FRANCE · SPORTIVE

ÉTAPE DU TOUR TRAINING PLAN.

The Étape du Tour is cycling's mass-participation crown jewel — one stage of the current year's Tour de France, on closed roads, run by ASO. Varies each year but always hard, always mountainous, always an international field.

175 km·4,500 m climbing·8-12 hours·July

THE OVERVIEW

WHAT THE ÉTAPE DU TOUR ACTUALLY IS

TERRAIN

One stage of the current year's Tour de France, route varying annually. Always mountainous — typically two or three HC or Cat-1 climbs, sometimes a summit finish, sometimes a descent into the line. Distance ranges 130-180km, climbing 3,500-5,000m.

WEATHER

July in the high Alps or Pyrenees varies from 4°C and raining at 2,000m at 09:00 to 35°C in the valleys at 15:00. The summit of an HC col can be 25°C colder than the start town. Sun intensity at altitude burns skin faster than sea-level July.

FITNESS DEMANDS

WHAT YOU NEED TO ARRIVE WITH.

MINIMUM FTP

3.3 W/kg

to finish, well-fuelled

COMPETITIVE FTP

4.0 W/kg

to ride the day on your terms

ENDURANCE

12-15 hours/week peaking, with a long ride that has hit 5-6 hours and includes at least two sustained climbs of 30+ minutes each. Sea-level riders should add altitude exposure in the final 2-3 weeks if logistically possible.

WHY THESE NUMBERS MATTER HERE

The Étape is climbing-limited and altitude-limited. 3.3 W/kg gets you up the climbs at a sustainable rate and within the cut-offs; 4.0+ W/kg lets you ride the climbs on your own terms rather than the mountain's.

CLIMBING DEMANDS

THE CLIMBS, IN ORDER.

4,000-4,800m of climbing across 150-180km — comparable to La Marmotte. The difference is altitude and the pro-race format. Many editions cross 2,000m, where amateurs lose 10-15% power on the steepest pitches. Cut-offs mirror the pro race; slow climbers get pulled.

COL DU GALIBIER (WHEN INCLUDED)

VARIES — TYPICALLY MID-STAGE

17.7 km·5.5% avg·1245 m gain

2,642m summit. 60-90 minutes of sustained climbing for amateurs. Altitude bites on the upper third — pace the climb on power, not feel.

COL DU TÉLÉGRAPHE (WHEN INCLUDED)

VARIES — OFTEN PAIRED WITH GALIBIER

11.9 km·7.1% avg·856 m gain

The Télégraphe-Galibier pair is one of cycling's defining stretches. Don't burn matches on the Télégraphe — Galibier is still ahead.

ALPE D'HUEZ (WHEN INCLUDED)

SUMMIT FINISH

13.8 km·8.1% avg·13% max·1100 m gain

21 hairpins. The crowd, the heat, and the gradient combine — pace it on a wattage ceiling and ignore the carnage around you.

EXPECTED FINISH TIMES

WHERE YOU'LL LAND.

Use these bands to set a realistic goal. Pick the band closest to your current fitness — not the one above it. Pacing a band you haven't earned is the fastest way to a back-half blow-up.

FIRST-TIME FINISHER

10-12 hours

FTP 2.8-3.2 W/kg, 10-12 hours/week, longest ride 5 hours with sustained climbing.

AVERAGE ENTHUSIAST

8-10 hours

FTP 3.2-3.7 W/kg, 10-13 hours/week, multiple long rides in hills.

STRONG AMATEUR

6-8 hours

FTP 3.7-4.3 W/kg, 12-15 hours/week, sustained-climb work, 30+ minute threshold reps.

ELITE AMATEUR

5-6 hours

FTP 4.3+ W/kg, 15-20 hours/week, racing background, comfortable above threshold at altitude.

Predict your Étape du Tour finish time →

12-16 WEEK TRAINING FRAMEWORK

HOW THE BUILD ACTUALLY GOES.

Four phases shaped around the Étape du Tour. Aerobic base, structured build, peak block, taper. Volume and intensity move in opposite directions on the way to race day. Skip a phase and the day rides you, not the other way round.

BASE.

WEEKS 16-13 · 10-12 H

Build the aerobic engine for an event that demands sustained climbing at altitude. 80/20 distribution — most rides in Zone 2, conversational pace, no Strava ego. The mitochondrial density you build here is what holds power on the upper third of an HC col.

ANCHOR SESSION

One 4-hour Z2 ride per week on rolling terrain, fuelled from minute 30. No structured intervals.

LATE BASE.

WEEKS 12-9 · 11-13 H

Volume still rules but tempo work enters the plan and long rides extend to 5 hours with sustained climbing. Event-specific fitness builds without compromising aerobic depth.

ANCHOR SESSION

Tempo sandwich — 2x20 minutes at 76-88% FTP inside a 2-hour Z2 ride, paired with a 5-hour weekend ride that includes a 30-minute climb.

BUILD.

WEEKS 8-5 · 13-15 H

Threshold and VO2 work layer on. One threshold session, one VO2 session, one long ride with HC-col-shaped climbing. Pro-race pacing is rehearsed here, not on race day.

ANCHOR SESSION

2x20 minutes at 91-105% FTP, plus one 4x4 minute VO2 session. Long ride builds to 5-6 hours with two sustained 30-50 minute climbs.

PEAK + TAPER.

WEEKS 4-2 · 9-11 H DROPPING TO 6-8 H

Volume drops 20-30%, intensity gets very specific. One full Étape simulation in altitude conditions if possible. Then taper — the goal is to arrive fresh, not fitter.

ANCHOR SESSION

Étape simulation — 5 hours with two HC-style climbs at 75-80% FTP. Final 10 days: race-pace openers, full rest before travel.

WEEK-BY-WEEK PLANS

HOW LONG TILL YOUR ÉTAPE DU TOUR?

Six weeks-out windows, each built around the demands of this course. Pick the one that matches your window today. The framework is free; coaching makes it personal.

16 WEEKS OUT

BASE PHASE

Aerobic foundation. High volume, low intensity. Don't skip this.

12 WEEKS OUT

LATE BASE

Bridge phase. Volume still rules, but structure begins.

8 WEEKS OUT

BUILD PHASE

Structured intensity enters. Threshold + VO2 max work.

4 WEEKS OUT

PEAK PHASE

Event-specific sharpening. Volume drops, quality rises.

2 WEEKS OUT

TAPER

Sharpness is banked. Now shed fatigue.

1 WEEK OUT

RACE WEEK

Don't do anything clever. Eat, sleep, show up.

FUELLING STRATEGY

EAT LIKE THE DAY DEMANDS.

Eight-plus hours at altitude pushes carbohydrate demand to 100g/hour minimum if your gut is trained — and that's the bar for finishing well, not just finishing. Altitude suppresses thirst; force-drink on a timer (one bottle per hour, alarm if you need it). Feed zones are excellent — baguettes, ham, bananas, the full ASO operation — but rely on your own supplies for in-effort fuelling and treat the feed zones as top-up stops, not meal stops. Sun at altitude doubles UV exposure: factor in 30-minute reapplication of sunscreen and electrolyte intake that scales with sweat rate, not feel.

PACING STRATEGY

RIDE IT IN THE RIGHT ORDER.

Pace on watts, not feel. Each HC climb is its own threshold effort with a rigid wattage ceiling — 75-80% of FTP for 60+ minutes is the sweet spot for most amateurs, and you should hit it on every climb regardless of who's flying past. The summit-to-summit interval is often the crux: two cols in 90 minutes with a fast valley between is the move that separates strong finishers from cracked ones. Eat and drink on the descents, especially the long ones; you have 20-40 minutes of free aerobic recovery, and most amateurs throw it away by tucking and drifting. Cut-offs at the Étape are real — start in the right pen, fuel from the gun, and pace the first climb on power not panic.

EQUIPMENT ESSENTIALS

WHAT TO BRING. WHAT TO LEAVE.

The kit choices that change the day. Most DNFs at this level trace back to gearing, hydration storage, or layers for the descent — not fitness. Sort the kit and the training does its job.

GEARING

34x32 minimum, 34x34 strongly recommended. Many editions include a summit finish that bites at km 150+ on tired legs — the difference between 32 and 34 teeth at hairpin 7 of an Alpe-style finish is not aero, it's whether you ride or walk.

ALTITUDE PREP

Many editions cross 2,000m. Sea-level riders lose 8-15% of FTP at altitude. Altitude tent in the final 2-3 weeks works for committed amateurs; arriving 7-10 days early to acclimatise is the practical fallback.

DESCENT KIT

Gilet stashed in jersey + arm warmers in the pocket. HC summit descents drop 1,000m+ at speed and run cold even in July. Clear lenses for cloud and tunnel sections; tinted lenses cost you on shaded hairpins.

TYRES + WHEELS

25-28mm road tubeless. Climbing wheels save weight; aero wheels save the valley sections. Closed-road format means you can run lighter setups than an open sportive — the safety margin is bigger.

SUN + HEAT

Sunscreen at every feed — Alpine UV at 2,000m burns skin twice. Light-coloured jersey for valley sections. Electrolyte mix in every bottle once the heat lands.

COMMON MISTAKES

DON'T DO THIS.

Patterns we see at the Étape du Tour every year. Each one has a fix that costs nothing — except the discipline to actually use it on the day.

MISTAKE

Treating it like a normal sportive

FIX

The Étape is mountain racing scaled to amateurs. Train on sustained climbs of 30+ minutes, ride at altitude if you can, and arrive with race-day taper and fuelling rehearsed. A Marmotte or Maratona prep is closer to the truth than a 100-mile sportive prep.

MISTAKE

Underestimating heat at altitude

FIX

Sun intensity at 2,000m is brutal even at 22°C. Sunscreen at every feed zone, clear lenses for the descents, and electrolytes from the start — not 'when it gets hot'.

MISTAKE

Saving legs for the final climb and missing the cut-off

FIX

Pace the first climb on watts and the second to your training data. Cut-offs are non-negotiable and they catch riders who go too slowly on the early climbs hoping to push later. Ride the day from minute one, not from the final climb backwards.

STUCK BEFORE THE EVENT?

FIND OUT WHY YOUR FTP HAS PLATEAUED.

The Plateau Diagnostic is a 5-minute assessment that identifies the specific reason your training has stopped producing results. Built for riders 35+ who have been doing the work but watching the numbers stall. You'll get a profile-matched recommendation in your inbox.

Take the Diagnostic →

GO DEEPER

THE READING THAT BUILT THIS PLAN.

Curated long-form pieces on the methods and mistakes behind the framework above. Pick the one that addresses the gap you actually have right now.

DEEPER READ

Étape du Tour Training Plan: The Long Read

The deeper article on training for the Étape — methodology, sessions, and pro-coach references that ground this plan.

DEEPER READ

Altitude Training for Cyclists

Many Étape editions cross 2,000m. This guide covers what altitude exposure is realistic in 2-3 weeks pre-race.

DEEPER READ

Heat Training for Cyclists

Alpine valley sections regularly hit 35°C+. Heat acclimation in the 14 days before race day is worth more than any aero gain.

DEEPER READ

Why You Get Dropped on Climbs (and How to Fix It)

Pacing and the mental game on long sustained efforts. Directly applicable to HC-col pacing on the Étape.

DEEPER READ

How to Taper for a Sportive

Two-week taper protocol that arrives at the start line fresh, not flat.

DEEPER READ

Low Cadence Training: The Pro Coach's Secret

John Wakefield-style torque intervals build the leg strength that holds power on sustained Alpine gradients.

DEEPER READ

Polarised Training: The 80/20 Approach

The training distribution that builds the aerobic depth a multi-HC-col day requires. Anchored in Professor Stephen Seiler's research.

RACE PREDICTOR

WHAT WILL YOU ACTUALLY RIDE?

Plug your numbers into the Race Predictor and we'll model your Étape du Tour finish time on the actual course profile — climb-by-climb, with pacing recommendations.

Predict your Étape du Tour time

FAQ

ÉTAPE DU TOUR TRAINING, ANSWERED.

What FTP do I need for the Étape du Tour?

How long should I train for the Étape du Tour?

Most riders benefit from 12-16 weeks of structured preparation. 12-15 hours/week peaking, with a long ride that has hit 5-6 hours and includes at least two sustained climbs of 30+ minutes each. Sea-level riders should add altitude exposure in the final 2-3 weeks if logistically possible. If you have less time, the 8-week and 4-week plans still produce a meaningful result on the right starting fitness.

What's the typical finish time for the Étape du Tour?

Amateur finishers cover the full range. First-time finisher: 10-12 hours; Average enthusiast: 8-10 hours; Strong amateur: 6-8 hours; Elite amateur: 5-6 hours. The difference between bands is climbing fitness and fuelling discipline more than flat speed.

What's the biggest mistake riders make at the Étape du Tour?

Treating it like a normal sportive. Fix: The Étape is mountain racing scaled to amateurs. Train on sustained climbs of 30+ minutes, ride at altitude if you can, and arrive with race-day taper and fuelling rehearsed. A Marmotte or Maratona prep is closer to the truth than a 100-mile sportive prep.

How should I pace the Étape du Tour?

When does the Étape du Tour take place?

The Étape du Tour typically runs in July. Count back from your event date and pick the weeks-out plan that matches your window.

WANT THIS BUILT AROUND YOUR FTP?

PLAN MADE FOR YOU, NOT FOR THE AVERAGE.

The framework here gets you in the right territory. Inside the Not Done Yet community ($195/mo), the plan gets built around your FTP, your week, your weeks remaining, and your delivery via TrainingPeaks — with a weekly call where Anthony walks through the questions members are bringing in.

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