Ride Summary – TCBC Apple Valley 200k Brevet, Saturday, October 2nd, 2010 |
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The 35 riders started the season windup TCBC brevet on Saturday. It was a nice day to ride, a little cool, with lots of sunshine and a brisk north wind to challenge riders on the last half of the course.Congratulations to the 16 riders completed their first brevet of the season. For about ½ of these riders this was their first brevet ever – nice job.
A special congratulations is in order to the seven riders who completed all four TCBC brevets (200k, 300, 400k, 600k) this year, qualifying them for the Randonneurs USA (RUSA) Super Randonneur award. Four randonneurs (Tom Scott, Randy Foster, Stott Howard and Dan Baldi) joined us from Iowa, Sarah Mullin came down from North Dakota. There were also seven women finishers and one tandem (Ben and Lisa Kingsley) Thanks again to Jim Joy and Doug Sams for GPS files, Tom Scott for a Google map link and Craig Futterer for helping out with registration and a pre-ride. Pictures of the ride will be sent separately to 200k riders. Season Summary This year, ridership grew by about 20%, from 99 total riders for the four brevets, to 119. Thanks to everyone who came out and enjoyed our riders. New Permanent Route Available. For riders that would like the opportunity to continue to add RUSA mileage and stay in shape, there is a new permanent route, starting in St. Louis Park, now available, as of last week. The route passes through Delano, Henderson and Chaska along scenic, quiet roads. Michele Brougher is the route owner. Check out the permanents section on the RUSA web site (www.RUSA.org) for more details. Stay tuned for more Minnesota Randonneur updates in the coming months. Keep spinning! |
Apple Valley 200k Brevet Results |
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October 2nd, 2010 |
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| RUSA | First | Last | Time | Comment |
| 6424 | Peter | Alwin |
8:58
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| 6318 | Dan | Baldi |
9:35
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Des Moines, Ia |
| 4718 | Bill | Bennett |
8:58
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| 857 | Jim | Bergman |
8:34
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| 6072 | Mark | Bressler |
DNF
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Wanamingo – 68 miles |
| 5558 | Michele | Brougher |
9:33
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Super Randonneur |
| 5157 | Doug | Carlson |
8:30
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TCBC Super Randonneur |
| 3071 | Vincent | Dominguez-Schugt |
9:55
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| 5134 | Norman | Ehrentreich |
7:55
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| 6224 | Randy | Foster |
9:35
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Ames, Ia |
| 4953 | Craig | Futterer |
8:37
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TCBC Super Randonneur, Pre-Ride |
| Ed | Hassler |
11:09
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| Bryan | Hill |
8:34
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| 6329 | Kelly | Hines |
9:30
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| 5944 | Stott | Howard |
9:35
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Des Moines, Ia |
| 1284 | Jim | Joy |
8:50
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TCBC Super Randonneur |
| Lisa | Kingsley |
11:09
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Tandem | |
| Bob | Kingsley |
11:09
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Tandem | |
| John | Knievel |
8:55
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| 5051 | Richard | Miller |
8:10
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TCBC Super Randonneur |
| 839 | Don | McCall |
9:35
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Recumbent |
| Kathy | Mulier |
13:15
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| 5693 | Sarah | Mullin |
10:13
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Minot, ND |
| 4506 | Steve | Redelsperger |
8:34
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| 6066 | Jeff | Rhodes |
10:30
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| Doug | Sams |
7:30
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| 5108 | Hall | Sanders |
7:30
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TCBC Super Randonneur |
| Renee | Schepers |
11:09
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| Loren | Schomaker |
13:15
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| 5877 | Tom | Scott |
11:45
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Waverly, Ia |
| 4997 | J Richard | Soderberg |
7:55
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TCBC Super Randonneur |
| 3391 | Lara | Sullivan |
8:50
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| Sadaf | Syede |
10:39
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| Scott | Weinberg |
7:55
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| 3737 | Rob | Welsh |
8:37
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TCBC Super Randonneur(2), Pre-Ride |
Minnesota Randonneuring Update
AV 200k – Saturday, October 2nd, 8a start
If you haven’t already done so, please send a note to this email address letting us know you are coming and we’ll have a brevet card ready for you. The long term weather outlook for the day looks very good and we already have an excellent turnout signed up.
Rochester 300k Results and Ride Summary
Seven intrepid riders started out at 6a on Saturday, September 18 from the Walmart parking lot in Rochester. It was about 50 at the start, warming at most to 60 during the day, with a 5-10 mph N wind. Our goal was to travel through Chatfield, Rushford, on to La Crescent on the Mississippi before returning to Rochester through Nodine, Money Creek, Rushford, Chatfield and Stewartville for a planned 191 mile early fall jaunt through the valleys and bluffs of SE Minnesota.
It was dark for the first 40 minutes, which could explain why three riders (John, Jim, Rob) missed literally the first turn on the course, at about 6 miles, and added a mile before realizing they hadn’t been watching the arrows or their cue sheets. This was a harbinger of things to come as 40 miles down the road John (from St. Louis) and Rob again weren’t paying attention and missed another turn, this one costing them 14 miles, half of this back into the wind. This did give Rob the opportunity to show John the quaint little town of Fountain; a nice place, but definitely not on the route. John is in Minnesota for some training and brought his bike along. Rob has ridden this section about six times in the last two years so either his navigational skills or focus still need some work.
After the second checkpoint in Rushford, things spread out quite a bit. A few observations were reported however:
1. Kelly Hines, new to randonneuring this year, is getting used to the randonneur riding diet, downing a huge brat and all the trimmings at the Nodine truck stop before heading out for the last 90 miles of the brevet. Based on his finishing time, it apparently worked pretty well for him.
2. With this ride, Bob Booth completed his THIRD Super Randonneur series this year – congratulations Bob on a great accomplishment! Congratulations also to Bob’s wife Melissa for her persistence and support in helping Bob reach this goal. Melissa also deserves thanks for helping out at the finish of the AV 600k a couple of weeks ago. Bob and Melissa live in Madison, Wi, and have come to Minnesota for several brevets in the past two years.
3. Jim Bergman spent some time near La Crescent trying to catch a small stray terrier pup. Jim’s wife said she wanted a small dog so he was hoping this may be his opportunity. Jim’s plan to get the pup back to Rochester (100 miles) was a little unclear, but his heart was definitely in the right place.
4. After the first 60 miles John Brady (from St. Louis) was concerned that the published 10,000’ of climbing didn’t seem to be happening. The first legs of the ride are fairly level, but hopefully after the Bucksnort, Pilot Mound, Cummingsville, Apple Blossom Dr and Vinegar hills as well as the Rushford to Chatfield section, (and the extra 15 rolling miles off route) John was feeling better about reaching his climbing goal. We hope to see John again at the Apple Valley 200k in early October.
5. Martin Fahje disappeared down the road and was not seen again after he made a very quick touch and go at the first checkpoint in Chatfield. He was the first rider in. Martin is in training for the Perth-Amboy-Perth 1200k grand Randonnee in Australia in early October. Martin also was the Minnesota RBA for many years and is responsible for most of the Rochester brevet routes.
6. The current Minnesota RBA, Mike Aeling, can take credit for tweaking the route to include the spectacular Apple Blossom Dr, above the Mississippi near Winona. It was a bit of a grunt to get up the hill from La Crescent, but the views were well worth it. Mike also gets credit for including Vinegar Hill, a long, tough climb near Rushford that had several 13% pitches.
All in all it was a fun ride, the route was great and the new sections definitely were worth it. Thanks, Mike.
Results
Bergman, Jim 15:39 (192 miles!)
Booth, Robert 15:39
Boryczka, Andy dnf
Brady, John 15:05 (206 miles!)
Fahje, Martin 12:28
Hines, Kelly 14:29
Welsh, Rob 12:55 (206 miles!)
Preliminary 2011 Brevet Schedule
The proposed 2011 brevet schedules for Apple Valley, Rochester and Waterloo, Ia, have been submitted to RUSA. We should receive confirmation in the next month and the complete 2011 RUSA schedule should be posted on their web site by early November. The schedule is listed below
Since 2011 is a Paris-Brest-Paris year, there are a number of added opportunities for riders to get qualified (and in good shape for 1200k!). We also recognize that there are other randonneurs that want lots of brevets but are not planning to do PBP.
One big change for the Minnesota brevets are the multi-brevet dates where a rider can choose between multiple distances. For example, on June 25th, you would have the choice of a 200/300/400 or 600k brevet, all of them ACP certified. Riders do need to select the distance they are going to ride before the ride starts and must complete that distance. We hope this will offer more flexibility. There are no shortage of rides. Starting on April 9th in Waterloo, there are brevet rides planned for every weekend (except Memorial Day weekend) up to June 26th when qualifying for PBP ends. After a short break for the Fourth of July weekend, Robert Fry is planning to host the Waterloo 1000k ride, which will be a great challenge for PBP aspirants and other riders. A 300k in Rochester, starting at 8p on Saturday, will give PBP riders a taste of riding through the night right off the bat. At PBP you can choose to start at 8p, 9p or 4a the next morning. Most riders select a 8p or 9p start. A 400k spin in Apple Valley in early August will be a good final preparation ride for PBP riders and others aiming for a SR series. In September, we will again be holding the AV 600k, a great fall ride, and the season finale, the AV 200k.
If you are contemplating PBP next year, you should consider completion of your SR series to be a bare minimum to be comfortable for a 1200k ride. Having 5,000 miles in before heading for France will give you a very good chance to complete the ultimate randonneur adventure and enjoy the experience. Not all of this needs to be in long brevet rides. A good mix of shorter, more intense rides, longer brevets back to back, and riding just for the fun of it would be an excellent training approach.
RBAs, Ride Coordinators and Running Brevets
Putting on brevets and managing the paperwork and other processes is a ton of work and takes a lot of time. This coming year in particular, Mike and Rob will be looking for help from many of you to plan and manage the brevets. Please help out when asked, and if you have a particular interest, let us know you are willing to volunteer. Minnesota Randonneuring in 2010 is very healthy and growing nicely. With your help we can continue to expand the opportunities for great rides and experiences in the future.
Proposed 2011 Brevets – Apple Valley, Rochester, Waterloo
Month Date Location Brevet Start Time Comment
April
9 Waterloo 200 8a
16 Rochester 200 8a
23 Apple Valley 200 8a
30 Waterloo 200/300 7a
May
7 Rochester 200/300 7a
14 Apple Valley 200/300/400 6a
21 Waterloo 200/300/400 6a
28 Memorial Weekend No rides
June
4 Rochester 200/300/400 6a
11 Apple Valley 200/300/400/600 6a
18 Waterloo 200/300/400/600 6a
25 Rochester 200/300/400/600 6a
26th Final day for PBP qualifying brevets
July
2-4 Independence Day Weekend No rides
9
16 Waterloo 1000 6a
23 Rochester 300 8p Saturday evening start
30
August
6 Apple Valley 400 6a
13
20
21-25 PBP – Paris 1200 8p, 9p and 4a start times
September
10-11 Apple Valley 600 6a
24 Apple Valley 200 8aMike Aeling, Minnesota RBA
Rob Welsh
11-12-2010 Ride Summary – TCBC Apple Valley 600k
See pictures here
Congratulations to all of the finishers on the 2010 Apple Valley 600k (380 miles) brevet held Saturday and Sunday, September 11-12. 28 riders started the ride, 26 finished. This is nearly a 50% increase from the 19 riders that started the 2009 version. In addition to the strong TCBC/Minnesota contingent, we also welcomed randonneurs from Massachusetts, Tennessee, Michigan, Ohio, Illinois, Wisconsin and Iowa.
The AV 600k route started in Apple Valley, with control stops in Cannon Falls, Lake City and Plainview before a late lunch stop in Rushford, after 145 miles. Riders then rode an out and back, partly on the Root River Trail, through Houston then on to La Crescent, across the Mississippi River from La Crosse, Wisconsin. On returning to Rushford at the 208 mile mark, riders had a randonneurs feast with lasagna, bean chili, mashed potatoes, gravy, salad, yogurt and mac and cheese waiting for them. We rented the Windswept Inn house/motel in Rushford for the lunch/dinner/sleepover stop. Some riders had a sleep break for a few hours while others pressed on through the night to Eyota, Zumbrota, Faribault and Lonsdale then back to Apple Valley, completing a 380 mile, 18,500’ of climbing, tour of SE Minnesota in less than 40 hours.
A pleasant 10-15 mph tailwind all the way down to La Crescent made the first 177 miles glide by, even through the bluff hills from Lake City to Plainview. Riders were reaching the lunch stop in Rushford an hour or more faster than last year. From Rushford, the riders did an out and back to La Crescent before returning for dinner at the famous Windswept Inn sleepover stop.
Last year, most riders took a long break at the Windswept Inn, grabbing a few hours sleep before heading back to Apple Valley. This year 1?2 of them left before midnight. This may be due to a variety of factors including more night riding experience in the our randonneuring group, an easier first part of the ride, good weather, a good route for night riding and the influence of the Paris-Brest-Paris 1200k grand randonnee ride next year.
Riders were tested on the return leg after leaving Rushford with temperatures dipping into the 40s in the wee hours of the morning. Later, the friendly winds of Saturday became a Sunday enemy, along with a warmer day and tired legs, all of which made the many hills and rollers on the way back more challenging. Only one rider did not complete the second day though. The first finishers had it a little easier, getting done before the wind and heat picked up, but it was a long day for the later finishers, the last of whom finished just before 9p.
The return leg of the ride was quite a bit different than last year, with better roads and more 24 hour controls. It also was about 1,000’ of more climbing, per the elevation statistics from Jim Joy. This undoubtedly contributed to the challenge for the returning riders.
Congratulations to the following first time 600k finishers
Bill Bennett (Minnesota)
Shawn Husband (Minnesota)
Marlin Mangels (Iowa)
Greg Misicko (Minnesota)
Bill Nauseef ( Iowa)
A tip of the helmet to our senior riders, including the following 60+ year old finishers
Doug Carlson
Jerry Hofmann
Jim Joy
Richard Miller
Gary Bakke (70!)
Congratulations to our two women finishers, Lara Sullivan and Michele Brougher. While they definitely deserve special recognition, both Michele and Lara have completed several 600k and other long distance brevets and events and are two of our most experienced and successful randonneuses.
The Toughest Randonneur award goes to John Shelsoe, from Memphis, Tennessee, who had some serious digestive problems and didn’t get to the sleepover spot until 12:30a Sunday. John had a brief nap, felt much better, had a good breakfast then headed out at 4a and made it back to Apple Valley with time to spare.
The Toughest Tush award goes to Shawn Husband, from Eden Prairie. Shawn has not done a brevet before, or ridden more than 150 miles at a time, but had a strong background as a tri-athlete and made it through in great form.
A special thanks to Robert Fry, the Iowa Regional Brevet Administrator, who rode his first brevet outside of Iowa in the last 10 years. Robert was in fine form, completing the course before 9a on Sunday.
Thanks again to Jim Joy for providing the GPS files (with help from Eric Peterson) and for managing the pre-ride bike inspection. Thanks also to Martin Fahje for help with route painting in SE Minnesota.
A very special thanks to my wife, Nancy, for her help at the Windswept Inn and for being a good sport while I ride my bicycle. Nancy is having knee surgery next month so will soon be back on the road together.
Results
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RUSA |
Last Name |
First |
Ride Time |
Comments |
1st 600k |
State |
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5695 |
Askew |
Ken |
Zumbrota |
Legs |
MN |
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5121 |
Bakke |
Gary |
33:10 |
WI |
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3695 |
Becke |
Alan |
37:45 |
MI |
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4718 |
Bennett |
Bill |
30:05 |
Yes |
MN td> |
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4957 |
Booth |
Robert |
31:35 |
WI |
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5558 |
Brougher |
Michele |
37:52 |
MN |
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5157 |
Carlson |
Doug |
28:10 |
MN |
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1940 |
Danhaus |
Paul |
27:10 |
Pre-Ride |
WI |
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217 |
Fahje |
Martin |
34:00 |
MN |
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4953 |
Futterer |
Craig |
33:35 |
MN |
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751 |
Fry |
Robert |
26:53 |
IA |
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6088 |
Hofmann |
Jerry |
28:45 |
MN |
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3043 |
Hofstede |
Jeff |
Cannon Falls |
Knee |
MN |
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6396 |
Husband |
Shawn |
37:40 |
Yes |
MN |
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1284 |
Joy |
Jim |
33:35 |
MN |
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4211 |
Karlovec |
Jim |
33:10 |
OH |
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5252 |
Larson |
George |
37:45 |
MI |
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Mangels |
Marlin |
38:40 |
Yes |
IA |
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5051 |
Miller |
Richard |
31:30 |
MN |
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5467 |
Misicko |
Greg |
38:05 |
Yes |
MA |
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3298 |
Nauseef |
Bill |
30:05 |
Yes |
IA |
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2812 |
Peterson |
Eric |
36:50 |
IL |
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5108 |
Sanders |
Hall |
32:05 |
MN |
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3488 |
Shelsoe |
John |
38:40 |
TN |
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4997 |
Soderberg |
J Richard |
32:55 |
MN |
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5569 |
Solodin |
Andrei |
38:40 |
MN |
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3391 |
Sullivan |
Lara |
37:52 |
MN |
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3737 |
Welsh |
Rob |
27:10 |
Pre-Ride |
MN |
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8-27-2010 Apple Valley 400k Ride Report and Comments
7-7-2010 Summer Minnesota Randonneur Update
The randonneuring season is now in full swing, with three Minnesota brevets complete and five to go. Weather has been a big factor in two of the events, with strong winds early in the season at the Rochester 200k and a wild thunderstorm at the recent Rochester 400k ride. See Mike Aeling’s ride report for the details. Congratulations to the sensible riders that waited out the storm and made it to the finish early the next morning. A special shout out goes to Jim Joy, who carried on anyway, waited out the worst of the storm on the veranda of a farm house and made it back to Rochester, wet but several hours ahead of the rest of the field.
We are heading into the hot part of the year so take some time before you ride a brevet to consider your plan for maintaining fluids, electrolytes and core temperature. Keeping enough fluids flowing into your system is very important and replenishing your electrolytes through powders, or gatorade, but so is keeping your core temperature under control. Cold drinks at controls (personally milkshakes are great) can help. Insulated bottles help. You may want to consider an ice sock wrapped around your neck to help keep you cool. Tube socks work well, but melting water can flow down into your shorts which can be an issue for some people. There are versions of this concept that are leak-proof, but cost a few $.
Upcoming rides
The Iowa Randonneurs have their final brevet date of the year in Waterloo this Saturday, July 10th, with a full slate of 200k, 300k, 400k and 600k rides available. This is a TCBC Outreach ride.
Coming up July 24-25 is the Rochester 600k. Check the RUSA website to get the forms needed to register or send an email to Mike Aeling at mdapbp@yahoo.com.
The Apple Valley 400k is being held on Saturday, August 21st. The route will be changed somewhat from last year to ensure the return controls are open later in the evening. More details will be forthcoming as we get closer to the ride date. Cue sheets will be available before the ride. We are also running a 200k ride on the same date for TCBC members that would like to try a brevet. The route is the same as the regular 200k being held on October 2nd. Miles completed count for TCBC credit but not RUSA/ACP.
Riders interested in the Apple Valley 600k on September 11-12 should be considering their plans soon. We have booked the Windswept Inn again for the rest/sleep stop and lunch and dinner for riders heading to and from the La Crescent loop. The route will be very similar to last year’s, road construction permitting, and will provide a good challenge for riders, especially those who are planning on PBP 2011, as the rolling terrain is quite similar to what riders will experience in France. Overall this is the easiest of the three 600ks offered in Minnesota and Iowa. Send an email to TCBCBrevet@aol.com to confirm your plans for this event. There will be a drop bag service to/from Rushford. The Windswept Inn house we are renting has room for 8-10 riders to sleep. There are some other rooms available at the hotel if you want one to yourself.
The Minnesota randonneur season finale is the Apple Valley 200k brevet on October 2nd. Everyone should be in great shape so we’re looking forward to a fast ride with lots of smiles.
To register for the Apple Valley brevets, send an email to TCBCBrevet@aol.com. You need to be a TCBC member to ride, but there are no other costs, other than a requested donation to cover the bag drop and sleep/food control on the 600k. To register for the Rochester brevets, send an email to Mike Aeling at mdapbp@yahoo.com.
Rob’s PACTour Elite Tour Transcontinental blog
http://randonneurrob.blogspot.com/
5-2-2010 New Minnesota Randonneur Jersey
Below are pix of the new Minnesota Randonneur jerseys that were unveiled last Saturday. They are very sharp and the riders really like them. TCBC is recognized as a sponsor of randonneuring in Minnesota on the sleeve of the jersey.
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The first TCBC brevet of the year will be the Apple Valley 300k, to be held on Saturday, June 12. See the TCBC website for more details.
To give more TCBC riders the opportunity to try randonneuring, we will be offering a 200k option at the same time as the Apple Valley 300k brevet on June 12th. Miles will not count for RUSA credit but will count for TCBC miles and will be a great experience for new or potential randonneurs.
2-14-2010 Welcome to Minnesota Randonneuring 2010!
It’s the middle of winter, it’s cold, and the snow and ice keeps on coming. There is not a better time to be planning and training for your 2010 brevets. I have seen and heard from some of you about your winter riding and training plans – Jim and Charles have studded tires and were out riding today; Michele is doing kettle ball workouts and escaping to Arizona as often as she can; some others have been to the TCBC Texas adventure and more are going to BikeAzona. Some of you are sweating it out on trainers in your basements or in spin classes at the Y. If you aren’t doing any of these things: don’t just sit in front of your monitor; get out there! The first brevets of the season start in two months. Now is the time to start working to reach your goals for a big year in 2010, be they personal accomplishments or planning for Paris Brest Paris in 2011.
For fun and to help us all get motivated, share your training program and goals with the rest of us by sending it to this email. I’ll put them all together and send them out. Workout programs that only involve watching the Olympics for 12 hours a day will not be published, however.
In the next few days you will be receiving a survey email with designs for a Minnesota Randonneuring jersey. A committee has been working on a variety of designs, colors and vendors. It will be great to have a distinctive Minnesota image on randonneur events – we are one of the fastest growing randonneur groups in the US. When the email comes, select your favorite design and sign up for a jersey. We plan to have them ready for the first Minnesota brevet of the season – the Rochester 200k on May 1.
At the TCBC Awards banquet in January, I had the opportunity to present a summary of 2009 TCBC Randonneuring and a preview of 2010. Attached is a pdf of the deck, with lots of pictures and interesting statistics. We had a great year – 2010 will be even better!
On a personal note, I have signed up for the PACTour Elite Tour this year. www.PACTour.com. This is a very tough transcontinental adventure, crossing the US in 19 days, 3,075 miles, averaging 162 miles a day. I am on a work hiatus (i.e. semi-retired) for the next several months so am using the time to focus on training. The ride starts in San Diego on May 16th, ending in Williamsburg, Va on June 3rd. Wish me luck!
This is the first email that is using the combined email lists from Mike Aeling’s Rochester group and the TCBC Randonneur group. There was a lot of overlap between these lists so this will reduce clutter for a bunch of you and get the Minnesota Randonneuring message out to all of you in one pass. Mike and I will be keeping this list in sync. As always, if you do not want to continue to get these emails, or we have multiple email addresses for you, let me know by responding to this email. If you know someone that would like to hear about us, let me know and I’ll add their name.
Rob Welsh