The route for the 2017 edition of L'Etape du Tour was revealed this morning in Paris along with the full route of the Tour de France.
The Etape du Tour will take place on Sunday 16 July 2017. Riders will tackle the 178km route of Stage 18 of the 2017 Tour, starting in Briançon and finishing with a climb of the Col d'Izoard.
A video fly-by of the course has been posted on the official Etape website, check it out here:
The Col d'Izoard has previously featured 34 times in the Tour, but 2017 will be the first summit finish on the 19.5km, 1,215m climb.
Before reaching the Izoard riders will face another significant climb, the 2,109m Col de Vars. This climb begins at the 97km mark and is the first true test on the route, gaining 1000m of elevation over 32km.
From the summit of the Col de Vars riders can buckle in for 19km of almost uninterrupted descent as the route plunges into Guillestre (1,025m).
The ascent of the Izoard begins almost immediately out of Guillestre however, and riders will have to gather their reserves for 30km of climbing, as the road steadily increases in gradient almost to the very summit.
Entries for the 2017 Etape du Tour will open at 8am CET on Friday 21 October at www.asochallenges.com.
Check out Joe Saumarez Smith's 2017 Etape route analysis.
0 Comments