So in 2010 I’m going to join the Tour de France … for one day … in the Pyrenees. I came across this blog on the New York Times website called The Climb dedicated to following one mans quest to ride in L’Etape du Tour.

Started in in 1993, L’Etape is a single stage of the Tour de France open to amateur cyclists attracting around 8,000 people to compete on the same course the professionals ride. L’Etape responded to requests from fans who wanted to experience cycling’s most prestigious competition by scheduling the event each year on one of the Tour’s hardest mountain stages. Be careful what you wish for.

This years L’Etape will take place on the course for Stage 10, just days before the professionals coming roaring through from Pau to Hautacam. The most significant point of the route will be climbing the Col du Tourmalet, the highest point in the Pyrenees, with 23.4KM @ 7% grade and another climb to the finish in Hautacam, more than 15KM @ 7%. Both of these classify as ‘hors catgorie’ climbs, which are so punishing as to be beyond the 1 – 5 ranking given. Oh yea … this is on a 96 mile course by the way.

While Im no threat to the Polka Dot Jersey by winning the King of the Mountains, I have wanted to see the Tour for some years now. What an awesome way then to experience not only seeing the professionals up close and personal, but geting a first hand idea of what they do to earn their paychecks.