News from the Tour Coordinator 2009

April 9, 2009

Some important folks at both ends of the Tour route have really stepped up to the plate, so now we can talk about some logistics required to begin making your plans. With the assistance of a very enthusiastic group of volunteers, we have put together the following:

 

1. Rider arrival
   • Bike Boxes
     • Dick Maloney and Tamke Tree Experts have generously offered to receive, store and transfer our riders’ bike boxes to our hotel in Tinton Falls, NJ. We strongly advise you to consider shipping your bike this year because the arrival logistics are considerably more challenging than in previous tours. More on that below.
       • Please schedule your bike box to arrive NLT Thursday, July 16^th
       • Ship to – Tamke Tree Experts – 706 Martinsville Rd. – Liberty Corner, NJ 07938 – (800) 822-3537
       • Dick will coordinate having your bike box brought to our host hotel in NJ.
   • Rider Arrival
     • Again Dick Maloney and Tamke have offered their services to assist with rider arrival and transfers. HOWEVER,  it is important to note that because of the difficulty and time required to shuttle from Newark, we are asking ALL riders to coordinate their arrival so that they arrive via train at the Red Bank terminal of the New Jersey Coast Line (see instructions below). From there Tamke shuttles will be available to our hotel in Tinton Falls.
     • The recommended airport to schedule incoming flights is Newark International (EWR) in New Jersey – http://www.panynj.gov/CommutingTravel/airports/html/newarkliberty.html
     • If traveling via Amtrak, you should schedule to arrive at Newark Rail Station (EWR) – http://www.amtrak.com/servlet/ContentServer?pagename=Amtrak/am2Station/Station_Page&code=EWR
     • From either of these locations, you will need to take the New Jersey Transit Train (New Jersey Coast Line) to the Red Bank terminal at 175 Monmouth St., Red Bank, NJ – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Bank_(NJT_station). The train ride from EWR to Red Bank is approximately a 1-hour trip. To assist with planning this leg of your journey, you can use the NJ Transit Itinerary Planning webpage at – http://www.njtransit.com/sf/sf_servlet.srv?hdnPageAction=TripPlannerItineraryTo
   • Arrival Timing
     • The NJ Chapter is sponsoring a ride (40+ miles), tree planting and lunch on Saturday, July 18th and is encouraging everyone to participate. Joining this ride and subsequent events would require that you to arrive by Friday, July 17^th.
     • I have secured a room block at the Holiday Inn – 700 Hope Rd. – Tinton Falls for $109 + tax. You may reserve your room for Friday by calling the hotel at (732) 544-9300 and requesting a room under the STHIL Tour des Trees room block.
     • Please be aware that until Saturday evening’s Welcome Dinner, you will be responsible for all expenses incurred.
2. Rider Luggage & Bike Box Transfer
   • Rick Canzellarini of Northeast STIHL has generously offered to supply the tour with a truck, trailer and two staff members to manage the TDT participant luggage this year.
   • Jim McBratney and Sylvan Nursery have volunteered to pick up and store the riders’ bike boxes from Tinton Falls, NJ until our arrival at Roger Williams Park in Providence, RI on Saturday, July 25^th.
3. Rider Departure
   • Jeff Carney of National Grid, and Clem Desjardins of Samuel Kinder & Bros., have stepped up to offer their services to assist me with the coordination of rider departures. Please note that I will still be the point person for these services which include:
     • Coordinating the rider bike boxes, those being delivered to the Roger Williams Park as well as those being transferred to another area hotel
     • Assisting with those wishing to ship their bike boxes back home
       • We strongly recommend that all riders shipping their bikes back use FedEx and
       • That you have an account set up with FedEx so that your bike can be shipped COD or the shipment can be made using your account number – http://fedex.com/us/newcustomer/
     • Shuttling riders to area hotels including the ISA Conference hotel, to the Providence Airport (PVD) – http://www.pvdairport.com/ or to the Providence Amtrak Station – http://www.amtrak.com/servlet/ContentServer?pagename=Amtrak/am2Station/Station_Page&code=PVD
   • Your bike boxes and luggage will be delivered to Roger Williams Park, unless otherwise coordinated to be taken directly to the Conference Hotel

 

That should be enough to get you started on making your plans for this year’s STIHL Tour des Trees…please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions.

 

Happy Cycling,

 

PAUL WOOD

Tour Director, Tour des Trees
http://www.tourdestrees.org/ 
Phone 843.886.9365

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Hi TDT Friends and Supporters,

March is here and it certainly roared in like the proverbial lion for us in the East, but March means longer days and more sunshine are just ahead. And with the longer days comes the promise of spring and rebirth … renewed motivation and knowledge that once again we can be fit!

There are now at least 16 people registered for the 2009 STIHL Tour des Trees! It’s wonderful to see both “repeat customers” and “newbies” are on board. Please encourage your friends and colleagues to join us and sign up soon. C’mon teams … California, Texas, Colorado, Indiana, New Jersey, Canada, & Team Colliers! And a warm welcome to Team Spartan-Rams and captain Dan Macrina of West Reading, PA!

I have added links to a couple YouTube videos that I hope will help you find the inspiration to set new goals this season.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2-lvGWfW1E4&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9vR4CQq4HMg&feature=related

For those of us (and I include myself in this group) that may have been a little unfocused over the past year (two, three ?!), now is the time to honor that voice that says our most valuable asset is our health (and for us cyclists that means svelte-like fitness). In this time of uncertainty, it is more important than ever to take stock of the things that really matter: family, friends (including your TDT family and friends) and your health! I understand the constraints we all have as working adults, but we must all reprioritize the role that managing our health plays in our lives. The following ebooks help address this very subject, both from a perspective of defining our motivation and helping us establish goals, to carving out the time to develop a training plan that fits our lives and lifestyles.

The Ride of Your Life – http://www.roadbikerider.com/royl_page.htm?sessid=brZcnFy4VE57.

Training for Busy Cyclists – http://www.roadbikerider.com/tbc_page.htm?sessid=brZcnFy4VE57.

Of course, all this training does little good if we don’t incorporate a systematic nutritional plan based on the specific needs of endurance athletes (yes, that’s us). My favorite resource for this information and a regimen I follow, but am not attempting to endorse is Hammer Nutrition.  Check out their website and below are a couple articles that I think are worth reading:

http://www.hammernutrition.com/za/HNT?PAGE=ARTICLE&ARTICLE.ID=9124&OMI=&AMI=&RETURN_URL=%2Fza%2FHNT%3FPAGE%3DTRAININGTIPS%26OMI%3D%26AMI%3D&RETURN_TEXT=Performance%20Tips

http://www.hammernutrition.com/za/HNT?PAGE=ARTICLE&ARTICLE.ID=9123&OMI=&AMI=&RETURN_URL=%2Fza%2FHNT%3FPAGE%3DTRAININGTIPS%26OMI%3D%26AMI%3D&RETURN_TEXT=Performance%20Tips

There are a couple of quick-reading posts on the Rider Resource tab as well to help you get started with your training and fundraising. Take a look, if you haven’t already.

That’s enough for now…thanks for reading!

Paul Wood

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Hi Fellow Tour des Trees Enthusiasts,

Well, there is just so much to say, but let’s start with the most important piece of information. This year the TREE Fund is very happy to announce its first ever title sponsor, STIHL Inc.!  Many thanks to Tour Rider and TREE Fund Liaison from Virginia Tom Armstrong for helping to secure this sponsorship. So for 2009, the Tour will be the STIHL Tour des Trees!

I hope you will all join me in a resounding welcome to STIHL! This is the ninth Tour that they have supported, but it is a huge step UP in their commitment. Their title sponsorship will not only provide the TREE Fund with a sizable amount of  funds, but will also lend us access to their public relations prowess, allowing  us to greatly increase our exposure and marketing for the 2009 Tour des Trees. And STIHL will clearly benefit from a fantastic route in the populous Northeast with our lively group of men and women of all ages and backgrounds. I would encourage everyone to register by going to the 2009 STIHL Tour des Trees Active Giving page at – http://www.active.com/framed/event_detail.cfm?CHECKSSO=0&EVENT_ID=1683191

The 2009 Tour promises to be a spectacular event. If you haven’t already seen it, a brief itinerary and map can be found at – http://www.tourdestrees.org/PDFs/2009RouteMap-final.pdf. I am really excited by the interest we have already received from the New England, New Jersey and New York ISA Chapters and their desire to ensure that this year’s Tour is as memorable as it is successful.

The Tour des Trees website is being updated frequently now, so please be sure to check back often – http://www.tourdestrees.org/. Right on the home page is the very cool short film that Grady McGahan & Patrick Reis (Pete’s House Productions) did for us last year. This short film could be incorporated into your fundraising campaign this year or to recruit a new rider.

In addition to using the TdT website and blog as a tool for providing information to prospective riders and donors, I would like to invite you all to join the Tour des Trees Facebook site…could be a wonderful tool for group communication, plus sharing advice on training and fundraising. You will have to open a Facebook account and then search for Tour des Trees. The Tour des Trees is an open group so anyone can join!

And finally, a few words on Training and Nutrition. During the winter and extended periods of inactivity  (i.e. the Holidays) it is easy to get behind in our training and miss the mark with our diets. So the following articles should provide useful information and advice on both. I understand that most of us aren’t competitive athletes and don’t have the time or the desire to be. However, these articles still present some very relevant points for us all. You will see in the training article something that I talk about often … the most effective and efficient way to maintain fitness is to incorporate intensity in your training. Forget the LSD (Long Slow Distance) in the days of old. For us real-world athletes, just getting in a few sessions a week (indoor trainer or spin classes) with a couple of those including intervals, is enough to retain a level of fitness that will carry you in to the spring. Once the days are longer and the temperatures warm up, we can begin the task of preparing our bodies for the necessary adaptations required to comfortably complete a goal such as the Tour des Trees, but that is a subject for later. Here are the links:

Training Article – http://www.bikeradar.com/fitness/article/training-comeback-for-good-20115

Nutrition Article – http://www.velonews.com/article/86489/the-feed-zone-select-the-proper-menu-for-2009

Thanks for reading!

Paul Wood