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| L'ETAPE DU TOUR 2009 - THE ROAD TO MT.VENTOUX "It's a tough mountain, a really stiff challenge, probably the most difficult climb in France" Lance Armstrong, 2002 |
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| L'ETAPE '08 - THE ROAD TO HAUTACAM | 
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| L'ETAPE '07 - THE ROAD TO LOUDENVIELLE | |
| L'ETAPE DU TOUR - OFFICIAL WEBSITE | |
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THE COUNTDOWN! |
L'ETAPE 2009 - RIDE STATS (click images to magnify) |
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EVENT DATE |
| MT.VENTOUX - 21.2 KM @ 7.6% | TOM SIMPSON MEMORIAL |
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| DVD COVER DETAILS | GPS FILE - click Garmin logo to download |
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| FOLLOW US ON TWITTER! | |
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| ROUTE MAP FROM OUR RECON - actual event route may vary (check official site for details) |
| VIDEO PLAYER - WATCH PREVIEW TRAILERS, OUTTAKES AND BONUS FOOTAGE | |
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| DVD CONTENT - PACKED TO THE BRIM WITH USEFUL L'ETAPE TIPS AND INSIGHTS | |
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- FULL ROUTE COVERAGE (1 hour Recon - all climbs & descends) |
| DVD REVIEWS - INDEPENDENT OPINIONS FROM THE CYCLING PRESS |
| BIKECYCLINGREVIEWS.COM - "Our Vote: 9.9/10! A great watch if you are riding the L'Etape or not." "The Road to Mt. Ventoux" DVD doesn't just show you the route, it explains all you need to know about riding a big sportive and much more. We start the reconnaissance with tips on what equipment you need, this covers everything from the bike set-up, spares selection to clothing and what nourishment you need to carry, there are feed stations on the route on the day of the ride, but you still need to look after yourself and taking what your body needs is very important. Your equipment could make the difference between finishing or not, so this section could give you the edge. Our guide, Michael Cotty, takes us sight-seeing in the start town of Montelimar which will be very useful for finding all the necessities for the ride, and then he goes on a tour of one of the Nougat manufacturers, explaining how it can be used as excellent ride food. This section is very helpful if you plan on doing the ride at another time either solo or with a group friends, where the hotels, restaurants and other amenities are situated will set you up for a great start. Michael Cotty is one of the best Sportive riders on the circuit and he passes on his expertise on the route from the tricky start through and out of the town and into the Provence countryside. Before we hit the Mont Ventoux there are five other climbs to cross, from the start you are climbing towards the Cote de Citelle, which is not so steep, Michael gives some great advice on road conditions and what the weather may do, the sort of info you can only get from an experienced L'Etape rider. Next we are taken over the Col d'Ey, the Col de Fontaube, Sault and the 996 meter Col de Notre-Dame des Abeilles and we still have the Mont Ventoux at 1912 meters to tackle and there is so much information on the course and how to ride a mammoth like this. Michael gives us the low-down on the climb and he sets off on the 22 kilometre climb from the line in the town of Bedoin. We can see the top from the town and it looks like it has snow on it, but this is because it is bare lime stone rock, but the camera shows us first how pretty the area is and then you see how domineering this mountain is on the surrounding countryside. As the climb kicks upwards it passes through forest and then as the trees thin out at 6 kilometres to go, you can see why a 34 tooth chain ring is a necessity. The Tom Simpson memorial is set in the middle of this lunar landscape with only 2 kilometres to the top and the finish in sight, this is where you need to be fit to finish the L'Etape du Tour. With the help of this DVD you would have a better chance of succeeding than going without all the inside information that can be gleaned from what is a very interesting, beautifully filmed and above all a very informative film. If you are serious about riding this year's L'Etape Du Tour this DVD is a must and if you want to aspire to this kind of riding then the DVD gives so much information not just on this ride, but many great tips on any long ride, organised or solo. As Cyclefilm say; "Don't dream it, do it!" |
| LINDSAY CRAWFORD - BikeRadar.com L'Etape diarist (7 time Etapist and 1st in category 2003.) Less than 48 hours after the route for L'Etape du Tour 2009 was announced, Mike Cotty and the crew from Cyclefilm were on scene in Montelimar to recon the course. Not only is a detailed description of the route on the DVD, but some history of the area is also included. Enough detail to prepare the first time rider as well as the experienced. After watching "The Road to Mt. Ventoux", you should not be surprised by anything encountered on July 20, 2009. Occasional reviewing of the DVD during those wet and cold winter days will inspire you to keep up the training with the goal of a successful L'Etape du Tour. Highly Recommended! |
| THE SOLOIST CYCLING BLOG - "I'm considering purchasing a few more of these." L'Etape Du Tour is a ride for the "rest of us" (well those who are very fit) where we can experience a stage of the tour -- in this case Stage 20. The DVD is professionally produced and the next best thing to climbing Mt. Ventoux yourself. The narrator/rider takes you up the mountain, explaining strategy you should consider if you ride the L'Etape. Even if you're not going to do E'Tape, the video is an excellent preview of the ride, one which you could do yourself or with some friends. (A nice touch was the glimpses of local life and a short tour of the Nugat factory.) The video is 90 minutes and is "zone free". (I played mine on a Macbook.) While I got my sample for free, I'm considering purchasing a few more of these. (I'd love to see Alp D'Huez, for example.) |
| ROAD.CC - "Money well spent if you're riding the Étape in 2009" If you're off to the Étape in 2009 then you'd do well to go prepared, because the Ventoux is a hard climb – the hardest in France, if Lance is to be believed. This DVD from Cyclefilms, their third Étape recce, will certainly help: it's well put together and gives a really good flavour of the ride and the area. The meat of the DVD is a 93-minute route guide which follows Cannondale's sportive-meister Mike Cotty on the 172km ride from Montélimar to the top of the giant of Provence. Filmed over two days in October, it gives a well rounded impression of what you'll be facing next July if you take up the challenge. There's a walk round the start town (which wouldn't be complete without a trip to a nougat shop) followed by a detailed look at the riding. There's really useful commentary on how the road conditions are likely to effect the ride – lots of narrow D-roads coupled with a fairly flat profile should mean that the ride takes longer than usual to break up – and good descriptions of all the climbs along with full-length (but speeded up) videos of each one in the specials menu. The route certainly looks like it'll be pretty special, though you might not be thinking that on the second-last climb, a rotten-looking main road grind with the Ventoux still depressingly distant. Once you're over that it's just the big one to go: 22km at 7.8% is a big ask with 150km already in your legs, especially when you learn that the first seven clicks are pretty shallow and then you don't get much change out of 10% for the next nine. A couple of flatter kilometres take you past Chalet Reynard and then it goes lunar for 4km of steep stuff until the summit. Having ridden the Ventoux myself it was good to hear a lot of what Mike was talking about on the climb striking a chord, though the sight of him chatting away while yomping up the climb twice as fast as me was enough to have me weeping into my cheese and crackers. As well as the riding itself there's plenty of good advice on bike spec, clothing and nutrition – all stuff you'll probably have heard before, but that doesn't make it any less true and it's good to be reminded. There's not a lot to dislike, really. If i have one major gripe it's that the bullet cam footage of the climbs is speeded up too much, meaning that you don't get a very good feel for how the climb goes, and there's no real reason for them to be so fast. It's not cheap at £16.99, but it's money well spent for a well-researched and informative look at the 2009 route, if you've booked your place. |
| PRODUCTION STILLS - OCTOBER 23/24th 2008 (IMAGES BY RORY HITCHENS) | |
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| SPECIAL THANKS - FOR DVD PRODUCTION SUPPORT | |
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MICHAEL COTTY (Producer / Recon Rider) |
| CONNECT WITH MARKUS FROM CYCLEFILM - Got questions, please get in touch! | |||
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