Prologue

Bienvenue! We are excited to host the 2007 Tour de France KAL, and hope you will join us for a great summer knitting adventure!

Not a cyclist or a cycling fan? No problem. You only need to be a knitter or crocheter to join us. Every level of knitter and cyclist can participate. Here’s how it works:

1. Choose a knitting or crochet project in some way related to France, French culture, or the Tour de France. This can be really broad and is open to creative interpretation:

• Anything yellow
• Any yarn or pattern with a French name or the word French/France in it (do we even need to mention the Clapotis!?)
• Market bags, wine cozies, etc
• Cycling gloves, cycling socks, arm warmers, even Knitty’s Ribena sweater
• Something fabulous that you could see yourself wearing at a delightful little café on the Rive Gauche
• Use your imagination!

2. Based on the four different jerseys that are competed for at the Tour, choose the category you will contend:

• Yellow jersey – also known as the General Classification (GC). You are choosing a project of average skill for yourself, and do not necessarily plan to finish it before the end of the Tour, but will enjoy the camaraderie of the peloton! If you are not sure what category you belong in, choose this one.

• Green Jersey – also known as a Sprinter. You are choosing a project of average skill for yourself BUT you plan to speed knit and finish it before the end of the Tour. This category is all about the race against the clock.

• Polka Dot Jersey – also known as King of the Mountains. You are choosing a project that is a challenge for you. You do not have to finish it before the end of the Tour. This category is all about learning something new, perhaps a new technique like entrelac or lace knitting, or maybe you’ve got a UFO that’s been hiding under the bed for way too long and you need a challenge to finish it!

• White Jersey – also known as Youngest Rider. You are a new knitter, and/or a new cyclist, and/or just new to the Tour de France. You are choosing a project that is of average skill for you. You do not have to finish it before the end of the Tour. Baffled by big men in bike pants? If you want to find out why millions of spectators flock to the Tour every year, then this is the category for you.

3. Email either of your hosts, Meg or Debby, with the name of your project and the jersey category you choose. Take the appropriate button, save it to your server, and add it to your blog if you have one. We’ll add your name and a link to your blog in the sidebar.

The Tour de France begins on Saturday, July 7 in London, England, and ends on Sunday, July 29, in Paris France. About 200 riders will tackle 3,500 kilometers of road. Join us to find out why the Tour de France is often described as the world’s greatest sporting challenge!

Each day on the blog, Meg and Debby will provide some knitter-friendly cycling commentary, French recipes, information on French culture and geography, and answer questions that you may have about the Tour. We’ll give you regular updates on how all the knit-alongers are going – which sprinters are out in front, who’s close to the top of the mountain. We’ll provide links and photos to your TdeF projects, and even offer random prizes for those who contribute in the comments section. Don’t forget to bookmark or subscribe to the site!

If this sounds like fun to you and you can’t decide on a project, join up anyway! (In fact, Meg is still unsure what project she'll be tackling!) You have until July 7th to choose your project and your category. Don’t be left behind at le Grand Depart! (And, yes, swatching can take place before the official start of the Tour – you didn’t think we’d make you ride your bike all that way without first having a go with some training wheels, did you?)