Etape

The Etape is the only way for an average cyclist to come close to understanding what it feels like to ride a stage of the Tour de France.

The Mountains Make the Man, and the Fan 2008

Byron commented: "To be given the opportunity to take part in something like the Etape has been a brilliant experience and something I never thought I would be able to do as an amateur cyclist.

icWestlothian 2010

Team Sky at the Tour de France is just the tip of the Sky iceberg: down below are mass-participation rides, taking cycling into schools, and putting 125 Sky employees into today's Etape du Tour, the chance for amateurs to face the kind of challenge the pros must deal with.

Military precision forms the tip of Team Sky's cycling iceberg 2010

The fastest of the Etape riders, Laurent Four, finished in 5: 38, only about one hour and 18 minutes slower than Mr. Piepoli; the slowest — those unable to finish the ride in 12 hours — were scooped up by a bus that follows the tail of the pack and didn't finish at all.

The Mountains Make the Man, and the Fan 2008

But for those fans who are less steeped in (or fascinated by) Tour minutiae, the significance of today's stage is that it was also the same route used for this year's Etape du Tour (Stage of the Tour), an amateur race run every year on one of the actual Tour de France routes.

The Mountains Make the Man, and the Fan 2008

It seems like a perfect place to inject his CERA while he prepares to dominate next year's Etape.

Archive 2008-07-01 BikeSnobNYC 2008

It seems like a perfect place to inject his CERA while he prepares to dominate next year's Etape.

Digging Deep: Turning a Positive Into a Positive BikeSnobNYC 2008

First run in 1993, the Etape features roads closed to traffic, rest stops stocked with food and water, medical support, and gold medals for those who finish within various time ranges based on age.

The Mountains Make the Man, and the Fan 2008

And so Mackey finishes the Etape, which I recall no one here said was even possible -- broom wagon in two hours, that kind of thing -- and you can dismiss it because he rode a nice bike and had a coach?

I'm Back: Did I Miss Anything? BikeSnobNYC 2008

Lately he's on the 'Cycling Plus' magazine training DVD giving advice on how to train for this year's Etape.

It's Not About The Riding: Cycling, Blogging and the Grey Lady BikeSnobNYC 2008