The journey is the destination. This is already true in the Village in Albertville, the exhibition centre where the Tour de France welcomes amateur cyclists for their big show. This is where the starting documents for the amateur race are handed out, to which the participants have to work their way along winding paths past the many sponsors' stands. On the way, you can take a ride in a bobsleigh simulator - an indication of where the route will take everyone: To the finish in La Plagne at an altitude of 2,052 metres, past the bobsleigh run where Olympic medals were awarded in 1992. But for athletes here in July, it's more uphill than downhill. 130 kilometres, 4500 metres in altitude - that's the challenge of L'Étape du Tour, as the Tour de France's amateur race is officially called. Over the Alpine passes Col des Saisies, Col du Pré, Cormet de Roselend and then 19 kilometres uphill to the finish - where a medal and a plate of pasta await as a reward for the effort. But above all, the prospect of realising: can you do what the pros can do, even if a little slower?
The route is exactly the same as the one the pros are supposed to tackle on the final mountain stage of the Tour - five days later (the stage for the pros was then shortened to 95 kilometres due to the consequences of an animal epidemic). And the prospect of the slog, or rather the subsequent pride of having made it, has attracted men and women from all over the world to Albertville - around 16,000 names are on the start list, coming from 90 countries. Many, many French, surprisingly few Germans. But you can find them too. For example Stephan and Christian from Berlin, who only came to the French Alps for the weekend because they wanted more.
"We loved it in Nice last year. That's why we're at the start again," says Stephan. He has been following cycling since 1987, is a racer himself and has already been on the sidelines of the Tour of the Professionals in Alpe d'Huez. But he only discovered the do-it-yourself perspective of the Tour late in life - last year in the mountains near Nice. "It's a special feeling to ride on the route of a real Tour de France stage. And a few days later, you see how the pros brake where you had everything to the left," says the Berlin about the fascination that drove him to Albertville.
Victory - recommendation as a professional?
The motivation for taking part varies. Stephanie Meder talks about "reach" when asked why she chose to start at L'Étape du Tour as the highlight of her season. The cyclist, who comes from Messkirch, actually works at a private bank in Switzerland, but discovered her enthusiasm and talent for cycling a few years ago. Sixth place at the German Championships in front of several Tour participants, now she is on the podium in La Plagne at the top in the yellow jersey - she wanted success and she wanted it to be recognised. The 30-year-old hopes to be able to try her hand as a professional soon. The idea of recommending herself for a professional contract in the Everyman race is not entirely far-fetched. Jonas Abrahamsen won L'Étape on the Izoard in 2017, and this year he made Norway cheer with his first Tour stage win for Team Uno-X. He was followed a year later by Victor Lafay as the winner of the Everyman race, who joined Cofidis as a professional shortly afterwards and now also has a Tour stage win to his name.
The desire for more
17 starting blocks. The last participants start the race two hours after the first. The late arrivals are caught in the rain. At the latest on the return journey to the starting town of Albertville, another 60 kilometres extra. Jakob sits on the benches in front of the La Panière bakery in Albertville, his BMC racing bike with start number 7239 next to him, wringing out his socks. A rainy souvenir from the return journey - at least the weather held out during his nine-hour race, even though black clouds had gathered over La Plagne. "It's nice for me to be in the Alps, on closed roads, with other cyclists," says the embassy employee, who has travelled from his job in Tunisia.
This is the third time he has taken part in this event. "Always different, always beautiful," he says. He had an idea on the way. He wants to ride 21 stages - like the pros. But not one day after the other. But 21 times in the Tour for everyone. He still has 18 participations to go. Most recently, he always booked France for his summer holiday. "My wife is the one who suffers," he says. He has not yet discussed the plan with his wife that the country of the Tour de France could also be their holiday destination for the next decade and a half. It could be exciting to see whether his enthusiasm for the Tour de France's Everyman race will also have such an infectious effect on her ...
Andreas Kublik
Editor
