# Training for Etape du tour 2026 **URL:** \ **Category:** Training\ **Created:** [March 18, 2026, 4:57pm UTC](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/t/training-for-etape-du-tour-2026/112443 "2026-03-18T16:57:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Ibrahim\_F](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/trainerroad/forum/user_avatar/www.trainerroad.com/ibrahim_f/32/158801_2.png) [@Ibrahim\_F](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/u/Ibrahim_F)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2026, 4:57pm UTC](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/t/training-for-etape-du-tour-2026/112443/1 "2026-03-18T16:57:32Z")
I started a plan back in November to train for Etape du tour ( 170 km, 5400 m D+) which will be on July 19th, currently I’m on base phase with a demanding approach (AI activated). It has me doing 2 \* 1 hour hard intervals (SS, VO2max) 45 min - 1 hour Endurance and 1h15 treshhold. When I set up the plan I did choose climbing road race as the event I’m training towards. However, recently I got access to Claude Cowork and one of the use cases I thought of was to have it analyze my training, however it pointed out the following : **Volume:** Almost all rides are 45–75 min. Only 3 rides exceed 2.5 hours in 3+ months. This is the biggest gap for an 8–9 hour event — your aerobic base at long durations needs urgent attention. **Consistent:** Excellent consistency — 35 rides in ~15 weeks with very few gaps. This training habit is your biggest asset and the foundation everything else is built on. **Climbing :** Only 2 outdoor hilly rides with meaningful elevation (881m and 655m). Zero sustained climbing simulation. This needs to change in months 2–3 with regular long outdoor rides. **Intensity :** Good mix of recovery, endurance and threshold work. Normalized power on key sessions reaching 200–230w shows productive threshold stimulus. The structure looks right. which got me thinking is this a good approach ? should I modify the event type to century or keep it as is ? As the weather is getting nice here, I’m planning to have longer ride on weekends but do I need to adjust the duration of the workouts? ---
**Author:** ![Norry1](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/trainerroad/forum/user_avatar/www.trainerroad.com/norry1/32/2984_2.png) [@Norry1](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/u/Norry1)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2026, 1:18pm UTC](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/t/training-for-etape-du-tour-2026/112443/2 "2026-03-20T13:18:31Z")
I wouldn’t select rolling road race. Also worth chaging one Endurance day to Dynamic Endurance so it can extend your ride duration. ---
**Author:** ![Ibrahim\_F](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/trainerroad/forum/user_avatar/www.trainerroad.com/ibrahim_f/32/158801_2.png) [@Ibrahim\_F](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/u/Ibrahim_F)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2026, 9:40am UTC](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/t/training-for-etape-du-tour-2026/112443/3 "2026-03-23T09:40:19Z")
I selected climbing road race, didn’t know dynamic endurance existed. thanks ---
**Author:** ![Pierre](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/trainerroad/forum/user_avatar/www.trainerroad.com/pierre/32/12908_2.png) [@Pierre](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/u/Pierre)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2026, 11:26am UTC](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/t/training-for-etape-du-tour-2026/112443/4 "2026-03-23T11:26:44Z")
Also training for EDT2026. I made a program slightly differently from yours : I have a ‘gran fondo’ target, with dynamic endurance (gives workouts of up to 90minutes), but I chose balanced approach (4 trainings a week), and I added manually 4-6 hours solo rides 2-3 times per month which I will do outside with a lot of climbing. I think Claude Cowork is right in its analysis : you need more long rides, and climbing. I did a similar approach 4 years ago for EDT and it worked rather well (EDT remains one of the hardest rides I ever did. Length in 2022 was 168km, but climbing was ‘only’ 4500m. I finished ~3200th in ~9hours. I am now 60years old, so what works for me might not work for you. ---
**Author:** ![Ibrahim\_F](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/trainerroad/forum/user_avatar/www.trainerroad.com/ibrahim_f/32/158801_2.png) [@Ibrahim\_F](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/u/Ibrahim_F)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2026, 2:39pm UTC](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/t/training-for-etape-du-tour-2026/112443/5 "2026-03-25T14:39:29Z")
Thanks pierre, and good luck with your training. My approach is demanding, and I had increased the duration of the workout from 1h to 1:30 for the hard intervals and dynamic endurance (for now it’s a sunday ride and AI is suggesting I do a 1 hour ride) and I will try to do one long ride at the end of each cycle (I have 3:1 approach). With these adjustement, I feel like it will work rather well than the previous. it look like this now ![Capture d’écran 2026-03-25 à 15.42.15](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/trainerroad/original/3X/8/6/86362913628d5dd26fcfcdbb37cc7c8aad564d16.png) ---
**Author:** ![Pierre](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/trainerroad/forum/user_avatar/www.trainerroad.com/pierre/32/12908_2.png) [@Pierre](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/u/Pierre)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2026, 9:04pm UTC](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/t/training-for-etape-du-tour-2026/112443/6 "2026-03-25T21:04:45Z")
Good luck too! If you haven’t done it before, it’s a great event. Very challenging, but very well organized. Where are you from ? (I’m from France. ~40km from the start line) ---
**Author:** ![Ibrahim\_F](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/trainerroad/forum/user_avatar/www.trainerroad.com/ibrahim_f/32/158801_2.png) [@Ibrahim\_F](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/u/Ibrahim_F)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2026, 2:07pm UTC](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/t/training-for-etape-du-tour-2026/112443/7 "2026-03-27T14:07:45Z")
Lucky you, I live in France but in Paris region. not too many climbs around here. ---
**Author:** ![Pierre](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/trainerroad/forum/user_avatar/www.trainerroad.com/pierre/32/12908_2.png) [@Pierre](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/u/Pierre)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2026, 8:00am UTC](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/t/training-for-etape-du-tour-2026/112443/8 "2026-06-30T08:00:15Z")
Hi all, FYI there were two mud slides on Col de Sarennes and Col du Lautaret on June 25 and then again on June 29. Hope the road will be fixed by July 19! ---
**Author:** ![somecookie](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/trainerroad/forum/user_avatar/www.trainerroad.com/somecookie/32/154501_2.png) [@somecookie](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/u/somecookie)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2026, 12:39pm UTC](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/t/training-for-etape-du-tour-2026/112443/9 "2026-06-30T12:39:00Z")
The mud slide on Col de Sarenne was fixed the day after it happened, they were quite fast to act. I could do my opener for the Marmotte on it and run into Seixas and some other guys from Decathlon there 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Pierre](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/trainerroad/forum/user_avatar/www.trainerroad.com/pierre/32/12908_2.png) [@Pierre](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/u/Pierre)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2026, 1:19pm UTC](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/t/training-for-etape-du-tour-2026/112443/10 "2026-06-30T13:19:25Z")
Good news. I suppose it’s the first mud slide you saw. I hope they will clean the 2nd one from yesterday as quickly. ---
**Author:** ![Pierre](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/trainerroad/forum/user_avatar/www.trainerroad.com/pierre/32/12908_2.png) [@Pierre](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/u/Pierre)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2026, 8:22pm UTC](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/t/training-for-etape-du-tour-2026/112443/11 "2026-07-12T20:22:09Z")
Hi guys, I discovered this new tool : [cyclograde.fr](http://cyclograde.fr) to plot the profile of a ride and estimate the time you will ride based on the time it took to do ![Capture d'écran 2026-07-12 220655](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/trainerroad/original/3X/2/d/2dc4343861e247b9e8e26821a518da727b793d33.jpeg) another ride. You just enter the GPX / TCX of a ride you did previously, the tool calculates a speed profile, and applies it to the GPX of the future ride. Pretty nice tool - and free. Example of the profile I generated for Etape du Tour 2026. Good luck with the race! I rode Croix de Fer today as slowly as I can as a test to see how fresh I can be at the top. It’s looooooong! 1 hour 56 from the dam a little bit below 200W NP. Good news : It was around 23 degrees at the top (35+ degrees in the valleys)