Super-Randonneur Jersey Q&A

I've had a couple questions about the RUSA Super-Randonneur Jersey and the Audax Club Parisien Super-Randonneur Award.

Here is the latest jersey mock-up, with "RUSA" added on the front to distinguish it as a RUSA award ... and below, the ACP SR medal ...

• Q: "Can I use the same rides to qualify for the ACP SR award and the jersey?" A: Yes, our ACP 200k, 300k, 400k, and 600k brevets will qualify you for both. But the RUSA-only sanctioned brevets, and brevets of greater length, will only qualify for you for the jersey.



• Q: "ACP-sanctioned?" A: For example, the May 2 Kersey Kick 200k brevet is RUSA- and ACP-sanctioned; the Stove Prairie one was only RUSA-sanctioned. The decision to submit some to the ACP calendar and not others does not reflect on the events themselves, but goals for the overall program. The sanctioning is flagged on the schedule.



• Q: "Can I use a past year's Super-Randonneur series to qualify for the jersey?" A: Yes!



• Q: "Why have broader criteria for the jersey than for the ACP SR award?" A: The jersey is a RUSA award; RUSA wished to be more inclusive in being able to earn the jersey, and to highlight US events.

Hope this helps, and that whether either or both is your goal this year, you'll have a rewarding journey getting there!

-jle

4/25 Stove Prairie 200k - A Bracing Adventure!

Preliminary report - stay tuned for more details and photos ...

The forecast wasn't great - some drizzle and a shower or two, highs in the 50's. But that was overly optimistic! Instead, riders got temps in the 30's-40's, blowing fog and drizzle, and ice-coated pine needles at the high point. 19 riders started, a third of the normal turnout, and 17 finished. The climb past Horsetooth dam #1 just disappears into the cloudbank:

Poudre Canyon was serene and almost traffic-free, dry and with a big tailwind. You can see the clouds we're about to climb up into. Peter Hoff sails up Poudre Canyon:

The final mile of the climb up to Stove Prairie was in a dense fog with a fierce headwind. One had to envision the sweeping curve of that section by memory - you could only see a few feet ahead. Paul Brown offers water and muffins to Stephen Whiteman:

... and randonneur-ready Todd LeBlanc summits the big climb:

Our gracious volunteer Paul informed us it was 33º - thanks, Paul! The pine needles above the Stove Prairie School sign were coated with ice, which pecked at us as the wind blew them off:

Everyone can be proud of a good effort and pleased with the extra-credit challenge (above and beyond the stiff climbs) this edition of the Stove Prairie offered us! PBP and Last Chance 1200k finisher Marcia Kestner might agree:

-jle

Stove Prairie 200k Rescheduled: Saturday 4/25

The Stove Prairie 200k is rescheduled for Saturday, April 25. "This time for sure!" as Bullwinkle J. Moose would say. If you're able to get out during the week, these balmy, sunny days should be a great chance to tune up for next Saturday. Sign-in starting 7am, departure 8am.

We'll see if there's even a hint of snow left from the feet and meters that fell in the foothills. Here are the Flatirons and nearby fields on Sunday the 19th, as the sun returned! -jle

4/18 Stove Prairie 200k - Ride Status Update

Despite persistent rain and rain/snow mix at the lower elevations today, there has been some road clearing, as predicted. This is good news for the Horsetooth Populaire, which is currently slated to go ahead as planned. Final decision up to the ride leader, Tim "Foon" Feldman, at the ride start.

The Stove Prairie 200k is a different story. Given the multiple-foot-depth accumulations at Stove Prairie, with it snowing there while it rained down here, plus crisper overnight lows, passability on that segment is not a good (or safe) bet. So we are rescheduling for next weekend - probably Saturday; word in a day or two.

So have fun on the Populaire and/or enjoy the balmy 70's temps we will be experiencing a couple days from now ... during the work week.

-jle

Stove Prairie 200k Volunteer Pre-Ride

Eric Simmons reports on his helpful checkout of the Stove Prairie 200k route ...

This is a report of a pre-ride of the Stove Prairie 200km Brevet scheduled for April 18th.

Last fall when I read that the SP200km was scheduled for mid April I recalled an early May running of SP in 2003 which had to be rescheduled due to snow and ice and wondered how early April weather would turn out this year.

I asked JLE if there was a need for a pre-ride to check the route and I received his blessing for a pre-ride. I picked April 15th to celebrate Tax Day and picked a small town post office on the route to mail my returns from in order to avoid long lines. I also chose this ride to try out my SPOT GPS transponder so that: 1. She Who Must Be Obeyed receives an "I am OK message" with GPS coordinates periodically, and 2. The RBA receives the same "electronic trail of breadcrumbs" documenting the ride in lieu of secret controls etc. I own the SPOT due to being lost/missplaced by the SIR on the Cascade 1200 last June, another story for another day.

It was a beautiful morning when I pulled off at exit 243 onto SR 66 and noticed the CONSTRUCTION blocking off most of the entrances to the Conoco station and other business on the North side of SR 66. Getting to the start will require some short Detours so come a few minutes earlier to be ready to start on time.

After a quick GPS message to SWMBO and the RBA via satellite, the ride to Masonville went by almost without thought as I was distracted by the Llamas and Alpacas still in their winter coats and the Meadowlarks and Bluebirds who have mistakenly arrived in Colorado thinking that Spring has sprung here. The Masonville store I discovered, is closed on Wednesday but fortunately I had carried a sandwich with me for emergency food and an emergency was declared and fed.

The trip around Horsetooth was an exercise in humiliation as riders in domestic Pro jerseys on timetrial bikes, many with follow cars went whizzing past in one minute intervals. After a deliberate footdown stop at the infamous Rd 23/Rd42 intersection I continued on to the Bellvue Post Office and had my yearly payment to Caeser hand stamped then, continued on to a sitdown lunch at Vern's as soon as the OK message was sent to SWMBO/RBA.

The Poudre Canyon climb was quiet in midweek with a fringe of cinders/sand at the edge left from the winter plows, the turn up Rd 27 to Stove Prairie started the tough climb of the day (more loose cinders at the shoulder and some of the "new smooth" road surface is beginning to slide off on the downhill side of the road) as the sky darkened but the winds remained calm and I reached the top with only 15-20 minutes before the "closing" of the checkpoint. I sent another OK to SWMBO and the RBA stopped to take a photo of the herd of elk and continued on back to Masonville with the dark sky receeding to the North. I took a quick stop at Sandy's for another checkpoint OK to SWMBO and the RBA and continued on to the ride finish with the only wind of significance of the day in the last 15 miles gusting out of the northeast making staying on the road a bit of a challenge. One last OK to SWMBO and the RBA, a change of clothing and I headed home having finished my first Brevet of the year.

I called JLE the RBA to see if the GPS transponder had satisfactorly documented the checkpoints for the ride. It turns out he forgot I was going to be sending the email messages and thought they were some Ethiopian escam, phishing for $$$ and he had deleted them all from his inbox. Fortunately some were retrieved from the trashcan/junkmail and I can forward the rest to him if he needs them.

A beautiful day, mid 60's, sunshine most of the day, Unfortunately the weather predicted for the weekend is quite different. I look forward to seeing all of you on the Brevet when it finally gets the GO!

4/18 Stove Prairie 200k - Ride Status Update

With snow predicted through the night and much of Saturday, the 4/18 200k will be rescheduled, most likely for Sunday 4/19.

Final call on whether to go ahead for Sunday will be made based on road conditions later on Saturday (and of course if the weather system doesn't move out as predicted).

-jle

4/18 Stove Prairie 200k - Ride Status

The forecast for Saturday (and conditions overnight Friday into Saturday) has worsened. It is now likely the 200k will be rescheduled, either for Sunday the 19th or Saturday the 25th.

Ride status and rescheduling info will be posted here as soon as a decision is made, so stay tuned.

-jle