L’Étape du Tour
French Alps — Oisans and Maurienne · Le Bourg-d’Oisans → Alpe d’Huez
A full mountain stage of the Tour de France, on the course amateurs ride each July.
- Distance
- 169.4 km
- Climbing
- +5,446 m
- Est. time
- 11 h
- High point
- 2,628 m
Free, and no account needed to start. It rides in your browser with any smart trainer or power meter — a free account saves your result on the leaderboard below.
Elevation profile
541–2,628 m · 15 categorised climbs · Extreme · RoadThe 8 biggest of 15 categorised climbs, in the order you ride them.
About L’Étape du Tour
Each year one mountain stage of the Tour de France is handed to amateur riders, on closed roads. This is the 2026 course: out of the Oisans valley over the Col de la Croix de Fer, along the Maurienne to the Télégraphe and the Galibier — the roof of the day — and back for a finish at Alpe d’Huez, reached the unusual way, over the wild Col de Sarenne.
It is as hard as cycling events get. The distance alone would make a long day; the climbing makes it one that most riders take nine hours or more to finish, and the last climb starts when there is very little left.
Held every July on the route of one mountain stage of that year’s Tour de France. The course changes every year. The organiser lists the 2026 course at 170 km with 5,400 m of climbing.
Why ride this route indoors?
- The decisive skill is pacing the first passes so the last one is still possible — and that can be rehearsed climb by climb.
- You do not have to finish it to get the benefit: the Croix de Fer comes first, and the opening two hours of this course are a complete climbing session on their own.
- Hours of steady climbing are hard to find near most homes. Here they start at your front door.
Good to know
+Is this the official course of L’Étape du Tour?
The track is based on the GPX published by L’Étape du Tour de France (A.S.O.) for the 2026 edition, normalised by Cycloscape for indoor riding. Cycloscape is not affiliated with the event’s organisers.
+What do I need to ride L’Étape du Tour indoors?
A smart trainer or a power meter, and a browser. Cycloscape connects over Bluetooth or ANT+ from the browser, sets the resistance of a smart trainer to the real gradient, and turns the route’s GPX into a 3D world. There is nothing to install.
+Is it free?
Yes. You can start riding this route without an account. A free account saves your result and puts you on the route’s leaderboard.
Leaderboard
Best effort per rider — a free account puts your ride on it.