New date of L'Etape du Tour to be revealed on June 30th
This year’s l’Étape du Tour is stage two of the 2020 Tour de France from Nice in the South of France over 190 kms and 3,600m of climbing
Stage two of the 2020 Tour de France heads straight into the mountains with four significant climbs over 190km with the bigger climbs of the Col de la Colmiane and the Col de Turini used in Paris-Nice.
Every year the event sells out in minutes for 16,000 cyclists.
The organisers of the Étape du Tour de France 2020 specify that the definitive date of the event will be communicated by the 30th June at the latest, "We can’t wait to see you all in Nice as we discover the magnificent southern French landscapes, as a part of the second stage of the Tour de France".
L’Étape is a cyclosportive — gran fondo style event — in which participants race over the same route as a Tour stage.
Stage 2of the Tour de France is 190 km with over 3,600m of climbing over the brytal climbs of the Col de la Colmiane, the Col de Turini, and the Col d’Èze.
For those who have already registered, and cannot participate in the 2020 l’Étape du Tour, A.S.O. is offering vouchers equivalent to the purchase of a bib and any add-ons which can be used in other A.S.O. events.
A.S.O. went on to say "We are currently working very hard to put these vouchers in place for the large number of riders/runners who had been preparing for our events over the last few months. In mid-July, you’ll receive an email specifying the value of your voucher and the practical information on how to claim etc."
Bernard Thévenet will be an ambassador of the Étape du Tour de France and will attend the Grand Départ of the Tour de France 2020 in Nice.
When the Tour de France takes on a southern accent, mountainous stages can be found on the route right from the start. This will indeed be the case in 2020 with the Grand Départ in Nice taking advantage of the Southern Alps from as early as the second stage.
The loop-shaped route will be taken several days after the elite riders by the amateur cyclists who sign up for the Étape du Tour de France. Naturally, it is a challenge made for the climbers among the 16,000 participants expected, because over 177 kilometres of racing the course will gobble up a total upward gradient of 3,570m.
Following the start on the Promenade des Anglais, the participants will take-in the Gorges de la Mescla in the Tinée Valley, before tackling the climb up to the Col de la Colmiane, where Simon Yates was victorious on the 2018 edition of Paris-Nice.
Next they will ascend the Col de Turini, where Colombian Egan Bernal scored his first success on French roads in the following year’s race. To complete the festival of climbing, the route finishes with the ascent of the Col d’Eze, a landmark of the Race to the Sun, on top of which Eddy Merckx, Joop Zoetemelk and Sean Kelly sealed their victories in the 1970s and 80s.
The 2020 edition of the Étape du Tour will provide many riders with the opportunity to enjoy a stay on the French Riviera. A.S.O. adds that, while the keenest will have already been through the countryside around the city during the Paris-Nice Challenge (on 14th March 2020), which has been organised in the region since 2016, a much more ambitious format is on offer in July.
The base of the 2020 L’Étape du Tour will be located in the city centre, where the race village will take up residence for three days. The finish line will also be located in Nice.