L'ETAPE DRAFT ROUTES ANALYSIS
What you must know about the routes before to take the start of your race.
The 30th edition of the "Étape du Tour de France" will take place on 10 July 2022 on the same route as stage 12 of the Tour de France, between Briançon and Alpe d'Huez, i.e. 167 km with more than 4,700 metres of accumulated positive elevation gain, including the climbs of the Cols du Galibier and de la Croix de Fer.
For the fourth arrival of the "Étape du Tour de France" in Alpe d'Huez, it is an expedition full of historical symbols, as the route is based on that of 1986 Briançon-Alpe d'Huez stage, when Bernard Hinault won the last stage of his career in the Tour de France.
Check out the route of the 2022 Etape du Tour:
The Race: 167km - 4,700m elevation gain
The first course of this copious menu will be the Lautaret-Galibier sequence, 23 km at 5.1% average, but in reality from the traffic circle to leave Briançon, it will be 33km in the grip. It will be a tough one, but without much difficulty until the summit of Lautaret where the average gradient rarely exceeds 5%. You will have to beware of the wind because the road is almost completely open, but the 15 000 other participants should help to protect you.
Once at the top of the Lautaret pass after 14.5 km of ascent from Monétier les bains you will turn directly to the right and you will attack the Galibier climb with its average steepness of 6.8% but especially the 8. 6 km of climbs are all at more than 2000 m of altitude, the hypoxia generated and its last km at 9% (including a last ramp at 12%) requires you not to get carried away because at the top you will still have 3120 m of positive difference in altitude until the finish line of this stage of the 2022 tour.
Once at the top of the Galiber, the highest point of the stage of the tour as the Tour de France 2022, 30.2 km of descent await you to St Michel de Maurienne, attention these 30 km are cut in 2 by the ascent of the Telegraph pass by Valloire (4.6 km at 3.3%). If this climb is not scary compared to what you have to do, its management should not be neglected (link effort management). These 30 km of descents will also have to be part of your effort management strategy (and here of your concentration) as well as your nutritional strategy, for that I invite you to consult the following articles...).
Then follows 13 km of national road at the bottom of the Maurienne valley with a false flat descending profile following the course of the arc, without difficulty. Once arrived at St Jean de Maurienne, you will turn left and it will be gone for the 29 km of ascensions of the Croix de Fer by St Sorlin d'Arves at 5.2% of average. Good news, it is not 29 km of continuous ascent, but bad news, by removing the descent and km with less than 1% of slope, it is more of a 23 km ascent at 6.9% that we can cut in 3 or 4 parts without counting the descents.
A first part from St jean de Maurienne to Pierrepin-dessous of 4 km at 7.4% including the 4ᵉ km at 9.8%, an appetizer for the 2ᵉ part. After 2 km with a downhill profile, you will attack the 2ᵉ part of 6 km at 7.8% including 4 km at 9% or more! Then follows 1 km of a slightly rising false flat to cross the tunnel and then 2 km of descending false flat before attacking the last part of the pass and what a part, 824 m of positive vertical drop over 14 km (5.9%), with a profile similar to the Lautaret-Galiber sequence in a less steep way, i.e. 8 km where the average percentage is always less than 5% followed by 6 km where the average slope is often close to 8%.
Arrived at 2067 m at the top of the col de la croix de Fer a descent with a similar profile to the ascent awaits you, that is to say 20.3 km of descent interspersed with 2 small climbs of 1.7 and 2 km. This descent is generally on a wide road and has long sections without big bends (small spoiler on the management of this descent: you'd better stay in a group!).
After this long but fast descent, you will arrive at the Vernez dam and continue with 15.5 km of really flat valley until the foot of Alpe D'Huez. Only this mythical Tour de France climb with its 21 turns over 13.8km at 8.1% to cross the finish line!
