Etape de Tour 2010

velopeloton

Rumor here is that Etape 2010 will be from Pau to Col du Tourmalet on 12 or 20 July. The stage itself is #18 and will be on 22 July. Climbs included will be Marie Blanque, Aubisque, Soulor, Bordéres and Tourmalet, should be about 170km. The route will be announced on 14th October at 11:30 in Paris.

http://www.velopeloton.com/blog.htm

17 July: Stage 14, Rodez - Revel
18 July: Stage 15, Revel - Luchon/Super Bagnéres (Portet d'Aspet, Col de Menté, Port de Balès)
19 July: Stage 16, Bagnéres de Bigorre - Col du Tourmalet ITT
20 July: Rest Day
21 July: Stage 17 Luchon - Col d'Aubisque/Pau (Peyresourde, Aspin, Tourmalet, Aubisque)
22 July: Stage 18 Pau - Col du Tourmalet (Marie Blanque, Aubisque, Soulor, Bordéres, Tourmalet). This will also be the Etape de Tour.
23 July: Stage 19 Salies de Béarn - Bordeaux
24 July: Stage 20 Bordeaux - Pauillac ITT
25 July: Stage 21 Rambouillet - Paris Champs Elysées

blorg

That sounds like quite a tough Etape, three serious climbs in there that I know of and Bordéres which I don't!

Nova_era

Whats the story witht he Etape? I assume it costs an arm and leg, and there are very limited places?

sy

Marie Blanque, Aubisque, Soulor, Bordéres, Tourmalet!

This looks like one tough cookie for the Etape. Like blorg, know all except Bordéres which seems about 1200m from quick glance at the map. The surface on the Soulor side of the Aubisque was dreadful (2 years ago) That was the year that Rasmussen and Contador knocked sparks off each other but they climbed from the Gourette side which was completely resurfaced and easier:rolleyes:. Finishing on the Tourmalet, after these climbs, will not be easy.

Looks like the Pyrenees will be the highlight of the 2010 Tour and Lance likes the Pyrenees!!

@Nova_era The Etape (which I never did, yet!) is a lottery. Not all entrants guaranteed a place. I am sure Diarmuid will fill you in later as he did it last year and so have quite a few Boardsies.

Diarmuid

I'd be surprised if the Etape du Tour went to Tourmalet again so soon after 2008. I think it's time for a return to the Alps in 2010.

velopeloton

sy wrote: »

Like blorg, know all except Bordéres which seems about 1200m from quick glance at the map. The surface on the Soulor side of the Aubisque was dreadful (2 years ago) That was the year that Rasmussen and Contador knocked sparks off each other but they climbed from the Gourette side which was completely resurfaced and easier:rolleyes:.

Bordéres is 1157m, the climb is short but steep, about 3km with sections up to 14%. The road between Col d'Aubisque and Soulor has recently been resurfaced, there is also a lot of roadworks and resurfacing on the western side of Col du Tourmalet this year. All of this is only rumor but last year they were very accurate.

@Nova_era The Etape (which I never did, yet!) is a lottery. Not all entrants guaranteed a place. I am sure Diarmuid will fill you in later as he did it last year and so have quite a few Boardsies.

Entry forms are available in Velo Magazine in February, entries are drawn in a lottery or so they say. You can also enter through one of the official tour companies like On your Bike or Sporting Tours, but expect to part with close to €2000, some have entry only which is €150-€200.

TinyExplosions

Diarmuid wrote: »

I'd be surprised if the Etape du Tour went to Tourmalet again so soon after 2008. I think it's time for a return to the Alps in 2010.

+1 on that -it seems too soon to be re-doing the stage

ednwireland

velopelton beat me to it

http://www.velopeloton.com/Cols/Col%20de%20Borderes/Col%20de%20Borderes.htm

anythng to with you ? great resource

blorg

Would you consider doing an Etape package Paddy- would it be possible to do it for less than the crazy money asked by the current tour companies?

With the Etape there is a particular benefit to support as it starts and ends in two different places, with the likes of the Marmotte the start and end are basically in the same place so the logistics are not so difficult to do it unsupported.

I rode the Aubisque-Soulour this year and last and as Paddy says the road is now fine... I presume any Etape route will be basically perfect as they will fix it for the Tour.

velopeloton

TinyExplosions wrote: »

+1 on that -it seems too soon to be re-doing the stage

It will be a completely different route, all the climbs are different to those used 2 years ago, the Tourmalet will be climbed from the west. Pau is popular with the organizers because of the facilities available and it is less trouble to close roads in Pyrenées than in Alps.

blorg

OK, I think I get it, it would be going UP the other side than you have on that page, e.g. up from Arrens and then down the easier side?

Up this thing you have captioned "Decent to Arrens, It is every bit as steep as it looks. 16.5%."



Looks like a cracker of a stage, certainly looks like it must be the toughest mountain stage of the Tour and so an obvious candidate for the Etape.

velopeloton

blorg wrote: »

Would you consider doing an Etape package Paddy- would it be possible to do it for less than the crazy money asked by the current tour companies?

We already have some riders who are preliminarily booked for it. They are going to buy entry only from one of the British tour companies and I'll sort out transport for them, its all very vague at the moment until its confirmed next week. So yes it would be possible. 1 week accommodation (b&b, evening meal with drinks) here in St Savin with transfer (airport, start-finish) would be about €450-€475 depending on numbers.

alfalad

blorg wrote: »

OK, I think I get it, it would be going UP the other side than you have on that page, e.g. up from Arrens and then down the easier side?

Up this thing you have captioned "Decent to Arrens, It is every bit as steep as it looks. 16.5%."



Looks like a cracker of a stage, certainly looks like it must be the toughest mountain stage of the Tour and so an obvious candidate for the Etape.

Holy mother thats some road!:eek:

blorg

Cool, I'd be interested in that myself, sounds very reasonable. If it is the 12th might stay in France after the Marmotte and cycle across to Pau. I've done some of that route before- basically following the Camino de Santiago from Le Puy and then dropping down through Auch. Might be a bit hillier the Alpine side of Le Puy mind.

Diarmuid

velopeloton wrote: »

It will be a completely different route, all the climbs are different to those used 2 years ago, the Tourmalet will be climbed from the west. Pau is popular with the organizers because of the facilities available and it is less trouble to close roads in Pyrenées than in Alps.

I'm still sceptical. The Etape twice in three years in the same city. That would be unprecedented.

velopeloton

Diarmuid wrote: »

I'm still sceptical. The Etape twice in three years in the same city. That would be unprecedented.

+1 it will be unprecedented. It is 100 years since the Tour first went into the Pyrenées so it has been expected for a long time that the Etape and some great stages would be here. I thought myself that it would be the stage from Luchon on 21 July, but according to the local paper it will be Pau to Col du Tourmalet.

Diarmuid

velopeloton wrote: »

+1 it will be unprecedented. It is 100 years since the Tour first went into the Pyrenées so it has been expected for a long time that the Etape and some great stages would be here. I thought myself that it would be the stage from Luchon on 21 July, but according to the local paper it will be Pau to Col du Tourmalet.

Fair enough. You know your source better than I do

blorg

I think basically the Etape just takes the hardest/most iconic stage out of the Tour. I doubt when planning the Tour the organisers really plan it around which stage the Etape is going to get, they would be focussed on the race as a whole.

Diarmuid

blorg wrote: »

I think basically the Etape just takes the hardest/most iconic stage out of the Tour.

There are usually 2 or 3 stages in each Tour that could be used for the Etape. It's a huge win for a town to stage it (influx of thousands) so it's hard fought and generally they "share the love/€s".

ROK ON

I am very annoyed about all of this mullarkey.
Meself and the family were hoping to decamp to the Pyrenees for a goodly chunk of July next summer. Now accomodation will be impossibly tough to get.

A pox on all of ye.

sy

Bring the tent and the Dolan;)

velopeloton

If the rumors are correct.

l’Etape du Tour Mondovélo 2010 will be on Sunday 18th of July from Pau to Col du Tourmalet.
I think there are 2 likely routes for it to take.

The first is Marie Blanque, Aubisque, Soulor, Bordéres, Tourmalet. 161km with 5550m of accent.


See it in Google Earth.
Cols/Etape2010/Etape du Tour Route1.kml

The second is Marie Blanque, Soulor from the north, Bordéres, Tourmalet. 174km with 4500m of accent.


See it in Google Earth.
Cols/Etape2010/Etape du Tour 2010 Route 2.kml

Diarmuid

For BikeRouteToaster fans

Option 1

Option 2

For the 2008 Etape I stayed in Arudy. Nice spot.

blorg

The first! The first! Christ that looks like a killer.

velopeloton

Diarmuid wrote: »

For BikeRouteToaster fans

Option 1

Option 2

For the 2008 Etape I stayed in Arudy. Nice spot.

Thanks Diarmuid.

The accent values that BRT gave you are less than it gave me. I think the only way to get it accurate, will be to ride it with the garmin.

sy

blorg wrote: »

The first! The first! Christ that looks like a killer.

+ 1 on that blorg :eek:. Just hope that descent off the Aubisque/ Soulor has been resurfaced since 97 as I wouldn't descend it on a mountain bike never mind a road bike. This will be an epic Tour stage if it takes place.

blorg

sy wrote: »

+ 1 on that blorg :eek:. Just hope that descent off the Aubisque/ Soulor has been resurfaced since 97 as I wouldn't descend it on a mountain bike never mind a road bike. This will be an epic Tour stage if it takes place.

It has, I have cycled it the last two years and it is fine- last year up it and this year down it... a motorcyclist tailing me this year gave me a big thumbs up when it flattened out for my decending

DirkVoodoo

Would love to do this. My brother is in France for the year so no trouble getting the application form (I guess?).

If any boardsies are planning on this let me know.

Caroline_ie

Nice. I think I could eventually do this, my mum lives 1:30h from the start line... that could be the one for me to train for this year ... !!