L'Etape du Tour 2017 Recon with the Col Collective and Yellovelo 

Can't wait to see what L'Étape du Tour has in store for next July. Check out highlights of the 178km route from Briançon tackling the Col de Vars and mythical Col de la Izoard

See the whole route with YelloVelo

As YelloVelo explain "In our opinion 2017 Etape Du Tour is going to be one tough cookie! Training early is key for this one and winging it will not be an option! Legs will be put through a lot on the valley floor, there will be 120km in them as you approach Col De Vars and the real test will be climbing the last Col, the Iconic Col D'Izoard. Come join us to polish off your training, get the tips and learn from our unique and valuable experience and recce"

Guaranteed Entry into the 2017 Etape du Tour with Cycle Classic Tours

The 2017 edition of the Etape du Tour will take place on Sunday July 16 on the route for stage 18 of the Tour de France – concluding with the first-ever summit finish on the Col d’Izoard.

The Etape du Tour, which first took place in 1993, sees sportive riders take on a stage of the Tour de France (with the peloton set to take on stage 18 four days later on Thursday July 20), and 15,000 amateur cyclists are expected to take part in 2017.

Entries for the 2017 Etape du Tour open on Friday October 21 and you can secure a guaranteed spot and accomodation within easy reach of the start line with Cycle Classic Tours, which includes:

  3 nights in 4 star Grand Hotel in Chantemerle
  Bike storage at the hotel
  Breakfast each day at your hotel
  Half board
  Etape du Tour entry Inscription
  A cycling jersey made by Santini. 
  The services on the Etape include : An Etape du Tour briefing
  Mechanical support from professional mechanics
  Daily hotel visits from a team of bike guides
  Additional feed stations en-route
  Return airport transfers from Geneva and Turin airports - Bikes have to be in bike bags to be transported
  A day bag service with bag available at the additional food stop

The 178km stage will start in the Alpine town of Briancon and riders will first tackle the Col de Vars, which tops out at 2,108m – but it is the Col d’Izoard which undoubtedly takes centre stage.

The Izoard first appeared in the Tour in 1922 and has been used 34 times since – but never as a summit finish. Riders will climb the southern ascent from Guillestre, which rises for 31.5 km (19.6 mi) at an average gradient of 4.8 per cent to reach the summit at 2,360m.

That average gradient belies the true difficulty of the climb, with the road pitching up to ten per cent for long stretches over the second half of the climb.

The upper part of the climb is known as the Casse Déserte thanks to the dramatic, foreboding and barren scree slopes which will await riders.

The Casse Déserte has hosted some of the most dramatic moments in Tour de France history and a memorial at the summit pays tribute to two of the Tour’s most famous riders, two-time winner Fausto Coppi and three-time winner Louison Bobet.

Visit the Cycle Classic Tours Website to sign-up and ride an official stage of the 2017 Tour de France.

Place are limited, so don't miss this chance of a guarenteed place to ride a stage of the Tour de France!