L'Etape du Tour 2019/Mini Raid Alps/Watch the Tour de France Trip 2019

Dear all

I'm trying to work on a shorter catchier name but I suppose the one above covers the 3 main parts of the trip so here it is!......

Almost each year Orwell sends a huge range of teams over over to foreign events and a lot of them have been some amazing trips had by the groups involved. This trip will lead on from the 2014 Marmotte where we had 16 warriors, 2015 where over 25 did the Raid Pyrenees, the 2016 Alpine Classic Cols trip with around 25 again and last year's Marmotte where Orwell had nearly 30 starters and was the biggest foreign trip the club ever took part in.

Next year will be another epic journey that is open to all Orwell members but due to the difficulty of the Alps and the Etape a mid yellow level and above would be advisable....in other words if you're able to do a Randonnee or the W200 you'll be grand.

The dates etc are to be confirmed by the Tour organisers(ASO) but the it's more than likely to due to be around July 21st with the Tour stage on 24-26th July depending.

The Plan is the following:
-Fly over 1-2 days pre Etape
-Etape du Tour with closed roads run by the ASO usually on the Queen Stage of the Tour with all the paraphernalia of the greatest race on the road....
-In between Etape and Tour do a mini Raid Alps-2-3 days of cycling some of the iconic peaks of the Alps staying in the same hotel each eve. If you don't want to cycle on these days that's grand...do as little or as much as you would like but there will be a full diary of routes.
-Stay there until the Tour stage is passing and be on the climbs(Mankinis optional)
-Fly home day after.

The full trip will be somewhere between 5-7 days depending on the organisers plans that will be released Oct 23rd.

Rough Costs involved in the trip

Flights ballpark €100 each way
Accom and Trans ballpark £80-100 pps per night depending on type of accom which is chosen.
Ticket Entry that will be purchased online for the Etape ballpark €100
Shipmybike option that we have used for previous 4 trips that will ship your bike fully assembled and in 1 piece with no bike bag needed and a small bag(Eliminates the need to checked luggage) €225 if we have 15+ which we will €250 if less than 15.

Won't be filing up the Forum with lots of posts about this trip so all you need to do at the moment is contact me on 0872390130 by text and I'll add you to a new whatsap group that we'll use about this trip.

You won't need to pay deposits etc just yet but when the details are released each person will need to purchase their entry online asap that week. Also each person will need to book their own flights asap after that. I'll let you know the dates and times to book.
I'll be in touch with details of how you need to pay deposits with Sportive Breaks etc and Ship my Bike too....

No need to be 100% committed just yet but you need to start to get serious and start to really think about it!

That's all for now. If you're interested in coming on the best trip of the year...send me a text.

Garret 0872390130

See below the message from Phil of Sportif Breaks who organised a trip to the Etape for club members in recent years and has been given a glowing recommendation and will more than likely be the travel company we use to organise accom and transfers.

Thanks for getting in touch and please say hi to Louise for me.

We are working hard on our Etape packages for next year. The route is officially announced on October 23rd and will be in the Alps. We take quite a few clubs and corporate groups to the Etape and offer custom trips consisting of:
- Choice of accommodation close to the start / finish
- Mechanic service
- Bike rental
- Return airport transfers
- Warm up rides
- Race briefs
- Official entries (we can provide entries but we are charged more than individuals so we recommend people buy their own entries and only use us when the event is sold out through the main site)

We are not officially allowed to share any information before October 23rd but we can call a few days before to discuss options and hold rooms before they become available to the public.

If a lot of you guys have done a lot of the Alps before, I suggest in the days between the Etape and Tour we run a mini Alps raid taking in some lesser ridden places as well as the classics (depends on location of the Etape but if in the Southern Alps we can ride the Col d'Agnel, Saint Veran, Izoard and more).

Sounds good and it gives me a reason not to return to Andorra next year.

Last call for those thinking of doing the etape. This will be the last message on the forum about it.

From this point all communication will be on the dedicated whatsap group. Text me on 0872390130 to get on this if you are going.



See below the latest itinerary

!!!Right!!! we finally have an itinerary to work off. After a good few back and forth emails from Phil of Sportive Breaks here is a few cut and paste of the key info for you all. The main trip will be 7 nights covering travel, the etape, mini raid alps and tour watching on the galibier. There is an option for people to extend a further 2 nights to have extra tour viewing inc the etape stage. Also below is a quick 3 nighter option which is travel-etape-travel see below.
I’m due to speak to Phil again tomorrow to find out how one pays etc but it’s basically shit or get off the jacks time. You’re going to have to commit to this by the end of the week and pay 40% deposits within a week or so. Those who are out at this point best bet is to leave the group now to avoid confusion on numbers. I’ll do one final shout out on forum after I speak to Phil re payment links etc. we currently have 31 signed up to it so far by being in this group.

Single supplement is available on all nights. At this point there is approx 30 people on this trip already with smaller group doing 3 nights and larger group doing the full 7 nights. I’m not aware of anyone doing 9 nights.

Hi Garret,

We are pretty certain of the Tour and Etape now so are delighted to propose the following for your group:

7 & 9 Night Etape / Tour de France Alps Week

Summary: The decisive section of the Tour 2019 will be the 3 days in the Alps with just the sprint stage in Paris after. The route looks spectacular with three tough days including the Izoard, Galibier, Iseran, Tignes, Madelaine and a very high finish in Val Thorens all packed into three stages.
On this trip you will ride the world famous Etape du Tour as well as all of the classic climbs ridden in the 2019 Tour and a couple of other classics thrown in for good measure. The 7 night trip includes 3 nights at the Etape and 4 nights in Briancon. The 9 nights adds 2 nights back in the Etape town. For most riding days there are easy options to reduce the route distance and elevation for anyone wanting an easier day.
Your support team will include experienced road guides helping you on the climbs and sharing the best routes in the Alps and our expert mechanics to make sure your bikes are in perfect order. On all rides we will have:

Ride leader
Support vehicles with mechanics
Feed stations with gels, bars & sandwiches for lunch
Water bottles on the big climbs

Our itinerary is:

Friday 19th July - fly into Geneva, we will collect you from there for the 1hr45 transfer. Our mechanic can help with bike build, optional ride to collect race packs
Saturday 20th July - Warm up ride, race briefing in the evening.
Sunday 21st July - Transfer at 5.30am to race start, ride the Etape.
Monday 22nd July - Rest day (optional local ride and / or visit to spa)
Tuesday 23rd July - Ride the Madelaine, Telegraph & Galibier. Finish in Briancon (118km, 3,900m)
Wednesday 24th July - Ride Lauteret, Sarenne & Alpe d'Huez (115km, 3100m). Transfer back to hotel in Briancon.
Thursday 25th July - Ride the Izoard & Galibier before joining us at our gazebo on the Galibier for a picnic and beers to watch the Tour ride past. The finish is just over the top in Valloire so this climb will be critical for the GC contenders.
Friday 26th July - Departure day for the 7 nighters. For 9 nights, transfer to Modane and ride the Iseran and Tignes and watching the Tour on Tignes. Transfer back to our hotel.
Saturday 27th July - Short ride in the morning and then climb up to Val Thorens to watch the final ride of the 2019 Tour. This is a monster 35km climb finishing at 2,300m.
Sunday 28th July - Departure to Geneva.

Included in the price is:

3 nights in Etape town, 4 nights in Briancon / Serre Chevalier & then optional 2 nights back in Etape town based on 2 people sharing a twin room
Return airport transfers from Geneva
Entry to Etape du Tour
Ride leader, Mechanic & tour leader
1 support van for every 12 riders
All breakfasts
Lunches on ride days
Picnics on Tour stages
Ride nutrition

Does not include:

Insurance
Dinners
Lunches on non ride days

We have two options, a 2 star and a mix of 3 & 4 star. Pricing as follows:

2 star hotels
7 nights - £1,199
9 nights - £1,349

3 & 4 star hotels
7 nights - £1,549
9 nights - £1,699

We would need a 40% deposit to confirm the booking (£479 for the 7 night 2* package).

For both the Etape and Tour the hotels get booked up very quickly. We are holding options for you guys, can you come back to me by the end of the week with numbers and which option you would prefer. We have a great team for this trip and look forward to spending time with you in such a great part of the world.



For a 3 night Etape break, pricing will be between £499 and £575pp with transfers, entries and 3 nights B&B in a twin room. Route looks very punchy this year, finishing with a 35km climb with the Madelaine probably as a warm up!

Absolute last call out for the 3 nigher Etape trip and the 7 nighter Etape-Raid Alps-Tour de France Trip....
I now have booking pages ready to distribute to the Orwell group so last call for anyone thinking of it...if you're thinking of it text me 0872390130 before end of Friday and you'll need to act quick to fill out the booking page and deposits will be paid by their deadline after that within a day or 2.
Time to become a Alpine Etape and Raid legend along with the 31 other Orwell already on the list....
Garret

For all those on the fence...the tour and the etape have been officially announced and are details above are confirmed. So far there are 15 signed up and deposits paid for the 7 nighter and 4 signed up for the 3 nigher. There are an additional 15 due to sign up this week. The trip will be approx 30 Orwell members from mid yellow to dark orange ish.
The travel organisers have our places on the Etape and the hotels reserved and will these until a deadline of Friday Nov 9th. So you need to get your deposit in by then or all entries will most likely be booked up and hotels rooms will be gone by that point.
Last call!

Bike Shipping
I have a quote from BringMyBike.ie, that we are happy with:It just includes the bike, as there's customs that the company has to pass when passing through the UK.
Three Day Bikes - We ran into an issue where SportiveBreaks were not aware that we were expecting them to bring the three day trippers bikes back to Briancon. They sorted that by explaining the sitch to SportiveBreaks.

Payment Link:
Part of the message is hidden for the guests. Please log in or register to see it.

Pay soon, as you're competing for spaces with pesky Triathletes for the Huez Triathlon.


Bike Shipping Drop-off Pick-up Dates
We'll get the bikes on French Soil when we arrive, they'll likely be at the hotel before us.
Saddle and/or top tube bags are fine. Bottles are also fine. As the bikes are all wall mounted we can’t accommodate cyclists shoe’s attached to the pedals as these shoes will interfere with the position of the adjoining bikes.

Dublin Drop Off: Monday 15th 5pm - 8pm.
France, Moutiers Pickup: Friday 19th 20:30
France, Briançon Drop Off: Friday 26th 09:00.
Dublin Pickup: Sunday 28th July 12pm - 2pm.

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Medial Cert
You must have a Medical Cert uploaded (before July to be safe).
It'll still be in "Pending" status until they review it over a crossaunt.
Upload here: mydashboard.timeto.com/timeto


Checklist:

Brexit Customs Change
Bad News, ya'll have to book Check-In Luggage. I've confirmed that the Brexit Extension to October 31st, still effects the Customs.

I’m touching base with you to update you on the Etape Tour with regard to luggage transfer policy in the light of Brexit.

The UK has started to implement their customs declarations policy in advance of a no-deal Brexit, and the net result is that we are now unable to include personnel luggage on any vehicles transporting bikes through the UK.

Our recent experience in bike transfers to the Tour of Flanders last week and Paris Roubaix this weekend, has confirmed that we are now unable to include any luggage even a shoulder bag containing helmet, shoes, pedals & gels as we are unable to declare the contents of these bags as required on customs declaration forms.

Can you advise all club members signed up for the Etape du Tour that they now need to include their luggage on their flight reservation.

Brexit Customs Change Confirmation - 30/05/2019
Suitcases on Airplane.

Unfortunately the customs situation is via the UK/Europe land bridge is now more difficult than ever.
Our experience is that the Uk are ramping up the customs declaration in advance of a no deal brexit.
The political situation in the Uk and extension to 31st Oct has resulted in an ever changing customs procedure on both the UK and French side of the channel.

To answer your question, yes, all luggage must travel with the cyclists on the aircraft.

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Unfortunately, I have to pull out of this trip so I have return flights and deposit paid on a single room for the 7 day trip. Please contact me directly if you are interested on 085 7228973.

Thanks,
Darragh

Hi all,

I have now cancelled my trip and flights so this option is no longer available.

Thanks,
Darragh

Just so no one misses it, you have two actions to do:

1. Ask SportiveBreaks for your invoice, as they're not proactively sending them out.
2. Book your suitcase on the airplane, as it can no longer be carried overland via Britian because of Brexit.

If anyone else wants to join us, just for the Etape.

Michael has been in contact with me offering BringMyBikes' Package.
You'll need to book your own flights to Geneva, and three nights accommodation near Alberville.

Link: bringmybike.ie/events/etape-du-tour-sunday-21st-july-2019/

We could also offer airport transfers from Geneva to Albertville, based on the following flights
Friday 19th July: 13.20 Dept Dublin, 16.40 arrive Geneva
Mon 22nd July: 17.20 Dept. Geneva, 18.35 arrive Dublin

Note:
1. Clients book their own flights
2. Package Return bike transfer €245
3. Package, Return bike transfer & Entry to Etape €375
4. Package, Return bike transfer, entry to Etape & return airport transfers € 500

We're 10 days out from dropping off the bikes:
Do an check on your bike. Ensure that your gears are working, that your chain isn't stretched. Bed in new Brake Pads. Maybe get a spare tyre in case you rip one a few days out.
Any Glued-On Patches on your Tubes may melt off in extreme heat/long braking/cooking inside the transporter, so replace patched tubes

We're 15 days out from the Airplane, ensure that your Inventory is in good order.
Here's a good list from CycleSierraNevada (Sinead's Yoga4Cyclists Tour Operator): www.sierranevada.cc/road-cycling-hoiliday/what-to-bring

Hopefully the rain jackets can stay at the bottom of the drawer.

‪Congratulations to all our members and friends who took on the beast that is the Etape du Tour today...CHAPEAU?

We are looking forward to hearing all about it when you are back!! Who is writing the report;)


(photo thanks to Annmarie Loughrey)‬

Best of luck to our club mates and friends of the club in the Etape 2023 on Sunday.
It think the route is basically 26 Stocking Lanes.

Remember to check Strava on Sunday, after Glenroe of course, and give them Kudos.