By Kate Amos So you weren't able to book that trip to France, but you can still bring the excitement of the “La Grande Boucle” to your Spinning® classes by creating an epic Tour de France themed ride!Building Your Own Big ShowFollowing the Tour de France can extend beyond the couch—here are some ideas for how to incorporate a Tour de France theme into your own Spinning classes and training sessions:

Create Your Own Mini-Tour

Create your own mini-Tour with a series of classes that focus on different aspects of the race. For example, hold a “sprint” stage where riders perform sprint intervals, a “big mountain” day that features lots of climbs, or a “time trial” where riders complete a Race Day ride.

Create a Video

Bring the drama of the race into your studio by incorporating video of key moments in the race into your class. Have your riders “follow” the attacks of the GC men in the mountains, or sprint along with Cavendish and Kristoff as they go head to head in the flat stages.

 Rock Your Jerseys

Use data from the Spinner® Blade ION^TM to hold your own jersey competitions. Give out jerseys (or be creative with the awards—maybe specially decorated water bottles or towels) to the person who puts out the most power during a hill climb, sprint, or interval. Be sure to correct for weight so that all riders can compete. Don’t forget about the daily “most courageous rider” award, generally given to the rider who shows the most fighting spirit, even if they don’t go on to win the stage.