Andrew Taylor, a 53 year-old resident in Murrumbateman, began riding with the Magpies in 2003. Since learning about L’Étape – an event run under professional conditions for amateurs, with closed roads,? a challenging route, a sprint and a king-of-the-mountain section – Taylor has been training hard.

“A friend of mine from Queensland told me about it when we stayed in Jindabyne,” he said.

The race will be 157 km with riders starting at the Bullocks Flat Ski Tube Terminal in Crackenback.

They will then pass through Jindabyne, towards Rocky Plains Road before turning towards Berridale for the sprint section down the main street of the town. The riders will then continue to Dalgety before reaching the difficult Col de Beloka climb. Finally, riders will continue past Jindabyne again up the punishing Col de Kosciuszko, to a peak of 1735m, to reach the finish at Perisher.

In addition to his 200 km of road cycling per week, Taylor added and participated in mountain-bike regimes and events. The most recent being in mid-November in the Highland Fling, a mountain-bike marathon race in the Southern Highlands.

“I try to ride every day but work commitments sometimes take priority. But three weekends ago, I did the Highland Fling because of its many climb and hills. Basically, to prepare and condition my body to the undulations,” he said.

Asked about his expectations, Taylor said “it’s going to hurt and kill the legs”.

“I’ll just be trying to get to the finish line. I’m 53 so the younger ones will smash me. But I’ll have a great time even though it’s going to hurt.

Participants will be provided the unique opportunity of competing for the authentic Tour de France jerseys.