Tour De France Challenge - 21 Days in July

TheBigYin

Thought I'd flag this one up early - I don’t want to hijack anyone elses challenge, and am happy for this to run in parallel with any other stuff going on, but I just thought it was a interesting twist…

What I propose is that as a team of 9 riders we try and ride between us a distance each day equal to or greater than the distance of that day’s stage in the Tour De France. The person in the team who rides the largest total km’s gets the Maillot Jaune, the person achieving the fastest average speed overall gets the Maillot Vert (green sprinters jersey) and the person who posts the highest total ascent figure in metres gets the Maillot à pois rouges (Polka Dot King of the Mountains jersey) – we could even have a GP Henri Desgranges for the person who posts the highest ascent in a single ride!

The stages for this race, and distances involved are as follows…

P Saturday 30 June Liège > Liège 6.4 km
1 Sunday 1 July Liège > Seraing 198 km
2 Monday 2 July Visé > Tournai 207.5 km
3 Tuesday 3 July Orchies > Boulogne-sur-Mer 197 km
4 Wednesday 4 July Abbeville > Rouen 214.5 km
5 Thursday 5 July Rouen > Saint-Quentin 196.5 km
6 Friday 6 July Épernay > Metz 207.5 km
7 Saturday 7 July Tomblaine > La Planche des Belles Filles 199 km
8 Sunday 8 July Belfort > Porrentruy 157.5 km
9 Monday 9 July Arc-et-Senans > Besançon 41.5 km
10 Wed. 11 July Mâcon > Bellegarde-sur-Valserine 194.5 km
11 Thursday 12 July Albertville > La Toussuire - Les Sybelles 148 km
12 Friday 13 July Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne > Annonay Davézieux 226 km
13 Saturday 14 July Saint-Paul-Trois-Châteaux > Le Cap d’Agde 217 km
14 Sunday 15 July Limoux > Foix 191 km
15 Monday 16 July Samatan > Pau 158.5 km
16 Wed. 18 July Pau > Bagnères-de-Luchon 197 km
17 Thursday 19 July Bagnères-de-Luchon > Peyragudes 143.5 km
18 Friday 20 July Blagnac > Brive-la-Gaillarde 222.5 km
19 Saturday 21 July Bonneval > Chartres 53.5 km
20 Sunday 22 July Rambouillet > Paris Champs-Élysées 120 km

Total distance 3496.9km (call it 2172 miles - or just over 100 miles a day on average...)

To verify the distances/speeds/ascents rides would ideally need to be logged via some form of GPS and posted to appropriate websites, e.g. Strava / Garmin Connect / Endomondo. As I’d be looking at average speeds and climbs, I think that it’s only appropriate to restrict this challenge to outdoor mileage only.

So – anyone up for a challenge ??

Hopefully I've given enough time for people to see this, and sign up - who knows - we might even have enough people for more than one team...

sethotto

I'm totally up for it!!!

TDSeest

I'm in. I won't have much in the way of climbs, or average speed though. As you know, I'm still pulling too much weight to get going to fast, and I don't have much access to hills around here. But, I can provide distance.

RedSunshine365

Sounds fun! I'm in! If nothing else, it'll get me thinking about distance in terms of KM, not Miles...something I need to do anyway. I'll use Strava.

FatDadSlim

I'm in. Lets hope the weather has improved by then!

amiller7x7

I would like to try it although there are a couple of days in which I won't be able to ride at all do to other commitments some of which are noted below. Let me know if this disqualifies me (like the real riders who have to complete the stages and meet time limits!):

Able to Ride? - Stage - Date - Route - Distance
No - P Saturday 30 June Liège > Liège 6.4 km
Yes - 1 Sunday 1 July Liège > Seraing 198 km
Yes - 2 Monday 2 July Visé > Tournai 207.5 km
Yes - 3 Tuesday 3 July Orchies > Boulogne-sur-Mer 197 km
No - 4 Wednesday 4 July Abbeville > Rouen 214.5 km
Yes - 5 Thursday 5 July Rouen > Saint-Quentin 196.5 km
Yes - 6 Friday 6 July Épernay > Metz 207.5 km
Yes - 7 Saturday 7 July Tomblaine > La Planche des Belles Filles 199 km
No - 8 Sunday 8 July Belfort > Porrentruy 157.5 km
No - 9 Monday 9 July Arc-et-Senans > Besançon 41.5 km
? - 10 Wed. 11 July Mâcon > Bellegarde-sur-Valserine 194.5 km
Yes - 11 Thursday 12 July Albertville > La Toussuire - Les Sybelles 148 km
Yes - 12 Friday 13 July Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne > Annonay Davézieux 226 km
No - 13 Saturday 14 July Saint-Paul-Trois-Châteaux > Le Cap d’Agde 217 km
No - 14 Sunday 15 July Limoux > Foix 191 km
Yes - 15 Monday 16 July Samatan > Pau 158.5 km
Yes - 16 Wed. 18 July Pau > Bagnères-de-Luchon 197 km
Yes - 17 Thursday 19 July Bagnères-de-Luchon > Peyragudes 143.5 km
Yes - 18 Friday 20 July Blagnac > Brive-la-Gaillarde 222.5 km
Yes but slow* - 19 Saturday 21 July Bonneval > Chartres 53.5 km
No - 20 Sunday 22 July Rambouillet > Paris Champs-Élysées 120 km

momocurti

This sounds fun! I wish I could sign on, but we'll be traveling hither and yon and I have no clue when/where I'll be able to ride. Plus, only taking MTB with us, not road bike

I'll be interested to see how it all pans out though! Great challenge!

Kupe

Reminder that I am in for the challenge

TheBigYin

I would like to try it although there are a couple of days in which I won't be able to ride at all do to other commitments some of which are noted below. Let me know if this disqualifies me (like the real riders who have to complete the stages and meet time limits!):

Don't worry about "needing to ride all the days" - I tend to ride on a 3 on - 1 off pattern myself, all we're trying to do is knock in a couple of hundred km's a day between 9 people - I'm fairly sure that we'll end up hitting nearer 250 a day, provided one or two of the groups "Rouleurs" join.

TheBigYin

the more the merrier - if we get 9 riders for a "team" that's cool - if there's enough for 2 or more teams all the better...

januarygal

I would like to be on one of the teams, I will be away for a few of the days but will try to use the stationary bike at the resort to get a few km's, and yippee a challenge with kilometers, so much easier for me to understand. Miles are kinda foreign to me.

dpwellman

I need a challenge. Baring injury or sick, yeah. Wednesdays are somewhat iffy for me, though. Just haven't gone farther than 64km since I started riding again. . .last month.

TheBigYin

Team Kit has just arrived...

twinkietigress

Yes, I am in! I don't head out on Vacation until July 25th so I shouldn't have any other commitments. I'm usually logging 12 -16 miles a day. Can switch to KM's on Strava so no problem but when you assign teams consider me your gap girl. I'll try in fill in those few missing miles!


Yay

TT

TheBigYin

Oops - wrong kit - that ^^^ was the first version



I was toying with the idea of a half-eaten Baguette in the back pocket, but Garmin-Chipotle got there first...

RedSunshine365

^^^^^ I would most definitely buy this jersey! Nicely done!

TheBigYin

I was bored, it was raining, and I just spent 10 minutes messing about with the online kit designer at www.flamecycling.com. Add in a bit of Photoshop magic swapping colours in the logo's to the "team colours" and it was dead easy :laugh:

twinkietigress

Yep, we need the Jersey's! Yay

TheBigYin

Sadly I never saved the layout... I've still got the logo's but to be honest, if we were going to get them made up, it'd have to change quite substantially, as there are a couple of logo's that not only are we not allowed to "just use", but would probably see my *kitten* sued from here to breakfast-time!

hawkeyegal1995

I would be game to join the challenge. I don't have a smart phone (still stuck in the dark ages) so I can give you is the miles and time from the rides.

I am doing RAGBRAI the last full week of the month which is supposed to be 471 miles (I hope for more though with the century loops).

TheBigYin

I am doing RAGBRAI the last full week of the month which is supposed to be 471 miles (I hope for more though with the century loops).

:sad: Shame the race is the first 22 days of July really... those miles would have come in handy for the challenge. At least the first day will count...

cyclerjenn

I'm in for this one.

hawkeyegal1995

I am doing RAGBRAI the last full week of the month which is supposed to be 471 miles (I hope for more though with the century loops).

:sad: Shame the race is the first 22 days of July really... those miles would have come in handy for the challenge. At least the first day will count...

Bummer I hadn't thought of that......I can't promise to ride every day. I have to work late about 1 night per week and I am also in a softball league so I don't ride that night. My mornings are full with boot camp.

TheBigYin

So - it's getting close everyone...

Time to sign-up, I reckon...

I'll start off...


301 -
302 -
303 -
304 -
305 -
306 -
307-
308 -
309 - TheBigYin

(don't forget - if you get the #1, you've to be team leader and win the yellow... I've already nabbed "road captain" )

Add your name to a copy of the signup sheet in your post...



TheBigYin

Kupe

So - it's getting close everyone...

Time to sign-up, I reckon...

I'll start off...


301 -
302 -
303 -
304 -
305 -
306 -
307-
308 - Kupe
309 - TheBigYin

(don't forget - if you get the #1, you've to be team leader and win the yellow... I've already nabbed "road captain" )

Add your name to a copy of the signup sheet in your post...



TheBigYin

cyclerjenn

So - it's getting close everyone...

Time to sign-up, I reckon...

I'll start off...


301 -
302 -
303 -
304 -
305 -
306 -
307- cyclerjenn
308 - Kupe
309 - TheBigYin

(don't forget - if you get the #1, you've to be team leader and win the yellow... I've already nabbed "road captain" )

Add your name to a copy of the signup sheet in your post...



TheBigYin

TheBigYin

:laugh: nobody's wanting the #1 shirt, are they :laugh:

TDSeest

Since I don't watch bike racing, is there some meaning to the order of the numbers? I can sign, but not sure where. I'm in for distance; not speed. I'm not very fast.

Thanks.

TheBigYin

Since I don't watch bike racing, is there some meaning to the order of the numbers? I can sign, but not sure where. I'm in for distance; not speed. I'm not very fast.

Thanks.

The convention is that the "team leader" - i.e. the guy who's most likely to go for the overall win usually takes the lowest number in the team, the rest of the numbers are pretty much just up for grabs - though in certain teams the "road captain" (the old git who's done loads of tours, and knows all the tricks etc.) will take the last number in the team...

The way I'd envisaged things panning out Tom, is as follows...

in the LeTour there are 3 main competitions - the Yellow, Green and Polka Dot Jerseys.

Yellow is "overall leader", and as we're pretty much predicating this challenge on mileage, I'd say Yellow would go to the person with the highest overall verifiable mileage. No problem with declaring trainer mileage or non-GPS-logged mileage for the overall mileage numbers I guess, but as far as bragging rights and a nice Yellow Jersey Icon to use on MFP, it'd need to be GPS-logged.

Green Jersey is "points leader" - awarded to the most consistent finisher - the first 15 finishers get points every day, and there are occasional intermediate sprints as well. Usually, this is considered to be the "sprinters jersey" as its possible, indeed highly likely, that the yellow jersey will be won by someone who might win one or 2 stages at most, where sprinters can win 5-6 stages in a race (well, they can if they're Mark Cavendish...) So - as it's a sprinters jersey, I reckon that we should award the "Maillot Vert" to whoever posts the highest overall verifiable average speed.

Polka Dot Jersey - :sick: - often referred to as "King of the Mountains" - not my natural environment I'm afraid - it's the domain of the Climber - those 97lb Columbian riders that don't so much ride as dance on the pedals and ascend like homesick Angels. Again - this being a overall challenge, I guess the best way to log things would be the rider with the highest overall verifiable ascent figures.

With a view to logging all this, what I'd propose is this... for a given ride, you'd post the details in this format (I'll take my last 4 days rides as examples...)

16/06/2012 - 37.85km - 2h17m16s - 409m - http://connect.garmin.com/activity/189489816
17/06/2012 - 55.78km - 2h31m18s - 474m - http://connect.garmin.com/activity/189799150
18/06/2012 - 90.65km - 3h36m59s - 320m - http://connect.garmin.com/activity/190328912
19/06/2012 - 49.23km - 2h20m12s - 424m - http://connect.garmin.com/activity/190663418

does this make any sense at all, or have I spent too much time out in the sun riding my bike the last couple of days ??

TDSeest

TheBigYin: Your explanation was very helpful. I just never understood any of that before. Thanks.

My biggest challenge will be climbs, as everything is flat around here. Usually, the biggest climb I get in a day is when I ride over an overpass...

TDSeest

Went with 303 just to be different…

So - it's getting close everyone...

Time to sign-up, I reckon...

I'll start off...


301 -
302 -
303 - TDSeest
304 -
305 -
306 -
307- cyclerjenn
308 - Kupe
309 - TheBigYin

(don't forget - if you get the #1, you've to be team leader and win the yellow... I've already nabbed "road captain" )

Add your name to a copy of the signup sheet in your post...



TheBigYin