About the race
L'Étape du Tour de France is a mass-participation sportive that lets amateur riders take on a real stage of the Tour de France on closed roads. The Amaury Sport Organisation (ASO), which also runs the Tour, has organised it since the first edition in 1993.
History and format
The Étape is held each July, normally on a Tour rest day, and the stage chosen is usually a high-mountain day in the Pyrenees or the Alps. About 15,000 entries are sold. Roads are closed to other traffic, with refreshment stops, mechanical help and first-aid teams on the route. The 34th edition took place on 19 July 2026, and a 2025 edition ran from Albertville to La Plagne over 129.9 km. A women's Étape has also run alongside the Tour de France Femmes since 2025. Under the Étape by Tour de France banner, local versions take place in countries from Australia to Norway.
The course
The route changes every year. For 2027 the organiser says the course will be announced on 22 October, so no route is confirmed on its site at the time of writing. As a guide, the 2026 regulations had everyone starting in Bourg d'Oisans, between 06:30 and 08:30, depending on starting block.
Distances
Distance depends on the stage chosen, and only follows once the route is announced. The one figure on the organiser's site is the 129.9 km of the 2025 Albertville to La Plagne edition.
Cut-offs and entry basics
Riders overtaken by the organiser's time vehicle are disqualified and shown to a recovery point, from which transport takes them and their bikes to the finish. For entry, the 2027 edition is open for pre-registration through a free Tour de France Club account. Participants must supply a cycling licence, a medical certificate or an official health module, as the regulations set out, and carry a helmet, spare tubes or a puncture kit, and front and rear lights. Everyone must start in the area they were assigned; the organiser says 160 riders were disqualified in 2025 for starting ahead of their block, and 28 more for dropping litter.
Where to watch
The roads are closed to personal vehicles on race day. The organiser sets up a family information point at the finish village, and a detailed route timetable is published in spring. Check the organiser's site for spectator points.
Weather
July in the mountains can change quickly, and the organiser urges riders to pack clothing for all conditions. Past editions on Wikipedia mention both very hot days and cloudy ones. This is general background, not a forecast.
SourcesL'Étape du Tour de France home · Regulations · Wikipedia: L'Étape du Tour