What are you doing next year 19 June - 13 July, any holiday plans yet? How about riding the Tour de France? Le Loop, those reckless enablers of cycling nutters' self-destructive fantasies, have released a few extra guaranteed places for next year's packages.
Setting out from Nice on 19 June, a small peloton of hardcore cycling nuts will attempt to ride the entire route of the 2020 Tour, one week ahead of the pros.
At the same time, a larger number of marginally more sensible cyclists will be taking on shorter sections of two to 10 stages - ranging from the Grand Départ to the highest mountain passes of the Alps and Pyrenees.
There'll be plenty of support along the way from the Le Loop team - they are seasoned hands at this, after all. But there's no getting away from the fact it's a daunting mission.
While the pros benefit from closed roads and a finely tuned spreadsheet of marginal gains, you'll be battling through regular traffic and racking up the Strava kudos score of a lifetime.
The first phase of entries sold out immediately, as usual, but an additional 20 entries were released on Monday. At the time of writing there are just 1-2 remaining, so if you've been waiting to enter then act fast.
But not too fast! Riding multiple stages of the Tour de France is a major challenge and not to be taken lightly. You may think that goes without saying, but it's a point worth emphasising: tackling back-to-back 200km+ days of cycling is a challenge unlike any other.
Even the toughest one-day sportives - we're thinking of rides like the Marmotte, the Fred Whitton or the Tour de Mont Blanc for example - are peanuts compared to something like Le Loop.
You'll need to maintain a healthy mimumum average speed to finish within the time limit each day, and while the organisers are extremely supportive they also stress the importance of going into the event with your eyes open and a realistic understanding of the scale of the challenge.
The exact route and full Loop details will only be known when the 2020 Tour de France route is revealed on 15th October. But if you'd like to guarantee your choice of Loop - you can pick from any package except for the full Grand Tour - you can do so now.
A deposit of £250 will secure your place on the Loop of your choice. The final cost will range from £450 - £2200 depending on the length of Loop you choose, with a fundraising commitment of £800 - £1500 (Le Loop is a fundraiser for the William Wates Memorial Trust).
Once your desposit's down, it's just a matter of waiting for the course details to be announced in October. Oh, and maybe getting a head start on the training wouldn't hurt...
For more details and to book, visit rideleloop.org.
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