Garmin Blog

Stage 14 - Tour de France

Garmin Tdf Video

Stage 13 - Tour de France

Garmin Tdf Video

Jake's Journal du jour: Friendly faces of France

This won't come as a surprise, but I consider myself a people person. I enjoy making new friends, swapping stories, sharing laughs, learning life lessons - and it's an unbelievable bonus when the backdrop happens to be one of the biggest sporting events in the world. So as Team Garmin and the pros in the peloton powered through Monaco, France and Spain in the first week of July, my appreciation grew not only for the elite cyclists in the race, but also for the supporters (and reporters) joining me on the sidelines. Here are just a few of those friendly faces.

I've enjoyed conversations with Julian Dean ever since he took a tumble on the second stage last July and said to me later that day in passing, "The nice thing about a three-week race is that all of this will be healed by the time we hit Paris." So I wasn't surprised that a guy so impervious to pain thought nothing of his eyes being gouged and cheeks being stretched - by the youngest member of his family. Carole Dean and the kids were some of the many family members to join us in Girona, home to many of the Garmin guys. Two of my favorite trailing companions were Jim and Diane Felt. If that name sounds familiar, it's because you've seen it written on the Felt bikes that Team Garmin rides in every pro tour. The Felts aren't just the name on the bike, though, they're the brains and personality as well. Two of the nicest people I've met, Jim and Diane were in constant motion everywhere we went. Jim was always studying and seeking feedback on the bikes; Diane was chronicling the events with her great photography (some of which you can see at Garmin's Flickr page).

Also in constant motion was the Team Garmin staff - from the sports directors to the physiologists, doctors, mechanics and soigneurs to Andrea the bus driver, pictured here in a rare moment of relaxation. So while Robbie Ventura and the Versus crew (also pictured here taking a breather) share the action of the peloton at breakneck speeds, it's important to remember that some of the finest people in pro cycling are moving just as quickly and constantly behind the scenes.

Stage 12 - Tour de France

Garmin Tdf Video

Stage 11 - Tour de France

Garmin Tdf Video

Jake's Journal du jour: Fans cheer Farrar to another podium finish

Now that I'm back in the States, watching Team Garmin on Versus and tracking each stage on Twitter, I'm appreciating just how far the excitement for pro cycling's biggest event stretches beyond the roadsides of France. Though I'm sitting in a cube in our office instead of a team vehicle in the caravan, I can still get unbelievable access to this exhilarating event. So when Tyler Farrar stormed uphill to the line in Saint-Fargeau and scored his second consecutive top-three stage finish, I was cheering the Versus telecast along with everyone updating feverishly on Twitter. Finishing less than a bike's length behind the stage winner, Farrar racked up his fourth top-five finish this month, and he's now tied for third place in the overall points battle. Tyler's teammates also continue to impress as Dave Zabriskie, Danny Pate and Julian Dean make the right moves to put him in place for success while Bradley Wiggins (5th) and Christian Vande Velde (8th) hold their spots in the overall top 10.

If you're like me and need more Tour excitement once the day's field sprint is over, check out the home page of our newly redesigned Team Garmin minisite. You'll find links to our Flickr photo gallery (for action and candid pictures), Garmin's YouTube channel (for highlights and Edge 705 tutorials), acclaimed filmmaker Nigel Dick's behind-the-scenes videos and the Garmin and Slipstream blogs. You can relive key stages through Team Garmin's Edge 705 data on the Featured Rides page, and you can find out who is on Twitter by visiting the Extras page. Finally, you can get the gear that the team uses in tours - either by registering to win free stuff in our sweepstakes or shopping for Garmin accessories or Team Garmin apparel.

Victor's Vectors: FliteLevel warranty extends your peace of mind

In the July edition of The Aviation Consumer, there is a good article about extended warranties. The author gives a convincing argument for what normally he considers “a hard sell.” One of the programs featured in the article is Garmin’s FliteLevel warranty program for the G1000. After reading the article you should also check out Garmin’s online FliteLevel brochure and press release. For more information and to enroll, contact your local Garmin aviation dealer or OEM service center.

Backpacker, Wired magazines applaud Oregon 400t

We knew we had a winner on our hands (and in our hands) when we introduced the Oregon family of touchscreen GPS devices. Combining the rugged durability that has been invaluable to hikers, campers and soldiers everywhere with the intuitive interface that has made Garmin the global leader in satellite navigation, the waterproof Oregon has become a must-have for anyone spending time in the outdoors. And now we've made Oregon even more versatile by adding a built-in 3.2 megapixel camera in the just-released 550 models. But don't take our word for it. In the first video, Backpacker magazine explains why Oregon 400t (with preloaded topo maps and wireless connectivity) won its 2009 Editors Choice Award. And in the second video, Wired magazine puts the Oregon 400t in its tackle box and shows why it's a must-have for fishing, hiking, hunting and camping. To learn more about the Oregon family - specifically the 400t - check out our award-winning interactive minisite, The Land of Oregon.

Stage 10 - Tour de France

Garmin Tdf Video

Caddy Confidential: 9,400+ Preloaded Courses, Scrambling With The Approach and Hitting The Road

It's prime golfing season here in The Praire, and as such, we caddies down at the Garmin shack have been quite busy. Recently, we added 500+ new courses to the catalog of subscription-free courses available for the Approach G5 bringing the total number of courses to 9,400+.

I also had the unique pleasure of putting the Approach into tournament play, but in a not-so-conventional kind of way. While it wasn't quite the Tom Watson Challenge, it was a great opportunity to use the Approach as a 'deciding-which-ball-is-best-in-a-four-man-scramble' machine.Turns out, arming each of the four team members with an Approach is perfect for figuring out who hit the best drive when your foursome is spread all over the fairway. It was particularly helpful to use the Touch-Targeting feature to determine who had the best angle to the pin. We ended up shooting -12 under, only three shots off the lead. Not bad for an afternoon of "product testing."

Garmin's fitness guru Jake and I teamed up for a few video tutorials that show off all the functions of the Approach G5. Being that Jake is our resident marathoner/biker/in-shape dude, I handle the golfing duties while Jake explains how to get the most from your Approach. If you're one of those, whatta-ya-call-it, exercisers, then Jake has a few more cool toys worth checking out, or so I'm told.

Finally, this humble caddy hit the road for a little R&R over the holiday. And as we like to do at Garmin, I loaned out a few new gadgets to put through their paces. I commandeered a nuvi 1250 for the drive to Chicago and Michigan. Saving a few bucks with ecoRoute helped us buy much needed golf balls after we slapped it all over Cog Hill, home of the BMW Championship. And the cityXplorer maps helped us navigate the big city like seasoned Chi-town caddies.

We're continuing to update and map courses all over the States, so keep checking back in for more updates. If your favorite course isn't mapped yet, drop us a line and we'll get cracking on it right away.