This year's ICAP L'Etape London sportive will feature a timed, closed-road sprint challenge, organisers Human Race have revealed. The 2017 edition takes place on Sunday 24 September at Lee Valley VeloPark.

Two intermediate sprints have been added to the course of the 186km Long and 147km Medium routes, allowing riders to emulate the TdF pros by charging for the line and seeing how they compare against their rivals. Green and white jerseys and L'Étape du Tour places will be awarded to the fastest riders.

The long route for this year's Etape London will feature three timed sprint sections.
The long route for this year's Etape London will feature three timed sprint sections.

The first of the closed-road stretches will come after 48km of both routes near the village of Takeley, with the second, near Roxwell, arriving after 99km of the Medium route and 138km of the Long. Authentic Tour de France signage will count down the distance until the intermediate sprints, allowing riders to get their speed up and even organise a lead-out train.

With 200 metres to go, it will be time to drop the hammer - and your mates - as you pass over a timing mat and give it full beans to the line.

All participants, including those taking part in the 79km Short distance, will once again have the opportunity to end their ride with a sprint finish at the Lee Valley VeloPark. Three-time Tour de France champion, Chris Froome, not renowned for his sprint, recorded a time of 1 minute 15 seconds on the 1km road-circuit at the 2016 event, giving this year's riders a benchmark to compare themselves against. Last year, the fastest male and female sportive riders were Artem Ponomarev and Cat Gaskell, setting times of 1 minute 22 seconds and 1 minute 32 seconds respectively. (Unlike Froome, both had over 180km in their legs having ridden the Long route before their sprint effort.)

Chris Froome chats with a rider on the 2016 Etape London.
Chris Froome chats with a rider on the 2016 Etape London.

This year, each rider's times for the three sprint sections (one for riders of the Short route) will be combined to produce the results of the TP ICAP L'Étape London by Le Tour de France Sprint Challenge. The male and female Long Route riders with the quickest times will become the overall winners of the contest, receiving a coveted Le Tour de France green jersey as well as entry into the 2018 L'Étape du Tour, including three nights' accommodation, bike hire and a place in the first wave of the day.

The fastest male and female rider from the Medium and Short distances will each receive an official Le Tour de France green jersey, while the 'young rider' classification will see the fastest man and woman under the age of 26 in each distance win a Le Tour de France white jersey.

The intermediate sprints, sprint finish and green jersey classification at TP ICAP L'Étape London are designed to give riders the chance to feel like a Tour de France legend for the day. A départ fictif and a départ réel, moto marshalls, red Tour de France Skodas, Tour de France style rider number and signage, a finish podium experience, and a Tour de France photo expo in the event village, will all add to a memorable experience unavailable at any other sportive in the UK. Frequent feed stations as well as free wine and cheese at the finish line will keep cyclists fuelled during and after the ride.

Entry numbers at the Étape London are strictly limited because of the closed road sections, however it's not too late to take part. Secure your place by entering at www.letapeuk.com.

Read our report on riding the 2016 edition of the ICAP L'Etape London here.

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