13,500 Riders from Around the World to Take Part in Etape du Tour on 7 July

A record 13,500 riders, representing 55 nationalities, have registered for the 21st edition of the Etape du Tour which will be raced between Annecy and Annecy-Semnoz on 7 July 2013.

The 13,500 participants registered will be riding through the heart of the Bauges Mountains national park. Bordering both the counties of the Savoy area, this national park is one of the most authentically preserved alpine territories.

Based on the penultimate stage of the 100th edition of the Big Loop – which started in Corsica on 29 June – the Etape du Tour 2013 boasts a nervy 128 km route with an elevation gain of 3,600 metres. The participants will have to negotiate several difficulties before tackling the final climb up to Semnoz (11 km at 8.5%).

The promise of testing their mettle against the myth of the Big Loop has again attracted celebrities. Alain Prost, loyal to the Etape du Tour, will be at the start alongside Paul Belmondo. Julien Absalon, two time Olympic mountain-biking champion and recent winner of the European title, has been assigned race number No. 1.

Many of the skiers on the French national team who reside in Savoy, the stage’s “locals”, will also be taking part in this 21st edition, in particular Jean-Baptiste Grange, world slalom champion in 2011, Julien Lizeroux, a double silver medalist at the skiing world championships in 2009, or Jason Lamy-Chappuis, Olympic Champion in the Nordic combination. Steve Missilier, Cyprien Richard, Thomas Fanara, Alexis Pinturault, Thomas Mermillod-Blondin and Michel Vion, Chairman of the French Federation of Skiing (FFS) will also be pedaling between Annecy and Annecy-Semnoz.

Founded in 1993, the Etape du Tour is the only French cyclo-sportive race organised on roads completely closed to traffic 128 km of racing.

The Mayor of Annecy, Jean-Luc Rigaut, said, “The Big Loop’s visit to our town is a new opportunity to demonstrate or know-how in organising a major event and to promote, beyond the country’s borders, our exceptional environment: the purest lake in Europe at the foot of the Aravis and Bauges Mountains in the Alps, as well as the old quarters of the town, which are much appreciated by visitors. I would like this day to not only be a major sporting event, but also a superb popular celebration, a moment of dream and unity that brings all the population together.”

Special Events at the Etape du Tour

A sporting and cheerful atmosphere will dominate the Etape du Tour Village set up at Le Pâquier (on the shores of Lake Annecy) from 5 to 7 July.

Musical events and tasting of local produce from the Bauges Mountains national park will be awaiting the 25,000 visitors expected.

Concerts dedicated to traditional Savoy music will set the rhythm of the three days of celebrations. Accordion and alphorns will resonate from 2 PM to 7 PM on Saturday and Sunday, and each day, a ball will close the day from 6 PM to 10 PM at the Espace Guinguette. On the programme for these festive moments will be Bal Swing Folies, Milonga (Argentine tangon) and P’tit bal d’Artootem.

Quick Facts

• Average age of riders: 44 years old
• 94% men / 6% women
• 90% from the working population
• 57% come with their families
• 55 nationalities represented
• 57% French / 43% from abroad
• Top 3 foreign countries represented: Great Britain (24.3%) / Brazil (3.6%) / Switzerland (3.3%)