Etape 2009

They are open roads you know. You don't have to buy a ticket...

aye. was thinking i would rather do it with a couple of mates not with a few hundred wannabe lance armstrongs weaving all over the road.

It's not official then.. may as well take it easy and spend a week+ touring.
I dunno, I quite like the bigger bunches, chances for resting, competition, chatting, etc. ETTO

I have flirted with the idea of the etape for nearly five years now...long may that continue, i got no chance.

I heard it was Ventoux, bloke down the pub told me. I guess we'll find out tomorrow - politely challenging stuff either way. (the full stop there is a tiny smiley to escape the wrath)

The Etape stage is confirmed as Montelimar -> Mont Ventoux.

and for that reason. I am out.

Thanks Claus + andyp, brilliant news, anyone up for it?

I'd love to do it, but time and money are definitely against me on this one.

packages ive seen so far are from £600+ for a 3nite stay. :$

£200/night.. not too bad.. lady of the night, a gram, drinks for you both. Come on FBR, priorities! ;)

Thanks Claus + andyp, brilliant news, anyone up for it?

A friend of mine is trying to sort out entries for us both. I refuse to pay €100 more for an entry, which is what UK tour operators add to the price Veló magazine readers pay.

any event that finishes at the top of a mountain is just biassed to skinny bast'ds. Now, where did I put that wheatgerm...

£200/night.. not too bad.. lady of the night, a gram, drinks for you both. Come on FBR, priorities! ;)

etape packages costs about the same as an airfare to melb (visit is long over due). roda's given me the go ahead for the etape, but the price is a real turn off. would prefer to do it independently as well, so we can drive around and follow the tour of a bit. anyway, trying to contact a few people to see if i can scam an entry via Velo mag. where did you see €100 entry from, andyp? ive seen £150 for entry-only and they're sold out.

oh, im allowed to do the tour of flanders as well...woohoo!

etape packages costs about the same as an airfare to melb (visit is long over due). roda's given me the go ahead for the etape, but the price is a real turn off. would prefer to do it independently as well, so we can drive around and follow the tour of a bit. anyway, trying to contact a few people to see if i can scam an entry via Velo mag. where did you see €100 entry from, andyp? ive seen £150 for entry-only and they're sold out.

Veló magazine publishes an entry form for the Etape in, I think, February. It costs €60 but you have to have an address in France to register at and you're not guaranteed an entry. Even so, it's a lot less than the £150 that UK tour operators charge.

*...*you have to have an address in France to register...

the-smiling-buddha, what's your address ;)

is it impossible to do this tour without gears?

The Etape isn't a tour. It's a single day's ride. No, it's not impossible but there's not a lot of point to it.

And a full review in this weeks cycling weekly

That reminds me.. I bought last week's after Plats (i fink) said Hutch rode the Autumn Epic.. still gotta read that.