Jake's Journal: 486,072 reasons to go paperless

Here's a quick look at geocaching by the numbers. 64,945 people have logged at least one caching attempt in the past seven days. 486,072 new logs (finds, attempts, drops, etc.) have been posted at geocaching.com in the past seven days. 624,542 caches are active around the world.

For each of this week's nearly half-million new postings there was a geocacher (or a group of cachers) looking for a cache. In addition to the coordinates that they entered into their GPS device, these cachers most likely were helped by a description, hints or recently logged attempts. If they weren't using a Colorado or Oregon handheld from Garmin, this helpful information was most likely printed out. Once the cache was found, the descriptions were no longer needed. If each cache listing required two or three pages of printouts, that's more than one million sheets of paper printed and discarded in the past week alone.

That pile of recycling or trash can be reduced drastically through paperless geocaching. All you need is a premium account at geocaching.com and an Oregon or Colorado handheld device. Store up to 2,000 caches and their descriptions, hints and recent attempts - and share them wirelessly with your friends. Save paper, save your printer and save your back - or do you want to lug 2,000 sheets of paper while exploring the woods? Using the Oregon and Colorado can help you explore nature and preserve nature at the same time.

New and affordable audio for your plane

One of the best things about Oshkosh is meeting pilots and hearing how they use our products. This year, several Garmin-users told this blogger that they decided to drive to the show because they wanted to buy more than they could carry home in their airplane. I guess that means it's time for a bigger plane, right?!  The GMA 240, our newly announced audio panel, is one of the items many are buying at the show. The GMA 240 is a non-certified audio panel for the light sport and experimental aircraft markets. Its price point is making jaws drop -- and they're dropping in a very good way. At only $895, it's a great deal. We have several GMA 240 audio panels on display at our booth, Hangar D, and we'll give you a full demonstration when you stop by.

Ben trains at altitude; Jenna races in Poland

Garmin-sponsored triathletes Jenna Shoemaker and Ben Collins share their training and racing experiences with the Garmin Edge 705 and Forerunner 405, along with links to their data in Garmin Connect.

Ben:
This week was my first week training at altitude. I’m doing a training camp at the US Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs. I’ve heard altitude affects everyone differently, and I was hoping that I would have an easy time with it. My first day we did a swim workout of 10 by 100 meter sprints with lots of rest. The first one I went a 1:01, a time that I considered average, and maybe even a little slow. It wasn’t until the second 100 that I realized “lots of rest” was not nearly enough when the air is thin. I ended up going slower on each 100 after that. Outside the pool, I used my Garmin Forerunner 405 and Edge 705 to track all my workouts. This let me keep an eye on my heart rate, pace and power output, so I could be sure to ease into the altitude training.

WX briefings and flight filing from your mobile phone

Those visiting Garmin's Oshkosh booth have discovered that we just made Pilot My-Cast by Garmin more robust than ever. It now includes NOTAMS. Plus, the application is now available on  Windows Mobile and BlackBerry devices. For those unfamiliar with Pilot My-Cast by Garmin, it's a cell phone product that lets you check aviation weather and file a flight plan directly on your phone. Pilot My-Cast is great because it lets you make go/no-go decisions wherever you are by using your cell phone -- in a boardroom or driving to the hangar. The weather data is directly from the National Weather Service and includes everything an aviator could want: NEXRAD, METARs, TAFs, SIGMETs, AIRMETs, PIREPs, visible and infrared satellite loops, lightning, winds aloft, area forecasts (FA), TFRs, NOTAMS, and more. Once pilots have checked the weather, they can file a flight plan by using the phone's key pad to enter information and then the info will be sent to DUATS. Want to learn more? Visit our Oshkosh booth at Hangar D, join us for a free Pilot My-Cast seminar at our Oshkosh tent, or check out our Pilot My-Cast by Garmin site.

Oshkosh: 3 things to know before you go

It's day three of Oshkosh and the crowds continue to grow as we get closer to the weekend. If you're visiting the show for the weekend, there are three things to keep in mind as you plan your trip.

1. We give FREE seminars at our tent. If you're interested in learning more about the 496, G600, SVT, Pilot My-Cast or a host of other topics, you can learn about it from one of our experts. You'll find the complete Oshkosh seminar schedule in the show guide or by visiting our booth at Hangar D.
2. We do FREE software updates for aviation portables at our booth. Bring your portable to us and we'll update its operating software while you wait. If you're not at the show, you can get the same free software update at our website.
3. If you buy a portable at the show, you're eligible for a $100 or $50 rebate. To take advantage of this great deal, you'll buy the portable from one of the dealers on site and then swing by the Garmin booth to fill out the rebate form. The rebate form will only take a few minutes to complete and then we'll send you a check once you're home from Oshkosh and are enjoying your new Garmin handheld. 

Managing aviation databases just became easy

Ask any pilot what one of the biggest advancements has been in the aviation industry during the past five years and they'll immediately say avionics. And they're right. The cockpit has seen revolutionary changes ever since we introduced the G1000 all-glass flight deck, and let's not forget about our GPSMAP 396/496 mini-MFDs that give pilots affordable and portable weather. Now, if you ask the same pilot what they'd like to see improved about the avionics, you may hear them say they want a simplified way to update databases.

You asked for it, so we did it. You can now update your aviation databases in three-clicks directly from fly.Garmin.com.  This new site is specifically designed to help you manage your Garmin aviation products. It lets you keep track of databases like terrain, obstacles, AOPA, SafeTaxi and FliteCharts. We've designed it with simplicity in mind, so it's easy for you to see if your databases are up to date. For example, information is color-coded -- green means you're good to go and red means you need to update your database. We'll be bringing more features to this site in the future, but Oshkosh attendees have been thrilled with what they've seen so far. If you're at Oshkosh, visit our booth at Hanagar D and we'll give you a live demonstration. If not, you can tour the site on your own. Registering for the site is free. 

The G600 is certified!

One of our big announcements for EAA AirVenture Oshkosh is that the G600 is certified. Yeah! The FAA's AML STC allows it to be installed on 785 makes and models of aircraft, which is a very large AML STC list and will allow numerous aircraft owners to purchase a G600 and install it in their airplane. The G600 features a large PFD and MFD that gives pilots critical flight information directly in front of them, and the PFD increases the pilot’s attitude indication by over 50 percent over the traditional 3-inch attitude indicator found in most aircraft. If you're thinking about the G600 for your plane but don't think you'll have real estate for it in the panel, don't forget that it takes the place of your traditional 6-pack of instruments.

If you're at Oshkosh, you can see the G600 installed in an airplane or in a kiosk by visiting our booth. We're in Hangar D. We'll see you soon!

Garmin Garage: Take flight with the Hangar Bundle

To help celebrate the opening of Oshkosh, we’ve briefly turned the Garmin Garage into the Garmin Hangar . . . sort of. Say ‘hello’ to Wingman, Hover, Takeoff, Airborne, Jet Stream and Props. You see – we’re more than just flashy cars and tasty treats in the Garmin Garage. We’re also big fans of flight. In fact, you’ll find more pilots around here than you will at most airports. And as Oshkosh drew closer and closer, we knew we wanted to give all of the pilots out there some icons of their own. So even if you’re behind the wheel instead of behind the yoke, you can look down at your nüvi and see a flying icon leading you down the runway highway. And if you can’t decide which one of the free icons you want, we’ve eliminated all of the guesswork and created the Hangar Bundle – so you can swoop in, grab ‘em all, and head back out into the wild blue yonder . . . just as long as you watch the speed limit. Download them all today and if you’re in Oshkosh this week, be sure to stop by the Garmin booth and say ‘hello’ to everyone. Safe travels everyone!

Bound for Beijing?

For any of our nüvi-totin’, sports-lovin’ Garmin fans who happen to be heading to Beijing this summer, you’ll be glad to know that we just released City Navigator® China NT 2008! These new digital maps – available here – will get you where you need to be when you’re traveling throughout China. And to make sure it’s all fun and games, we’ve also created a free Chinese Sports Arenas POI bundle. Simply download the bundle and you’ll get all of the sporting venues in Beijing, Shenyang, Shanghai, Tianjin, Qinhuangdao and Qingdao. No matter who you’re cheering for this summer, you’ll always know where you’re going with City Navigator® China NT 2008 and our free POI bundle!

The greatest aviation show on earth

Today's the day! It's opening day of Oshkosh, and we've had people at our booth since about 7:00 AM and the booths don't officially open until 9:00 AM. That's right, they're at the Garmin booth about 2-hours early! Believe it or not, that's really not that unusual considering many have been planning their trip here since last year. After all, this event is a mecca for pilots. We made numerous announcements today at our 10:00 AM press conference and we'll cover each of them on the blog throughout the week. If you want a sneak peak of our announcements before they're covered on the blog, you can see the full press releases here. In addition to new product announcements, we've also unveiled some new pilot-centric radio spots. We hope you enjoy these sounds of summer.

Radio #1:

Radio #2:

Christian conquers time trial, moves to 5th overall

It was a final hour to behold at this year's final time trial. Team Garmin's Christian Vande Velde finished the second-to-last stage in an impressive 1:04.55, fourth best on the day, just one spot ahead of teammate David Millar and a minute faster than Cadel Evans, an excellent time trialist himself. And rather than fading in the final days after fighting through the mountains, Christian continued to push the limits. With one day of cycling left in this year's saga, he found power when he needed it most and moved into fifth place overall.

Meanwhile, Carlos Sastre stood up to the challengers who were supposed to gain time in an individual stage and were poised to strip the yellow jersey off his back. With champagne bottles bursting at the seams and throngs of fans waiting in Paris, Sastre will lead the parade to the Champs-Élysées with a firm grip on this year's crown. So enjoy the coverage tomorrow and follow Joe Lindsey's Bicycling.com blog, rapid results at cyclingnews.com and get VeloNews' live updates on your desktop using the downloadable Edge 705 widget.

Jake's Journal: Behind the scenes at a time trial

As I sit here and watch today's decisive time trial from thousands of miles away, I'm transported back to Cholet, where I had a front-row seat for the last 150m of the Stage 4 time trial less than three weeks ago. So what's it like? Information overload and sensory gluttony. In other words, absolutely breathtaking. Tracking Team Garmin riders and their key rivals through the checkpoints, past our hospitality area and through the last few seconds to the finish line. Comparing times, adjusting the standings in our heads and doing the math and predictions for cyclists yet to come.

At Stage 4, we would scramble between the finish area and the Team Garmin bus, where I chatted first with Neal Rogers from VeloNews and then Joe Lindsey of Bicycling/Wall Street Journal after watching Robbie Ventura's VS crew film a segment that ran today (Magnus was warming up in the original take, but he's no longer in the race).

And in the strange-but-true category, my business card ended up right smack in the middle of the street approaching the finish line. I had turned it into my mini-cheat sheet, with everyone's starting times and results listed neatly on the back. Right after Danny Pate flew by me toward the finish, I turned to check the big flatscreen TV behind me and in that moment, the gust of air from the chase cars lifted my card off the table and deposited it right in the cyclists' path. Suddenly I'm an accidental litterbug, like leaving your card on the goal line of an NFL playoff game. Oops.

Time for the time trial - CVV up for a challenge

Friday's Stage 19 saw New Zealand national champion Julian "Kiwi Guy" Dean nab yet another Top-10 stage finish as Martijn Maaskant was close behind in 14th in the 163 km marathon to Montlucon. With no changes atop the GC, the Saturday showdown is set for the individual time trial. The 53 km stretch from Cerilly to Saint-Amand-Montrond gives the top contenders a final chance to gain time - or lose ground.

Team Garmin's Christian Vande Velde enters the second-to-last day of racing in sixth place, 4 minutes, 41 seconds behind Carlos Sastre. Rounding out the top five are Frank Schleck (1:24 behind Sastre), Bernhard Kohl (1:33), Cadel Evans (1:34) and Denis Menchov (2:39). With 2 minutes separation from fifth place, CVV has his work cut out for him. Yet this is the day that true time trialists have been targeting since leaving Cholet. Each rider's success is dependent only on himself as he endures a solo breakaway of sorts with Paris on the horizon.

Coverage begins on Versus at 6:30 a.m. Central, then Joe Lindsey's always entertaining Bicycling.com blog starts shortly after, and you can follow VeloNews' live updates on your desktop using the downloadable Edge 705 widget. And check out the Team Garmin page for featured rides and inside perspective on the team diet and background on team physiologist Allen Lim. (Finally, a quick TV tip: If you're in the Kansas City metro area, tune in to KMBC-9 tonight at 10 p.m.)

Breaking through at The Brickyard

After their recent week off, the No. 19 Best Buy / Garmin team is ready to break through at The Brickyard following the 12th place finish at Chicagoland. During the off-week driver Elliott Sadler said he tried to stay pretty low key and enjoy a great off-weekend at home. "When you have a week off during NASCAR season you try your best to relax and take care of yourself," he said.

With a little R&R on their side, the No. 19 team will be driving the chassis No. 256, which will be taking to the track for the first time. When racing at Indianapolis, Elliott has had one pole (2005), two top-5 starts and one top-5 finish. Be sure to cheer on the No. 19 this Sunday, starting at 2 p.m. (ET) on ESPN, as he works towards kissing the bricks in Victory Lane at the Allstate 400!

Go for the goal with Forerunner 405

Need a little motivation to help you stay on top of your training goals? Forerunner 405 and Garmin Connect have the answer. One of the newest applications added to the Garmin Connect site is goals. Goals are simply targets to help you achieve a short-term objective, such as number of miles, time or frequency of runs over a certain period. Once you create your goal in Garmin Connect, you can send it to Forerunner 405 via the wireless ANT+ technology. You can create multiple goals—even ones for cycling and other sports. Currently the 405 is the only device that will track your goals on the device itself. The screen shot above shows how the goal looks on Forerunner. It simply lists your goal and your progress, which is also depicted on a half-circle graphic. As you record activities with Forerunner, the graphic changes, showing you at a glance how close you are to meeting your goal. And once you wirelessly sync up your data in Garmin Connect, your goals are updated there too. What are my current goals? Building up mileage and frequency of runs for the Hood to Coast relay on Aug. 22 ... balanced out with some road biking miles for cross-training. In GC, you can monitor past, current and future goals. And, if you’re using another Garmin device like Edge to record your cycling activities, you can track your goals in GC, but you just won’t have goals show up on your device. Gotta goal? Let Garmin Connect and your Garmin Forerunner or Edge help you stay on it.

Jake's Journal: Oregon geocoin rumors confirmed

It's time to put the rumors to rest. There's been some buzz out there about our new release, and I just want to clear up any confusion. A new geocoin is out there, and there aren't many of them. The coin commemorates the launch of the Oregon series of touchscreen outdoor handhelds. Preloaded with paperless geocaching and Wherigo, a new and popular location-based activity, the coins are already showing up in caches less than two weeks after the Oregon was announced.

"We were on vacation near Deep Creek Lake in Maryland," wrote our mystery stasher. "After a short hike and about an hour swim in Swallow Falls, the girls found a geocache and left a new Oregon geocoin. They left a note of congratulations for the next cacher. These two nine-year-olds really loved the ease of use of the new Oregon 400t."

To learn more about the Oregon, visit the minisite and the demo site. To learn more about the Oregon geocoins, check our blog often and start looking in caches near you.

Come See Us at Oshkosh!

EAA AirVenture Oshkosh starts Monday and thousands of pilots are doing last minute checks to make sure their aircraft is ready for the fly-in.  We will be at the show in force and you'll be able to find us at our usual spot in Hangar D. Those that aren't able to attend Oshkosh should keep tabs on the blog because we'll be posting daily.

With the show so close, several people have asked if we'll be giving rebates. We usually give show rebates on portable products and this year won't be an exception. But don't forget, you have to come to the show to take advantage of the savings! Those analyzing our webpages to decide what they want to buy when they arrive at the show may find this GPSMAP 495 review helpful. The GPSMAP 495 is our newest aviation handheld. Some think of the 495 as a cross between the GPSMAP 296 and GPSMAP 496 because it provides some of the advanced features found on the GPSMAP 496, but is closer to the GPSMAP 296’s price point.  The 495 has SafeTaxi airport diagrams, Smart Airspace, AOPA’s Airport Directory data, enhanced high-resolution terrain database, aviation database with private airports and heliports, accelerated GPS update rate, and European VFR reporting waypoints. Unlike the 496, the 495 doesn't have XM WX or preloaded automotive maps.

Scenes from L'Alpe-d'Huez

With Team Garmin and the rest of the world's top cyclists already well on their way to Saint-Etienne, their focus is on the road ahead. But we can still take a moment to look back on the gorgeous scenery in the showpiece stage of this three-week saga - the 210 km from Embrun to L'Alpe-d'Huez. Not only did the cycling action live up to expectations, but Team Garmin also had some star power in its camp.

Anyone watching the Versus coverage yesterday saw a great interview with movie star Michael Douglas, who was decked out in his Team Garmin cap. When asked who he liked in this year's race, he rattled off David Millar's name - a favorite for a stage win or time trial victory - and Christian Vande Velde as a contender for a spot on the podium. Also showing support for the team was NBA coaching legend Pat Riley, who we hope was sharing some championship-caliber strategy with the team. (Speaking of Christian, be sure to check out the latest story in "The Garmin Chronicles" at bicycling.com. The headline simply states "Vande Velde is clean.")

Tune in today and track Team Garmin's mountain voyage via the Edge 705/VeloNews widget and Twitter updates from Slipstream Sports and JakesJournal.

Team Garmin: Vande Velde perseveres on L'Alpe-d'Huez

"The measure of a man is not how he celebrates the best of times, but how he returns from the worst. Go Christian, podium is yours!"

That was the Twitter update sent by Team Garmin director Jonathan Vaughters with two mountains down and only L'Alpe-d'Huez remaining in today's grueling 210 km Stage 17. This just a day after Christian was gapped without 6 km to the summit, only to take a tumble on a descent that claimed a hefty share of victims (including one bike that never resurfaced). But Wednesday was a different story.

WIth about 7 km, Christian was among the aggressors. "Frank goes again and Evans goes over the top of him," wrote Joe Lindsey at bicycling.com. "Vande Velde is right there too - he had one bad day, but it ain't today."

Ben races NYC Tri; Jenna competes in Austria World Cup

Garmin-sponsored triathletes Jenna Shoemaker and Ben Collins share their training and racing experiences with the Garmin Edge 705 and Forerunner 405.

Ben:
Sunday I raced in the New York City Triathlon. We started at 5:50am, which allowed us to finish before the temperature broke the thermometer, but even on my spin over to the race, the humidity was leaving me drenched in sweat. After a short, current-aided swim, I exited in the front, but after a long, wind -hindered run to the first transition area, I found myself already falling behind.

Answer the call of the wild with nüvi 500 series

Rough, rugged, and ready to go right out of the box, the waterproof nüvi 500 series will lead you on all of your adventures. Just in time for summer fun, our newest member of the nüvi family has quite an interesting personality. Five personalities, actually. With its multi-mode capabilities, the nüvi 500 series can easily switch between hiking, biking, driving, boating and walking modes with one touch. Of course, you’ll also find turn-by-turn directions, millions of points of interest, and everything else that makes our nüvis so great. To learn more about the nüvi 500 series, you can visit our product page, view our online demo, and read our press release. You’ll find everything you need to know about this rugged navigator and you’ll be ready to hit the highway and the hit trail in search of adventure. 

For more 500 scoop, check out the review that was just posted by GPS Magazine where this rugged nuvi scored 4.6 out of 5 stars.

More features, coverage at Team Garmin page

Even though Monday was a rest day over in France, Team Garmin has been busy boosting its presence online and adding more features, photos and coverage for the final week of the big race. Now you can catch videos from VeloNews on the Team Garmin homepage, analyze the cyclists' efforts in our featured rides, get transported to the peaks and valleys of France through our Team Garmin Flickr photos and follow the race through the Edge 705/VeloNews widget and Twitter updates from Team Slipstream and JakesJournal.

So how did the rest of Team Garmin spend the off day? Sandra shares a day in the life of a soigneur, team doctor Prentice talks about patching up Sunday's scrapes and David Millar discusses ... dodging wildebeest???

For details, check out all of this new and enhanced content so that you'll be up to speed every day when racing resumes.

Ask Garmin: New heights with Forerunner 405

This week's Ask Garmin question comes from Arnie Oliver: I was wondering if the Garmin Forerunner 405 tells elevation too?

Absolutely, Arnie. The Forerunner 405's training screens can be customized to display up to three data fields each, including any combination of nearly 40 data fields: distance (current, lap, last lap), pace (current, avg, lap, last lap), speed (current, avg, lap, last lap), time (current, avg, lap, last lap), cadence (current, avg, lap), heart rate (current, graph, zone, %max, avg, avg%max, lap, lap%max), calories, elevation, heading, laps, GPS accuracy, grade, sunrise, sunset, time of day.

For more tips on using the Forerunner 405, watch Jake's quick and informative training videos in our learning center.

Jenna racing in Europe, Ben training for NYC Tri

Garmin-sponsored triathletes Jenna Shoemaker and Ben Collins share their training and racing experiences with the Garmin Edge 705, along with links to their data in Garmin Connect. Hear about Jenna’s top 3 placement in the recent European Cup competition and find out about Ben’s ride in Central Park using his Edge 705 with the Quarq Cinqo power meter.

Julian Dean pulls off a repeat 9th place finish in stage 13

No superstitions to jinx Team Garmin for today’s stage 13. Julian Dean (far left) made his way into the final fray for a massive sprint, putting him again in 9th place for the day—same top 10 placement as yesterday. See stage 12 ride stats, recorded by Edge 705. Christian Vande Velde has maintained his impressive 3rd place ranking in the GC. Christian’s strengths as a climber have shown in the mountainous stages and he’s become a downright lean, mean cycling machine. Follow the jump to see for yourself.

Team Garmin: Kiwi Guy cruises, CVV hangs on to 3rd

After resting up and enjoying a free Chipotle dinner, Team Garmin achieved its goals in Stages 11 and 12 by staying healthy and keeping Christian Vande Velde within striking distance of the yellow jersey. Click here to read the Wall Street Journal story on how Team Garmin (and director Matt White) works together to help Vande Velde, who remains in third place in the GC.

An added bonus for Team Garmin was yet another impressive kick by New Zealand national champion Julian Dean, who finished in ninth place with the lead pack in Thursday's final sprint. Dean - also known as Kiwi Guy - seems to have shaken off any effects from a spill in an early stage by coming through in the clutch.

A perfect fit....

Take a look at this great installation on a Cape Horn 36 out of St. Petersburg, FL: twin GPSMAP 5215 displays that fit perfectly on the dashboard...it looks like they were made for that space! These displays are HUGE, 15" diagonal screens that let the owner see what ever he wants - GPS, radar, sonar or live XM weather on either screen. When we went for a test run the XM weather was incredible; showing rain and storms to the north, we had just enough time to make sure everything was working fine. The GMR 18HD radar worked great as a stand alone radar and looked even better with the radar/chart overlay. The new HD radars are incredible... we actually picked up a few pelicans that flew in for a visit, and we were pinging boats and buoys with ease. The customer also chose the TR-1 Autopilot to help him drive straight as an arrow as he heads offshore to his favorite fishing hole. He even selected a Garmin GPSMAP 440 as a stand alone unit to provide his Digital Selective Calling enabled VHF Radio with position data. The new software release available for all 4000 and 5000 series, Version 4.10, provides a ton of new features for the units. It also allows the user to customize the screen a bit more and see the information that they want to see. Download the new software for free from Garmin onto an SD card and drop it into your own unit to see the improvements for yourself. 

Overall this is an incredible fishing machine, and I know the customer is looking forward to a great summer of fun!

Thanks to Travis and the team at Quality T-Tops in Tarpon Springs for the invite on board, and to Peter the proud owner of the new boat.

David Millar shares his insight: Onward Christian's soldiers

For everyone who has been missing their Team Garmin updates during today's rest day, we have some great reading material for you. David Millar, a Tour veteran and Team Garmin leader, shares his thoughts after a rough day on the mountains in Stage 10. In his blog post on the Team Garmin page and Slipstream Sports site, the British national champion heaps praise on teammate Christian Vande Velde.

"Having Christian assume this role of serious Tour contender has given the team a different lease of life," David writes. "We are now transforming into a disciplined tight unit. Whereas before we were quite relaxed and yet aggressive in our tactics, now we are forming a more conservative guarding format. Our sole purpose it to serve as Christian's bodyguards. It is great for all of us as it provides a real purpose and mission. Christian is inspiring us enormously and makes it a pleasure and honour to do so."

In an age where too much of pro sports is becoming me first, them later, David's message is clear: The team comes first in Team Garmin. Click here to read the entire post.

A burrito made for the pros

Today was the first of two rest days for Team Garmin riders in the Tour de France. To make sure they got the rest (and dinner) they deserve in proper Team Garmin-Chipotle style, Steve Ells, chief executive and founder of Chipotle Mexican Grill, traveled to France to cook dinner for the riders, staff and others involved with the team. While the team enjoys burritos across the pond, folks here in the States can enjoy the "Le Burrito" to commemorate the team's appearance in the Tour. This limited-time burrito will be offered nationwide July 5-27, and is filled with chicken, black beans, cilantro lime rice, mild tomato salsa, and freshly made guacamole. And don't forget to enjoy the Team Garmin-Chipotle burrito after dinner, too, as the down-loadable icon guides you to your next destination. And if that doesn't fill you up, we're giving away free Chipotle burritos for a year to 20 lucky winners, plus some other fabulous Team-related prizes. Vive Le Burrito!

Jake's Journal: Tour's GC easy as 1-2-3

Anyone who saw yesterday's Stage 10 coverage of the Tour de France enjoyed some serious mountain racing, an exciting uphill finish in Hautacam and live in-car coverage featuring the Team Garmin car and Matt White, one of our always animated team directors. You also saw U.S. standouts Will Frischkorn and Christian Vande Velde sharing their views on riding through the pain. And speaking of pain, the best commercial I've seen in a long time features Team Garmin's Jonathan Vaughters talking about the agony of pro cycling's high speed crashes: "next time you're doing 50 mph in your car, strip down to your underwear, open the door and jump out."

But the phrase that has people either turning heads or scratching them is the repeated reference to the GC. More than one Team Garmin fan has assumed Robbie Ventura is talking about Garmin-Chipotle. Channel-surfers may pause and wonder if it's a reference to George Clooney, Galveston College, Good Charlotte or George Costanza. Avid cycling enthusiasts know, however, that this is a reference to the "General Classification" or overall standings in multi-stage races such as grand tours.

So what does it mean? Simply put, the GC is based on total time. So the leader in the GC is the one who has ridden the entire race in the shortest amount of time. A cyclist can win a stage or two but be so far behind in others that he is neither viewed as a contender (by viewers) or a threat (by opponents) in the overall standings (the GC). Meanwhile, a top-tier cyclist could go the whole tour without winning a stage and yet be high up in the GC. rankings. Take Christian Vande Velde, for example. Though he hasn't won a stage yet, his astoundingly steady performance has him in third place in the GC. 

Ask Garmin: Backing up Favorites and Waypoints

Planning a summer caravan? Or maybe you want to share your recent road trip hot spots with a friend or family member. Whatever the case, there are times when you want to back up your favorites and waypoints marked in your nuvi device. That's where today's Ask Garmin question comes from. Michael asks: "I have a nuvi 300 and want to save my favorites for future transfer to another nuvi model. How do I do it?" Well, Michael, this is a common question, and with a few steps you'll be on your way to archiving your favorites in no time.

1. Using a USB cable, plug the device into a PC

2. Open the My Computer icon

3. Double-click the nuvi drive, and then double-click the Garmin folder

4. Right-click the GPX folder and select Copy

5. Paste this folder to another location on your PC

6. To add the favorites to another unit, open the GPX folder and copy the current file into the second device (in the same place you found the original on the first one)

And there you have it - take a trip, save your favorites and share 'em as you please. 

Team Garmin's Vande Velde is one constant atop changing leader board

In what Team Garmin director Jonathan Vaughters called "the ride of his life" in a Twitter update, Christian Vande Velde tamed the mountains between Pau and Hautacam to hold on to third place in the overall GC standings of the Tour de France. Vande Velde, or CVV in cycling shorthand, survived a shakeup in the GC that saw Cadel Evans wrestle the overall lead from Kim Kirchen, who had grown quite comfortable in the yellow jersey before slipping to seventh nearly two minutes behind Evans. Rounding out the top five are Frank Schleck (1 second back), CVV (38"), Bernhard Kohl (46") and Denis Menchov (57").

One of the great things about the Tour is finding new ways to track the action, especially the Edge 705/VeloNews widget and Twitter updates from Team Slipstream and JakesJournal. We also follow live coverage at CyclingNews.com and Bicycling.com, where praise for Vande Velde was coming just about as fast as the peloton itself. "Wow. Matt White just told Christian not to be afraid to attack in the final Ks," blogged Joe Lindsey at Bicycling.com, "That could go...interestingly. I don't think Christian has the legs, but would love to be proved wrong. He needs :38 to Cadel to take yellow today." Joe classified CVV's ride as amazing, a sentiment echoed over at CyclingNews.com.

"Vande Velde had a superb performance," wrote Shane Stokes in his live coverage. "What does his compatriot think? Bobby Julich: Christian has proven to himself and the world that he is a contender. There is no reason to question his result because he has been solid from the first day. Remember, he is also a great TT rider and could make up for any hiccup in the mountains in the final TT. Great job VdV!!!"

Jake's Journal: French lessons with Team Garmin

What I learned during a week with Team Garmin at the Tour de France. You need sunglasses, an umbrella and a jacket - if not at the same time, in 30-minute rotations. It's possible to eat crepes every day and not have the same kind twice in a week. Even when having two per meal (more on that later). A value meal at a roadside grill includes a sausage on a baguette with fries and condiments in same baguette. It's hard to take a bad picture of the French shoreline (check out my latest downloads at the Garmin Flickr page under Tour de France/Jake's Journal). The last person picked on a team can be its star on any given day. For proof, talk to Will Frischkorn.

People want to be inspired. I saw masses of fans and journalists gathering at the Team Garmin bus every day and again at the hotel each night, impressed that a team could be clean and competitive at the same time. The TV crew I just spoke with (watch KCTV5 this Monday morning and afternoon for Team Garmin coverage) was wowed that the Edge 705 designed and used by our engineers on their lunch rides is the same device being used by the pros in the world's biggest race. Even our feed bags were a hot item. The same tote used to provide nourishment on the go for one of our cyclists reappeared as a purse the morning of Stage 3.   

Bad luck to blow over in the Windy City

Elliott Sadler said it best himself last week when commenting on the undeserved 39th-place finish on the race at Daytona - "Man, we just can't catch a break." The No. 19 Best Buy team definitely put up a good fight before the unfortunate cut tire ruined the team's night, as they became one of the fastest cars on the track 45 laps into the race. But on lap 109, the No. 19 Dodge hit the wall, causing heavy damage to the right side of the car. The race was over before the team was able to repair the damaged car. After last weekend, Elliott is currently 25th in drivers points in the Sprint Cup series. To date, Elliott has had four top-10 finishes and seven top-10 starts this season.

Today, the team is gearing up to take on the Chicagoland Speedway for Saturday's Chicagoland 400. Chicagoland is a 1.5-mile, D-shaped tri-oval speedway, and while Elliott admits that at Chicago, drivers have to watch himself coming off of turn four, he is hoping to get the Best Buy team the finish it deserves. Be sure to set your TV to TNT Saturday night and cheer on the team!

Team Garmin: Two in top five overall

The newest team in town is proving it belongs on cycling's biggest stage. In Thursday's first mountain stage through the Massif Central, Team Garmin's Christian Vande Velde went on the offensive with 5 km left and held off the chase group until about the last kilometer. Christian's aggressive riding moved him into fourth place overall, one spot ahead of teammate David Millar. With two cyclists in the top five of the overall standings, it's easy to see why Team Garmin is still the top overall team going into Stage 7.

"My attack today on Super Besse gave me confidence," Christian wrote in his entry on the Team Garmin blog. "Attacking like that is way out of my character. I am a conservative rider and that was anything but. I would’ve surely finished with the leaders today, but I risked it all for a chance at the yellow jersey for either Dave or myself. The Tour is long though, and even though I spent some energy in the final today, it gives me confidence for the future."

And it makes us confident that Team Garmin will continue to be the team to watch in the Tour de France.

Garmin Garage: Team Garmin Chase Car

As Week 2 (quickly) approaches on the Tour de France, we're releasing another Team Garmin vehicle so you can show your support for the team. The Team Garmin Chase Car - which you may have seen darting back and forth onscreen if you've been watching the Tour - is now available for you to download from the Garmin Garage. It's another free Team Garmin icon that's ready for you to download to your nüvi, zumo or StreetPilot. And if the Chipotle Burrito, the Felt Bicycle, and the Team Garmin Chase Car leave you wanting more Team Garmin Tour info, you can also follow Jake's Twitter Feed,
check out Garmin's Flickr Page for behind-the-scenes photos and visit our Team Garmin page - where you can register for your chance to win for a free Team Garmin Felt Bicycle, a Garmin Edge 705 bike computer, a Team Garmin Cycling Kit or one free Chipotle burrito a week for a year! So download the Team Garmin Chase Car today and help us rally the team to victory! Allez Argyle, Allez!

Plan a visit to Oregon

If you haven't already heard, we just launched the Oregon series of handheld navigators. These rugged, high-sensitivity GPS receivers feature an intuitive touchscreen interface so you'll have all the information you need right at your fingertips. And with a range of models to choose from, you'll be sure to find the perfect Oregon to fit your needs. We offer the Oregon 200, the Oregon 300, the Oregon 400c, the Oregon 400i, and the Oregon 400t - so no matter where you're going or what you're doing, you'll have the ideal touchscreen navigator by your side. And to learn more about the Oregon series, visit our minisite today. It's your chance to get in touch with nature.

Team Garmin looking good in yellow

Thanks to some outstanding performances early in the Tour de France, Team Garmin remains in first place in the team GC (general classification). For yesterday’s time trial and today’s long, flat stage, all nine Team Garmin riders got to wear coveted yellow numbers to tout their team ranking. Today’s 232km course (stage 5) took the riders from Cholet to Chateauroux. Team Garmin rider Julian Dean (in black & white jersey), New Zealand national champ, was swept to the front of the pack with the help of his team, landing him a 10th place finish. Check out more Team Garmin updates, including a from-the-gut post from team leader David Millar recounting the strategy, teamwork and amazing feats that go into this great race. Follow the jump for photos showing a bit of the support these guys get from the whole crew. For you data junkies: take a look at our featured rides page for detailed ride stats and mapping recorded by the riders’ Garmin Edge 705 bike computers. They’ll be uploading rides from each stage in the Tour.

Garmin aids murder investigation

We love hearing stories and testimonials from our customers - especially when we hear how a product has impacted your life, or the life of others. That's why when this amazing story came in, we had to share. Here is what Detective Lieutenant A.P. wrote in: I am a detective in North Carolina. I recently took the lead on a seven-year-old murder case in my county. The investigation resulted in a murder warrant on a man from a nearby county. The problem I faced was that we thought the murder suspect had moved to the Gulfport, Mississippi area.

Another Detective and I drove 11 hours and met up with Gulfport police who provided us with some potential leads. For the first couple days every lead was a dead end. Then some new information came in that suggested our suspect could be living in the area near the state line between Mississippi and Louisiana. I did not have an exact address but decided that I would not give up on the suspect. I stopped at a local Best Buy and purchased a Garmin nüvi GPS system. Using the GPS we were able to locate multiple addresses of friends and family of the suspect.

Being able to locate these addresses was very helpful in my investigation. While I was knocking on doors in another state, my co-worker in North Carolina was able to obtain a cell phone number for the suspect and then determined real-time latitude and longitude on the suspect's cell phone. I was able to punch in the lat. and long. and the Garmin gave me turn-by-turn directions to a trailer park. As we pulled through the park the Garmin told us we arrived, and we saw the suspect’s vehicle. Assisted by the local police and Garmin, we knocked on the door and located the suspect. He was taken into custody without incident.

When we got back home, my Sheriff was so impressed with my story about how the suspect was found, that he mentioned it to the local reporter. The story, including how I used the Garmin, ended up in papers in both North Carolina and Louisiana.

Thank you for a product that does what it says it will do. The Garmin device aided me in locating a murder suspect from 2001.

Triathletes Jenna Shoemaker and Ben Collins train on the edge

This week, Garmin-sponsored triathletes Jenna Shoemaker and Ben Collins have more experiences to share about their training with the Garmin Edge 705, along with links to their training data in Garmin Connect.

Jenna:
This will be my last post before I head off to Europe! With the rest of “Team Garmin” already at work in France, and representing quite well, I will tackle my own tour starting in Athlone, Ireland at a European Cup race there on Saturday (7/12). From Athlone, I will head to Kitzbuhel, Austria for the World Cup on Sunday, July 20. Then it is off to Poland for the Poznan European Cup on Sunday, July 27. I then have two weeks of training in southern Germany (Sigmaringen) before heading up to London for the last stop of my tour, the quite famous London Triathlon which will be held on Sunday, August 10th. It should be an amazing trip and hopefully one filled with some very solid results!

Take a tour of Garmin Mobile PC

While Team Garmin is making quite a showing at this year's Tour de France, it's not the only 'tour' that's taking place. We've just launched the Garmin Mobile PC demo so you can take a tour of one of our On The Go offerings for mobile users. What is Garmin Mobile PC? It's Garmin software (and hardware, if need be) that turns your laptop into the perfect companion for all of your trips - whether you're driving across town or across the country. You'll get turn-by-turn directions, access to millions of points of interest, and so much more. And with an easy-to-use interface, route planning has never been easier. You'll also have access to weather data, gas prices, flight status and many other great features via Garmin Online.

Visit our online demo today and check out the product page for more information. It's a great way to make the most of your laptop. 

Team Garmin gaining points and podium time in TdF

Team Garmin is proving to the world that racing clean, lean and with the best technology gives them an edge. In yesterday’s 208km stage of the Tour de France, Team Garmin’s Will Frischkorn gave it his all to lead a remarkable breakaway. Check out the recaps from Sports Illustrated and the Wall Street Journal. While Will was going all out, his teammates David Millar (far left) and Christian Vande Velde were able to conserve some pedal power for today’s 29.5km time trial. Before the action kicked off, the media had picked reigning world time-trial champ Fabian Cancellara as the favorite. The Swiss rider pointed to Millar has his main rival. In the end, Stefan Schumacher of Germany was the surprise winner and Team Garmin maintained their first place team standing in the GC (general classification) with Millar finishing 3rd today for 3rd place overall and Vande Velde finishing 7th today, placing him in 6th place overall. With 19 stages to go, Team Garmin is looking strong and already garnering quotes such as this from the Wall Street Journal: “Perhaps no team in this year's Tour de France has seen a faster rise in pro cycling than the Garmin-Chipotle outfit.” Be sure to watch the coverage tonight on the Versus network, which broadcast today’s stage live from the Team Garmin car.

Ask Garmin: Which nüvi is best for me?

Today's ask Garmin question comes from Lynette in California who is in the market to purchase a nüvi, but is uncertain about which one is best for her. Here's what Lynette needs out of her nüvi: "I want to use it in the car for navigation, and would also use the Bluetooth feature for use with my cell phone. I want to also use it in pedestrian mode so I can use it in Europe as I walk around, and I definitely want it to speak the street names." Well Lynette, while there are many devices to choose from, the good news is that because of the number of devices Garmin makes, you can almost customize the device to do what you specifically need/want. First, let's start with Bluetooth - click here for a list of compatible Garmin devices. Because you also want European mapping, you'll want to look for a device that ends in a 70, as those come standard with transatlantic mapping. Another option for European mapping of course, is to add an SD card for the region(s) you'll be visiting. But for these purposes, let's assume you want that mapping preloaded.

Now backing up a minute, since all of our nüvi devices can be switched from automotive to pedestrian mode, no worries on a specific device there. In addition, the majority of our nüvis (with very few exceptions) speak street names, but you'll want to double check on the box/product page for that feature. Therefore, Lynette, the devices that best fit your needs would be: a nüvi 370, 670 or 770. To see what bells and whistles these devices have that differentiate one from another, make sure to use the compare feature to further narrow down your search.

Where there’s a Will, there’s a breakaway

For those of you who are holding out to watch today’s stage 3 Tour de France recap tonight on Versus: if you don’t want to spoil the surprise, stop reading right now. Hit the back button on your browser or switch over to minding your e-mail. For those who want the good news on Team Garmin first, stay right here.

The nüvi everyone is talking about . . . and talking to

Interested in taking the nüvi 800 for a test drive? Then plan a visit to our interactive mini-site. The site features a tutorial, demo videos, free vehicle icon downloads and a whole lot more. With voice-activated navigation that puts you in control, the nüvi 800 series is packed with features. From the brilliant widescreen display to millions of points of interest, this premium navigation device is ready to lead you down the road in style. So take the mini-site for a spin and learn more about the nüvi 800 series.   

Team Garmin: Will leads the way in Stage 3

As we type this, young Will Frischkorn is making Team Garmin proud in Stage 3 of the Tour de France. For the last couple hours, Will has been part of a breakaway that has kept an impressive distance much of the day.

At the time of this post, Will and his group have a 9-minute lead with 80 kilometers left. And even though some of us can't understand the commentators' foreign languages (we're watching in French and German), it's fun watching Will get as much television coverage as the beautiful historic churches the cameras are so fond of showing.

If you want to keep track of Will and the rest of Team Garmin as they close in on Nantes, download our Edge 705 widget or get Twitter updates from Team Slipstream and JakesJournal.

Team Garmin: After a day's ride

Stage 2 of the Tour de France was windy and hilly, and Team Garmin's primary objective was to finish the day with everyone upright on two wheels. But rather than stopping there, David Millar finished in the lead group and moved up to 7th overall at just one second off the lead. After the ride, Team Garmin moved on to Saint-Malo, where Stage 3 will begin and preparations and analysis are already under way. Laptops, markers and conversations were in high gear, crunching the data recorded by each cyclist's Edge 705, making any adjustments to the bike and looking ahead to the next day's route - and enjoying another good day on the Tour.

Jake's Journal: Behind the scenes at the Tour

For once I'm going to be a man of few words and let the pictures do the talking. You can find more behind-the-scenes Team Garmin action from Stage 1 of the Tour de France at my JakesJournal Flickr page, and also follow the action with JakesJournal at Twitter. Stage 1 was a full day, with media interviews, some fast driving ahead of the pack, a helicopter ride and unbelievable racing. We're going to be sharing Team Garmin's Edge 705 data just as soon as we get a free moment. So keep checking back here and at Garmin.com/TeamGarmin. Enjoy!

A Tour of the Tour

As the 95th Tour de France gets underway, we're giving Team Garmin fans the chance to ride along for each and every ascending and descending kilometer. You can follow the Team Garmin page, you can download the Garmin Tour Guide widget to get up-to-the-minute tour news, and you can track the team on Twitter. Resident blogger Jake is also up and running (riding?) on Twitter, too - so you can follow his tweets as he tracks the team from high in the sky and right alongside the route and also serves up some behind-the-scenes commentary about his time following the Tour.

And if you haven't already registered for the Team Garmin Edge Sweepstakes, be sure to sign up today! One lucky winner will ride off with a Team Garmin Felt Bicycle and we're also giving away five Garmin Edge 705 cycling computers, five Team Garmin cycling kits and twenty Chipotle gift cards that can be redeemed for one burrito a week for an entire year! It may be one of the tastiest giveaways we've ever offered!

So ride along and get your daily dose of Tour de France coverage. The race has just begun and it looks like it's going to be action-packed in every stage!

Jake's Journal: Flying high at Tour de France

I’m sitting at breakfast with Jonathan Vaughters, Team Garmin’s director sportif and Tour de France veteran, just hours before this year’s tour begins in Brest. Once the riders begin, JV and I will be flying high. Literally. We’ll cruise past the peloton in a Team Garmin van, hop into a helicopter and get a bird’s-eye view of the biggest endurance event in the world. Then we’ll come back to Earth, hurry to Plumelec and watch our cyclists cross the finish line. Just like that, I’ll be back on cloud nine.

Meanwhile, my colleagues will be following the race closely. Very closely. For one day only, the positions of the support vehicles are determined by luck of the draw. Team Garmin won the lottery, and our team car will be the first in the caravan. Starting with stage two, the order is based on how your lead cyclists finish the previous day. But when competition gets under way today, our slogan will be brought to life on cycling’s biggest stage as team vehicles from around the world follow the leader.