Tour de France 2015-We're Off!

While it is Independence Day here is the good ol' US of A, many of us will be slaves to our TVs and DVRs for the next 3 weeks! The Tour kicks off today with a short individual time trial the determine who first dons  the yellow jersey.
Time trials are seldom exciting to watch but a long one can often decide a grand tour. I'm glad this version is short, as is the Stage 9 Team Tine Trial.
To kick off the winning in the JBarCycling Minileague, the team with the winning rider and the day's highest team point total will win a T-shirt from new prize sponsor Angry Dave's Bicycles in Park Hill. Dave has generously offered 3 $20.00 gift cards, along with a couple of his cool T-shirts and water bottles. I don't have Dave's logo yet, but we're glad to have him aboard!

Another new sponsor, Ozark Outdoor Supply, is in with 2 $15.00 gift cards and a 20-oz Yeti insulated mug worth $30.00. Thank you, Jim!

Several other sponsors have promised swag, but I won't commit them until I get specifics. As of this morning, we had 41 teams, so there is bound to be plenty of trash talk before this is over. Thanks to the prize sponsors and to all of you team directors for playing.