Organisers of the Haute Route, billed as the world’s toughest and highest sportive, have launched an online community to track how riders’ preparations are progressing with two weeks until the event leaves Geneva, Switzerland.

The Haute Route is a seven-day sportive taking 600 riders on a 780km route from Geneva to Nice, France, via 19 Alpine cols and seven timed stages.

The online community – http://community.hauteroute.org – allows participants to track their training in the final build-up to the event and is integrated with major training networks and social media sites.

The Haute Route launched in 2011 and organisers have tweaked the course for the second edition, with three new host towns and 11 new climbs.

“We wanted a redesigned course in order to renew the interest of the riders, but also to integrate new world-famous icons of cycling such as Courchevel and Alpe d’Huez where we will stay two days,” said Rémi Duchemin, CEO of event organisers OC ThirdPole.

“The Alps are full of spectacular scenery and legendary mountain cols, and France is known around the world as a cycling paradise. To restrict the Haute Route to the same course each year would be a mistake.”

www.hauteroute.org