Etape du tour 2022

The event is set for 10-July-2022. The booking opened yesterday and it sold out in what seemed like minutes. I missed my chance to book up, dammit.
If anyone on here has a ticket to ride and realises they can't make it, I'd be delighted to take it off your hands - I'm sure us cunning lfgss'ers can figure out a way to deal with this kind of booking transfer.
TIA

They often release concert tickets in batches. You tried again? They might do the same with this.

There's probably tonnes of tickets held for corporate/sponsored gigs too so maybe keep an eye out.

I'd prefer to ride when there aren't 8000 other fuckers on a climb eh but each to their own.

8000 other fuckers

Think of the drafting potential

I've seen other people ride in sportives. Hard pass.

Etape can feel a little crowded on the climbs for sure. I prefer the solitude of an empty Dartmoor road tbh. But this is a family event and a marks a pretty much full recovery from a long illness.

Ended up signing up with MacMillan Cancer "Etape" scheme, which is kinda fitting, and means I gotta raise some dough for them.

And @hippy is right, draft at your peril with this mêlée.

#hippyisalwaysright :)

Have a good ride then, sounds like you've got a good reason to be out there.

One thing I can’t fathom about next years event. Once up Alpe D’Huez, how do you get back down off it again?

literally what I asked in our etape whatsapp group too .. its 75k to Briancon, not too bad overall I think its like 236k but a weird stage to chose for organisers

Either stay up there that night or wait until the broom wagon has come up and the road reopens (time limit is 11 hours according to website). There is a tiny road over the back over the Sarenne but it's a long way to anywhere.

And you still have to climb the lauteret before the descent to Briancon. Expect it to be dark and cold.
Having done the megeve to morzine etap a few years ago we took a car over to the finish the night before so we could get back. L it in this case probably better to leave a car in Bourg.

Last time the Etape finished on the Alpe it was possible to ride down as the stragglers finished. Most of the riders did this with the ASO's blessing.

When we were staying nearby watching Cadel win, we rode over the back of it. Actually we rode up the back way too to see the race. We were staying over that way (https://goo.gl/maps/1XBrWMbkkPqP8R5r9) though so it made sense.

We’ve booked to stay in Alpe. Cant face getting somewhere else after all that. There is an early morning bus option to take you to the start from Alpe. Like 4am ugh.

I'm guessing that's what they'll have to do this year. Strict notes I guess to make sure everyone climbs on the right hand side of the road.

I've not entered. I was considering it, along with a mate, but the logistics are/were too muddled to justify making a decision to enter. So we didn't.

We did consider driving to Bourg d'Oisan the day before, parking up and riding back up the Lautaret for a 'Marmotte Omelette' (best omelette I've ever had was at the restaurant up there a few years ago!), but looking around on Google Maps there was hardly any parking, plus the whole world and his dog would probably also think of the same thing.

Marmotte Omelette

at the bottom of easy side up galibier? I think I may have had the same!

Also (not in reply to you) but Lautaret isnt a real climb

The only motive for anyone entering this years etape should be being able to ride 236km in the alps with no motor traffic. Its not huge distance IMO.

Also in principle 'no. motor traffic' is appealing but the choppers are worse (vs french drivers).

side note; I extended my etape day as DIY (as part of RRTY) in the year I did it ;)

at the bottom of easy side up galibier? I think I may have had the same!

That's the one. It was amazing. The additional weight helped me to average 35mph for 19 minutes back down to La Salle-les-Alpes. Great fun!

Thread dresge, but I applied to this year's Etape on a whim and now it's dawning on me I have no idea how to do this.

We'll depart from Geneva-ish, so I can get there somewhat easily for the day of the ride. However, I'll have things. Clothes. Stuff. Once we set off to Morzine, what happens to it? I'm not carrying it with me obvs?

Then in Morzine there's no train. Doesn't sound as bad as the event above thread, but still, all accommodation is already booked and I need to get out of there somehow. No way I'm riding a single metre more than I need to for the event. And where's my stuff?!

In short, help.

book the wagon, but iirc its a downhill ride back, it generally is, etape is rarely a loop so this is a regular issue, do you have a club or group?

And where's my stuff?!

Bag drop at start which you can collect at the finish.

Whoa there's a wagon! That's a start, thanks.

I swear I looked at their email again and their website before posting here but no mention of anything yet

the UX of whole etape experience is terrible, Morzine is logistically easier in comparison to some starts

So just to understand, the wagon brings me+bike back to start? Or brings my stuff to the finish line and from there it's on me?

yep, just a bus with a bike trailer

@Jameo and @Klar have done more etapes than me

Also the description of a lifesaver. Thanks for the help, will try and get on the bandwagon