The final countdown to the 2015 Etape du Tour is on, with thousands set to sample Tour life on Saturday (July 19), days before the pros take on the route to La Toussuire.
And now Strava users will be able to compare their efforts over the Alpine climbs with their fellow riders, after the launch of the official L’Etape du Tour Segment Challenge in partnership with ASO.
The Challenge takes place on the Col du Glandon, and all riders who take on the 19.9km climb will receive a digital badge and be entered into an event-specific leaderboard.
Using Strava will also allow Etape riders to compare their efforts with those of the pros, with Laurens ten Dam (58:48) and Emma Pooley (1:14:53) the current King and Queen of the Mountain after just shy of 4,000 recorded attempts.
Strava have also calculated the average ascent times for each of the major climbs on the Etape du Tour route, which mirrors the route for stage 18 of the Tour de France.
Col du Glandon (1,930m)
Strava KOM 58:48 – Laurens ten Dam
Male average ascent time – 1:49:33
Strava QOM 1:14:53 – Emma Pooley
Female average ascent time – 2:03:09
Col du Chaussy (1,533m)
Strava KOM 43:39 – Andrei Krasilnikau and Adam Yates
Male average ascent time – 1:07:29
Strava QOM 1:18:02 – Lianne Loosveld
Female average ascent time – 1:36:16
La Toussuire (1,705m)
Strava KOM 42:18 – Pierre Latour
Male average ascent time – 1:20:19
Strava QOM 1:20:18 – Victoria Alpen
Female average ascent time – 1:52:36
FDJ’s French ace Thibaut Pinot, who recce’d the Col du Glandon in May and placed fourth on the Strava leaderboard as he did so, said: “At just under 20km, it’s a very long climb that gets more and more difficult as you go on – you certainly need to pace yourself.
“The first part of the climb is fairly steady and then it kicks up from Saint Colomban des Villards, the last 5km where you can see the summit is particularly tough.
“Although the stage itself is fairly short, it’s pretty brutal as there are a lot of climbs one after another. Good nutrition and staying hydrated will be the key to getting through the stage.”
All Etape participants are also invited to join the online community of L’Etape du Tour by using the official Strava Club. Riders can use the club to see the progress of fellow riders as well as interacting and sharing tips ahead of the ride and special offers.
The route for L’Etape du Tour 2015 is also available to view and download on Strava here.
And if you need some last-minute coaching advice, don’t forget to check out the final part of our training series.
