Etape du Tour 2017

It's a race on closed roads with an entry fee

We are in serre chevalier. We had to get a couple of houses rather than one massive one. We will see a stage finish beer in hand all things going to plan.

Some people do both, I wish I could.

The Etape is pure fantasy cycling. It also gives you a true measure of what the pros are all about compared to oneself.

Also the allure of closed Alpine roads, climbing and descending with no poxy vehicles to give you the willies.

It's just a fun weekend with thousands of like minded cyclists from all over.

However I would like do the Maratona of the Dolomites if possible the year after next.

Dude, was that old steel you were larking about on? looks like Colnago Precisa forks.

That was @modan on the 'nago

I nearly bought it off him but it was totalled by asshole in a Audi a month ago :-(

I'd love to do haute route... my wife is not amused

strangely quiet thread, this..

does anyone know of any companies that do arranged musette pickups along the route? i.e. you give them a couple of musettes the day before, and they'll have a van at specific points along the way (e.g. Barcelonette/summit of Col de Vars) for you to meet up with them?

when i did marmotte a couple years back there were some companies offering this (the group i went with organised it collectively, so i have no idea how to find/arrange)

don't have any travelling 'support car', and quite like the idea of stashing stuff for pickup mid-ride.

any thoughts?

I know Sportstours have 'feed stations' on the route for their customers.

Otherwise the event does have lots of feed stops along the way.

Best to carry plenty of what YOU like to eat anyway bonking in the Alps is a real possibility for the unwary.

Oh and 750ml bidons are a must I'd say.

By the way chaps what are your favoured cycling foods etc.. for these type of events?

I'm not a great bike food eater I always have to remind myself and then force feed the gunk down.

However since Condor and now Sigma have started to stock them I'm very much into Lucho Dellitos guava based energy blocks. They don't give me Hulk-like power boosts it's more subtle than that. I kind of use them for short rides or as an intermediate top-up on long rides.

The other ones I consume on longer sorties are Zipvit protein recovery bars (choc) these work better for me than the actual energy bars.

And for pre-race or the starting line I eat Veloforte's these are really dense and natural and don't make me feel sick.

I wish I could get an endless supply of Fanny's farm scones and rock cakes, those used to perk me up no end on the old London to Brighton runs.

Soreen + peanut butter sandwiches

Soreen + peanut butter sandwiches

Sandwiches lol...

They go in your back pocket as bread and whatever but tend to emerge in my experience as a sorry mess. What's your secret?

Last year's Etape at every food stop I was praying that I would find something bread based but never did.

What's your secret?

https://www.mackworkshop.com/products/bar-bag

I had home made sausage rolls on the last long ride I did .. not a possibility in etape unless carrefour has something.

Soreen + peanut butter sandwiches

Exactly this!! sandwiches in a saddle/toptube/bar bag, soreen stuffed down a jersey pocket

I've also converted to Fori meat snacks, which are nicely savoury but not great for energy density. got a good deal from the cycle show and they were giving them out free at London Revolution, so stocked up on more. They're expensive otherwise.

Last year I found that gazpacho is actually a really good alternative to water/sugar/hydration drinks - might bring a bidon's worth of it along.

thanks @Bsample for the Sports Tours pointer. I'm going with two others but we're pretty much doing it all independently, so was hoping there were companies that do just the musette (or maybe I can ask Sports Tours nicely, or make use of their transfer service then tack it on...)

Medical certificate query.
I printed off the standard form and took it along to my GP surgery, but saw a junior doctor who insisted on following protocol, and despite taking my BP and giving me the once over with the stethoscope, crossed out "certify that the examination of" and wrote over the top "on the basis of medical records", that I'm OK to participate in cycle competitions - but also included numbers for BP, HR and SATS (thereby indicating that an examination did take place!) It's signed and stamped. Will this be OK?

I've got an entry for this but have done precisely no organisation and have probably left it too late. If anyone has any hints/tips or rooms they need to cancel, do please let me know. I'm not sure I fancy trying to drive back to London afterwards....might be a little tired! Cannot take any time off work sadly.

They hardly look at the medical certificate. Don't worry.

o rly? opens photoshop

Re. Columbian guava boccadillo veleno the Lucho Dellitos boys are taking the piss; they are £4.50/pack in the Columbian food section of the continental stores on Lewisham High Street. Identical product without cycling gel price match rip off.

£6 for 24 here but sold out

http://www.labodeguita.co.uk/product/bocadillo-veleno-units-don-guyaba,63222903

I wouldn't suggest forging for insurance purposes.

I needed one for the marmotte, forged it as the guy who'd organised entry and hotels, I'd call him a tour guide but that would be giving him a veneer of respectability, neglected to tell me I needed one. I typed a letter on the Nokia 9210 I had at the time, faxed it to a laundry company in Alpe d'Huez, and presented it at sign on. They barely looked at it.

Amazing.

My finest cycling achievement.

You may have gotten off lightly.

Last year I presented the form to a young doctor GP? at the local surgery. She did the blood pressure, OK, fine but when she did my heart with the stethoscope she took ages and I could see her looking at me out of my peripheral vision.

She then told me that she couldn't sign it and referred me to Guy's for an ECG examination explaining that she could hear a 'noise' (my heartbeat?).

I think that was around April I finally had the tests in June and passed with flying colours. Went back to the surgery re-presented the form she looked at the data and finally signed me off.

To say it embuggered my preperation is an understatement. Basically I was to worried about going over 80% in case I popped it on a Surrey hill all alone.

But I guess she had to do what she thought was right.

By the way... when I went to collect my bib number etc. the French girl just took the form and didn't even glance at it. I think there were 16,000 riders last year so that's a lot of forms.

Re. Columbian guava boccadillo veleno the Lucho Dellitos boys are taking the piss; they are £4.50/pack in the Columbian food section of the continental stores on Lewisham High Street. Identical product without cycling gel price match rip off.

Really? the buggers!

Condor and Sigma sell them for £15.00 for a 10 pack!

Does anybody know of a Columbian Deli in town? central London?