L’Étape Australia is a Tour de France experience for amateur riders with closed roads and a mountainous course through the Southern Highlands of NSW.

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 135km, with a height gain of 2700m 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 Berry. it’s on the outskirts of berry that the first climb of the race is encountoured, the berry mountain climb. what start off easy does have a few kickers towards the final couple of km’s. Once up and over your turn right leaving the riders to head back into the valley below. One can only wish as the days climbs have only started with further undulations of the Southern Highlands back towards Fitzroy with the imposing cat 1 climb of the “Col de Fitzroy. A short but punchy climb that averages 8.5%. Again turning right and the return back is almost in your sights but navigation of the Jimberoo mountain road has to be navigated first. Once descended, it’s straight on to the saddleback mountain climb so keep those legs warm and the “free wheel” into the start/finish line at Kiama. Job done.

The Ride has a distance of 80km with a height gain of 1200m and the difficulty of this ride graded as Medium. You’ll follow the same route as the riders from the Race through the town of Berry before the climb straight out of town, up the berry mountain climb. After catching your breath and bringing down the heart rate, turn left back down the enscarpment to the majestic shoalhaven river. then to head North back along 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!

L’Étape Australia is a Tour de France experience for amateur riders with closed roads and a mountainous course through the Southern Highlands of NSW.