the road book for the ACT II of the Etape

19th edition of the Etape du Tour
July 17th, 2011 – ACT I
Issoire – Saint Flour (208 km)
19th Edition of the Etape du Tour
2011
All inclusive / self drive package
From Friday, July 15th to Monday, July 18th 2011
4 days, 3 nights in two star hotels
The Etape du Tour will gather this year again 10,000 amateur riders who will be able
to ride on the same roads as the pros of the Tour de France.
The second Act of the most prestigious cyclo will take place on Sunday July 17th and
will offer one of the longer route ever done on this event. Along the 208 km of this
difficult stage, you will discover magnificent landscapes of Puy de Dôme, Haute-Loire
and Cantal department. From the south of Issoire, riders will follow the refreshing
Gorges de l'Alagnon before going to the Monts du Cantal : Puy Mary and Plomb du
Cantal.
By the end of a very difficult route, you will watch the beautiful panorama on the
Chateau d'Alleuze and Viaduc de Garabit before the final climbing in Saint-Flour.
Public will be there to help you in this last hard point of your achievement.
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Friday July 15th - day 1:
Welcome!
Our staff (wearing a Ronan Pensec Travel T-shirt) will welcome you in Clermont
Ferrand (at the airport or train station).
-
Clermont Ferrand – Issoire: 36km / 26min
If you are coming by car....
The hotel that we booked for you will be expecting you! The rooms will be available
for check in from 2:00pm on and have been reserved under your name!
You will be accommodated for the next 2 nights right at the start in Issoire and will
spend the night of July 17th in Saint Flour.
We have booked for you the:
Hotel Le Tourisme
13 avenue de la Gare
63500 Issoire
Tel : +33 4 73 89 23 68
You will be accommodated on half board basis and the dinners will be served at the
close by hotel Le Relais.
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ISSOIRE (14,780 inhabitants): a little bit of history...
At the heart of a region nicknamed the Tuscany of the Auvergne thanks to its rolling
landscape and the quality of the light, Issoire is at the centre of a small community
near Clermont-Ferrand, whose architecture and landscape give it a Mediterranean
feel, and where its rich heritage sits side-by-side with its industrial know-how. The
beautiful Saint Austremoine abbey was built in the twelfth century, and from the top
of the clock tower, a fifteenth-century belfry, visitors are afforded stunning views of
the town and the surrounding area. Issoire is also famous as a pioneering town of
light aircraft thanks to the Wassmer family, whose work continues under the
company name Issoire Aviation. The company manufactures the APM-20 Lionceau –
the world’s first aeroplane made entirely of carbon fiber. It’s also here in Issoire that,
in 2012, the Rio Tinto Alcan factory will be equipped with the world’s first aluminiumlithium casting facilities. On a cultural level, the summer festival season sees festivals
for folklore and Roman art, night time markets and, on the sporting side, the
Challenge Auvergne rugby tournament.
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After checking in at your hotel you will have the possibility to make some
adjustments to your bike and go for an easy ride or to visit the area and/or relax.
Later on, you will meet your fellow riders for dinner, which will be served at 7:30pm.
During dinner, one of our staff members will come to greet you and inform you about
your program for the next days.
Saturday July 16th - day 2:
Today, you will be on your own in the morning and will have the time to explore the
area and stretch your legs at your convenience.
For the self drive guests:
Today is when you will need to go get your bib number. We recommend you to go
to the start village in the morning if you need afterwards to drop off your car in Saint
Flour. However, if you wish and have time to do it, you can also visit the village and
pick up your number on Saturday July 9th.
THE HOST VILLAGE
You can discover the downtown by walk and follow the pedestrian directions. Issoire
will host the village in the Bout du Monde sports complex, near of the train station
and of the city centre.
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2011
A genuine meeting place for all actors of the cycling community; the start village is at
one and the same time an exhibition, with the showcasing and sales of your new
products, and a celebration, with numerous special events organized across the two
days (July 15th and 16th).
A Mavic mechanics workshop will be set up in the "Host Village" in Issoire during bib
number collection times. Technicians will be there to fix your bike and give advices
and the labour will be free of charge.
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Please remember to bring your confirmation number, your ID and you medical
certificate in order to get your bib number.
You can find out your bib number at:
http://www.letapedutour.com/ET2/fr/les-inscrits.html
IF YOU HAVE TO TRANSFER YOUR CAR AND PERSONAL ITEMS (bike cases, luggage)
You can leave it on the parking lot of your hotel in Saint Flour (see map on page 16).
Please make sure to also bring in your car your bike case and personal luggage. If you
have booked a seat on our Ronan Pensec Travel shuttle, know that it will be waiting
for you at Hôtel de l’Europe, 12 cours Spy des Ternes and will leave at 4:00pm to go
back to the start. Our shuttle will drop you off at your hotel. This trip to Saint Flour
will be a good opportunity for you to scout the area!
Please keep your overnight necessities in a small back pack that will be picked up in
the early morning before the Etape by our staff and transferred to your hotel in Saint
Flour. Make sure also that this bag is properly labelled (with your full name, name of
your hotel at the start and name of your hotel at the finish _ you will find the label in
your “welcome bag”).
Dinner will be served tonight at 7:30pm. We have ordered for you a sporty dinner
with extra loads of carbohydrates (pasta and/or rice), so you can fully charge your
batteries for tomorrow!!! Dinner will be served today again at the hotel Le Relais.
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Sunday July 17th - day 3:
Today is the big day!
Breakfast will be available at the hotel from 5:00am on.
The start of the race is scheduled for 7:00am and all participants are required to be at
the starting line not later than 6:30am.
Note: This morning around 6am, our staff will come pick up your luggage and bike
cases to bring it to your hotel in Saint Flour. Please make sure to use the label we
provided you with to mark your backpack.
If you came by car with a family member or friend who plans to meet you at the
finish, please warn them that the road to Saint Flour will be closed. Therefore, they
will need to make themselves on their way very early in the morning.
THE RACE
There
will
be
some
drink/feed
stations along the Etape (please
review the time schedule to find out
where those will take place).
However, due to the high number of participants, we highly recommend you bringing
your own supply (at least 2 water bottles, some cereals/energy bars or gel).
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Technical assistance will be provided from the start to the finish by vehicles and
motorcycles spread over the race. Vehicles with spare wheels will only repair cycles
when equipment has been broken. The technical assistance services will under no
circumstances supply wheels if the participant’s wheel can be repaired quickly.
Competitors must repair punctures themselves and therefore set off with two spare
race tires or inner tubes. The location of the permanent assistance spots during the
race will be given to you in the "Host Village" in Issoire.
Once you have passed the finish line in Saint Flour, you will be just a short riding
distance from your hotel. Our staff will have already brought your luggage to your
hotel. You will then have the opportunity to relax and gather with your friends
around dinner where you will enjoy the local cuisine.
Saint-Flour will host the event for the third time, with a new finish. The host village
will take place at the central place of Allées after a last ascent along.
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Once you have passed the finish line in Saint Flour, you will be just a short riding
distance from your hotel (see map next page). There you will have the possibility to
relax, put on fresh clothes and to get your strength back during dinner (7:30pm).
Hôtel de l’Europe
12-13 Cours Spy des Ternes
15100 St Flour
+33 4 71 60 03 64
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SAINT FLOUR_ HOTELS MAP
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SAINT FLOUR – 2 Times stage town (7 300 inhabitants)
The capital of the Haute Auvergne, Saint Flour is a lively city served by the A75
motorway. It’s unique in that it split between two levels: the upper city on the
volcanic plateau of Planète at 900 metres, and the lower city down in the Ander
valley. Known as an area of history and art, Saint Flour boasts a rich heritage, and is
home to the fifteenth-century Saint Peter’s cathedral and the Halle aux bleds – a
fourteenth century Gothic church, which has recently been renovated so as to show
off its wooden archways, its volcanic rock sculptures and its bright colours once more.
Nicknamed “the Windy City” by the poet Camille Gandilhon Gens d’Armes, Saint Flour
plays host all-year-round to a number of festivals. The Festival des Hautes Terres
celebrates mountain culture, while la Festa del Païs brings together the world of
agriculture. Then there’s the Chemin d’Art Contemporain, when works of art are
displayed around the town, and the Dit d’Alleuze festival – night-time spectacle in the
heart of the Georges de la Truyère.
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Monday July 18th - day 4:
Today the time has come to tell each other good bye!
After breakfast, our transfer will leave the hotel to bring you back to the airport or
the train station.
In order to know the exact transfer times to the airport and the train station, please
ask our staff on site.
In order to avoid any delay as much as possible, we ask you to be ready to get on the
bus at the time that has been given to you. Thanks for your cooperation!
We hope you enjoyed your stay with us and hope to see you again on the 2012’s
edition of the Etape du Tour!
We wish you a nice and safe trip back home!
USEFUL INFORMATION
Our staff on site!
Iona: +33 6 10 79 21 43
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