Etape du Tour Tips?

[Snoop Doug]

Folks - I met a guy last week who has a place on the 2010 Etape. He's reasonably fit, from a mountaineering background, never done a cycling event like this before.

He's keen for any tips advice on training, prep and the day itself. I was able to tell him a little based on my experience of getting ready to do Ventoux but this is waaay bigger than that. He's currently doing a steady Sunday morning ride with a few mates. I believe time is at a premium, I suggested the dreaded turbo trainer and also that flogging himself up and down Ditchling a few times might be a laugh.

Any useful suggestions most welcome, thanks in advance

Snoop

PS - no, it ain't me

[Andrew G]

Ride his bike - get used to spending hours in the saddle. simple but he'll find out what works for him such as:
Is his bike set up comfy, and not just for a 2 hour ride but 5 hours in - covers bike set up and saddle but also shorts.
What foods agree with him for eating on the bike.
What he carries (I'd go for a minimum of 2 tubes plus a repair kit, a good multi tool with a chain breaker, a KMC "spare link" or whatever they're called, and a few zip ties and some duct tape). It'll all fit in a decent saddle bag without being bulky or weighing much.
Ride up some hills . Get used to climbing for a long period, easiest way as we don't have very long hills in this country is to work out a hilly route where you have little rest between the climbing. As he'll be climbing for hours then you want to save your legs so spin lower gears on the ear;ier climbs, go one sprocket down to what he may normally do which will feel easy at the base of the climb but means that he should get over the tops without them falling off part way up.

Just a few generalisations but a lot of cycling is common sense and gets over complicated. The more time he spends on the bike the easier it will be.

[Dombo]

Everything Andrew says so he's happy doing 100 miles plus make sure he's properly fed and watered. It's very easy to get caught up in the excitement of the day and forget to eat or drink. Little and often is the key. Find what works and what doesn't eg I used Jordans Muesli bars rather than the sport bars from bike shops because they are less dense so easier to swallow and digest. Vary the food too - dried apricots and salted cashews worked for me.
Botty cream is a must.
Also be prepared for crap weather, whatever the forecast. We had 1 degree atop Tourmalet in '08 but S/S jerseys at base of Hautacam. Then cold thin drizzle and mist at the top.
Perhaps also suggest he gets a compact or triple, or at least sticks a 12-28 on the back. Romping up the mile or so of Box Hill at 12-13mph in 8 minutes is a world away from crawling for two hours up the 15 mile steeper side of Tourmalet.
Don't go out too fast and enjoy the day. It's a great day out on the bike, even in sh1t weather.

[Mike I]

I agree with all of this. There are plenty of magazine articles out there, and no doubt more to come in the next few months. Your friend will need to get used to riding 100 miles plus at one go, and remember there is a world of difference between riding for, say, 5 hours and rding for 7 or more.

Find out what food works and in what combinations. That means trying out different energy bars, gels, drinks and 'real' food (figs, peanuts, marmite sandwiches etc) on long rides. Enjoy testing Clif bars (especially the mint choc ones!).

[Marek]

Also, make sure he knows how fast he needs to go to avoid getting picked up by the broom wagon.

Cheers

Marek....

[Andrew G]

...and don't forget your pork pie.

[Rogan]

March issue of Cycling plus has quite a good freebie film of an SIS sponsored ride of the 2010 Etape taking in three climbs and finishing with Col Du Tourmalet. Despite being a big advert for SIS products it's worth watching.

[Dombo]

[quote="Marek"]Also, make sure he knows how fast he needs to go to avoid getting picked up by the broom wagon.

Cheers

Marek....

[higg]

If he cycles 1000 miles between now and then he has a chance of finishing.
If he cycles 1500 miles between now and then he has a good chance.
If he cycles 2000 mile he'll find it easy.

food, patience, hills.

[Tony]

Maybe check out to see what tips Cyclefilm has to offer?

[url]http://www.cyclefilm.com/letapedutour2010.html[/url]

[Maria David]

I would suggest he finds a training partner - put something on bike radar forum or similar to see if he can find someone in his area who is preparing for this or a similar challenge in the summer. Alternatively, sign up for local sportives, maybe the Dragon Ride (which is known for it's long hills) and do at least one "challenge" sportive/ride (somewhere like yorkshire dales/moors, north wales, cornwall/devon, lake district etc) - maybe one that has a tough hill towards the end/summit finish, just as this year's etape does.

A girl I know is preparing for a ride around britain challenge. She has a schedule of the rides she'll be doing - she's shared it with others so that people can join her along the way and the task of preparing is more fun and less onerous.

That way he gets to ride with others and doesn't fall into the trap of riding long miles at a very slow pace. Organisers at EDT can be quite strict when it comes to sweeping people up (make sure he knows the cut-off times at the various points).

Finally, if your friend gets the chance he could try a european cyclosportive of a similar distance as a rehearsal event. It doesn't need to be in the pyrenees - just somewhere where he'll get to be in the saddle for at least 8 hours continuously and have to ride uphill for 2 hours on a couple of occasions during a blazing hot day!There are loads of these around. Can be France, Spain or Italy take your pick! It can be done as a quick weekend trip. Hope this helps.