pro blogger?

is this what it takes?  I haven't counted words for an essay since what? 11th grade?

jeeeez.

Overview:
The Breck Epic Blogger’s Grant (BEBG) Program was established out of pure selfishness. I like to read about bike races and I feel like there are a lot of people out there like me. I also feel that the current crop of race reports published in the straight-up vertical media sometimes lack in nuance what they attempt to make up for with a detailed list of top-five finishers. I think that people want to live vicariously through others and I’m willing to pay for a small handful of you to document your journey from wherever you are right now to your finish in Breckenridge on July 10th. In exchange for you putting pen to paper I’m offering 4 individual race entries.

The Rules:
1. There are four BEBG. They’ll be made available to solo and team competitors.
2. Only 1 person per team may receive a blogger’s grant. 50% of your team’s entry will be picked up by us.
3. BEBG application submission period begins today. Thanks to all of you who’ve already forwarded your literary palmares…but please fill out the form and get it back to us.
4. BEBG applications need to be submitted (via email only) by Tuesday, January 6th, 2009. That’s 6 months out from the race start and will give you a rough submission deadline of one article every 6 weeks leading up to the race.
5. Blogger’s will be required to submit 4 training/general articles prior to the event in addition to 1/day while the event is in progress.
6. Each article (9 total) must be a minimum of 1,000 words.
7. Images may be included – please submit screen-resolution images unless otherwise directed.
8. Articles will be edited by BE staff, posted online at www.breckepic.com and blasted out to the members of our newsletter email list.
9. BEBG applicants will have their applications posted online on the event’s website. Users of the site’s forums will be allowed to vote for their preferred blogger. Winners of the ‘poll’ will receive their very own BEBG and unlimited self-promotional bandwidth. Polling rules are still to be determined, but in general, the sooner you get your application published online, the greater window of availability for people to vote for you.
10. The copy of BEBG recipients becomes the exclusive property of the event. You may repost your copy, but in broad strokes, we own it and can use it as we see fit. This leads us to…
11. Your blogs will appear on the Breck Epic website and in email blasts. Each blogger will also be ‘paired’ with one of the industry publications. BE staff will edit and forward your copy to your designated publisher with the sole intent that it be allowed to be published on that publication’s website.
12. Don’t be bummed if you don’t win! If you habitually write we’ll post links to your stuff on the blog page. There are also event sponsors who may request their own writer for the event. We’ll address this situation one-on-one with sponsors and writers as it becomes relevant.
13. We (OK, “I”) hold the deciding vote. I could be coy or less than up-front about that, but there are also strategic reasons for this program. I’ll serve as the ultimate tiebreaker if necessary.
14. Please submit your application by January 6, 2009 to mikemac@breckepic.com. Sans-serif fonts only please.


The Questionnaire:

Feel free to write whatever you’d like, but please adhere to the word-count guidelines. You’ll be allowed to run on indefinitely if you win. (To the victor go the spoils.) Please email to mikemac@breckepic.com by January 6th, 2009.

NAME: 
SPONSOR/TEAM: 
HOMETOWN: 

35 words or less (please answer all)
Where are you from?
What kind of bike do you ride?
What do you love about it?
Solo or team competitor? Why?
Who’s your teammate (if applicable)?
Done any ultra-endurance stuff before?
Favorite food?
Movie?
Book?


100 words or less (please answer at least 4)
Worst experience on a bike?
Best experience on a bike?
Tell us about your LBS (Local Bike Shop):
Tell us about your favorite ‘local’ ride:
Tell us about your favorite ride EVER:
Describe a sponsor or company you admire and why you admire them?
Who will play you in the Breck Epic movie and why?

200 words or less (please answer at least 1)
What do you hope to get out of this experience? Expectations/goals/etc.
Tell us about your history as a cyclist or in the industry:

200 words or less (optional)
Feel free to blatantly self-promote here. A quote you like, a direct appeal to the voters, some hateful vitriolic slander for your political opponents (see: Rush Limbaugh, Bill O’Reilly, Ann Coulter…) This is your space. Decorate it however you’d like.

An image of you. Or of whatever.
Mandatory. 200 x 200 pixels please.

Links to your work: (Optional. Please submit a maximum of three.)