L’Étape Australia is a Tour de France experience for amateur riders with closed roads and a mountainous course through the Shoalhaven hills

2022: Cancelled due to a landslide on the route which may not be repaired in time for the event.

The L’Étape Australia by the organisers of le Tour de France is a unique road cycling event that provides an experience as close to riding in the Tour de France as it is possible for an amateur to get. 

Staged in the Southern Highlands near Woolongong, which is staging the UCI championships in 2022. The event is on fully closed roads and run under professional Tour de France Race conditions, you’ll find two routes: The Race and The Ride.

The Race has a distance of 147km, with a height gain of 2620m and the difficulty of this ride graded as Hard. No time to check out the pacific ocean on your left as you weave your way down the coast to Shoalhaven and turning inland to Tongarra. The first climb of the race is encountered is the multi switchbacks of the Macquarie Pass. Once up and over your turn left heading south across the plain before the drop off the escarpment.  Continue towards the town of Jimberoo before turning to the north towards another effort of Macquarie Pass. Yes climbing the pass again and the great descent on the Jamberoo mountain road. once through Jamberoo keep those legs warm for the climb on the way to the finish line at Kiama Job done.

The Ride has a distance of 90km with a height gain of 1620m and the difficulty of this ride graded as Medium, i’ll go with hard. You’ll follow the same route as the riders from the Race through the town of Tongarra, before the climb up the Macquarie Pass.  After catching your breath and bringing down the heart rate, turn left back down the escarpment towards Jamberoo. Then head towards the sea and the coast to Kiama. 

The Event Village is in Kiama, with Matt Keenan calling in the riders as they cross the finish line. This is an event that the local community will embrace, with a Tour de France atmosphere.

You’ll find other cycling events, like  L’Étape Australia, in our online Cycling Event Calendar.

Enjoy!