At dawn on Saturday, the Birchgrove management consultant turned charity volunteer expects to be wearing a plastic bag over his cycling kit as he starts a long, hilly ride with four-time Tour de France champion Chris Froome??? and 3500-odd other riders.

And if the weather bureau is right, it will be more like paddling than pedalling. Closer to Noah's Ark than the Arc de Triomphe.

The event is L'Etape - a spin-off from the famous Tour de France that includes a ride of 129 kilometres and a race of 157 kilometres starting from Crackenback.

In its second year, L'Etape has joined a packed cycling calendar for enthusiastic amateurs like Gardner. While share bikes and cycle paths have been controversial in Sydney, the event shows how popular the sport has become for mid-life riders.

Of the 14 L'Etape events that are held around the world, simulating a stage of the Tour with closed roads, an official car flagging off riders and winners getting yellow, green and polka dot jerseys, Australia's is already the biggest outside the original in France.

According to race director Florent Malezieux???, the typical rider is aged 45 to 60, has ridden two or three times a week for a decade and lives in northern Sydney.

"You've got the serious riders at the front, who are there to win and push themselves very hard," he said. "At the back, you have the guys who are there just to share a great moment on the road with friends."

Gardner, who will ride with partner Fiona Emsley??? and 14 friends in matching yellow jerseys - garbage bags optional - likes that cycling is aerobic, social and easier on the body than running.

"I took it up when a friend from Sydney wanted to celebrate by getting a load of us from different parts of the world to ride from Prague to Budapest," he said. "Whilst it was bloody hard, it was great fun and very social and good for you and we saw lots of places. So I've been cycling ever since."

As well as one-day and multi-day rides in Australia, Gardner has gone on cycling holidays in Britain, the US, Canada and Colombia.

"It's a way for riders to keep a good level of health," Malezieux said. "And it's not traumatic. It doesn't hurt your knees, it doesn't hurt your hips."

The challenge underpins the popularity of such other endurance races as Fitz's Challenge (across Canberra's Brindabella Ranges), Bowral Classic (in the Southern Highlands) and Three Peaks (in Victoria's High Country).

While there will be riders in their twenties pushing for jerseys, the L'Etape organisers are tapping an older, well-off subculture who can afford a good bike.

"Last year more than half of the peloton earned more than $200,000 a year in household income," Malezieux said.

Froome, who will take part in the race for the second time, recognises how strong Australia's cycling culture has become, especially since Cadel Evans' historic Tour win in 2011.

"You only have to look at the sides of the road in the Tour Down Under in Adelaide and how many people are really into the sport and actually ride bikes themselves," he said. "Those are the kind of people who are coming along to events like L'Etape.

"It's obviously massive the participation of cycling in Australia and the interest Australians have in the sport."

Froome will start at the back of the race and ride to the front.

"It's a unique opportunity for me to mingle with people and just enjoy a day on the bike where I'm not necessarily chasing numbers or worrying about an attack or the racing side," he said. "It's nice for me to just ride along sometimes and Jindabyne is a beautiful area. But there are some pretty savage climbs out there as well so it's a good challenge."

Professional rider Amanda Spratt???, a two-time Olympian who is racing in a mixed team, believes women's cycling is following the advances made in AFL, football and cricket.

"There seems to be a boom in women riding," she said. "Sometimes a big event like this might seem daunting for women - with a big peloton - but it's the kind of event that's welcoming for everyone."

Spratt said endurance events gave club and social riders a chance to experience a big race, mixing with serious cyclists as well as friends.

"It's an addictive thing," she said. "And the social aspect is important as well. There are so many bunch rides on the weekend and everyone knows there's a coffee shop at the end."