Cycling jailbirds get their own Tour de France
http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/feedarticle/8524818

Nearly 200 prisoners to bicycle across France
http://www.collegenews.com/index.php?/article/close_to_200_prisoners_bicycle_across_france_05272009304/

The Prison Workout: A Total Body Exercise Routine
http://health-fitness-solutions.blogspot.com/2007/05/prison-workout-total-body-exercise.html

Teampedia
http://www.teampedia.net/wiki/index.php?title=Main_Page

Prison Reform
http://books.google.com/books?id=m8MXAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA182&dq=prison+exercise&lr=&as_brr=1#PPP1,M1

Tour de France
http://www.letour.fr/indexus.html

Team building and other such group activities might remind some parties of days at summer camp or management trainee programs, but it would seem that French prison authorities have similar activities planned for some of their charges. This week, a number of media outlets, including the Guardian, reported that the first penal version of the Tour de France will be held this June. The idea behind this exercise is to foster shared values such as teamwork and group effort, and there will be plenty of guards on hand to monitor the proceedings. The finish line for this iteration of the Tour De France will also be in Paris, and the 196 prisoners taking part in the race will all cycle in a pack. Speaking on behalf of prison authorities, spokeswoman Sylvie Marion commented, "We want to show them that with some training, you can achieve your goals and start a new life." [KMG]

The first link will take users to an article from this Monday's Guardian about the forthcoming penal version of the Tour de France. The second link leads to a story from this Wednesday's College News, which offers some additional details on the race. Moving on, the third link leads to one of the websites maintained by Michael Paladin, a physical fitness consultant. In this particular post, he discusses a total body exercise routine that might be helpful for some. The fourth link leads to the homepage of Teampedia, which is a "collaborative encyclopedia of free team building activities." The fifth link leads to a 1917 work titled "Prison Reform", edited by Corinne Bacon. It's a rather fascinating read, and it contains chapters like "Impressions of the Convict Camps of Florida" and "Reformation of the Criminal". The last link leads to the official homepage of the Tour de France and visitors can learn more about the race, its participants, and the course route. [KMG]