L’Étape du Tour 2026 : It Took Me 17 Years to Learn these Roads

The L’Étape du Tour 2026 is being described as the toughest route in recent memory — and after riding and working on these roads for 17 years, it’s easy to see why. In this video, I break down the L’Étape du Tour 2026 route map, section by section, explaining how it looks on paper — and how it really feels on the road. Starting in Bourg d’Oisans and finishing in Alpe d’Huez via the Col de Sarenne, this 170 km high-mountain sportive packs over 5,400 metres of climbing into one relentless day. 0:00 Intro 1:25 Col de la Croix de Fer climb and descent profile and pacing traps 2:53 The Maurienne Valley harder than it looks 3:32 Télégraphe gradient and energy management 4:03 Descent to Valloire and the Col du Galibier Climb altitude effects and Strategy 4:53 Dangerous descents Galibier and Lautaret and the Valley, tunnels, and fatigue points 5:44 Why Col de Sarenne changes everything at the end Less Than 80 Days to go to L'Etape du Tour 2026 : Are you Ready ?    • L’Étape du Tour 2026 : Less Than 50 Days.....   40 days to go — sharpening up release 5th June 2026 7 days to go — race week, what to do and what not to do release 10th July 2026 If you leave a comment you can then a copy of the digital map by visiting https://morethan21bends.com/l-etape-d... Don't want to leave a comment ? You can buy two maps and GPX file here https://morethan21bends.com/product/e... I used the following equipment to record this video INSTA360 - https://amzn.to/3OocaVg INSTA ACE PRO 2 - https://amzn.to/4qMBP7I LARGE TRIPOD - https://amzn.to/4aCpcGd HOLLYLAND LARK A1 BLUETOOTH MICROPHONE - https://amzn.to/3ZJ3oUf iGPSPORT BIKE COMPUTER - https://amzn.to/4r1Mg7D Help support the channel and buy me a coffee https://buymeacoffee.com/morethan21bends #EtapeDuTour2026 #CyclingInFrance #AlpeDHuez #TourDeFranceClimbs #FrenchAlpsCycling