Mike Cotty is a well-respected Sportive rider whose route rides are pretty complete in terms of information and giving an overall picture of the ride. He’s done one for this year’s Etape and you can read it in full on cycling weekly’s site:
ETAPE DU TOUR 2009: ROUTE RECCE
He also works with Cyclefilm who produce a Recon DVD for those of you who like to see what you’re getting into. Here’s a preview below: