The Race to Paris—Join a team. Ride your bike. Win prizes.
Catch the Pro riders in the Tour de France and you could win big. Simply join up with a team in the Race to Paris (or create your own) and log your bike-riding miles. For every stage you complete, you are eligible to win one of $16,000 worth of prizes.
How does it work? Simply put: the more miles you ride on your bike, the more likely you are to win a prize. The Race to Paris tracks your total mileage—starting now—and compares it to how far the Tour riders have gone at each stage. If your mileage matches theirs, you’re entered into a sweepstakes for that stage’s prizes.
There are twenty stages in the tour. That means twenty chances to win if you ride the full Tour distance (2,230 miles) by July 25. That sounds like a lot, but check it out:
| Stage | Date | Stage Distance | Total Distance | Sponsor | Stage Price Details | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prologue | Jul 3 | 5mi (8km) | 5mi (8km) | Park Tool | Prologue Prizes | |
| 1 | Jul 4 | 139mi (224km) | 144mi (232km) | Planet Bike | Stage 1 Prizes | |
| 2 | Jul 5 | 119mi (192km) | 262mi (424km) | Planet Bike | Stage 2 Prizes | |
| 3 | Jul 6 | 129mi (207km) | 392mi (631km) | Stage 3 Prizes | ||
| 4 | Jul 7 | 93mi (150km) | 485mi (781km) | Sigma | Stage 4 Prizes | |
| 5 | Jul 8 | 115mi (185km) | 600mi (km) | Michelin | Stage 5 Prizes | |
| 6 | Jul 9 | 140mi (225km) | 740mi (km) | Civia Cycles | Stage 6 Prizes | |
| 7 | Jul 10 | 100mi (161km) | 840mi (km) | Tacx | Stage 7 Prizes | |
| 8 | Jul 11 | 117mi (189km) | 957mi (km) | fizi:k | Stage 8 Prizes | |
| Rest Day | Jul 12 | 0mi (0km) | 957mi (km) | Park Tool, Planet Bike | Rest Day Prizes | |
| 9 | Jul 13 | 127mi (204km) | 1084mi (km) | Freedom by WTB | Stage 9 Prizes | |
| 10 | Jul 14 | 111mi (179km) | 1195mi (km) | WTB |
|
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| 11 | Jul 15 | 112mi (180km) | 1307mi (km) | Lazer Sports | Stage 11 Prizes | |
| 12 | Jul 16 | 130mi (210km) | 1437mi (km) | Park Tool | Stage 12 Prizes | |
| 13 | Jul 17 | 121mi (195km) | 1558mi (km) | Continental Tires | Stage 13 Prizes | |
| 14 | Jul 18 | 114mi (184km) | 1673mi (km) | Michelin | Stage 14 Prizes |
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| 15 | Jul 19 | 116mi (187km) | 1789mi (km) | Sigma | Stage 15 Prizes | |
| 16 | Jul 20 | 122mi (196km) | 1911mi (km) | Cane Creek | Stage 16 Prizes | |
| Rest Day | Jul 21 | 0mi (0km) | 1911mi (km) | Civia Cycles | Rest Day Prizes | |
| 17 | Jul 22 | 108mi (174km) | 2019mi (km) | SRAM | Stage 17 Prizes | |
| 18 | Jul 23 | 118mi (190km) | 2137mi (km) | Campagnolo | Stage 18 Prizes | |
| 19 | Jul 24 | 32mi (51km) | 2169mi (km) | Shimano | Stage 19 Prizes | |
| 20 | Jul 25 | 65mi (105km) | 2234mi (km) | Salsa Cycles | Stage 20 Grand Prize |
If you started now and rode just 5 miles, you’d be eligible for the Prologue Stage prize. If you ride 144 miles, you’ll be eligible for the Stage 1 prize AND the Prologue Stage prize, and so on. Averaging just five miles a day between now and July 25 would make you eligible for Stage 1–5. For all the details and rules, check the links below:
Sign up for the Race To Paris Challenge
Race to Paris Rules
Check your miles against your Race to Paris Goals
What are my odds of winning a race to Paris Prize?
Posted March 29th, 2010 by DK