Tuesday, June 18, 2013

Etape 2013 Post Ride Guide

I have just rounded up a 3 week French tour by riding the course of the Etape

It was great and prompted me to make some observations about the route that may be of interest to those taking part in a couple of weeks time. Hopefully these will be useful.

(For future events I'd be interested in seeing the statistics for other rides. If, having done and hopefully enjoyed the event, you have anything you can share please post a comment.) 

General Comments

First and foremost the scenery on the stage is stunning. From the start with its lake views to  to the summit finish, where the vista across the Alps took my breath away. I have ridden many stages of the tour and this definitely ranks amongst the best in terms of sheer beauty. Even if riding hard for a gold standard I'd advise taking some time to look up from the wheel ahead and take this all in.

Second the course, though short in comparison to many, is quite intense. Further it's design may mean that overall times/positions may be down to luck of the draw as much as anything else. This is largely due to the opening section. Given the number of riders and the variation in their abilities there's a big risk of traffic jams on the approach to and through the first climb. I suspect riders starting first will have an advantage over those starting later, to an even greater extent than normal.

Overall Phases

The course has a number of phases (each made up of one or more sections, covered in more detail later):
  • Start to the top of the second (Leschaux) climb: I think of this as one continuous phase with the aim of getting safely to the top of the Leschaux unscathed and being able to find a big group thereabouts that will get you through the next phase. If getting a good time is a priority goal I think doing this will be important to the extent that, contrary to usual advise, I would go quite hard from the off and plan to recover in the next phase. In practice I suspect the extent to which you can do this will depend on what's going on around. One reason for suggesting going hard is that you may well be forced to stop/go slow due to traffic anyway, in which case you will get plenty of recovery.
  • From Leschaux to 4th (Col de Pres) climb. This is a long phase over varying countryside. It will be way easier in a group, the bigger the better. This is especially true of the 3rd climb to Aillon Vieux whose main factor is it's length. If you are with lots of others motoring along its effect will be much less. Indeed the hardest sections in this phase may not be this climb but rather the few short sharp efforts that would appear as full on climbs in a UK sportive but here don't rate a mention in the official course profile.
  • Col de Pres/Descent 1: The Col de Pres climb is shorter but steeper than the 3rd and is the precursor to the first big descent. Groups will naturally break on one or the other during this phase
  • Transition/Mont Revard: Following the descent there is a short transition followed by the first really major ascent of the day. The main feature of this climb is its length and that it may get quite hot if the weather is fine. Best survival strategy for both is to find a group moving at your pace and work with them. There are few, if any, steep sections that will cause such a group to splinter. To the contrary there are some flatter sections that should allow some respite/regrouping.
  • Descent2: A second descent that, while not technical, will break most groups up.
  • Transition to final climb: There is a fairly long section before the final climb. It is also quite lumpy so best advice would be to not push hard after the descent but wait to pick up a passing group.
  • Annecy Semonz: Harder and longer than the official profile, the road starts rising before the official start and there is only a short pause before the road goes up steeply. The worst sections are at the bottom. The climb soon enters forest which provides a fair degree of cover and is a pretty constant gradient. When the forest ends then the top is not too far away. The road is wide and the surface OK so most should hopefully be able to find their own pace up without too much hindrance from others.

Pacing

I use power for training and pacing. My ride came at the end of a long, hard three week bike tour so I was pretty tired and especially not used to producing top end power. Before starting the tour my FTP was around 325W*, so I used that to set power targets for the climb but set these conservatively as I would get no recovery from group riding and wanted to leave some contingency in case of issues on the ride (which turned out to be a good idea as I had to do another 15km and an extra climb due to a detour caused by work on one of the bridges..).
  • Shorter climbs (i.e. the first 4) around 85-95% of FTP
  • Longer climbs (i.e. the last 2) around 75%-85% of FTP

This went pretty well, the first five climbs felt easy and were comfortably on target. The last would have been fine as well but on the run into it my right foot started to give me major pain** and the Annecy Samnoz  was pretty torrid as a consequence, largely done with the left leg, causing a dip in power to just below target range.

If I was doing the Etape for real I would probably go with this pace plan aiming for higher end of target zone, especially pushing harder on the first phase on the assumption that the adrenaline of the event will probably make this happen anyway and there will be chance for recovery in a group on the next phase than wasn't there when solo.(Being on a faster/lighter race bike rather than a tourer would also help with this, since each big effort should take a less real time and be less tiring as a consequence.)

I was also monitoring HR. This turned out to be low, peak for the whole ride was only 160bpm which is 24 bpm under max and 6-8 or so bpm under what I would usually expect for the watts I was putting out. I would guess this is an effect of having so many miles in my legs.

* Weight wise I was around 71kg, bike was my tourer 11 kg unloaded/15kg loaded, has bullet proof but slow tyres and the aerodynamics of a brick.


**Post ride I found out the reason for for my foot issue. I always dismount with my right foot first and over the course of my tour the right cleat had pretty much worn out. The bits of the ride where I had to walk past roadworks had been the final straw resulting wearing it very thin indeed resulting pressure points that caused the foot ache. Lesson learned for the future.

Feeding/Drinking

Conditions for my ride were great, nice and sunny, though quite hot as a result, in the high 20s centigrade. So I drank a lot getting through about 8 75cl bottles of water (luckily there were plenty of fountains along the way) and 1l of coke.

The ride used up around 4250kJ which is a reasonable guesstimate in terms of calories burned riding. For food I ate 300g of Haribo, 1 Snickers, 3 large bananas and a ham/cheese sandwich. Along with the coke this added up to around 2500kcal , including 500g or so of carbs. This was ample, the limiter on my final climb power was the pain from my right foot, not lack of food. 

Gearing

I did the ride on my touring bike which has a triple 52-39-30 with a 12-27 rear cassette. 

The lowest gears are for climbing fully loaded so were not needed much during the ride. For the climbs (except Aillon Vieux) I simply engaged the 30 chain-ring  then focussed on keeping a nice steady cadence around 70rpm, which these gears allowed without any problem, even on the very tough last section on Annecy Semnoz.  (Aillon Vieux I used the middle ring as knew it would be fast)

For first timers not used to long climbs.  The single most important thing is being able to keep a comfortable cadence up, where comfortable >60rpm.

My advice for gearing is find the longest hill you can that is not too steep (ideally over 5% but less than 10%).  Rule of thumb is make sure you have a gear on your bike that you can turn over comfortably at 70rpm+ from bottom to top.  Then
  • Make sure you have at least one gear below this for emergency use
  • If the hill less than 5% then you should have 2 or 3 extra gears.
  

Detailed Sectors

Below is some more detail on each of the sectors. Also included are some statistics in terms of distance, time, power and HR. Times are rough guidance, at several stages I had to go slow due to road works/gravel and once had to get off and walk. Choice of bike will also have had an effect.

The “official” distances from the route schedule are also shown. These differ, mainly because its sometimes a matter of judgement exactly where a climb finishes. (or starts for that matter) and because the exact start point of the event was not clear when I rode it.

Note: there are a few short climbs not shown on the profile. Most come just after a the road descends to a river bridge.. So as a general rule if you see a bridge while descending, expect to have to short but steep effort just after.

  1. Start to First Climb: There is only one straight flat part on the whole course and this is it. Its very easy to go very fast along this section, I wouldn't be surprised to see 50+kph. However the road has multiple lane dividers and the occasional roundabout so its key not to get carried away and keep a safe line. Once into St Jorioz the turn to the first climb is not far away and comes very abruptly at (I think I recall the second) roundabout. There are 2 pharmacies on the right beforehand. The second is next to a Gendarmarie. This is the time to get ready for upcoming roundabout and sharp right turn.
    After the roundabout, the road quickly narrows. I would expect this to be a big pinch point. So if I were riding the event  I would plan to stay on extreme left on approach and go the “wrong” way round the roundabout on the expectation most will follow the inside line.
    Distance: 5.2kmTime: 0:09:50 AVS: 31.7kph
     
  2. Cote De Puget:  The climb has a couple of false starts, rising then levelling. It kicks off for real just after the end of the long brownish speed hump, which is also the point were it funnels into a slightly narrow lane. The climb varies in pitch, the steepest section comes just after the 3km road marker when the road bears left into a wood. It hits 10% here so will likely result in some bouchons, maybe dismounts. After this section it stays pretty constant until just before the end. The climb actually finishes in Puget but levels out in a small village, Paterier, just before. If the chance to eat hasn't already come this would be a good time to do so, then attack the final couple of bends, not pausing at the official top, which many will no doubt do. 
    Distance: 6.1km Time: 21:03 AVS: 17.5kph Power: 283W(87%FTP) Peak HR 160bpm Cum Dist: 11.3km Official Distance 15.5km Cum Time: 00:30:53
  3. Puget Descent: Very short, it goes down quite steeply to some hairpins. Look out for a give way sign, quickly after you take a left straight uphill, so need to have preselected your climbing gear. There will be little if opportunity to pedal during this descent so simplest may be just stay in gear from previous climb. 
    Distance: 1.4km Time: 0:02:17 AVS: 36.9kph 
    Cum Dist: 12.8km Cum Time: 0:33:10
  4. Col de Leschaux: Short section from the junction is probably worth attacking hard since there is a short respite after a couple of bends as you enter a village and pass its Marie. Past this the climb is quite constant up hairpins on good road. This may be the ideal time to find a group for the next phase. The end of the climb comes when you can see/go past the bar in the smalll hamlet on top of the hill even though the “real” end may be signed a bit later. 
    Distance: 3.7km Time: 0:13:48 AVS: 16.1kph Power: 284W (87%FTP) Peak HR 157bpm 
    Cum Dist: 16.5km Official Distance 22.5km Cum Time: 0:46:58
     
  5. Transition to Aillon Vieux: Quite a long section with some lumps in it. There are a few hard efforts, most noticeably 1.5km@5% at around km 28 or so. During the tour stage proper the sprint will take place at Le Chatelard, so appropriately there are a couple of big ring climbs just after turning left onto the road approaching it and in the centre of the village itself. 
    Distance: 20.3km Time: 0:52:39 AVS: 23.2kph 
    Cum Dist: 36.8km Cum Time: 01:39:37 
     
  6. Aillon Vieux climb: Not really a climb in the traditional sense and quite forgettable. If you are in a good group it's quite possible you may get well into this before you even realise you are on it as you will be moving fast and the gradient is not very severe. To make things even easier the climb is in 2 parts, a 3km section and a 2km section with a flat 1km in between. 
    Distance: 5.6km Time: 0:17:15 AVS: 19.5kph Power: 271W (83%FTP) Peak HR 154bpm 
    Cum Dist: 42.4km Official Distance 46km Cum Time: 01:56:52
  7. Transition to Col de Pres: short section, slightly rolling. Groups should stick together through this. 
    Distance: 4.8km Time: 0:13:45 AVS: 20.9kph 
    Cum Dist: 47.2km Cum Time: 02:10:37
  8. Col de Pres: A real climb, this does a couple of hairpins then continues straight on in a long drag, albeit meandering slightly, to the summit. Groups may break up on this ascent and I would not worry if this happens. This is the last short climb and one to be enjoyed. 
    Distance: 3.6km Time: 0:14:16 AVS: 15.2kph Power: 290W (89%FTP) Peak HR:158bpm 
    Cum Dist: 50.8km Official Distance 53.5km Cum Time:02:24:53
  9. Descent from Pres: First of two major descents. Views are breathtaking, road surface at top may be as well. Nonetheless it starts with some long straight runs, so bumps aside is quite safe, then changes to hairpins when the surface gets better too. No section is hugely technical so hopefully it will be something to enjoy. 
    Distance: 9.3km Time:0:15:16 AVS: 37.0 kph 
    Cum Dist: 60.1km Cum Time: 02:39:59
  10. Transition to Mont Revard: The descent ends a bit painfully with a 1km climb at 8%. Then its pretty easy for a short until the sharp branch right onto the Mont Revard climb. 
    Distance: 2.8km Time: 0:11:00 AVS: 15.2kph 
    Cum Dist: 62.9km Cum Time:02:50:59
  11. Mont Revard: First big climb of the ride. The main things about it are the length, over 16km, and that it may also be quite hot as there is little shade. It most likely will also coincide with you starting to run short of pre-stored fuel so it will test eating/drinking approach (at the start of this climb I burned around 1800kcal and it took a further 950 or so to complete.) The gradient is easy and there are some flat sections at around 4km,10km and 14km. Ideal for this will be to find a group and work with them which will be easier than on steeper climbs as pace will be pretty steady and with chances to regroup on the flat bits. 
    Distance: 16.4kph Time:0:59:46 AVS:% 16.5kph Power: 260W (80%FTP) Peak HR 159bpm 
    Cum Dist: 79.3km Offical Distance 81km Cum Time: 03:50:45
  12. Descent from Revard: Another wonderful descent with better road surface than the first and not at all technical. 
    Distance: 13.3km Time: 0:21:15 AVS: 37.6kph 
    Cum Dist: 92.6km Cum Time: 04:12:00
  13. Transition to final climb: This section is quite long and rolling. As with other such sections it will be much easier in the company of others. 
    Distance: 24.1km Time: 01:16:06 AVS: 19.1kph 
    Cum Dist: 116.7km Cum Time: 05:28:06
  14. Final climb Annecy Semnoz: This caught me out. The ascent towards the climb proper starts from 13km to go and there is not much pause between that and the climb itself. So it's probably best to get into climbing routine as soon as you start going uphill. The climb proper is in 3 parts and, right foot pain aside, I really enjoyed it as its full of challenge/contrast.

    • Steep section at the bottom Sections at 13% with hairpins best taken wide.
    • Following a short flatter section a contant 8.5% through forest which means much is in shade. The climb also widens at this point so there should be plenty of room.
    • From memory, once the forest clears the end is around 2km or so away,.  
    View once you arrive is stunning and well earned. There were no other riders apart from myself on the climb but I did have plenty of company in the form of flies. Hopefully there will not be too many of these on the day itself. 
    Distance: 11.5km Time: 01:02:18 AVS: 11.1kph Power: 237W (73%FTP) Peak HR 152bpm 
    Cum Dist: 128.2km Offical Distance 128km Cum Time: 06:30:24
Comparison to other events

Several have commented, including myself, that this years etape looks relatively "easy" (or more accurately "not hard") compared to previous ones and similar events.  Having ridden the course I'd be inclined to adjust my views a little.

In terms of out and out "hardness" 130km with 3500m of climbing isn't as tough as the 170km and 5000m climbing of the Marmotte or previous etapes.  However the intensity ramps up at the start and doesn't let off much from there on. There are no flat sections apart from the first few km, the only long rest will be during the two descents which are comparatively short. If sun shines then much of the course will be hot especially Mont Revard. And the final climb is longer and harder than the official profile albeit it should give some relief from the sun if that's a factor. 

For those who's main aim is to finish then I think this probably is a little easier than normal. However if aiming for a fast time then the near non-stop intensity may make things pretty tough. 


Will be interesting to see. As already mentioned if reading this and plan to do the event itself, hope you find it helpful and I'd be very interested in hearing how things go.