On March 31, the Las Vegas area saw its first RUSA event, the "Bike Shop Brief Brevet" 103km Populaire. Organizer Nanette Hilton had expressed the desire to RUSA to introduce randonneuring to the area, and I agreed to help her out with the RUSA side of things.
Nanette Hilton (center) with her riding buddy Monique at the San Francisco Bread Company, which served as a checkpoint and also provided treats.
26 riders did the Populaire, with another 63 riding shorter-distance options - a good turnout.
As Populaires tend to be, this one offered more fun than adversity, with a festive atmosphere and secret checkpoints with snacks and other goodies.
Happy finishers review their ride while munching finish-line comestibles.
Finishers even got medals - quite the deluxe event!
Publicity and organization were first rate. Nanette writes, "We offered 2 emergency bike mechanics classes in prep for the ride. We had 2 nights of packet-pick-up. The weather started out great & then got blustery as the day went on. I partnered with a charitable foundation on this ride, using their volunteers to man the checkpoints.
"Over all, I heard only good things. People liked the nature of the ride and were excited about the brevet aspect. A few asked for a 200k next year."
So, a very promising start - commendations and best of luck for future events!
-jle
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