THE COMMITTED ETAPE

Why you should ride for one of our charity partners?

Riding for a charitable goal takes on a different meaning for different people, giving riders that extra bit of motivation while training and racing. It helps us to overcome our limits and grit our teeth when the going gets tough.

As well as hardening our resolve and upping the ante for our challenge, it raises funds for medical research on diseases that sometimes hit close to home.

Why you should ride for Macmillan Cancer Support?

• To make a difference raising funds: The money is paid out directly to Macmillan to support their outstanding work and life-changing projects.
• To boost your motivation: By riding for Team Macmillan you will be helping people living with cancer take back control if their lives.
• To raise awareness: International events such as L'Étape du Tour are the perfect platform to raise awareness about charities on the world stage. In addition to media coverage of the event, thousands of spectators throng the roadsides, giving you a huge potential audience.
• To make sure you get a spot: By now, you probably know that the available spots for L'Étape du Tour are sold out in no time, leaving lots of riders without a race number.
  If you choose to race for a charity, you will get a guaranteed spot and be able to relax when registration opens, comfortable in the knowledge that there is a spot with your name on it!

Every penny you raise, every mile you train, every metre of climbs you tackle and every minute you spend tearing up the tarmac in front of you, will all make a huge difference to affected by cancer.

Team Macmillan will be right there with you from start to finish, offering training plans, fundraising tips and everything you need to make your Etape du Tour a great success. We’ll also be there at the start to welcome you to Team Macmillan and wish you luck for the ride ahead!

Sign Up For Team Macmillan

For the last 3 years, a bag has been provided to each participant on the Étape du Tour de France. 

It is used for carrying your energy gels and other packaging that we too often find on the roads on the climbs up the mountain passes! 

In 2019, for the first time, the organisers took punitive measures against poor behaviour on the roads. These measures paid off because once the broom wagon had passed by, we noticed that the message had been well received and respected. So, may we say a big THANK YOU to everybody who helped to keep the roads clean! Protecting the areas we pass through is an essential part of ensuring a long-lasting future for the event.

This year once again, any person observed disposing of waste outside the facilities set up for this purpose will be disqualified.

Caught littering = disqualified at the finish!

Do not leave any traces of your time on the Étape du Tour in nature!

We are counting on you!

Reducing, sorting and recycling waste

Feeding zones:

• Keep in mind that no beakers will be handed out this year.
• You can fill your own bottles directly with these drinks.
• If you would rather take your own energy drink and get something else from the feeding zones, remember to bring another empty bottle or an attachable biodegradable cup.

Just like last year, a social economy company will reclaim the waste that the multitude of riders leave at each feeding zone.  Working together with generous volunteers and the organisers, the company also drives home the importance of respecting nature and makes sure it remains pristine.

Some foods (nuts, spice bread, madeleines, local cheese, crackers, etc.) are handed out in bulk to avoid the need for individual packages (which increase the amount of waste).

Others, such as energy bars and gels, are provided in wrappings.

We are counting on you:

• Do not throw waste on the floor, not even in the feeding zones!
• Make sure to put each type of waste in the right bin
• Bio-waste sorting

Organic waste will also be sorted from now on.

Bins will be provided for banana peels, which will then be composted.

Play the game and hit the target!

1.5 L bottles of Vittel, Perrier and Coca-Cola will be collected and recycled, turning used plastic into a useful resource again. As well as implementing waste sorting, several years ago we decided to replace small water bottles with 1.5 L ones or water from the towns and cities crossed.

Respecting, protecting and raising the profile of the areas crossed

Whenever possible, we stock our feeding zones with local produce to raise the profile of each area and boost the economy of each region.

L'Étape du Tour de France has also sought guidance for many years to safeguard Natura 2000 protected areas.

• Hotspots
• Rare or threatened species
• Vulnerable wild flora

Every year, we submit a dossier to the authorities, which then validate the course of L'Étape du Tour de France after combing through it to ensure that it meets these crucial requirements.

Let's keep riding responsibly and stay aware together!

Choosing and promoting sustainable, soft mobility!

L'Étape du Tour de France supports cycling as a means of transportation in towns and cities because:

• By riding your bicycle to work, you prevent greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions;
• You can avoid the stress of getting caught in traffic jams!
• You protect your town or city and lead by example
• You save on fossil fuels, save money and have fun!
• You do your mind and body a world of good

Everyone on a bicycle!

The French Cycling Federation and the French Road Safety Authority's "La route se partage" ("Sharing the road") campaign will set up stands in the village, with activities such as quizzes and "find the mistake" games to help everyone, but especially children, learn and have fun at the same time!

• Raising awareness about how to share the road,
• Reminder of safety rules with a focus on cycling,
• Raising awareness about vulnerable road users among drivers.

Supporting future generations of cyclists is an absolute priority for the Tour de France and, therefore, L'Étape du Tour de France. Our welcome village will be hosting fun activities for kids! Come and see the balance bikes, the funny bikes and the French Road Safety Authority and French Cycling Federation's courses!

Cycling is perfect to help children:

• Improve their balance;
• Learn to ride two-wheel vehicles and follow road safety rules from a young age;
• Establish a connection between cycling and young people to make it a vital means of transportation for their health and our planet;
• Share fun moments with friends and parents!