Tour de France and L'Étape: Head-to-Head on the Same Climbs

How Close Can an Amateur Cyclist Get to the Tour de France Pros?

Every cyclist has asked themselves the same question at some point: How far am I from a Tour de France professional? At almost any event in the world, it is impossible to answer. But there is one exception. Each year, L'Étape du Tour de France allows more than 15,000 amateur riders to tackle the exact same route that the professionals will race just days later, creating a unique comparison between the performance of everyday cyclists and the best riders on the planet.

For the vast majority of cyclists, comparing their performance with that of a Tour de France rider seems impossible. Professionals race in different settings, on different routes, and under conditions that rarely match those of an amateur event. However, there is one race that breaks down that barrier: L'Étape du Tour de France.

Every year, more than 15,000 cyclists from around the world ride the exact same mountain stage that the Tour de France peloton will contest just a few days later. The roads are fully closed to traffic, the mountain passes are identical, and the route conditions recreate the experience the professionals will face. It is one of the few occasions in sport when an amateur can measure their performance against the ultimate benchmark in their discipline.

The 2026 edition featured one of the most demanding courses in the event's history: 170 kilometers and 5,400 meters of elevation gain, including legendary climbs such as the Col de la Croix de Fer, Col du Télégraphe, Col du Galibier, and the spectacular final ascent of the Col de Sarenne to Alpe d'Huez.

This raises the big question: How close can an amateur get to a professional?

The answer is surprising. Looking at recent editions of L'Étape du Tour de France, the strongest amateur cyclists typically complete the route only 8% to 12% slower than the winner of the professional stage on the same course. That gap is considerably smaller than many might expect, especially when you consider that professionals dedicate their lives to high-performance sport and benefit from multidisciplinary teams, highly specialized preparation, and world-class resources.

At the same time, this comparison puts the true scale of competing in the Tour de France into perspective.

The professionals do not tackle these mountains fresh. They reach them after almost 3,000 kilometers of racing, with nearly three weeks of maximum-level effort already in their legs. Their ability to recover day after day and continue performing at an extraordinary level is precisely what sets them apart from every other cyclist in the world.

That opportunity to live the same experience and compare themselves with the very best is what makes L'Étape du Tour de France far more than an amateur race. It is the chance, for one day, to experience what it means to be part of the Tour de France universe and to discover, on the very same roads, the true distance between a passionate cyclist and the best riders on the planet.

This November, that experience will arrive in South America for the first time. L'Étape Chile by Tour de France will give hundreds of cyclists the opportunity to write the first chapter of this story in our country, under the same standards, organization, and spirit that have made L'Étape the world's most prestigious amateur cycling series for more than three decades.