Etape du Tour

michaelm

Just wondering if anyone else has feedback from this? I'm gutted for my cycling colleague (68 yrs old) - just got a message saying it was his worst day ever on a bike (he rode his first Rás in 1959!) and had to abandon with 22km to go. He trained so hard for this over the winter and was so much looking forward to it. Like many cyclists of his age Tommy Simpson was a person he had great interest in and sympathy for. One of the highlights of today was meant to be cycling past the monument. It just proves that much as we all love it - cycling can be cruel.

henboy

michaelm wrote: »

Just wondering if anyone else has feedback from this? I'm gutted for my cycling colleague (68 yrs old) - just got a message saying it was his worst day ever on a bike (he rode his first Rás in 1959!) and had to abandon with 22km to go. He trained so hard for this over the winter and was so much looking forward to it. Like many cyclists of his age Tommy Simpson was a person he had great interest in and sympathy for. One of the highlights of today was meant to be cycling past the monument. It just proves that much as we all love it - cycling can be cruel.

Hi Michaelm, Fair play to him its still some achivement and he should be proud of himself. A friend of mine is also doing this I got a message to day saying it was the hardest thing he ever did in his life. He said the heat was cruel.

Lumen

Chris Boardman did it, and suffered. Looks like it took him about 10 hours.

edit: Chris Boardman 8:45:47, good for 4,102nd place

scottreynolds

Sounds daunting.... http://www.bikeradar.com/news/article/letape-final-report-ventoux-stands-firm-22481. TBH anyone who tackles that is pretty good. Hopefully the eTape next year doesn't end in a 21km climb .

2 Wheels Good

Doing Mont Ventoux next week from Bedoin, any tips would be appreciated! Have cycled that high before, but a twinged hamstring last week hasn't helped.

unionman

Just got word from a friend whose partner did it yesterday. She told me there were 9500 participants and he came 891st. In his age group (middle 40s I think) he came 320th.

So far the stats don't impress me until she tells me he did it in 6.5 hours :eek: (I have to assume that's rolling time).

Then she tells me he did it in the same time as this guy. Impressive, needless to say he is delighted.

They're off to watch the final stage in Paris on Saturday.

Then she asked me if I fancied doing it next year.:eek:

Well, only of I can carry one each of these in my saddle bag:


Obviously minus the human:

blorg

unionman wrote: »

Just got word from a friend whose partner did it yesterday. She told me there were 9500 participants and he came 891st. In his age group (middle 40s I think) he came 320th.

So far the stats don't impress me until she tells me he did it in 6.5 hours :eek: (I have to assume that's rolling time).

Then she tells me he did it in the same time as this guy. Impressive, needless to say he is delighted.

That is an impressive time, top 10% and I imagine gold certification- Zabel did it in 6:49:13 for 649th overall.

Poncherello

Excuse the ignorance but is the Etape a different stage each year i.e this year its Mt Ventoux
Is it the entire stage or a bit longer/shorter
I see you have to apply to get in - what are the criteria for being selected

Op sorry to hear about your friend, but I'm sure he only stopped for medical reasons

Hermy

Yep,it's a different stage each year.
A bit more info here.

blorg

It's the entire stage and is usually (always?) a mountain stage. Like many continental sportives it is raced by the top guys, the guy who won it this year was the French National Champion, the aptly named Dimitri Champion. There is a lottery for places- you need a French address to have a chance in the lottery. Apart from that places are made available to foreign tour companies at a much higher price (and they add on to make packages) so if you are willing to pay (a lot) you can get an entry any year without difficulty.

Beasty

blorg wrote: »

There is a lottery for places- you need a French address to have a chance in the lottery.

Clearly contravenes EU law then - anyone fancy a trip to the European Court?

blorg

Beasty wrote: »

Clearly contravenes EU law then - anyone fancy a trip to the European Court?

You need a French address, you don't have to be a French citizen. I don't think this contravenes anything.

Raam

blorg wrote: »

Like many continental sportives it is raced by the top guys, the guy who won it this year was the French National Champion, the aptly named Dimitri Champion.

Kelly was giving out about that yesterday. I think he is wondering why professionals are racing competitively in amateur sportives.

RobFowl

Raam wrote: »

Kelly was giving out about that yesterday. I think he is wondering why professionals are racing competitively in amateur sportives.

Because he's a nobody in a mickey mouse team who gets a kick out of beating freds
(very non -Euro)

Quigs Snr

I don't mind the Pro's being there, made me feel better when I did it that I was thrashed by a pro-tour rider (Rather than a fellow fred)

unionman

Bike Snob had a crack at Robert Mackey (scroll down to last 1/3 of the page)over this last year.

This was the first I'd ever heard of the Etape, so I had formed this 'golf for dentists' view of the thing which should really be revised now that I know someone who's done it.:o

Captain Havoc

unionman wrote: »

Bike Snob had a crack at Robert Mackey (scroll down to last 1/3 of the page)over this last year.

This was the first I'd ever heard of the Etape, so I had formed this 'golf for dentists' view of the thing which should really be revised now that I know someone who's done it.:o

Did you see this link in that column? http://everydayathleteblog.com/2008/07/12/chris-horner-gives-fallen-rider-and-bike-a-2k-ride-to-the-finish/

Beasty

blorg wrote: »

You need a French address, you don't have to be a French citizen. I don't think this contravenes anything.

Non-discrimination is one of the basic EU principles, and it is discriminatory if you do not make this available to all EU residents. If anyone does want to try and make the point, it could be worth a letter to your local MEP.

It's no different from what happened with the EURO 1996 tickets, when the EU found the distribution primarily among UK citizens (the finals were held in England) discriminatory. For EURO 2004 (Portugal, where I was fortunate to get a ticket for the final through the public ballot) and WC 2006 (Germany), tickets had to be made available to all EU residents equally - they did this by requiring applicants to have any EU address.

Diarmuid

Did the Etape on Monday. Was motoring well until the forest section of Ventoux. Slowed to a crawl there. Took me 4:48 to reach Bedoin (148 k mark at foot of Ventoux) and finished at the top in 7:08! Power output dropped badly on the climb. Either I didn't eat enough or I don't have the endurance for events over 5hrs yet (or both). Lots of bodies everywhere on Ventoux ; met or saw a good few Irish. Full report to follow.

unionman

Well done Diarmuid.

Diarmuid wrote: »

Did the Etape on Monday. Was motoring well until the forest section of Ventoux. Slowed to a crawl there. Took me 4:48 to reach Bedoin (148 k mark at foot of Ventoux) and finished at the top in 7:08! Power output dropped badly on the climb. Either I didn't eat enough or I don't have the endurance for events over 5hrs yet (or both). Lots of bodies everywhere on Ventoux ; met or saw a good few Irish. Full report to follow.

Beached

Was in the south of France for the last week and a bit. Was with the girlfriend so not much cycling done, but we decided to drive Ventoux. Very little internet access so i wasnt fully aware what day the etape was on, but as luck has it it was on the monday we got to bedoin. We were stopped outside the roundabout near Bedoin and turned back.
We got out and watched the cyclists for a while. This was i guess 30K from the top I think. The heat was unberable. No wind at the bottom though. I saw loads on An Post team jersies, three all together at one stage, one Limeriick CC and one Fermoy CC jersey.
Well done to anyone who attempted this.
I couldnt even manage walking in that heat

tomc

Just back from the etape, first time so delighted to finish especially as Ventoux was worse than expected. Had no trouble with earlier climbs but temps in the forest on Ventoux reached 40 degrees and there were walking wounded everywhere, lots of peeps giving up and turning round and coming back down the road at you. Reached Chalet Renard and it was bedlam as they had run out of water, after a Coke and a break found the last 6K easier as there was a nice breeze.
Focus Cayo was great but jesus that saddle is going in the bin and if i see another energy Gel...........

TomC

Diarmuid

Good man tomc. It was pretty hot in the forest! I put all the results from the web onto a spreadsheet. It interesting to see all the ex-pros and people from other sports in the lower bib numbers.
Eric Zabel did it in 6:48, Bobby Julich in 8:30 (I can only imagine he did it with friends), Chris Boardman in 8:05, Alain Prost 6:17 etc...

tomc

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/travel/holiday_type/active/article6724957.ece

Diarmuid

The timing mat beeped — I had finished. I crashed into the barriers and looked at the clock — 9hr 28min. The 22km climb had taken me four hours.

Ouch!