Etape du Tour 2017

Is anybody else going to be doing it?

The first half of the course looks like it could be a Ben Hur chariot race.

I'm wondering about the two cols though especially the Iozard do any of the riders here have experience of it?

Did the 2016 one and the heat was unbearable up on the Joux Plane.

I've ridden it every year since 2011 bar 2016. Bikeradar forum have a few recce rides up.
http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=40007&t=13070790&start=20

Yes I am doing it with @HoKe and @modan We did a training camp in gap this year. One of the days we rode in the area of the first 60km. Despite the stage profile appearance, it is far from flat.

Briancon is tiny so getting a hotel was a nightmare. We ended up booking a place in Italy that's 35km from the start! Regardless of how fast we end up riding, we will all be wearing our LFGSSCC skinsuits!

This video gives a great overview of the ride http://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/videos/watch/etape-du-tour

I guess after seeing 2016's profile with the 4 mountains and then seeing 2017's with just the 2 peaks one could be forgiven for thinking that it would be easier however I think that isn't going to be the case at all.

My main concern will be the weather, hopefully it will be cool and overcast but not raining. If on the other hand we have unfettered Alpine sunshine in July then it may become a very grueling ride indeed.

I'm going with a tour company and when I booked which was on the night of the announcement all the Briancon rooms were sold out I think I may have been lucky to get the last room share that they had.

I like this recce video, less music and more explaining https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6hBBVl8nUyU

LFGSSCC skinsuit??

I am doing it with @Sparky and few others too. I think our place is in Briancon. My first time riding in Europe.

Yup. We have a 10-person chalet in Biriancon. Also worried about the smash-fest at the start...

We are still in Europe, (Article 50 chat).

No skinsuit for me I'm afraid. I'll leave the streamlining attire to to the young guns in the early pens.

I'm more of an unzipped shirt HRM showing kinda guy.

Wow I didn't realise so many peeps were entered!

@Sparky @amey @Bsample How are you planning on getting down there?

pre event meet-up anyone?

We are still in Europe, (Article 50 chat).

ha fair! Well I need to get a visa for 'proper' Europe :P

@TheArchitect I have no idea yet. I think we are arriving a day before.

I'm planning on driving down on the Thursday to get some mountain air in me (as opposed to London fumes) before the main event. Did the same this year and @modan crashed while descending from avoriaz about here...

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The bike shop retrued his wheel with a hammer!

It was cool to breathe some highland air. The old boy mechanic fixed my wheel for 20 euros....that was a relieve as didn't have to buy a new rear wheel for the event. I hope I won't witness any crashes @TheArchitect

Avoriaz is way up past Morzine. Were you playing about up there beforehand and then somehow got down to the start in Megeve on the Sunday with a buckled wheel?

We stayed in a hotel in morzine for a couple days and planned to do loop the day before to scope out the second half of the ride. Alas the road was closed so it was much longer!
So we did this:
https://www.strava.com/activities/634850229/shareable_images/map_based?hl=en-GB&v=1468055809
Then we went to a bike shop, to get his wheel fixed, and did this
https://www.strava.com/activities/635440324/shareable_images/map_based?hl=en-GB&v=1468087502

What's the appeal of doing the Etape over, say, a self guided holiday out in the mountains, out of interest?

EC1.

100 eur is ok for closed roads I guess

Wrong. Right answer was I take my gravel and climb the Granon from Val des Pres.

I so want to .. i'll need to go through visa hell though.

But surely you will get it?

Why not do both? I'm going out a few days before to ride some of the Italian alps. Then etape.

Having ridden it last year, the vibe is really great because you are riding past people that have set up their camper vans for the tour. They are cheering you on, handing out water and cokes.

We have around 20 from the club entered. There for the week after to watch a couple of stage finishes and a start.
Last year the etap was 2 weeks before the tour stage was run.

Wow 20 riders! Can I get a tow? ;-)Where are you guys all staying?