L'Étape Rio: the routes and how to prepare
The course
Long route
- Distance
- 107 km
- Climbing
- 1,451 m
- Highest point
- 509 m
- Categorised climbs
- 7 · up to 22 %
- Shape
- Loop
Measured on the course you ride in Cycloscape. The organiser's own figures are below.
Elevation profile
1–509 m · 7 categorised climbsThe 6 biggest of 7 categorised climbs, in the order you ride them.
L'Étape Rio by Tour de France rode the streets and hills of Rio de Janeiro on closed roads. Its 2025 edition, on 29 June, had a long route of 102 km with 980 m of climbing and a short route of 59 km with 720 m, both climbing through the Tijuca forest to the Vista Chinesa and the Mesa do Imperador. It is not on the L'Étape Brasil calendar announced for 2026 and 2027.
L’Étape Rio at a glance
- Where
- Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- Next edition
- Date to be confirmed by the organiser
- Routes
- Long route: 102 km, 980 m climbing · Short route: 59 km, 720 m climbing
- Terrain
- Hilly — repeated climbs
- Facts checked
- 4 November 2026, against the sources below
Full preparation and course training require Event Coach Pro.
Ride the real course on your trainer. The route of L’Étape Rio, 107 km, as a 3D world, with your trainer following its gradients — any day, and as part of your Event Coach plan. Part of Cycloscape Pro.
The routes
L'Étape Rio offers 2 routes.
| Route | Distance | Climbing |
|---|---|---|
| Long route (2025) | 102 km | 980 m |
| Short route (2025) | 59 km | 720 m |
What the course asks of you
After about 20 km along the city, the climbing starts by the Cachoeira do Horto and rises through the rainforest of the Tijuca to the Vista Chinesa and the Mesa do Imperador — the decisive climb, steep and sustained — before the descent back to the coast.
Train a climb of 15 to 20 minutes at or just below threshold, and practise riding hard in the heat.
How to prepare
The general shape of a good preparation, which Event Coach turns into a plan for your fitness, time and date:
- Train repeated climbs: several efforts of 8 to 15 minutes close to your threshold, with short recoveries, copy the rhythm of L'Étape Rio.
- Build the long ride towards 102 km, so the final climbs are not the first time your legs have been out that long.
- Add a few short efforts at low cadence on steep gradients, for the ramps that come late in the day.
Pacing mistakes to avoid
The mistakes that cost riders the most on a day like this:
- Answering every climb of L'Étape Rio with a surge: repeated climbs reward an even effort, not a burst on each ramp.
- Spending the most on the famous climb when the hardest part of the day is still to come.
- Letting the pace of the group on the flat decide how tired you arrive at the climbs.
Prepare L'Étape Rio with Cycloscape
Tell Event Coach you are doing L'Étape Rio, your route and what you want from the day, and it builds your preparation: structured workouts held by your trainer in ERG, Race Pacing for how to spend your effort, and Performance Lab to see whether the work is landing. Full preparation and course training require Event Coach Pro.
Frequently asked
When is L'Étape Rio?
The organiser has not announced the next edition's date yet. Event Coach lets you set your own target date until it does.
How long are the routes of L'Étape Rio?
Long route: 102 km with 980 m of climbing; Short route: 59 km with 720 m of climbing. The 2025 routes as reported in the Brazilian cycling press.
How many riders take part?
About 2,000 riders in 2025.
Can I ride the course of L'Étape Rio in Cycloscape?
Yes, inside Event Coach with Cycloscape Pro: once you start your preparation, the course is ridden on your trainer as part of the plan.