Last Minute Etape du Tour Tips

Do You Know What to Expect On Etape du Tour?
For those who have not done an Etape du Tour before and who are a bit nervous, I thought I'd provide a last-minute post with some handy information.
This information comes from the Tackling L'Etape guide and is of course abridged to keep the post short(ish).
In this post, we'll cover:
- What to pack to ride during Etape
- What to actually take on Etape (food, etc)
- Avoiding cramp
- Proper hydration
- Eating during Etape – this is applicable to general riding too
- Pacing yourself
- Feed stations
- Tips for the start
- Getting to the start
- Weather
- Signalling and language
- Team support
- The finish
- Training for and recovering from L'Etape
What to Expect at Etape
First up, expect utter, utter carnage. Don't believe me? Check out the 2010 report here, the 2010 video here, 2009 video here and the 2009 report here.
There will be plenty of pretty nervous and inexperienced riders, so be prepared to ride confidently and decisively. Your attitude will make a big difference to staying out of trouble.
There will be lots of stop-start riding, so there will be lots of times when you’ll be on and off the brakes a lot.
If you are a good descender, you will make up loads of time on the descents. Despite the prevalence of epic mountains in Europe, many L’Etape participants don’t seem able to descend all that well, giving you ample opportunity to make places up; don’t forget, it is sort-of a race!
What to Pack to ride with during Etape
Check out this short video where I talk about things to take. The minimum things I'd look at are adequate gels of your preference, electrolyte tablets if it's hot, 2 x spare tubes, Co2 canisters or frame pump, a small amount of sunscreen (I don't take sunscreen, I just put zinc on) which is important for the tops of legs and upper arms.
If you're looking for some gels, I use SIS Go, Smart and Fat Burner Gels and Hammer HEED powder and Enduralyte Electrolyte tables.
Get SIS and Clif using the links below.
Avoiding cramp
Avoiding cramp is tricky as there is a lot of conjecture about what actually causes it! Some will swear it's conditioning, some swear it's hydration. I think it's a combination. I turned up to the 2010 Etape in rotten condition, but definitely ate/drank properly but that still didn't stop me from cramping badly all day. In the last year I've trained a lot but still get twinges in short sessions or long races…do I ascribe this to tired muscles or poor eating – who knows!
Given the uncertainty around cramping, the best thing you can do is train properly and hydrate and eat properly on the day. Don't have too many beers the night before either!
Proper hydration
Proper hydration means not just water, but quality electrolytes. I use Hammer's HEED powder and also their Perpetuem for longer rides. On Etape Alpes 2011, I only need electrolytes as I don't think the Perpetuem is needed on rides under 120km or so.
The Hammer Nutrition website has a bunch of awesome information on dosing electrolytes.
Eating before and during Etape – this is applicable to general riding too
Eating on Etape applies in the same manner as eating during races or long rides. I personally don't like eating a lot during a ride like Etape. I usually have an energy dense breakfast (My home made cereal is awesome). For Etape Alpes I'll probably just try and find a café that is open and knock a coffee off as well as 2 croissants. No doubt I'll have the French equivalent of CocoPops that morning as well.
Remember, your body can store 2000 calories in the liver, muscles etc- 2000 calories is a lot of energy (say, 3 hours) and I find I can ride for about 1-2 hours before I need food. Your aim isn't to replace lost calories, it's to replenish.
Good food to consider: jam rolls (supermarket jam rolls, the little cylinders of carbohydratey delights), banana sandwiches, nutella sangas, banana and nutella sandwiches…that sort of stuff. If you are doing a long Etape, endless gels and energy bars can be rough on your digestion – it’s good to have something real like a banana.
I use SIS Gels (Wiggle, Chain Reaction Cycles, PBK and Clif Luna bars and Shotbloks (ProBikeKit).
Pacing yourself
There will be a lot of people very keen to smash it. If you've been training hard, by all means GO FOR IT. If you're not confident in your condition, or are doing a super long Etape, I recommend pacing yourself. It's a long day and no doubt all the climbing will begin to take its toll after 8-10 hours.
Save the legs for the last climb. Unless of course you're racing your buddies in which case, go for it.
Feed stations
The 2009 Etape up the Ventoux saw a distinct lack of feed stations. I didn't come across one until Bedoin. Note though, I skipped the first 40km. The 2010 edition saw ample feed stations. All feed stations were lavishly provisioned with oranges, bananas (all precut), gels, bars, muffins, Vittel. Take your own nutrition but don't be scared to use theirs.
Be aware stopping at feed stations can sap valuable time so if you plan on smashing Etape, ignore them. I won't be stopping for the 2011 Etape Alpes. It's a 109km smash fest.
Tips for the Start
Check out my Etape video from 2010 to get some sense of the start ->http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2pM_Z8koeW4.
The start is awesome fun. There's thousands of cyclists around, loads of chatter, people from all over the world to chat to. The mad rat run through the streets to get to the start cages is super fun at 5.30AM. All the villagers are still asleep and all you can hear is shoes clicking, the whizz of freehubs. It's awesome.
Get to your start cafe WAY before the cutoff. If you miss the cutoff for your cage, you might not be allowed to start, or might be booted down the back of the field.
This event works with military precision – mess with the French at your peril! Last year we got to our start gates at 6.15 for a 7AM start. There were already about 200 people in front of us just in our cage, and about 2000 in front of our cage.
Getting to the Start
If you have team support, getting to the start is easy; get dropped off on the outskirts of town, wish team support good luck, and go.
If you don't have team support, the arrangements can be a whole lot trickier if you're not with a tour group, or the start and finish aren't near each other.
Etape Alpes 2011 isn't too bad. You could stay in Modane or St Michele de Maurienne. Finish at Alpe D'Huez then ride about 70km back over the Croix de Fer to St Michele de Maurienne. Certainly doable weather permitting.
Etape Issoire 2011 is much harder.
Given the start/finish are so far apart (these suggestions equally apply to any Etape where the start/finish are far apart) you need to get your hire car (if you have one) to the finish in the preceeding days then ride back to the start area and have accommodation booked. You'll need a backpack of clothes you can leave behind unless you want to take them with you.
Alternatively you could book accommodation in the finish town, party down that night (will you have spare clothes?) then ride back the next day?
Or you could use the Etape shuttle which is extremely unreliable and slow (see 2009 Etape report).
There are a bunch of useful suggestions for managing this in the Cycling Through France and Tackling Etape guides. I will usually pull apart each Etape and provide insights into the best arrangements for that Etape.
Weather
Be prepared for anything. Given that the Etapes are usually in the Alpes or Pyrenees, pack for all weather. Definitely take a windvest and consider a base layer. Hot hot heat, warmth, humidity, rain, snow; be ready for it all.
Signalling and Language
It's not necessary to know a lot of French to do Etape. Basically, all you need are the below phrases (native French speakers feel free to correct me!
- Arrete (stopping)
- A gauche (at the left)
- A droite (at the right)
- Merci (thanks)
- Desolee (sorry)
The Finish
The finish will be crazy. If you are the finish on something like the Alpe D'Huez or Tourmalet there will likely be thousands (yes, thousands) of spectators, with many there for the actual TDF stage (getting their spot early). There will usually be places to eat and drink but there is an official free feed for finishers.
Take some time to lap it up and enjoy yourself and soak it all in. It's an amazing thing you've done (hopefully you'll be back). Get photos! Then, depending on the finish, you need to descend which is the fun part (well, I think climbing is fun too, but I like the pain!).
Training for and recovering from Etape
Proper recovery will be essential. Check out this video for some things you can do post Etape to fix the legs up.
I like doing this.
You can also check out the Velonomad Etape Recovery guide. Note, if you already have the Tackling Etape guide, you already have this information! The Recovery Guide has a bunch of specific things to do to get over Etape.
These tips were put together by Trent Harris of Bayside Myotherapy in Melbourne. Trent looks after Greg Henderson, and a bunch of other triathletes, golfers and cyclists and looked after the Sky team at the Bay Crits in 2011 so he knows his stuff!
That's it!
I hope this info helps you smash Etape! Bonne chance!
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