This year’s Tour de Gap is already in the works! Go ahead and make plans now to come join us for a great ride for a great cause. Tour de Gap is held on the 4th Saturday of July every year. This year that will be Saturday, July 28, 2012. We hope to see you there!
Our thanks go out to everyone who came out for this year’s Tour de Gap! We had a record number of riders, up 45% from last year. Wow! We hope to see all of you back out there next year.
Special thanks need to be said to our great rest stop volunteers. They were standing out in the heat most of the day, and they did a great job! In case you missed who was responsible for each rest stop, here’s the list:
Rest Stop 1 (corner of 613 and Lemmons Gap – they had the ice cream) – Food Bank
Rest Stop 2 (corner of 83 and Lemmons Gap) – Boy Scouts
Rest Stop 3 (corner of CR 1086 and 2405) – Food Bank
Rest Stop 4 (corner of CR 1086 and 277) – Lion’s Club
Rest Stop 5 (corner of 277 and 89) – Cool Running’s Track Club
Many thanks also to the numerous volunteers who helped set up, run the pavilion area, and clean up. We really couldn’t do this event without all of you. We have some of the best volunteers around!
We are continually trying to make this ride better, so if you have any comments or suggestions, please let us know. Thanks again for coming out to the Gap!
Thanks so much to everyone who came out to ride the Tour de Gap today! The ride grew considerably from the last few years, and we appreciate everyone who made the trip. To see your results, follow this link: Cadence Sports – Tour de Gap Results
It’s almost time! We’re looking forward to Saturday and hope you are, too. Here are a few things you need to know before the event.
If you didn’t register online, you can still register the day of the event at the pavilion at the Old Settler’s Reunion Grounds in Buffalo Gap. Registration will be from 6:30-7:45 am. Please arrive with enough time to get through the line by 7:45.
If you are already registered, all you will need to do is pick up your rider packet and your timing chip. This will also take place from 6:30-7:45 am. There are more pre-registered riders this year than there have been in the past, so please give yourself enough time to get your packet and chip by 7:45.
Everyone will receive ride numbers and timing chips, even the kids on the 11 mile route. This helps us know who is still out on the course as the day goes on.
In your packet you will find the day’s schedule, your route map, t-shirt, and several items provided by our sponsors.
When you finish your route, please keep up with your ride number. You will have a chance to enter it into a swag raffle for your route. All prizes in the swag raffle have been donated by BikeTown.
If you have any questions, please let us know at tourdegap@yahoo.com. We’ll see you at the Gap!
Today is the last day to register online for the Tour de Gap. Head over to BikeReg.com and sign up! The online registration will close at 11:00 pm tonight.
If you don’t register online, you can still register the day of the event at the Old Settler’s Reunion Grounds in Buffalo Gap. Registration will take place from 6:30-7:45 am.
Jim and Kelly MacDonald had a strong desire to establish a bicycle store in Abilene, TX that would convey their love of cycling, offer experienced bicycle technicians, and, at the same time, benefit the community. That desire became reality when BikeTown opened in April 1997. For 14 years now, BikeTown has served customers of all types and has been able to share their love of cycling. These customers include families, recreational riders, road and off-road racers, duathletes, and triathletes. These customers cover a wide spectrum of people which BikeTown loves to see. They love to help all types of cyclists reach their cycling goals.
The MacDonalds’ second goal was to provide experienced technicians in their store. Their technicians have over 100 years of experience among them. They have been working on bikes since before websites existed! You won’t find more experienced technicians for miles. They know bicycles inside and out and can answer any of your questions. They not only have years of experience, they are also continually looking to improve. BikeTown’s technicians attend tech clinics and trade shows throughout the year to learn from others in the industry and pass that knowledge on to you. With thousands of bike fittings under their belts, you can trust these technicians to know what they are doing and assist you with whatever bicycle question you have. They truly want to help you with your ride and cycling experience, not simply fix your bike or sell you the latest fad or gadget.
In addition to great technicians, great service, and sharing the love of cycling, Jim and Kelly wanted to make sure to give back to the community that has supported them over the years. They do that by offering free workshops, partnering with Abilene Bicycling Club to lead road rides and put on time trials (both on and off road), raising thousands of dollars for the Food Bank by organizing the Tour de Gap, and raising money for the local police and fire departments through Bent Wheel Bash, an annual mountain bike race that BikeTown organizes. BikeTown also gives away a multitude of inventory, including bikes, to help benefit non-profits in town. Additionally, they help sponsor Steam N’ Wheels, the city’s annual ride. BikeTown works with classes from the local universities as well as boy scout troops to help teach bike safety and maintenance, and offers free bicycle maintenance classes to their customers. All of the things that BikeTown is involved in are really Jim and Kelly’s way of saying thanks to Abilene for their support and patronage throughout the years. To everyone who has shopped at BikeTown – you are appreciated immensely. Every time you shop at BikeTown you help continue all the events and programs that BikeTown is involved with in Abilene. Thank you!
Abilene Bicycling Club (ABC) promotes cycling in Abilene and the surrounding areas. The
club creates opportunities for individuals to experience cycling as transportation, exercise and a challenging, enjoyable, recreational sport. ABC helps sponsor several road and off-road events held in Abilene every year, including the Tour de Gap. ABC also holds a monthly road time trial during the spring, summer, and fall. Additionally, members of the club create and maintain the Buck Creek Trails for use by members and guests and the club pays the liability insurance required for the continued use of these trails. If you are interested in joining a group of people interested in all things cycling, come join ABC. Membership is good for a calendar year and covers your immediate family for only $20. Membership forms can be picked up at local bike stores.
The routes for this year’s Tour de Gap have been marked. Here are the colors:
11 mile = green
27 mile = blue
52 mile = orange
77 mile = red
You will follow the colored arrows corresponding to your route length. The course is well marked and there should not be a problem with following your route.
Domino’s Pizza evolved from one pizza store in Ypsilanti, Mich. to the recognized world leader in pizza delivery. They immerse themselves in the towns and cities where they make and safely deliver pizzas every day, because they believe in giving back to the communities that support them.
Headquartered in Ann Arbor, Mich., Domino’s is committed to supporting initiatives and causes in its hometown while also participating in national programs that align with their company vision and guiding principles. They look forward to building on a heritage of delivering to their customers and communities in which they live and work.
Not sure what to do for dinner? Give Domino’s a call.
1125 East North 10th St . Abilene, TX 79601 . 325-677-3030
1806 S Clack . Abilene, TX 79605 . 325-695-3030
Levrets Ink has been the t-shirt company of choice for the Tour de Gap the last few years. We have used them for t-shirts, but that is not all they do. Levrets can also print bags, caps, koozies, sweats, and custom jobs. They do a lot of work for schools, clubs, churches, and sports groups. If you have a need for custom t-shirts, they can help you out! They are able to work from customers’ artwork, but if artwork is not your forte, Levrets has an in-house graphic designer who can design whatever you need. Give them a call. They do a great job!
