting. Must now work on the lads. Any thoughts on driving over for the event. I may have my wife and 2 1/2 year old child with me so the thought of driving a few days to get there could spell disaster. I may have to fly anyway but the other lads could drive over but would like to know how long it takes from rosslare limiting stops to a minimun.

Thanks again

I don't know about gearing, it depends how fit you are, what weight, etc.

Hautacam is 25km from the centre of Lourdes.

I said Lourdes to Pau was flat, it's actually downhill, you'll lose over 200m.

Cherbourg is approx 1000 km from Lourdes, 11 to 12 hours.

Koobcam · 19-11-2013 5:48pm

gooch134 wrote: »

Thanks koobcam & velopeloton, some good info.

I have been looking at Lourdes and Pau and both places are geographically sound. I was trying to be a little more optimistic and find something in the heart of the pyrenees. If I fail to find something close to hauticam then I will look at Lourdes as next best option.

The thought of bringing my bike on a plane with me is just too off putting at moment. I will get in touch with shipmytribike.com if bike rental fails. I have a compact 50/34 and 11/25 casette. All my other mates have similar gear ratios. Assuming I do not want to change to a triple what casette will see me to the finish. Collected one on wiggle last week 12/32 for 16 euro, impulse buy, doubt I will ever use it. I dont want to change the rear derrailer to a long cage. What is the max allowable number of teeth a short cage derailer can handle. I believe it is somewhere around the 30 tooth mark. I would like to know from koobcam what gear ratios you choose for last years etape and what ones you will choose for this years.

As for the 40km warm up, that sounds interesting. Must now work on the lads. Any thoughts on driving over for the event. I may have my wife and 2 1/2 year old child with me so the thought of driving a few days to get there could spell disaster. I may have to fly anyway but the other lads could drive over but would like to know how long it takes from rosslare limiting stops to a minimun.

Thanks again

Gear ratio needed depends on how fit you are, your experience with long steep climbs. Personally, I go for a 50/34, with a 12-29 cassette (campag). It's no harm to have an emergency bailout gear. I believe Campagnolo short cage 11-speed derailleurs can take up to 29 teeth, for shimano & SRAM short cages, it's a max of 28, but they also have long cages which allow you to use mountain bike-style gears. From what I can tell, the Tourmalet will be something like climbing the Shay Elliot five or six times in succession without any respite, then a 30-40km descent and more of the same at Hautacam-well maybe only 4 or 5 Shay Elliotts this time. On the Etape earlier this year, the climbs were different, lots of short ones at the start, a long steady one and then a brutal last 10km at about 9%.-I needed my 29 for that. The other thing is that if you have a high number, it will mean lots of other people riding down Hautacam while you are climbing it, which will basically lead to a traffic jam, so you might also just need a low gear for that.

on_the_nickel · 19-11-2013 9:19pm

gooch134 wrote: »

The thought of bringing my bike on a plane with me is just too off putting at moment. I will get in touch with shipmytribike.com if bike rental fails. I have a compact 50/34 and 11/25 casette. All my other mates have similar gear ratios. Assuming I do not want to change to a triple what casette will see me to the finish. Collected one on wiggle last week 12/32 for 16 euro, impulse buy, doubt I will ever use it. I dont want to change the rear derrailer to a long cage. What is the max allowable number of teeth a short cage derailer can handle. I believe it is somewhere around the 30 tooth mark. I would like to know from koobcam what gear ratios you choose for last years etape and what ones you will choose for this years.

We stayed in this place in September. At the foot of the Hautacam.

http://www.sunelia.com/en/espace_sunelia/france/hautes-pyrenees/fiche-camping/les-trois-vallees-48

I'd really recommend bringing your own bike. I've rented carbon bikes in the past, and if the sizing is off, you'll really feel it on something like the Etape. The day will be hard enough, I can't imagine doing it on a loaner.

For gearing, I had 34/25 for the trip, and we did both sides of the Tourmalet and the Hautacam. Apart from short sections, I wasn't desperately looking for a lower gear, but obviously that depends on fitness.

We flew into Barca (from Cork) - give 6/7 hours to get to Argeles. Carcassone is an option during the summer, but you'll need to be straight on it when Ryanair release their schedules.

kemow · 19-11-2013 9:47pm

Get in touch with trail-seekers.com sean o leary is the man to talk to he is based in cork and will sort everything out for you tell him paddy put you on to him i have been away a few times with him on etape trips and they are always very good we did this course a couple of years ago with sean and stayed in argeles gazost it is right in the middle of all the famous climbs in the pyrenees sean has a trip going this year so get in contact with him

RO 06 · 20-11-2013 11:59am

Shipmytribike are €185. Collect in Pau on thurs and leave to them on Monday.
Planning on flying out on fri and return on wed. Hoping to see tour on tues. Have looked at a few packages but haven't decided which one.

Tree Scape · 20-11-2013 12:47pm

kemow wrote: »

Get in touch with trail-seekers.com sean o leary is the man to talk to he is based in cork and will sort everything out for you tell him paddy put you on to him i have been away a few times with him on etape trips and they are always very good we did this course a couple of years ago with sean and stayed in argeles gazost it is right in the middle of all the famous climbs in the pyrenees sean has a trip going this year so get in contact with him

I've sent off an email to him.
Think I'm mad but we'll see:D

gooch134 · 20-11-2013 2:13pm

Thanks for advice & info. Been in contact with trail seekers by phone this morning. He will email me packages. Sounds great but we boys are on a budget so haven't committed to anything yet. We are giving serious consideration to driving over with bikes on board. We think we will be able to get there and back for 1000 euro. Divided by 4 means 250 each. We can alk drive and have access to a 4 x 4 jeep. Would one jeep be enough for 4 of us. Thoughts on driving over welcome preferably from those who have driven over to this before. Keep you posted and thanks again all.

2 Wheels Good · 20-11-2013 3:40pm

gooch134 wrote: »

Thanks for advice & info. Been in contact with trail seekers by phone this morning. He will email me packages. Sounds great but we boys are on a budget so haven't committed to anything yet. We are giving serious consideration to driving over with bikes on board. We think we will be able to get there and back for 1000 euro. Divided by 4 means 250 each. We can alk drive and have access to a 4 x 4 jeep. Would one jeep be enough for 4 of us. Thoughts on driving over welcome preferably from those who have driven over to this before. Keep you posted and thanks again all.

Drove over in 2011 to the Alps through the UK as I went on my own and cost of ferry direct to France was excessive. It was long! Driving many hours down dull motorway was tough going, it only got interesting once I got to the Alps. It took me 2 1/2 days to make it to my hotel from Cork.
But it's about 1000km from Cherbourg so very doable, and if you've more than one driver even better. And with Lourdes so close to start and finish it's possible to do it on the cheap. Trying to work out costs at the moment.

bcmf · 20-11-2013 4:18pm

gooch134 wrote: »

Thanks for advice & info. Been in contact with trail seekers by phone this morning. He will email me packages. Sounds great but we boys are on a budget so haven't committed to anything yet. We are giving serious consideration to driving over with bikes on board. We think we will be able to get there and back for 1000 euro. Divided by 4 means 250 each. We can alk drive and have access to a 4 x 4 jeep. Would one jeep be enough for 4 of us. Thoughts on driving over welcome preferably from those who have driven over to this before. Keep you posted and thanks again all.

I would be very surprised if you did a driving trip like that for under a grand.
Motorway tolls alone in France would prob cost about €100.
A loaded 4x4 would be an animal on juice for that distance.

Koobcam · 20-11-2013 5:47pm

bcmf wrote: »

I would be very surprised if you did a driving trip like that for under a grand.
Motorway tolls alone in France would prob cost about €100.
A loaded 4x4 would be an animal on juice for that distance.

Last year I flew to Geneva and rented a car there. Agree with the post about the cost of tolls - €7.50 to drive the 40 or so km from Geneva to Annecy! It was great though cruising around the alps in a BMW and actually it's also a good way to look over the course without killing yourself cycling it in the days before the race. For next year in Pau, I will probably do something similar-no way my crappy little renault clio would survive the trip to the south of France. If you do the fly-car rental option and bring your own bike, you also would need to think about where to stash your bike case-I found a great B&B in Geneva who agreed to hold on to it for a couple of weeks while I drove around. Personally, I would not be too keen on driving 1000+km in France, though with 4 of you maybe it wouldn't be so bad. Be prepared for lots of roundabouts, speed traps, expensive tolls and bad drivers.

ford2600 · 20-11-2013 6:04pm

gooch134 wrote: »

Thanks for advice & info. Been in contact with trail seekers by phone this morning. He will email me packages. Sounds great but we boys are on a budget so haven't committed to anything yet. We are giving serious consideration to driving over with bikes on board. We think we will be able to get there and back for 1000 euro. Divided by 4 means 250 each. We can alk drive and have access to a 4 x 4 jeep. Would one jeep be enough for 4 of us. Thoughts on driving over welcome preferably from those who have driven over to this before. Keep you posted and thanks again all.

I wouldn't dream of driving. But a value on your time; 2 days wasted.
I've done over 180km in a day on different rented bikes, once your measurements are good it's like cycling your own bike.

velopeloton · 20-11-2013 10:57pm

A little taste for you. This corner is 4km from the finish, 15%. Photo taken about 16:00 this afternoon, it was -4c.

bespoke · 21-11-2013 1:37am

Hi Gooch,
I am part of a group that is heading to Pau for the start of the Etape, and then we are transferring to the heart of the Pyrennees for an extra few days to spectate a couple of stages of the Tour. We have pre-booked airport transfers, accommodation and bike hire. We are currently looking into transporting our own bikes over, which we hope to be able to do for a similar cost to local bike hire. At the moment we have some empty spaces in the group, and plenty of Etape experience, so if you wish to send me a pm I can send you and your group the relevant info.

on_the_nickel · 21-11-2013 10:39am

velopeloton wrote: »

A little taste for you. This corner is 4km from the finish, 15%. Photo taken about 16:00 this afternoon, it was -4c.

"ringaringaringaring"

CHIPPY1979 · 22-11-2013 9:41am

Know I late coming to this thread, but 16 of us did it the year before last and we shipped our own bikes by DHL. Excellent service and well worth looking into

nigelhic · 23-11-2013 11:27am

Flying into Bilbao from Dublin and hiring a car, 2 hr drive to Pau. Taking bike with Aer Lingus. Staying in Lourdes, good choice of accommodation
and only 10 km ride to Argeles Gazost where the climbing starts.

CHIPPY1979 · 25-11-2013 1:57pm

nigelhic wrote: »

Flying into Bilbao from Dublin and hiring a car, 2 hr drive to Pau.

This is exactly what we did but it is longer than a 2 hour drive. More so 3.5 hrs. Car hire in Spain www.doyouspain.com I think, very reasonable, but let them know you are going over the border to France. HIre a people carrier IMO. Lots of room for bikes and luggage

RO 06 · 25-11-2013 4:32pm

CHIPPY1979 wrote: »

nigelhic wrote: »

Flying into Bilbao from Dublin and hiring a car, 2 hr drive to Pau.

This is exactly what we did but it is longer than a 2 hour drive. More so 3.5 hrs. Car hire in Spain www.doyouspain.com I think, very reasonable, but let them know you are going over the border to France. HIre a people carrier IMO. Lots of room for bikes and luggage

How are you getting back from finish to Pau?

Sjhrunner · 30-11-2013 7:24pm

I think driving is very do-able.
Only issue is having expensive bikes on the back of the jeep if you are staying overnight somewhere.
We have one expensive bike and 2 crappy bikes on our car and we have got away with it.

My friends who have done the etape every year for the last five years always camp (in their tent)
Last year one issue with Irish guys bringing their own bike, was the guys inability to put the bikes back together on arrival.
If flying your bike over in a bike box, make sure you know how to reassemble it properly.

The other issue is that if you are in the latter half of the pack the food/drink stops can be crowded even have run out.
Ideally have a refuelling back up plan if the food stops let you down.

It gets very crowded in the slow end of the etape, you might have to push your bike up the climb just because there is no room to cycle.

Tree Scape · 18-01-2014 3:36pm

Anyone know roughly how much to dhl bike to France and back. Will be on 2.5 weeks hols there pre-etape and would like to do some training . South of france

lizzylad84 · 18-01-2014 8:19pm

Just as a netter of interest, what type of experience would you need to have regarding avg speed/race experience to do this event.? It's in my list for 2015.

Pinch Flat · 18-01-2014 9:42pm

lizzylad84 wrote: »

Just as a netter of interest, what type of experience would you need to have regarding avg speed/race experience to do this event.? It's in my list for 2015.

I did the étape in 2012. I suppose we had 6 months of training seriously. Depends what level of fitness you're coming from, but my own opinion would be min 6 months to prepare

velopeloton · 18-01-2014 10:24pm

lizzylad84 wrote: »

Just as a netter of interest, what type of experience would you need to have regarding avg speed/race experience to do this event.? It's in my list for 2015.

That's different every year. This year is easy at only 145km with 3600m climbing. The last one in the Pyrénées two years ago was very different 200km with 4800m climbing.

No race experience necessary unless you want to finish in the first 500 or so. The broom wagon travels at approx 18kph so that's the minimum speed you need to do. If it's very hot that can be very hard to maintain. For this year I expect the first riders to finish in about 4:45. The roads in Argeles at the bottom of Hautacam are due to reopen at 15:00 so the cutoff is 8 hours to there with 14.5km to go. I hope to do it in under 6.

Basically spend as many hours on the bike as you can and do as many rides of 100km or more as you can. Then wait and see what the route is in October and then focus your training on that. If you could ride 100km in 4 hours you would easily manage this years etape.

nigelhic · 19-01-2014 10:13pm

Did the etape last year with less 1 yr cycling experience. As already mentioned, you need to get as many 100k plus spins in as possible. I signed up to as many of the toughest 160k sportives as I could. Also had a couple of one week training camps in Tenerife and the Alps. Will head to the Pyrennes at least once before July. You do need to start training/planning about 6months before. Many will be working off the Xmas excess now and planning their sportives. If you are serious you will start hitting the hills, if it does not hurt you are not training hard enough for the etape. You should be thinking of dropping as much weight as possible. A week away in hot weather will help, you just can't re-create the heat and climbs in Ireland. Love Tenerife myself, Teide is very long and great for climitising your legs. Go for it but if you don't look upon it as a serious challenge you will end up walking up Hautacam or even the Tourmalet. Look upon it like a marathon, you need to be fit but you also need the miles in your legs to avoid suffering and having to walk.

Curnode · 23-01-2014 3:55pm

Hello ,
Myself and my family have just booked our holidays for this July near Bayonne. Obviously I am too late for registration for the Etape which is nearby in Pau this year. Does anyone know how I might get an entry for this. Obviously I will not require accomodation etc so a tour operator is not what I require......

Thanks and regards.

Pinch Flat · 23-01-2014 4:01pm

Curnode wrote: »

Hello ,
Myself and my family have just booked our holidays for this July near Bayonne. Obviously I am too late for registration for the Etape which is nearby in Pau this year. Does anyone know how I might get an entry for this. Obviously I will not require accomodation etc so a tour operator is not what I require......

Thanks and regards.

You will get an entry from one of the official tour companies - looking at around 200 lids though.

Curnode · 23-01-2014 5:10pm

Thanks Pinch Flat . Do you know which tour companies I can/should contact . the timing is perfect for me as I'm flying home from holidays on Monday 21st July .....so hopefully I can get an entry .

Pinch Flat · 23-01-2014 5:20pm

Check the official Etape page:

http://www.letapedutour.com/ET1/us/details_tarifs.html

onyourbike.ie used to do them here, but looks like they're no longer involved.

2 Wheels Good · 23-01-2014 6:29pm

Try Trail Seekers in Cork, they're going again this year.

Curnode · 24-01-2014 1:11pm

Thanks Pinch Flat !!!
I got sorted with Ronen Pensac travel - €220 euros for entry only . Expensive but I wouldn't miss it for the world when I'm in the area on hols.. FYI -La Fuga were nlooking for £260 stg for the same.......... I was warned that they are expensive.

Here is a very good link I found with Pyractif showing all the details for the big climbs in the Pyrennees
http://www.pyractif.com/profiles/index.html

ROLL ON JULY !!!

letape · 24-01-2014 1:21pm

Pinch Flat wrote: »

You will get an entry from one of the official tour companies - looking at around 200 lids though.

It is not necessary to enter through an official tour company where you pay them for the entry as part of a provided package including transfers and accomodation etc.

The two years I entered it, I registered directly with the L'etape organisation. It used require a written application but is now on-line. Entry on-line if I remember correctly, is in November.

The only challenge with just buying the entry directly is organising a transfer from the finish back to where you are staying.

gr3g0ree · 05-02-2014 1:12pm

Even though I will be traveling from London thx for all the info shared here gentleman. I did the Etape last year, my 1st bike race whatsoever! Before that I only did a charity ride From London to Cambridge. And I don't own a racing bike!!! My all purpose bike is a 4y+ 17.5Kg hybrid. I did my training from last Febr. till last year July on that one bike!

Got my entry last year with a charity, did rent a Scot Metrix 20 in Annecy for 3x days (I 1st sat on the bike the day before the race, but it had awesome balance and disk brakes) and finished the race, over 8h, but wasn't over exhausted in the end, the granny gear helped a lot

The plan for this year is the same. Rent a bike, fly in somewhere close, find private accommodation - just organize it on a budget really. And do better than last year. I don't know what your perception of minimal requirements are for finishing it, but you only need to train well and to know what are you up against. My longest single bike ride before the Etape was barely 115Km including a few Box Hill repeats(where they did the Olympic road race).

For sure there is a need to somehow simulate a 10+Km constant ascent. Cycling on flats, no matter how hard its not the same. Best advice that stuck with me was - ..." hold your brakes lightly on a flat and ride. That's the closest you will get to ascend a mountain on a flat." - got it from some other forum and found it true while riding up Mt Revard.

And the weather this year might be a big factor again. I will try and go out on a ride later this year when its pouring down. Get all my rain-kit out and just experience what would it be like to ride up Tourmalet in rain, wind and cold. Need to find out how my body will react and if there is anything I would need to buy/adjust, I would rather find it out before the race and if worst happens in France, will be more prepared.

Good luck to you all.

nigelhic · 05-02-2014 4:39pm

gr3g0ree - That's great going, limiting your longest ride to 115km before an Etape is normally a recipe for pain! You obviously did a lot of hill work. The real obstacles are the hills and the weather. The heat if sunny 30C+ and if raining the descents, you can get cold very quickly on a long wet descent. I would have no problem riding up the Tourmalet in the wet, it's the cold and slippery roads on the descent you need to look out for. A lot of people will never have experienced a long 10-15km descent in the wet. Like you I will be doing it on the cheap, PS don't leave your bioke hire too late, you may struggle. Best of luck with the training, still trying to work off the excesses of the Xmas myself.

Koobcam · 05-02-2014 4:56pm

I think how you find the Etape depends on how you approach the event-if you're going for a good time, then it will be painful, maybe less so if you just want to finish. I think last year's Etape was more or less designed so everyone finished-I think the vast majority of those starting finished. Once you got over Mt Revard, there was pretty much no way not to finish unless you crashed or something. I think this is a good approach as it caters to people with different goals, and I expect that this year's will be somewhat similar. The weather will be key though. Personally, if it looks like rain, I will not be doing the Etape.

Curnode · 05-02-2014 6:07pm

Hello all ,
For those looking after their own accomodation , how are you faring out.? Is there any accomodation left in Pau? Is it practical to stay the night before in Lourdes and cycle the 40km to Pau for the start? What are the start times typically?
Any thoughts, hints etc would be greatly appreciated. Obviousy staying in Lourdes will mean a short spin after the finish, but the iea of 40km at 5am to get to the start is not appealing. Is it possible to get a shuttle from Hautacam back to Pau (assuming I can get accomodation there!!)

Thanks

gooch134 · 05-02-2014 10:31pm

Thanks for all your responses and advice. In the end we dicided to go the easy route. Trail Seekers are taking care of everything for us. Considering none of our group have taken this on before and the hassle of arranging accomodation at a very busy time of the year its best we concentrate on cycling and leave the rest take care of itself. None of my group have started training for it yet but we are led to believe that plenty time for that from easter on. See you at the start line. Should be fun

gr3g0ree · 08-02-2014 3:01am

nigelhic wrote: »

gr3g0ree - That's great going, limiting your longest ride to 115km before an Etape is normally a recipe for pain! You obviously did a lot of hill work. The real obstacles are the hills and the weather. The heat if sunny 30C+ and if raining the descents, you can get cold very quickly on a long wet descent. I would have no problem riding up the Tourmalet in the wet, it's the cold and slippery roads on the descent you need to look out for. A lot of people will never have experienced a long 10-15km descent in the wet. Like you I will be doing it on the cheap, PS don't leave your bioke hire too late, you may struggle. Best of luck with the training, still trying to work off the excesses of the Xmas myself.

Thx nigelhic, it was so hot last year, I just had to go slow

Up Semnoz I saw a guy stopping and barely falling over while 2x others grabbed him, still on his bike, unable to unclip. Another lady!!! panting and hissing and moaning on her bike, stopping at the side while a man pouring water straight at her head. You have to prepare for all kind of weather. being fit means nothing if you get dehydrated.
Re descent: I'm not afraid of wet. Snow and ice is slippery, wet is just wet. Disk brakes do miracles

I had a situation at the very bottom of Mt Revard.
Bike sorted btw, managed to reserve a Scott Speedster 30.

Koobcam wrote: »

I think how you find the Etape depends on how you approach the event-if you're going for a good time, then it will be painful, maybe less so if you just want to finish. I think last year's Etape was more or less designed so everyone finished-I think the vast majority of those starting finished. Once you got over Mt Revard, there was pretty much no way not to finish unless you crashed or something. I think this is a good approach as it caters to people with different goals, and I expect that this year's will be somewhat similar. The weather will be key though. Personally, if it looks like rain, I will not be doing the Etape.

I read that the Annecy stage was the most spectacular that year, and indeed the scenery was amazing. I was looking around a lot, and could not understand those burying their heads down. On my way home spoke to a lad in the bus who did not finish. It was a short conversation

Once I'm there, at least want to give it a go. I would rather prefer extreme hot then rain.

Curnode wrote: »

Hello all ,
For those looking after their own accomodation , how are you faring out.? Is there any accomodation left in Pau? Is it practical to stay the night before in Lourdes and cycle the 40km to Pau for the start? What are the start times typically?
Any thoughts, hints etc would be greatly appreciated. Obviousy staying in Lourdes will mean a short spin after the finish, but the iea of 40km at 5am to get to the start is not appealing. Is it possible to get a shuttle from Hautacam back to Pau (assuming I can get accomodation there!!)

Thanks

I'm trying to sort out anything in Pau, at least for the start, and then maybe stay in Lourdes. No luck yet. Your start time will depend on your race number - you will be allocated in a pen and the smaller the number the earlier you start. Of course front of the pen starts before the back end

The best ones - 1000/2000 start from 6.30am.
Really don't want to ride the worst case scenario - 40Km rain in the morning to the start (or any 40km in the morning at all).

gooch134 wrote: »

... its best we concentrate on cycling and leave the rest take care of itself. None of my group have started training for it yet but we are led to believe that plenty time for that from easter on...

<- dude. You have to start training right now. You don't know what you are up against, and think you can get ready for it in under 3 months? Even if you hire couches to help you, don't wait till Easter. That's a recipe for disaster.

I am about to get the flights sorted, The 'best' combo will probably be to fly to Bordeaux or Biarritz and get to Pau by train/bus. There is an excellent site:
http://www.rome2rio.com/s/Nearby-Airports/Pau
Now only to know where to sleep ...

peachyb · 04-03-2014 1:19pm

Hi,

can entries be sold on does anyone know. A friend of mine is interested in joining us

Curnode · 04-03-2014 1:30pm

I beleive it can be difficult to transfer entries to another person as the organizers look to formal identification (passport etc)- though I am not an expert on this.
Personall I bought an "entry only" from Ronaen Pensec Travel in the past month. However it cost me €220 !!

Pinch Flat · 04-03-2014 2:05pm

Curnode wrote: »

I beleive it can be difficult to transfer entries to another person as the organizers look to formal identification (passport etc)- though I am not an expert on this.
Personall I bought an "entry only" from Ronaen Pensec Travel in the past month. However it cost me €220 !!

They do check a passport against an entry on the day before.

peachyb · 04-03-2014 3:42pm

Thanks guys - set up like Glastonbury so - he's looking into buying from Ronaen Pensec too

Hardy Backs · 04-03-2014 3:56pm

Im looking for an entry as well,but its proving to be very costly going through travel agents .If anyone hears of someone not going will they put them in touch with me please.Thanks

velopeloton · 04-03-2014 11:33pm

Route map

etape du tour 2014 pau - hauticam

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