Tour de Gap 2012 is just around the corner! Come ride with us on a great ride for a great cause on Saturday, July 28. Visit our website at http://tourdegap.wordpress.com/ for registration and route information. We'd love to see you there!

Tour de Gap

Today is the last day to get the early bird price for the Tour de Gap. Head on over to the Tour de Gap website and look under registration for details. We hope you can come on out and enjoy the ride!

Tour de Gap Routes are Marked

WooHoo! The Tour de Gap routes are officially marked. There is one turn at the finish that won't be marked until Friday, but other than that, they are done! If you want to go out and look at the routes before the event, here are the colors to watch for:

11 miles = green
27 miles = blue
52 miles = orange
77 miles = red

Tour de Gap Early Registration Deadline

Remember - the deadline for EARLY registration (and a lower price) for the Tour de Gap is this Saturday, July 3. Either have your form postmarked by then and mailed to the Food Bank of West Central Texas or drop your registration form off at BikeTown. We'll be open on Saturday until 3:00.

You can register for the ride up until about half an hour before the ride starts on July 24, but the price will go up from $25 to $30 after this Saturday. As always, riders 14 and under ride free with a paying adult.

Tour de Gap 2010

There is a new spot set up online for the Tour de Gap. If you would like more information about the ride, a registration form, route maps, etc. then head to http://www.tourdegap.wordpress.com/ for all things Tour de Gap.

Tour de Gap 2010

Mark your calendars now! The Tour de Gap 2010 will take place on Saturday, July 24 at the Old Settlers' Reunion Grounds in Buffalo Gap. Make plans to be there! Get your friends to join you! It will be a great ride benefiting a great cause. Once again, all proceeds will benefit the Food Bank of West Central Texas. The routes will be the same as last year, starting and ending at the pavilion area of the reunion grounds. We're looking forward to seeing everyone out there!



Here are the links to the routes:

The 77 mile route is split into two parts or laps. Please make sure you look at both!

Tour de Gap 2009 Results

The Tour de Gap 2009 is officially over. Thanks so much to everyone who rode, sponsored, and volunteered. As we've said before, it's a great ride for a great cause, and with everyone's help the Tour de Gap raised thousands of dollars for the Food Bank of West Central Texas. The final numbers are not in yet, but we are closing in on proceeds of $10,000. That does a lot to help fight hunger in the Big Country and could not have been done without everyone's participation.



A special thanks goes out to our sponsors:

Wheel Sponsor
BikeTown

Chain Sponsors

Domino's Pizza

Levrets Ink

Abilene Bicycling Club

Handlebar Sponsors
Allen Law Firm - Greg Allen
Ear, Nose & Throat Specialists of Abilene - Dr. Braaten and Dr. Goodnight
Women's Health Professionals of Abilene - Dr. Tadvick
First Financial Bank

Pedal Sponsors
Sterling Volkswagen
Mayor's Council on Physical Fitness
Senter Realtors
Abilene Teachers Federal Credit Union
Xerox
American State Bank
LePrint Express
Lawrence Hall
Perry Hunter Hall
Robert R. Hawley, DDS, FACP
Automated Copy Systems
United Supermarkets


We also want to say thanks to John and Peggy Brolls who let us use the Old Settlers Reunion Grounds, the South Taylor County Emergency Services for volunteering as the EMTs, and RPM Direct for broadcasting the Tour de France. There were also several groups who volunteered to staff the rest stops. They included the Food Bank, the Boy Scouts, the Lion's Club, and ENT Specialists of Abilene. And, of course, thanks to everyone at the pavilion area who helped with registration, food, marking the course, setting up, ... the list could go on and on. As you can tell it takes a lot of people to make something like the Tour de Gap happen. Thanks to you all!

All right - you've waded through all the thanks - on to the results. Go to this link - www.cadencesportsonline.com/results.cfm - and check out all the results. Only riders who wore the timing chip will show up on this list.

Check out this link for some cool pictures from the Abilene Reporter News:

www.reporternews.com/photos/galleries/2009/jul/25/tour-de-gap

Lorraine Wilson, a rider on the 27 mile route, sent us some pictures from the pavilion area. I will get those posted in the next few days.


Thanks again to everyone who participated. Go ahead and make plans on joining us next year for Tour de Gap 2010!

Tour de Gap This Saturday

All right - this Saturday is the Tour de Gap! If you haven't already registered you can still sign up the morning of the event. Registration and packet pick-up will start at 6:30 am at the Old Settlers Reunion Grounds in Buffalo Gap. Everyone will be getting a timing chip this year, so give yourself enough time to go through that line.

RPM Direct will be setting up a booth at the pavilion area and will be broadcasting the Tour de France throughout the day. There will also be several varieties of La Popular burritos available mid-morning, so make plans to relax a bit after your ride, enjoy the burritos, and watch the climb up Mount Ventoux on the Tour de France.

There are prizes for the top three finishers in each category of the 77 mile route. There are also raffles for each route. Keep your bib number and be listening for the announcement to turn them in as your entry in the raffle.

Here is the schedule for the 2009 Tour de Gap:

6:30-7:50 am - Registration
7:50 - Line up at the start area/Pre-ride announcements
8:00 - 77 mile start
8:05 - 52 mile start
8:10 - 27 mile start
8:15 - 11 mile start
9:00 - Brunch/lunch (La Popular) available at the pavilion area
9:45 - 11 mile raffle*
10:45 - 27 mile raffle*
12:00 - 52 mile raffle*
12:30 - 77 mile prizes*
1:15 - 77 mile raffle*
2:00 - Routes close

* Must be present to claim raffle/prize

It's going to be a great ride for a great cause, so come on out and help support the Food Bank of West Central Texas while enjoying a bike ride!

Tour de Gap Reminder

Just a reminder that preregistration for the Tour de Gap ends this Friday, July 3. You can register all the way up through the morning of the event, but if you want to save a little cash, get those registration forms in by Friday! You can drop off your form and payment at the Food Bank or at BikeTown. If you are from out of town, just have it postmarked by Friday. There are registration forms at BikeTown or you can print one off from this link:

http://www.scribd.com/doc/16311709/Tour-de-Gap-2009-Registration

Tour de Gap Preregistration

If you are planning on riding in the year's Tour de Gap and want to preregister, the deadline is Friday, July 3. You can register all the way up to the morning of the event, but it will save you a little cash to do it early. For those of you who are local, you can drop your registration form and payment off at BikeTown. Payment can be made by cash or check. Since payment is made out to the Food Bank and not to BikeTown, we can't take a credit card. We have registration forms at the store or you can click this link for one:
http://www.scribd.com/doc/16311709/Tour-de-Gap-2009-Registration

Tour de Gap 2009

It is that time of year again - time to get ready for the 2009 Tour de Gap! Make plans now to come on out to Buffalo Gap on Saturday, July 25 and participate in a great ride that benefits a great cause. Once again, all proceeds from the ride benefit the Food Bank of West Central Texas. As in years' past, there will be four different routes to choose from - a distance for everyone! Unlike past years, the start and finish this year will both be at the Old Settlers' Reunion Grounds and all riders will be timed by Cadence Sports. The distances are 77, 52, 27, or 11 miles. Remember - we are now finishing at the starting area, so the routes got a tad bit longer. Well, not really. You've always had to ride back to the starting area - it just counts as part of the route this year.

Click this link for the flyer/registration form.
http://www.scribd.com/doc/16311709/Tour-de-Gap-2009-Registration
The price this year is staying the same - $25 for preregistration and $30 after preregistration ends. Preregistration goes through July 3.

To see the routes, click on the maps below. The 77 mile route is split into two parts or laps. Make sure you look at both!















We would love to see all of you out at the ride. It's a great ride supporting a great cause. Come on out and join the fun!

Tour de Gap T-Shirts

Hey, everyone - we have a few Tour de Gap t-shirts left from the event. We really don't want to have them sitting around, so here's the deal. They are for sale at BikeTown with every last penny of the purchase price benefitting the Food Bank of West Central Texas. They are $10 apiece. If you buy one, you will need to pay with check or cash. Sorry - no credit or debit cards. Checks need to be made out to the Food Bank of West Central Texas, not to BikeTown. At the moment, we have L, XL, one XXL, and 2 youth mediums. Come on in and get a cool t-shirt and support a good cause!

Recovered from the Tour de Gap

I think we are finally recovered from all the planning and implementing of the 2008 Tour de Gap. Now that we can catch our breath, we are already looking to next year's event. Which leads us to some questions. Are there any things that stood out to you about this year's Tour de Gap? What did you like? What would you like to see done differently? Were there some volunteers that were especially helpful to you? We would love to hear what you have to say!

Tour de Gap Pictures

Generally, I have my camera with me at all the events I attend, but for some reason on Saturday the camera never made it out of the bag. If you have some pictures from the Tour de Gap that you would like to share, use the email link at the bottom of the page and send them to us. Until then you can find some great pics of the event at http://www.reporternews.com/news/2008/jul/26/heated-competition/ . There is a gallery of shots at this link as well as a short video clip.



Check back throughout the next few days for more Tour de Gap posts.

Tour de Gapped Out!

The 2008 Tour de Gap happened today. It was a hot day out there, but lots of riders came out to ride and have fun. Thanks to everyone who helped, sponsored, and rode. More info about the day will be coming, but for now I am Tour de Gapped out and plan on sleeping for about the next 48 hours. Come back and check here for updates in the next day or two, and until then, if you were one of the 70 mile riders your race results are posted at http://www.cadencesportsonline.com/ . Check it out.

Tour de Gap This Saturday!

Can you believe it? It is time for the 2008 Tour de Gap! Come on out and join us this Saturday, July 26 at the Old Settler's Reunion Grounds in Buffalo Gap. There is a distance for everyone, from a nice 10 mile ride up to a 70 mile race. There will be prizes awarded to the top 3 in each age category of the 70 mile race, and raffles for all the other routes. For the top 70 milers, there will be heart rate monitors, cycling shorts, or sunglasses. The raffles will have all sorts of various, fun, cycling items. But...to have a chance at any of them, you have to come out and ride! It costs $30 to register the day of the ride, and that registration fee will go directly to the Food Bank of West Central Texas. Talk about a great deal! You'll have a fun ride and help people who need it. Oh - as an added bonus, children age 14 and under ride free with a paying adult. Just remember that the key word is with. Kids need to ride with an adult. And, of course, helmets are required. No helmet - no ride.

Registration starts at 6:30 am. Lining up for the ride and all those pre-ride announcements everyone needs to hear will start at 7:50am. Then the first route will be off at 8am! There will be plenty of rest stops along the way as well as food when you finish. Yum!

We're looking forward to seeing everyone out there!

Tour de Gap Hotel Rates

Thanks to the Abilene Convention and Visitors Bureau, anyone coming from out of town for the Tour de Gap can take advantage of some special hotel rates. Just tell them that you are in town for the Tour de Gap. Here are the hotels that are participating:

Abilene Whitten Inn, Expo 840 E. Bus 20, 325-677-8100; 800-880-7666
Restaurant and Lounge, Outdoor Pool
$79 Flat
2-cooked-to-order breakfasts per room

Abilene Whitten Inn, University1625 Hwy. 351, 325-673-5271
Airport Shuttle, Outdoor Pool, 2-Wheelchair accessible rooms
$79 Flat
Continental breakfast

Best Western Abilene Inn & Suites 350 I-20 West, 325-672-5501
Outdoor Pool, 4-Wheelchair accessible rooms
$89.99 Single/Double, $94.99 Triple, $99.99 Quad
Continental breakfast

Civic Plaza Hotel 505 Pine St., 325-676-0222; 800-588-0222
Restaurant, Outdoor Pool, 2-Wheelchair accessible rooms, 1-with roll-in shower
$65 Quad
2-cooked-to-order breakfasts

Regency Inn & Suites 3450 S. Clack, 325-695-7700; 800-676-7262
Restaurant and Lounge, Airport Shuttle, Outdoor Pool, 2-Wheelchair accessible rooms
$69 Flat
Continental breakfast

If you are coming in from out of town for the event or know someone who is, give these hotels a call!

Tour de Gap Reminder

Just a reminder to everyone that the Tour de Gap is just around the corner. Mark your calendars for July 26 and plan on being out at the Old Settler's Reunion Ground in Buffalo Gap. There really is a ride for everyone, so bring the whole family and help support a good cause. Remember - all the proceeds go to the Food Bank of West Central Texas. So, come on out, have a great morning on your bike, have a fun experience close to home, and help people in our community all at the same time.

If you haven't done so already, check out the registration flyer here:

http://www.scribd.com/doc/3467325/Tour-de-Gap-Registration-Flyer-2008



Can't wait to see you there!

Tour de Gap Route Map

Here is the route map for this year's Tour de Gap. Remember - there is construction going on, so the 70 mile route looks a little different from years past. There are two different maps. One shows the 10, 25, and 48 mile routes. The other shows the 70 mile race.

http://www.scribd.com/doc/3768961/Tour-de-Gap-Maps-2008

Tour de Gap Routes

The Tour de Gap this year will once again have 4 route lengths to choose from: 10 miles, 25 miles, 48 miles, and 70 miles. Due to road construction, the 70 mile route will change slightly from years past. We will have an updated route map in the next week or so, so check back here to see the 2008 routes.