Anyone doing the Etape Cymru 2013?

It's a beautiful (and local to me!) ride. You'll enjoy it.

Just take your time, I have looked on the map and there seems to be some sections if a little brief where you can get your puff back! I would agree that you have got till September to train, as you will need it! I have not done this route all together or this sportive but it has for all it years gone though my home village and past the house where I grew up (some of the climes I first did as a child!!) If you want a challenge and to see some fantastic scenery then this is for you (just mind the rocks in the road when on the panorama!). The horse shoe pass should be on the do list of all Brit cyclists and without traffic on a closed road it would be all the more memorable. Just get out there and have a brill day!!!

I've signed up and have the Ride London 100 and the London Revolution as a warm up. I'm not too worried about the distance but the hills in Kent tend to be a lot punchier than what I'm expecting from Etape Cymru!

I am signed up. I have to admit I have set 6h/25kph as my target and am nowhere near that at the moment. I signed up late last year having only done one 26 mile sportive on the flat. I am hoping to get a longer race in before the Etape and plenty of weekend jaunts.

Question: where do you live? Hopefully you have some hills near you to practice on, I am near enough to the peak district I can get up to Buxton via some reasonable climbs.

There are various sites and strava that you can calculate height gained on and set a practice route for yourself. The gain on the etape is 1679m. I use mapmyride and here is last years route, probably the same this year:

http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/134612469