Route announced for L’Étape Australia by le Tour de France

L’Étape Australia is pleased to announce today the official race route for L’Étape Australia by le Tour de France 2016.

L'Etape Australia course profile (SBS) Source: SBS

Expertly designed to replicate a stage of the world famous Tour de France, this route has been personally endorsed by Le Tour de France Race Director Christian Prudhomme.

Christian Prudhomme said:

“Traversing through a multitude of stunning landscapes and topographies and a truly challenging final climb, this route has all the necessary ingredients to provide riders with a true Tour de France challenge.

Taking place on Saturday 3 December in the New South Wales Snowy Mountains, L’Étape Australia is run on closed roads under full race conditions, with two levels of difficulty to choose from.

The Race covers 157km of gruelling terrain with two difficult climbs taking the route to a peak of 1,735m. The Ride is a shorter but still testing 126km course with a peak of 1,300m suited to those who wish to immerse themselves in the atmosphere and experience without the intensity of the final climb.

From the start line in Crackenback, the race route provides riders with an eclectic mix of undulating hills and flat sections leading up to the 300 sprint stretch for the Green Jersey which takes place in the village of Berridale.

The King of the Mountain climb comes at the Col de Beloka, a challenging and punchy 3.5km stretch with an average gradient of 10% but with some sections reaching 17% gradient.

Cyclists competing in the shorter course, The Ride, will then pass the finish line at L’Étape Australia Village on the banks of Lake Jindabyne.

But for those competing in The Race things heat up. Riders will pass Jindabyne and hug the lake side before turning uphill to begin a steep and long ascent of Col de Kosciuszko to the finish line at Perisher, where fans line the road awaiting the arrival of the Yellow Jersey overall winner. After 157km of racing and 1739m above sea level, this final, leg-burning climb of The Race is comparable to the toughest mountain stages of the Tour de France.

From the finish line at Perisher, riders will take their bikes down the SkiTube to the start at Bullocks Flat/ Crackenback and either retrieve their vehicles or catch a shuttle back to the social, celebratory and administrative heart of the event at L’Étape Australia Village, encamped on the banks of Lake Jindabyne.

Head to L'Etape Australia for more info and to join the entry waitlist.