Tour de Fleece
Spinners reading this probably know about Tour de Fleece and perhaps are participating in the event. But did you know, Tour de Fleece can include more than just spinning yarn? This blog will expound on Tour de Fleece and how it is growing.
What Is Tour de Fleece?
Tour de Fleece is a friendly spinning challenge that runs concurrently with the Tour de France. (The Tour de France isthe world's most prestigious annual multi-stage bicycle race. Spanning three weeks every July, it consists of 21 day-long stages covering roughly 3,500 kilometers - ~ 2,200 miles - across France and neighboring countries.) Participants use Tour de Fleece to challenge themselves, break through spinning ruts, and tackle difficult fiber projects. Just as cyclists push their physical stamina over the grueling tour, spinners can challenge themselves with spinning goals, mastering new fiber blends, or tackling complex drafting techniques.
Unlike the Tour de France competition, Tour de Fleece is about personal growth. There are no winners or losers—only individual goals and shared encouragement. (And maybe some prizes depending on various sponsors.) I did a little research and found that Tour de Fleece was created in 2006 by Star Athena, a hand-spinner, knitter, and avid cyclist. Wanting to combine her passions for both fiber arts and cycling, she proposed a simple concept: "They spin, we spin," tracking the cycling race's stages from a blog. It started as a small, experimental group of just 16 spinners and has grown into a massive global community.
Why Participate?
Tour de Fleece offers the perfect opportunity to build skills, finish projects, and connect with a vibrant community of fiber artists. As with most endeavors, many spinners find that daily practice is the fastest way to improve. By dedicating even 15 to 30 minutes each day, participants often notice significant improvements in:
Consistency of yarn
Drafting technique
Spinning speed
Confidence with new fibers
Project completion
Just as importantly, Tour de Fleece helps establish a creative routine that can continue long after July ends. One of the best parts of Tour de Fleece is that your goals are entirely your own. You might decide to:
Spin every race day
Finish spinning a sweater quantity of yarn (i.e. lots of yarn)
Learn to spin new fibers (e.g. mohair)
Practice plying techniques (e.g. spiral ply)
Experiment with color blending (e.g. fractal)
Learn a new technique (e.g. making a thick and thin yarn)
Building Community
Tour de Fleece has grown into an international celebration of fiber arts. Many participants share daily progress on social media, in local spinning guilds, and through online fiber communities. Seeing everyone else's spinning wheels, drop spindles, colorful fiber preparations, and finished skeins creates an atmosphere of inspiration and encouragement. It's a reminder that although spinning is often a solitary craft, you're part of a worldwide community connected by creativity.
Hopefully, you already know that Withers Wool and Farm and Avalon Spring Farm have sponsored the Fiber Farms and Friends team and have challenge days and a tic-tac-toe board to encourage participation in Tour de Fleece and learning new spinning techniques – and win some prizes. We have already had several people engage, finish one or more rows on the tic-tac-toe board and collect some goodies. We have also posted on social media about some of the activities and will continue to do so. More information about this can be found on our respective web sites: www.witherswool.com and www.avalonspringsfarm.com
More than Just Spinning
And although Tour de Fleece is officially a spinning event, many participants have expanded it into a broader fiber arts celebration. Traditionally, the challenge is centered on spinning yarn—using a spinning wheel or drop spindle—and the classic goal is to spin on every day the Tour de France races. However, over the years, many fiber artists have adapted the event to fit their own creative practices. Many participants now embrace Tour de Fleece as a month-long celebration of fiber creativity. Alongside spinning, participants explore fiber preparation, dyeing, weaving, knitting, crocheting, and other crafts that bring handspun yarn to life. Whether you're filling bobbins, winding skeins, or casting on a project with freshly spun yarn, the spirit of Tour de Fleece is about learning, creating, and sharing your fiber journey.
Think about it: we need to prepare fiber to spin yarn and then at some point we will want to use the yarn we spun for some kind of project. Spinning is just one part of a multi-stage fiber journey.
And if you have not yet started your engagement with Tour de Fleece, there is still time. The 2026 Tour de Fleece (started 4 July and) runs through Sunday, July 26, 2026.