The 2015 Etape du Tour sportive takes place this weekend, and Strava has launched an official L'Etape du Tour Segment Challenge for every rider who tackles on the 19.9km climb of the Col du Glandon.

Around 15,000 riders are expected to take part in this year's Etape du Tour. Launched in 1983, L'Etape allows amateur cyclists to experience a stage of the Tour de France a few days before the pros. This year's Etape will be held on Sunday 19 July and follows the route of stage 19 of the Tour, with a 142km course and over 5,000 metres of climbing.

 Starting in Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne the route incorporates three major climbs - the Col du Chaussy (1,533m), Col du Glandon and Col de la Croix de Fer (2,067m), and the final climb into the finish at La Toussuire (1,705m).

The L'Etape du Tour Segment Challenge takes place on the day on the Col du Glandon. Every rider who takes on the climb on L'Etape du Tour will receive a digital badge and be entered into a leaderboard specifically for the event.

Records are there to be broken 

To date there have been almost 4,000 attempts of the Col du Glandon on Strava. The current Strava KOM holder is Team LottoNL - Jumbo rider Laurens ten Dam in a time of 58:48 with an average speed of 20.4 km/h. The Strava QOM title is held by retired professional and Olympic silver medallist, Emma Pooley in a time of 1:14:53 with an average speed of 16.0km/h.

Strava have calculated the average ascent time of the Col du Glandon as 1:49:33 for men and 2:03:09 for women - both have come in around 50 minutes slower than the current Strava KOM and QOM holders.

FDJ rider, Thibaut Pinot last rode the Col du Glandon in May to recce the climb ahead of this year's Tour de France where it features in Stage 18. He put down a time of 1:05:18, placing him 4th on the Strava leaderboard.

"At just under 20km, it's a very long climb that gets more and more difficult as you go on - you certainly need to pace yourself," commented Pinot.

"The first part of the climb is fairly steady and then it kicks up from Saint Colomban des Villards, the last 5km where you can see the summit is particularly tough."

He continued, "Although the stage itself is fairly short, it's pretty brutal as there are a lot of climbs one after another. Good nutrition and staying hydrated will be the key to getting through the stage."

Strava have also pulled average times for the Col du Chaussy and La Toussuire. Within the 142km stage there is 5,056 metres of climbing - which means the average male cyclist will be climbing for just over 4 hrs 15 mins and the average female around 5 hrs 30 mins.

In addition, all participants are invited to join the online community of L'Etape du Tour by joining the official Strava Club. Riders can use the club to see the progress of fellow riders as well as interacting and sharing tips ahead of the ride and special offers.

The route for L'Etape du Tour 2015 is also available to view and download on Strava.

Know your mountains

Col du Glandon (1,930m)

  • Strava KOM 58:48 - Laurens ten Dam
  • Male average ascent time - 1:49:33
  • Strava QOM 1:14:53 - Emma Pooley
  • Female average ascent time - 2:03:09

Col du Chaussy (1,533m)

  • Strava KOM 43:39 - Andrei Krasilnikau and Adam Yates
  • Male average ascent time - 1:07:29
  • Strava QOM 1:18:02 - Lianne Loosveld
  • Female average ascent time - 1:36:16

La Toussuire (1,705m)

  • Strava KOM 42:18 - Pierre Latour
  • Male average ascent time - 1:20:19
  • Strava QOM 1:20:18 - Victoria Alpen
  • Female average ascent time - 1:52:36

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