Tour De France Bike Challenge 2008 - SIGN UP
BY: kaqphin on 2008-06-23 4:23 AM

If you plan on riding a road bike, tri bike, unicycle, exercise bike, bmx, tricycle, spin bike, mountain bike…ANY BIKE (that you pedal yourself) in the month of July then the 2008 Tour De France Challenge is for YOU!

The concept is simple, post your intention to participate in THIS THREAD in the Challenge Forum and then work out the number of bike sessions (tour stages) you are going to ride between the 5-27 July and either the distance OR time you are aiming for during the month.

You will then get put on a team roster and take a turn at Tour De France glory in 2008!!!

Friendly banter and sledging will be encouraged BUT REMEMBER… the only place you can back it up is on the bike. So.... just like the action on the roads of France consistency is key if YOUR team will triumph!

So what are you waiting for? Sign up for the second Tour De France Challenge here on BT

Challenge Rules:

The winning team will be determined by the overall % of goal amount of stages and % of distance/time achieved by the team. (each goal counts for 50% of your overall goal achieved)

In the event of a tie, the winner will be decided by the amount of team members who reached their own individual goal. If more than one team has all riders reaching 100% then the top step of the podium will be shared.

All types of riding can be included as a stage based on YOUR activities and training plan or even racing so if it’s a bike and you use your legs/pedals to power then it can be counted towards your committed stages. Riders must complete a minimum of 15 minutes ride time per session for the stage to be counted against their committed stages.

Individuals who achieve more than their committed stages/distance will not have these additional rides counted towards their team total but please add them to the reporting so we can acknowledge your hard work!

On bike commutes... if your commute (one way) is less than 15 minutes... then you can combine the two commutes as one stage for the purposes of this tour. If you wish for each of your bike commutes to count as two stages (and they are longer than 15 minutes) then you should log them as two separate rides in your training log.

You can ride more than once on one day if you wish to.. just make sure that they are logged as separate rides in your log.

Stages must be logged in the riders BT logs for verification

If you have a temporary set back such as an illness (i.e a cold) then I will be using the following equation to calculate your goal reduction (if required). Total Goal/23 days (of the challenge) * number of days out of action = goal reduction for the challenge.

Teams are named after teams from the 2008 Tour De France peloton. Team requests will be honoured where possible but if you do have a preferred team please be aware that the challenge teams will need to be balanced. So.. if you have noticed that there are a lot of people requesting for one team please be aware I will be trying to assign these on a first come first served basis and if you do have a second team option please state that in your team request. (just in case) I will do my best!

In terms of 'other' team requests.. once again I will try to honour these where possible - but please try to make your request in the original team sign up

There is a blanket 24 hour ban (code of silence) on discussing stages that have occurred within the Tour stages within these threads... why? Because some people do not watch the action live and do not want to know what is happening on the road in France until they get a chance to watch the coverage... this applies (basically) from when one stage starts to when the next stage finishes... THIS RULE IS CRUCIAL... this will avoid anyone having the Tour experience impacted by action being revealed in team threads.

Team leaders will be nominated by each team and will be responsible for reminding team members to log their progress in google spreadsheets and leading the cheer-leading to help everyone reach their goals. If you are not the team leader it is still your responsibility to inspire your team mates and check in on the team thread to keep everyone motivated and on track. (and they will do the same for you - who doesnt want to get inspires?)

I will post a Challenge update each week of the challenge including highlights from various team threads, because sometimes numbers alone are not enough!

Friendly banter and sledging is encouraged, pledging team allegiance through signature lines, log titles and avatars is also encouraged.

Most importantly this is meant to be FUN!!! So get behind, support and inspire your team members and welcome to the 2008 Tour De France!!!!!

Edited by kaqphin 2008-06-23 4:23 AM

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"Just make it about bikes. Not that I'm trying to give away Cat's sweet spot or anything." - sesh

"Cat's middle name is TdF. She just has a passion 3 weeks a year" - TexOma

RE: Tour De France Bike Challenge 2008 - SIGN UP
BY: El Flaco on 2008-06-23 4:45 AM

Ok! I'm in. Is it alright if I state my goals after a little contemplation? I know I want to ride a percentage of the total mileage. I'm just unsure on how big of a piece of pie I wanna cut! 
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"Long slow distance makes long slow runners."--Jim Bush, coach at UCLA

"We few, we happy few, we band of brothers; for he today that sheds his blood with me shall be my brother."
- William Shakespeare, King Henry V

RE: Tour De France Bike Challenge 2008 - SIGN UP
BY: kaqphin on 2008-06-23 4:50 AM

Of course! I dont expect ANYONE to have chosen a goal this far in advance... 

Just post it in this thread when you are ready  

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"Just make it about bikes. Not that I'm trying to give away Cat's sweet spot or anything." - sesh

"Cat's middle name is TdF. She just has a passion 3 weeks a year" - TexOma

RE: Tour De France Bike Challenge 2008 - SIGN UP
BY: TriAya on 2008-06-23 4:53 AM

ME ME ME PICK ME!!!!!

Anyone else who's reading ... this is THE must-do BT challenge. Newbie lurkers, this is YOUR chance to shine! This is one of the most fun, friendly challenges on BT and an awesome way to get to know your fellow BTers.

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OFFICIAL GOAL: 21 stages totalling 420 minutes.

Team Requests (of course reassign as necessary, and if the newbies are to have their own group, then obviously not that one): 

1. Barloworld
2. Garmin-Chipotle
3. Silence-Lotto
4. Euskaltel-Euskadi

I'm in for 21 stages, each averaging a minimum of 20 minutes (it'll probably be more than that, and I may revise upward, but I have this big trip overseas for the most of it to account for).

I will also try to mirror the Tour stages (in case anyone cares to join me):

• 10 flat stages,
• 5 mountain stages,
• 4 medium mountain stages,
• 2 individual time-trial stages.

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Coach Y Tri Multisport
~ Ironman(R) Certified Coach, Founding Member
~ World Open Water Swimming Association Coach & Official
~ Triathlon Australia Professional Development Coach
~ American Swimming Coaches Association

RE: Tour De France Bike Challenge 2008 - SIGN UP
BY: enders_shadow on 2008-06-23 5:35 AM

OOOOOH! TdF is back!

I love LOVE TdF! I'm in! I'm in! I'm in!

(Will get you some goals later...got a lot of traveling in July.)

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Kristen
Bring on 2014
(Shamrock Mary, Raleigh 70.3, Muncie 70.3...and IMLOU?)

Follow my loco journey...trimomhalf.blogspot.com

RE: Tour De France Bike Challenge 2008 - SIGN UP
BY: zipp1 on 2008-06-23 8:03 AM

But of course I'm signing up!  This was my first ever challenge last year and now I live on challenge forum!
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Judi
Not enough time in this life to make me a great swimmer.~~the bear
so many piglets, so little time ~~~rh8463

RE: Tour De France Bike Challenge 2008 - SIGN UP
BY: jacsuza on 2008-06-23 8:55 AM

Sign me up, too!  (Back later with the goals)

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"Life is either a daring adventure or nothing."
-- Helen Keller, lecturer

RE: Tour De France Bike Challenge 2008 - SIGN UP
BY: sesh on 2008-06-23 8:57 AM

I'm already warming up at the Prolouge start!  I'M IN!

Thanks, Cat!  You rock!

RE: Tour De France Bike Challenge 2008 - SIGN UP
BY: daijoubu on 2008-06-23 8:58 AM

I'm in!  Just give me a little bit of time to go through my training plan for goals.

RE: Tour De France Bike Challenge 2008 - SIGN UP
BY: Artemis on 2008-06-23 9:28 AM

I'm in!!  Can't wait!  I don't have my goals finalized yet, but will have them within a few days.

I would like to request to be on the Garmin-Chipotle team if at all possible.  My second choice would be Euskatel-Euskadi.

Thanks Cat!! 

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Brooks Fanatic!
My Blog

RE: Tour De France Bike Challenge 2008 - SIGN UP
BY: Lwoodtri on 2008-06-23 11:22 AM

I am in! First timer for this challenge! I will figure out a Tour schedule by end of this week! My team picks are:

1. Garmin-Chiopotle
2. Silence Lotto

I look forward to participating in the challenge!

RE: Tour De France Bike Challenge 2008 - SIGN UP
BY: tlnewman30 on 2008-06-23 11:30 AM

Well this sounds like a fun way to get involved and have many others helping me push myself.  I am in!!!  This will be my first formal challenge here, so I am undecided on how much I want to try to bit off.  I think I will go with 15 Stages for a total of 450 minutes (average of 30min/stage).  Of course this may need to be adjusted up, need to see how I feel, since I am still getting used to the elevation difference here in CO vs. PA.

RE: Tour De France Bike Challenge 2008 - SIGN UP
BY: Sledge on 2008-06-23 12:47 PM

I'm definitely in!  This was my first challenge last year, and it was fantastic.  Goals to come...
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Cheri

Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure. Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing. Helen Keller

RE: Tour De France Bike Challenge 2008 - SIGN UP
BY: chrisrunzs26 on 2008-06-23 1:15 PM

I'm def. in I loved this Challenge last year and can't wait.  For LeTour and the Challenge.

I'll post my stuff when I get a look at my schedule for next month...

WHOO HOO!!

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Pain is temporary...but your finishing time posted on the internet....is forever. :)

RE: Tour De France Bike Challenge 2008 - SIGN UP
BY: daspanglers on 2008-06-23 1:24 PM

ooh...ooh...me too!

I plan to NOT be on team gimp again this year! (not that that was a bad thing, just don't want to be hurt again!)

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RE: Tour De France Bike Challenge 2008 - SIGN UP
BY: jacsuza on 2008-06-23 1:33 PM

So, if I read the original post correctly, this is not quite a full month challenge (July 5-27, not July 1-31).  If that is the case then my goal is 10 sessions and 330 minutes (5 1/2 hours). 
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"Life is either a daring adventure or nothing."
-- Helen Keller, lecturer

RE: Tour De France Bike Challenge 2008 - SIGN UP
BY: Mesteren on 2008-06-23 1:40 PM

Hi Cat

Put me on team CSC for a repeat of last years win !!!

 

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-True mental toughness means having the discipline to not be overcome by adrenaline at the start, and holding back just enough to settle into a pace that, if held, will end up challenging your will to live by the end.

RE: Tour De France Bike Challenge 2008 - SIGN UP
BY: Artemis on 2008-06-23 2:21 PM

Hey Cat, here's my goal:

6 sessions, 9 hours

Works out to be a light month of biking because of race tapering.  Don't worry, I can make it up in smack talk.  

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Brooks Fanatic!
My Blog

RE: Tour De France Bike Challenge 2008 - SIGN UP
BY: geauxtri on 2008-06-23 2:26 PM

Wahoo... I'm in... and on the first page at that

Garmin-Chipotle (formerly known, and my personal favorite, Team Slipstream)

THANKS

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GEAUX TIGERS!!!!