L'Étape du Tour: the course, the date and how to prepare
- Distance
- 169 km
- Climbing
- 5,446 m
- Highest point
- 2,628 m
- Categorised climbs
- 15 · up to 16 %
- Shape
- Point to point
Measured on the Discover route you ride free. The organiser's own figures are below.
Elevation profile
541–2,628 m · 15 categorised climbsThe 6 biggest of 15 categorised climbs, in the order you ride them.
L'Étape du Tour lets amateur riders take on a mountain stage of that year's Tour de France on closed roads. The 2027 edition is on 11 July 2027. The course changes every year: in 2026 it went from Le Bourg-d'Oisans to Alpe d'Huez over 170 km and 5,400 m of climbing.
L’Étape du Tour de France at a glance
- Where
- French mountains, a new course every year
- Official website
- letapedutourdefrance.com ↗
- Next edition
- 11 July 2027
- Route
- Le Bourg-d'Oisans – Alpe d'Huez: 170 km, 5,400 m climbing
- Terrain
- Mountain — long climbs
- Facts checked
- 4 November 2026, against the sources below
Full preparation and course training require Event Coach Pro.
Free to ride. This course is one of Discover's Iconic events. Ride it free
The routes
L'Étape du Tour is one route.
| Route | Distance | Climbing |
|---|---|---|
| Le Bourg-d'Oisans – Alpe d'Huez (2026 course) | 170 km | 5,400 m |
What the course asks of you
Whatever the year, L'Étape is a high-mountain day: several long cols, each climbed for an hour or more, with long descents between them and usually the hardest climb at the end. The 2026 edition had 5,400 m of climbing in 170 km and finished on the hairpins of Alpe d'Huez.
Time limits apply along the course, so the challenge is not only finishing but keeping a pace you can hold from the first col to the last. Riding in the July heat of the mountains is part of it.
How to prepare
The general shape of a good preparation, which Event Coach turns into a plan for your fitness, time and date:
- Train long climbs: steady efforts of 30 to 60 minutes just below your threshold match the cols of L'Étape du Tour far better than short intervals.
- Build the long day: rides of five to seven hours in the final two months, towards the 170 km of the route you choose.
- Practise eating and drinking on a schedule, and descending: a mountain day is as much going down as going up.
Pacing mistakes to avoid
The mistakes that cost riders the most on a day like this:
- Treating the first climb of L'Étape du Tour as a race: a long col ridden above the pace you can hold for hours costs you the rest of the day.
- Saving nothing for the last climb, where the most kilometres are already in your legs.
- Skipping food on the descents: the next climb starts with what you ate on the way down.
Prepare L'Étape du Tour with Cycloscape
Tell Event Coach you are doing L'Étape du Tour, your route and what you want from the day, and it builds your preparation towards 11 July 2027: 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 du Tour 2027?
On Sunday, 11 July 2027, according to the organiser.
How long is L'Étape du Tour?
Le Bourg-d'Oisans – Alpe d'Huez: 170 km with 5,400 m of climbing. The 2026 course as the organiser published it. We will update this page with the 2027 course once the organiser publishes it in detail.
How many riders take part?
16,000 riders registered for the 2026 edition and 12,875 finished, according to the organiser.
Can I ride the course of L'Étape du Tour in Cycloscape?
Yes, free: it is one of Discover's Iconic events. Event Coach adds the preparation around it.