Our 2025 Tour de Fleece Specials
Every year when July rolls around, it’s time for one of the most astounding athletic feats of all time: The Tour de France! This time, 184 riders will start out to complete 21 stages, 3320 kilometres, a total vertical gain of 52 500 metres – an incredible ride, for everyone involved. And that, since 2006, includes more and more spinners – not on two wheels, but one! (Or, technically, a spindle 😁)
In 2006, Star Athena started the first Tour de Fleece, a spinalong that runs during the Tour de France. The basic gist is this: You spin every day the bikers ride. On rest days, you rest. Beyond that, there are oodles of ways to connect both Tours: You can challenge yourself on mountain days with a particularly tricky bit of spinning, or on time trial days with a goal of spinning a particular amount of yarn in a certain amount of time. You can join one of the myriads of Tour de Fleece teams (Ravelry). You can wear yellow on the final day. The most important part is: Have fun!
Speaking of fun: We couldn’t resist putting together three special tops for the 2025 Tour de Fleece, and with its start just around the corner, it’s high time we introduce them to you: Meet Burton, Cavendish, and Wiggins, inspired by legends of British Cycling. They are available in the webshop now if you fancy a little spinalong with us during Tour de Fleece!
Burton
Burton is named after Beryl Burton, who won seven world titles and 90 UK ones between the ’60s and ’80s. For two years, she held a world record for the 12-hr time trial that was faster than the men’s record. She declined professional sponsorship, choosing to remain an amateur and work on a rhubarb farm throughout her cycling career. She was definitely our kind of vibe!
For Beryl Burton’s Tour de Fleece special, we combined Merino and Bluefaced Leicester to make a delightfully soft and smooth blend. We also added a hint of Jacob to give it character and bounce, resulting in a top that will spin up wonderfully. In terms of colour, we came up with a stunning lavender that combines hints of lilac, aqua, purples and pinks to make this delicious pastel shade.
Composition: 53% Merino / 32% Bluefaced Leicester / 15% Jacob
Cavendish
Cavendish is named after cycling sprinter Sir Mark Cavendish who won 35 individual stages of the Tour de France between 2008 and 2024, when he retired. This is the most number of Tour de France stages any rider has ever won! Fun fact: He has an eidetic memory for the details of his race routes, down to the potholes.
In Cavendish’s Tour de Fleece special, Exmoor Blueface, and Bluefaced Leicester blend together to make a soft, but characterful top, perfectly bouncy with just a hint of lustre from the Romney. Just the ticket for cables or deliciously textured knits and crochet projects! We chose a beautiful and warm orange, with tones of brown and yellow and just a hint of green (we couldn’t resist, green being the colour of the sprinters at the Tour de France!) to complete the mix.
Composition: 50% Exmoor Blueface / 30% Blueface Leicester / 20% Romney
Wiggins
Wiggins is named after Bradley Wiggins, the first British winner of the Tour de France, which he won in 2012, the same year he claimed Olympic Gold in the time trial discipline. He is the only rider who has won both World and Olympic championships on both the track and the road as well as winning the Tour de France!
For Wiggins’ Tour de Fleece special, we blended Corriedale, Exmoor Blueface, and Romney into a deliciously soft top, and added Devon Closewool for character and bounce. Plus a dash of silk enhances the colour of the blend beautifully and creates an unbeatable sheen! In terms of colour, we went for a deep, dark teal with flashes of deep blue and a silvery shimmer of silk.
Composition: 49% Corriedale / 16.5% Devon Closewool / 16.5% Romney / 8% Exmoor Blueface / 10% Silk
You can get all three Tour de Fleece specials now in the shop! See you on the wheel?