Tour de
Donut News
11 July 2011 Forget the TDF -- we have the TDD! Your stories and recommendations are flooding in! Thanks so much, as it will help us make the
race better for next year. We have lots of ideas to up the level! Robin Rongey has a great blog about
her experiences at the Tour. I loved it, and I think you will enjoy it too. Here are some picture from Cliff! I will post a longer lessons learned and my thoughts
about the race in a week or so.
Interested in a Tour De Donut cycling jersey?
09 July 2011 Results of the 2011 Illinois Tour De Donut are
posted. What a race! Our final tally was over 1,650 when you include all of the tandem riders. You guys were awesome.
We broke so many records. Most donuts eaten, highest attendance, etc. Enough from me for now. I'd like to hear your comments.
We had a couple of hiccups that I need to make right, but overall, I am very pleased.
Drop me a line with your pictures or Tour De Donut stories!
Interested in a Tour De Donut cycling jersey?
07 Jul 2011: Only two days left until the 2011 Tour De Donut! I am blown away at your dedication and resolve.
With only 12 hours left for registration, we just surpassed 1,500 riders! Registration is still available
until FRIDAY July 8th at noon. There is no race day registration.
I still have t-shirts available. The trailer is loaded, my truck is jammed full of stuff and I got out for a nice 20 miler
today, and it feels great. Don will be bringing the donuts on Sat morning, so he is very important to us!
People are asking all kinds of great questions. I am trying to get to them all, although it's tough. I would advise to arrive
early to register. Parking might get tough.The whole city of Staunton is coming out. There will be two start lines. The regular start and a voluntary recreational start
about 1/2 way back. We may call an audible and return to Main St. due to some last minute construction along the route.
Interested in a Tour De Donut cycling jersey?
We've partnered with Dogfish to create it. I already ordered two! This will be my last blog until after the Tour.
I am going to camp out on Friday night and get things set up. It's been an honor. See you soon.
02 Jul 2011: Seven days until the 2011 Tour De Donut! So far, we have 1,259 riders signed up to go! Registration is still available
until FRIDAY July 8th at noon. There is no race day registration.
There are plenty of t-shirts still available. Those are my most frequently asked questions. We are working on all of the
last minute details of the race, and I am glad to see hundreds of you out on the Madison County trails this morning training
for the tour! I rode with one guy who was training for an ironman. He planned to ride up to Staunton from his home
in Edwardsville, ride the tour, and then ride home. How's that for dedication! You may have heard me on KMOX with Mark Reardon
yesterday. He is coming strong so you better be ready to race! We met with Jake from FleetFeet timing this week, and they are
ready to go with our chip timing. The chips are on the race bibs, not in the helmets like we thought. Turn in your race bib
tear-offs to get donut credit and turn in your timing chip. One week to go! See you soon...
28 Jun 2011: 11 days and Counting until the 2011 Tour De Donut! So far, we have 1,188 riders signed up to go! I think we are
going to break the record by far! We are way ahead of last year's registration. Do not wait until the last minute because there
is no day of race registration! The Phantom Riders and some friends did the check ride on Sat 25 Jun, and I am pleased to report
that all of the trouble spots on the course with which I was most concerned are now resolved. We got a little wet, and I got a flat
tire with only three miles to go. Thankfully, you will have SAG Wagon support! I just brought along a spare. Great job to Ed who
led the way most of the ride and carried the rest of us. Here are some of the check riders...Darryl, Jeff, Marvin, and Ed.
For those of you wanting an advanced copy of the race course, here it is: http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/37113350
20 Jun 2011: I hope that you are getting hungry, because the Tour De Donut is getting very close! I just
ordered 500 dozen donuts. You should have seen the look on her face. Priceless...and I paid in cash. Thank you for your
calls and e-mails. I am doing my best to answer all of them, and I have to tell you that it is pretty busy right now. So please
bear with me as I do my best. We have 1,060 riders signed up so far, which is about 200 riders ahead of last year's pace. If this
keeps up we may have 1,500 riders, which would be a new Tour De Donut record by far. If we can get Main St finished in time, I may
change the route back to our original, but for now we are working around the construction on Main St. Things are coming together.
The Boeing Employee Bicycle Club is excited to be serving you! Feel free to join me on the check ride this Saturday Jun 25 at 9am
at the starting line. I hear my boss and my boss' boss might even come! If you tell me you are coming, I might even bring some
sample donuts. We have one hiccup on the course route where the new bridge on Possom Hill Road is not paved
around the bridge, and we are working with the cities to fix it in time. Otherwise -- plan B. I am also working on a new
sound system that should do the job called the half mile hailer. Sounds intimidating, doesn't it? We'll see if we can pull it off.
By the way, the proceeds of the race go to local charities. I have a list of previous ones in a blog down below if you are
interested. Happy training!
10 Jun 2011: We have been working hard the last few weeks getting things going for the Tour De Donut. I hope you are
getting excited. I have been having wonderful discussions with Andrew Mullins and his team getting a new design for the T-Shirts.
I think that you are going to really like it! Thanks to Andrew for taking the initiative to make the Tour De Donut a signature event.
Things that are coming together: registration (580 people so far), t-shirts, donuts, volunteers, sponsor support, race route (again with a slight detour), course maps,
prizes, and awards. Things that need more attention: chip timing, the sound system, my race day jitters (since I want you to have a great event),
emergency phones, and more. I get a few questions about donut quality -- they will be fresh and ready. I hope that you have been
training. I ride the course two weeks before the event if you'd like to join me (prob around 9am) to make sure everything is a go and to identify
any rough spots. Please be nice to the locals, as while most enjoy hosting us, there are a few who don't so much. So please respect the rules
of the road. It is really fun to hear your Tour De Donut stories. Keep them coming! Also, I'd love to see your pictures and videos use them
for next year.
23 Apr 2011: Well, it's been a busy month in my personal life so I have not been posting too many blog entries.
I have met with the Cyclery and the Bike SurgeOn and they are ready to go for our SAG wagon! We have 226 riders signed
up thus far. Our prizes are set up. Things are moving along. Some people have suggested that we redesign the shirt, which we
might do if we get a good design very soon. I am enjoying the interaction with everyone. I have learned that in order to win
the Tour De Donut, you have to have a team. It's not enough to eat the donuts. You have to have your domestiques! How cool is it
to ride for someone else -- very selfless. I'm still working on zeroing in on the donuts. I have multiple leads! Happy riding!
19 Mar 2011: So far, we have 139 riders registered! I met with Cara Dexheimer today and went over some initial details about
this year's race. It looks like we may be dealing with a detour on Main Street due to construction. I found an alternative but
it actually has cobblestones on it! Even though this is a spoof of the Tour de France, and they get the blessing of riding on
the cobbles, I think I'll spare you. We will find another way. I also met with John Caldieraro from Sullivan Drugstore and
Bill Miller from Bill's IGA. Both are great advocates for the race and have been wonderful. Bill is going to help us find a new
source for the donuts. Last years donuts seemed ok to me, but we had too many complaints about the taste. So, where
do you go to find 400 dozen quality donuts you ask? Good question...have no fear! We will find them.
26 Feb 2011: Several of you were wondering what we do with the proceeds from the race. Generally, we donate to bicycling-related charities or Staunton-area
organizations, many of whom support the race. If you have ideas in these categories, please let me know! Here is a list of organizations you helped support through your participation in the Tour De Donut:
League of American Bicyclists
Madison County Transit
Prairietown Volunteer Fire Dept
SSM Rehab Foundation
Staunton Police Association
Trailnet Inc.
Boeing Employees Rifle and Pistol Club (They host the first donut stop)
American Legion Post 564 (They host the second donut stop)
Staunton Area Ambulance Services
Staunton Girl Scout Troop to build the Staunton Pavilion
20 Feb 2011: We have 25 people registered already! How awesome!
What a wonderful response from many of you about the upcoming race. I feel like I am part of an extended
family of riders. I am getting several great suggestions to add
categories, add a team award, and other ideas to make your racing
experience better. I love the team award idea, as it closely
mirrors the Tour De France! For those that require coordination, I
will take these ideas back to the Tour De Donut committee for
consideration. I am still working on completing the web site and plan to be done
in a week or so. I'd better start training...
19 Feb: 2011: Tour De Donut Registration officially begins! I opened up the
new web site and added a new graphic. The web site is still in work!
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