RIDE GUIDE- APRIL 2022
This monthly newsletter will contain details needed leading up to the 2022 Tour des Trees. We are grateful to you for joining us.
I Wanna Iowa!

If we are sending out a Ride Guide, it means that the Tour des Trees is coming up soon! We are very excited to be bringing this event to Iowa for the first time and it is shaping up to be a fun and truly memorable event.

The ride will take place from September 3 through 10, starting in Des Moines.

More outings and engagement events are still being planned, but so far, we have a great list of stops along the route that our riders should look forward to. These include:

  • The Brenton Arboretum and the Newton Arboretum
  • Dinner at the Botanical Gardens in Des Moines
  • Iowa State University
  • Two nights at the Arbor Day Farm

If you have not yet registered for this year's ride, be sure to do that now. Here is the checklist of things and dates to remember.

  • Register! You must be registered by June 20. (Part-time ride options are available.)
  • Create your fundraising page. Fundraising minimums are due by September 30.
  • Order your jersey and gear. Deadline to order gear is June 27.
  • Make your travel arrangements. Check out our Participant Resources page for info.

Want to stay engaged with other riders? Be sure to join the Tour des Trees Strava page and Facebook page.

Not able to ride with us this year but still want to support TREE Fund? No problem! We once again have a virtual ride option available. The virtual event has no registration fee and participants are able to win prizes based on their fundraising efforts.
Welcome to our new riders!

We have four first time riders signed up so far for the 2022 ride. Please join us in welcoming Ian Mostrom (Iowa), August Hoppe (Wisconsin), Jason Kruegel (Colorado), and Kieran Hunt (Pennsylvania).
Safety first!

Once again, RoadID has provided our group with a nice discount on their products to help keep our riders safe during their training and during our ride. Use the link below to get a 20% discount on RoadID identification tags and accessories. It will ask for your email and group name, which you can enter as TREE Fund- Tour des Trees.
A Note from Paul:

Over the years I have published or shared numerous articles on training for the Tour des Trees, some of which are in the Tour des Trees Participant Resources page of the TREE Fund Tour des Trees website. My contribution for this month's Ride Guide will again focus on training principles and special consideration while preparing for a multi-day event like the TdT. There aren't any real secrets in preparing for a cycling event like the Tour des Trees and I don’t profess to being an exercise physiologist, but as the 18 year tour director for the TdT and owner of Black Bear Adventures, I do have years of experience. I really enjoy reading about the sport of cycling and sharing articles from sources that I think are valuable, digestible and applicable to my audience. Below I have shared a couple articles and a video I feel meet those criteria.

First and foremost you have to prepare your body for the rigors of cycling multiple hours per day for multiple consecutive days, and this begins with the number one rule, nothing beats consistency in building a proper foundation for fitness! A couple of other key principles for successful training are to develop and follow a structured plan and make training fun! In this article from Sean Hurley, these and a number of other key principles are listed.

As you know the Tour des Trees is a multi-day cycling event and the demands for events like it are quite different than those for single day endurance events such as Gran Fondo's. One of our partners, Carmichael Training Systems, recently published an article that resonated with me that highlights these differences and identifies some key components for successful completion. While not all of the information contained within the article are directly pertinent, the recommendations on including training blocks and the importance of managing nutrition and hydration are spot on.

Another favorite source of mine are the folks at Trainer Road. This video does a good job of covering a lot of topics in a short period of time, some of which are often overlooked.

Thanks for reading. Ride on!

Paul Wood 
Tour Director, Tour des Trees
Phone - (843) 693-8448
The TREE Fund is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization with a mission to identify and fund programs that support the discovery and dissemination of new knowledge in arboriculture and urban forestry.
Thank you to our
Crown and Diamond Partners! 

Visit treefund.org/partners to see
all of our partners