RUSA Cup and American Explorer - 2 New Awards!

RUSA has launched two new challenging awards!

The RUSA Cup is earned by completing all the types of RUSA events, and riding 5000km in total RUSA events, within two years.

You must complete a 200k, 300k, 400k, 600k, and 1000k brevet, a 1200k-or-longer grand randonnée, a RUSA team event (Flèche, Arrow, or Dart), and a Populaire.  Permanents and foreign events (e.g., PBP) do not count. The award is retroactive.

The RUSA Cup has some of the flavor of the ACP Randonneur 5000 award, as it encompasses all of our event types and you can take multiple years to earn it.  It's a nice combo of a challenging volume of riding with a wide variety of events. 

And while two years may seem a tight squeeze, it's two years starting with the first counting event, so you could actually have parts of three seasons to earn the RUSA Cup.

The RUSA American Explorer is earned by completing RUSA-sanctioned rides (including permanents) in different US states and territories. Initial recognition is achieved at the 10-state level and additional states are earned as you explore the nation. This award is also retroactive.

The philosophy behind the American Explorer is that randonneuring is about "ranging around."  This award is a nudge to riding farther afield, exploring new places, and meeting new riders.

If you choose to purchase the physical award, it's engaging in its own way.  You get a metal US highway-sign plaque and your initial ten or more magnetic state tags, which you can arrange as you see fit.  As you ride in or through more states, you get more state tags.

And yes, all states through which an ride passes count.  That's two states for the Last Chance and two for the Colorado High Country, for example ... and five for the Shenandoah 1200, four for BMB.

Have a look at the RUSA Cup awardees and American Explorer awardees who've already applied.

A big thanks to the RUSA volunteers behind these awards: from the original concepts, to the physical awards, to the Web and database design.  Nicely done! 

I hope that these awards will suggest new goals for you to pursue!

-jle

Lyons-Berthoud Populaire - Blown Away!

An unseasonably warm late-winter day for the season's first randonnée, the Lyons-Berthoud 100km Populaire.  We had conditions like this a few years ago ... but without the wind!

A good turnout of 25 starters ...

Ably led by Tammie Nakamura, just back from pre-riding the Arizona 400km Brevet and then supporting the actual event.  

Here Tammie is already enjoying the breeze, as Buster the mascot looks on from below ...

Steve Le Goff and Michelle Grainger are at the start bright and early.  What might they have in mind?

Steve shows off his baggage arrangement, replete with a miniature cutting board:

It's nice seeing returning faces - including Chris Baker, Brett Cook, Bob Dean, Paul Foley (bringing his Will son along), Chris Grealish, Peter Hoff, Mark Lowe, Mark Niedermeier, Brian Rapp among others, ith Charlie Henderson sporting his new Triple Crown jersey also in attendance. 

Here is Lloyd Jones, RMCC membership chair, looking good in his RUSA SR jersey commemorating his first Super-Randonneur Series, in 2011:

Plenty of new faces, too, including two from Wyoming: Gurudatha Pai from UW in Laramie and triathlete Michelle McClenahan from Casper who travelled four hours from Wyoming ... to ride in the wind:

At the turnaround-point in Berthoud, the plan is revealed: Steve and Michelle are staffing a "secret" alternative to the info control.  They've sliced up tasty sports nutritional food for the riders - there's hydration, too!

Everyone appreciated this caloric and hydrological boost, and some noted that these were some of the same products Michelle had talked about at the REI seminar the week before.

Ken Heck accepts valued calories ...

As Steve and Michelle head windward through the dust and tumbleweeds to the finish, congratulations to everyone braving these fierce if balmy conditions and turning out to ride with us!

And a big thanks to Tammie for leading this Populaire, and to Michelle and Steve for enhancing the experience!

-jle

RESULTS

Carter Lake Cakewalk - Hints of a Warmer Season!

In January, John Klever, Leslie Sutton, and I rode the Carter Lake Cakewalk 206k permanent on a mild and sunny day.  The Cakewalk features a foothills-skirting route punctuated by small climbs.

Leslie and John climb to Eldorado Springs on the first leg ...

... and fly back down, aided by the usual tailwind:

The idea behind the Cakewalk is that in winter, it can sometimes be warmer (though windier!) closer to the foothills vs. further out on the Plains.  That and the short but stiff climbs remind you and your legs about climbing ... without resorting to the icebox-cold canyons.

Leslie reaches the rock cut on the Rabbit Mountain climb:

... with John Klever close behind.

The switchbacks up to Carter Lake bring you to a serene, recreation-traffic-free winter experience (although less ice cover on this day than at some times).

There's no telling what you'll see on a permanent like the Cakewalk. 

Here's a controlled burn near Masonville ...

... and a bald eagle having a snack at the Boulder/Larimer county line:

Think about the Carter Lake Cakewalk for a bit of spice on your winter / spring conditioning rides!

-jle

Colorado High Country 1200 Registration Underway!

The second edition of the Colorado High Country 1200 is now open for registration.  This year we introduced a two-week pre-registration period, with a lottery at the end. 

Pre-registration ended January 31 and seemed to work well, avoiding the angst and trepidation to see who had the fastest trigger finger the moment registration was open.

The lottery was carried out by veteran CHC volunteer Patricia Heller, who duly randomized the numbered snips of paper, appropriately in an empty nutritional drink bin:

Each snip was carefully removed and recorded ...

... under the watchful gaze of selection monitor Buster the Dog:

The good news is that, if CHC and Last Chance history is any guide, everyone among the pre-registrants who is in a position to ride will be able to - as well as others who register later. 

And ... there may be possibilities for a pre-ride.

-jle

Colorado Permanents - What's New!

A couple of new Colorado permanents you might like:

Vail-Glenwood-Vail (VGV) - A new 200k from Catherine Shenk: "A year-round ride from Vail to Glenwood Springs and, if you have time, you can visit the hot springs for a soak before returning. Note there is typically a tail wind on the return." 

 Rabbit Mountain Romp - A new 108km Permanent Populaire offering "A foothills-skirting jaunt punctuated with short climbs, visiting Eldorado Springs and Rabbit Mountain."  This is actually the first part of the Carter Lake Cakewalk, so conceivably you could start together with folks riding the latter.

Rabbit Mtn. Romp does not include Rabbit Ears Pass

(photo from Colorado High Country 1200):

Looking Back

32 riders rode 195 perm rides last year, including some never-before-ridden ones.  An active year!

Which perms get ridden the most, and which are more "selectively" ridden?  Here are the stats for 2011. 

Click to view larger image.

Few surprises here. Lyons-Berthoud, in third place, is a 103km permanent populaire, by the way. The others are 200km or longer.

Here are stats since the first Colorado permanent.

Click to view larger image.

The most-ridden ones generally offer terrain which is more conducive to letting riders stay together, and are more season-proof.

 The least-ridden ones are by no means inferior routes.  Rather, they're often the most challenging (and most season-constrained).    To see a tally next to the Manhatten Express (considerable dirt road mileage), Aspirations Attaining Aspen (a mountainous 600k), Fun Frolic to Fraser (dirt over Rollins Pass), the Squaw Pass Scramble (Omigod Road), the Mt. Evans Grimpeur (Mt. Evans summit ... and Omigod Road), and Rocky Mountain High (Grand Junction to Denver over the mountains) is a testament to hardy riders! 

Thanks to Will deRosset, Beth and Brent Myers, and Catherine Shenk for these extra-credit treats!

♣ ♣ ♣

As we ramp up our brevet planning, remember the perms!  They are great for:

• riding alone
• riding congenially with a few friends
• going off on new adventures between scheduled events
• keeping up fitness ... and toughness ... in the off-season before the brevets.

John Klever and Leslie Sutton at Eldorado Canyon

on the Carter Lake Cakewalk

-jle

The Can-Am Challenge - Something for You?

The Can-Am Challenge is an award earned by finishing a Canadian and a US 1200km-or-longer Randonneurs Mondiaux sanctioned Grand Randonnée in a single calendar year.

History - The award started as a cooperative initiative between Réal Préfontaine (vice president of Randonneurs Mondiaux at the time) and Jennifer Wise, RM president and Boston-Montréal-Boston event director, as a way to promote 1200k’s in North America, build a sense of community, and give an added challenge to “overachieving” randonneurs. 

The original Can-Am commemorative pin:

The inspiration for the award came in 1997, when Dr. Préfontaine had succeeded in his self-imposed challenge of finishing both the Rocky Mountain 1200 and BMB, as he described in a 2006 article in American Randonneur. 

At that time, there were only two 1200k’s in North America: BMB, begun in 1988, and the RM1200, begun in 1996.  And riding more than one 1200k in a year - much less a month apart - seemed exceptional to say the least. 

Now, of course, there are multiple Canadian and US 1200k’s, and multiple riders who succeed at two or more 1200k’s in a single year.  So the Can-Am Challenge can be seen as a harbinger of increased aspirations both on the part of event organizers and riders in the ensuing years.

The new 2012 medal design:

This year in Canada, the BC Randonneurs is organizing the Rocky Mountain 1200, while the US offers the Shenandoah, Cascade, Colorado High Country, Taste of Carolina, and Colorado Last Chance.

-jle

You can see further details on the BC Randonneurs website, and soon on the RUSA site.  Thanks, by the way, to RM1200 co-director Ali Holt, who designed the new medal.  Ali was also the graphic artist for our High Country 1200 jersey and medal.

RUSA Distance Awards ... and the K-Hound Phenomenon

As a fresh year beckons, it's time to apply for RUSA Distance Awards if you're interested.  Deadline to apply is January 25.  If you've ridden 1000km or more in RUSA events in 2011, you may apply for one or more distance awards.

Distance and Randonneuring - Randonneuring is about a number of things.  It's above all about seeking out personal challenging events and finishing ... hopefully with some camaraderie thrown in.  But rando goals by their vary nature involve considerable cumulative distance: 1,500km for Super Randonneur, at least 2,400km for R-12, and, well, 1,200km for a 1200k grand randonnée.  Plus the added training randonnées.  Plus the sheer-joy-of-riding randonnées.

Distance volumes can be a byproduct of your main goals, or an added goal in itself.  In either case, if you're doing a fair volume of randonneuring miles, why not get recognized?

Some Perspective - Certainly, for many randonneurs, beyond a certain point, life intervenes.  Not everyone's life obligations, structure, and priorities make room for countless hours on the bike.  Fortunately, there are many other splendid goals within randonneuring.

A Bit of Extra Credit - RUSA Distance Awards are in denominations up to 5,000km.  Lone Star Randonneurs RBA Dan Driscoll saw that there were some overachievers who could use a larger denomination, hence the LSR K-Hound award, for finishing 10,000km or more in RUSA events in a year.

This year, Catherine Shenk became the first Colorado randonneuse, and second Colorado rando overall, to earn K-Hound status - this through a variety of far-flung, challenging events, from Texas to Alaska.  Congratulations, Catherine!

Dan will be giving us an update on his program in an upcoming issue of American Randonneur magazine.

For now, simply maximizing the number of happy, challenging, rewarding rides sounds like a great goal for us all.

-jle