I won’t be struggling up the Tourmalet this year, but I’ve added L’Ã’tape du Tour to my mostly-in-my-head life list. I’ve heard about various tour companies which help you ride along the Tour de France course. But it wasn’t until I read the NYTimes blog The Climb that L’Ã’tape crossed my radar. I strongly recommend the blog; it’s reaching its final weeks of life, as this year’s Ã’tape is July 8th.
L’Ã’tape is one full Tour de France stage open to 8,500 amateurs a few days before the pros come through. The roads are closed, and you ride the exact course…if you can finish it. The time checkpoints are ruthless, apparently, and the organizers make a point of picking one of the legendarily difficult stages each year.
I enjoy climbing, but I’m not blind to the fact that my training would need to ratchet up to about double what I’m doing now before this fantasy race would be realistic. Convincing the wife to join me in France wouldn’t be hard, despite her personal revulsion at the catalyst for such a trip.
If you really want to soak in the ethos of cycling, specifically climbing, enjoy the guest post from former pro rider and current team director Jonathan Vaughters. Read the whole thing for tidbits like this:
…the most important parts of bicycle races are always uphill. The tactical genius of those who stealthily hide behind the dolt plodding away into the wind up front is lost on hills. Hills put bike racing back into the realm of Darwin and the grunting cave man. The laws of nature rule on the hills, and only the strong will survive.
and
Training and techniques will make you suffer slightly faster up hills, not suffer any less.
Next Sunday, I’ll try to suffer as fast as possible on Mt. Diablo. I rode the course and the extra grueling 4.5 miles up Summit Road this morning. Glad to have the lay of the land, but I’ll be thrilled to stop before Summit road next weekend.