[Photo: Michael Robertson]

I apologize for the long gap between posts. Allow me to explain myself.

Earlier this year, Michael Roberston and I decided to build a team to ride the entire 2012 Tour de France course. It started as a story idea and became something infinitely bigger than that. It has consumed most of my year. It has challenged me in ways I have never imagined (mostly from a time management perspective) It has driven almost every major decision I have made in the past four months.

It’s really big.

So big that if I’m able to complete all 3,497 or so kilometers with my teammates, it will be the biggest physical accomplishment of my life. It will probably change me in some fundamental way. I won’t wax on about that, but it’s there.

I’m writing weekly about the lead-in to our adventure and you can find those archives in my column on Peloton Magazine’s website. (Huge props to Peloton, who got behind the project within .2 seconds of me proposing it.)

We’re also (obsessively) documenting our training on Strava (one of our cash sponsors – thank you, Strava!). You can find the team page here. My personal page is here. You’ll need to create an account to get to the juicy details.

This venture is also funded and supported by generous sponsorship from Cannondale (including sweet new Supersix bikes), SRAM, Quarq, Giro, Capo, FSA. They have provided the funds to enable us to cover all costs for the entire team, including airfare, which has enabled us to put together a squad of super amazing “everyday” women.

We’re so excited, so grateful and so in awe of what this has become that we have committed to raising $60,000 for Bikes Belong as part of the project. All dollars donated go directly to Bikes Belong: this fundraising effort exists completely separately from our trip budget. If you’re so inclined, please consider making a donation in my name: I want to raise $6000.00 by the end of July!

Use the widget in the sidebar to make a donation, or follow this link to visit my donation page.

To read more about the Rêve Grand Tour, please visit the website. If you’re Twitterific, you can follow the #revetour hashtag or my personal account @heidiswift for a constant stream of updates.

Thanks so much for your support – and look forward to more frequent updates here again in the future: I finished my contract work at Nike and am training in Chianti at the moment. Feeling a little more in control of my time. :)

Tanti baci,
Swift