1200k Round-Up for 2013!

Are you aiming for your first 1200k next year, or a 1200k veteran keen for more adventure?

With the snow flying outside, it's time to ponder and plan!

A record seven US 1200k's are scheduled for next year (while two others, the Cascade and Colorado High Country, are taking a rest).  That's at least one 1200k a month from May through October:

• Texas Rando Stampede - May 1
• Shenandoah 1200 - June 6
• Gold Rush Randonnée - June 24
• Big Wild Ride (Alaska) - July 21
• Endless Mountains - August 8
• Colorado Last Chance - September 11
• Taste of North Carolina - October 10

North of the border, Ontario Randonneurs is organizing their

• Granite Anvil - August 22

Further afield, you can look on the Randonneurs Mondiaux calendar for other 1200k's worldwide, including:

• Wangaratta Wahine 1200 (Austrailia) in March
• London-Edinburgh-London  (UK) in July
• Madrid-Gijón-Madrid (Spain) in August
• South Gippsland 1200 (Australia) on September 7th

For the Texas Rando Stampede, Big Wild Ride, and Endless Mountains, it's their second edition, so you get the benefit of improvements gleaned from their inaugural event.

And some awards for extra motivation:

• American Randonneur Challenge - finish two US 1200k's in the same year
• Coast-to-Coast -  finish four different US 1200k's - no time limit
• Can-Am Award - finish a US and a Canadian 1200k in the same year

A few details on each ride ...

The Texas Rando Stampede, organized by the Lone Star Randonneurs, takes you on a circuit from North Texas (Dallas - Fort Worth area), south into the Texas Hill Country, and back through wooded East Texas.  Riders sleep in comfy motel rooms at the suggested overnight controls, and the volunteer support is great.

 

The Shenandoah 1200 takes you through historic Civil War venues, and up and down many hills in Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and North Carolina, many of them stiff, a few ornery, but only a couple extended (Blue Ridge Parkway and Willis Gap Road), with a high scenery quotient to take your mind off your legs' discomfort.  My Report (2010)  Catherine Shenk's Report (2009)

 

The Gold Rush Randonnée, organized by the Davis Bike Club, heads north from Davis into the high plateau of NE California.  The first and final 100 miles are flat (Sacramento Valley), but there's lots of climbing and scenery in between.  Deluxe volunteer support.

 

  

The Big Wild Ride takes in the expansive scenery of Alaska on a horseshoe-shaped point-to-point route starting and ending at the coast, after a foray into the wild interior.  Riders can get from the finish locale (where most folks fly in) to the start via a scenic train ride and ferry.

With the most reputed climbing of any US 1200k, the Endless Mountains 1240 is a definite challenge.  ("Endless Mountains" is the name of a region in Pennsylvania.)  Reports are that organizer Tom Rosenbauer has tamed some of the route.

 

 

The Last Chance is rolling, open, and exposed, with panoramic views unencumbered by woods or canyons. There are some flat sections, but not as many as you'd think. And the wind can be your constant companion. An evocative pioneer experience. My Photomontage (2006)

 

 

The Taste of Carolina gives you a taste of the Piedmont foothills, the Blue Ridge, and the coastal plain.  The 2012 edition started with a climb into the Blue Ridge and Virginia highlands, then through the rolling Uwharrie Mountains and on to Sunset Beach and back.  I enjoyed that edition, and will be posting a blog report.  Route varies somewhat year to year.

 

 

Plenty to whet your appetite, and lots of possibilities to challenge you in 2013.  So start imagining and planning!

-jle

 

A Wet and Blustery James Canyon Jaunt 200k!

The final 200k of the season started dry but under glowering clouds, with patches of wet pavement from overnight storms.  So the 14 riders who showed up made for a good turnout!  

 

Despite the clouds, some nice color in Lefthand Canyon ...

 

The info control blackboard in front of the Jamestown Mercantile festooned with seasonal pumpkins:

As we head north into Larimer County, we meet some prolonged chilly, windblown rain.  I catch up to John Flanigan, slowed down by a broken chain:

 

But he gets a ride to Sandy's, where he and Brian Rapp thaw out and fortify themselves.

 

A tailwind blows riders at least partway back towards Boulder County, and some great foliage lining 75th through Hygiene.

 

Meanwhile, John has managed to repair his chain with a chain tool and make it to the finish, not for credit but for the satisfaction of a good ride.

 

And yes, the sun breaks through in the final moments, as Brian Rapp, Henry Snavely, and Tammie Nakamura can attest.

 

Thanks to everyone joining us on our final brevet for the season!

 

It was held a week late, on October 13, as the prior Saturday threatened overnight road freezing (and was miserable all day with drizzle in the 30's).

 

Please consider riding some Permanents or Permanent Populaires this off-season, alone or even better, with some friends!

 

-jle

Erika rides Foon's Black and Blue 208km Permanent!

Ride Report for the new Black and Blue 208km Permanent designed by Tim Foon Feldman

 by Erika Van Meter.

This is a great point to point, beginning in Paonia, Co and ending in Gunnison. Here are some lovely views of ranchland and mountains at the start.

A glimpse of the Grand Mesa.

Hwy 50 from Delta to Montrose offers a nice sized shoulder and many refueling opportunities. The views aren’t so bad either!

Make sure to stop at the store before climbing up to the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park –they have a great cooler full of beverages and a freezer just for ice cream!

Climbing up from the valley floor to the National Park. Mountain views in the background.

A fellow hill climber from Montrose stopped and graciously took a photo of the author.

He mentioned that for a really enjoyable day of climbing that the local riders like to start from Montrose, ride up to the Black Canyon, over Cerro Summit, then Blue Mesa Summit, turn around and repeat on the way home. These 3 climbs are 5-6 miles in length each, so one gets a bit of vertical.

The river is way down there, somewhere…(Black Canyon of the Gunnison)

Cerro Summit on Hwy 50-more climbing, rewarded by a bit of fun….

Make sure to stop at Newberrys in Cimmaron. You will need to resupply there especially if you are self-supporting. There aren’t a lot of stores and such on the Blue Mesa, and they are open mostly during daylight hours only. There is a Sinclair at mile 88 if you forget to stop, or if they are closed.

Blue Mesa must be getting close. Appetizing views along the way.

(before Blue Mesa Summit)

Ahh, there it is. Blue Mesa Reservoir –notice the light-the solar eclipse is currently underway….

There are a few stores with limited hours in this stretch. Most of the campgrounds do have water spigots if you need it, and the main Elk Creek marina on the East End of the rez has a small supply store with a restaurant open Mon-Sat. Call ahead if you plan on dining, as hours may vary: 970-641-0403

Final Destination, Gunnison….I did it as a point to point, but a nice loop would be to return to Paonia via the Black Mesa up and over thru Crawford. Mountains, deserts, rivers, climbs and views galore, what more could one ask for? And remember, this is only one portion of the Colorado Six Pack which encompasses the whole of the Haute Route.

Take a peak at Foon’s website and more info for the Six Pack and Haute Route:

http://www.hauteroute1200.com/home

My RM 1200

In July, I took part in the Rocky Mountain 1200, exploring the Rockies in British Columbia and a bit in Alberta, and expertly organized by the BC Randonneurs.  It's held only every four years, so here was our chance!

We flew into Seattle, skirting Mt. Rainier and other volcanoes on the approach, then caught a ride up to BC with the ever-gracious Mark Roerhig - who organizes the Cascade 1200 - and his wife Nancy.

Organizers had arranged a great lodging option for us, at the Thompson Rivers University (TRU), perched above the start town of Kamloops.  You could gaze up the valley the event would be taking you in a few hours.

Inspection was a cheery, sunny affair, with languages of many lands in evidence.

Organizers (and multi-time ride veterans) Ali and Roger Holt did their usual excellent job of organizing this RM 1200 edition.  Ali would go on to ride and finish the event.

The event drew many heavy-hitters.  Outside the Kamloops Curling Club, the start/finish venue, you could tally the most recent 1200k's that Mark Thomas has finished.  (The sticker to the left of the Colorado High Country - just nine days past - is for the Korean 1200k, a bit earlier this year.)

The other side shows some other 1200k's Mark has toted up.

I opted for the 4am / 84-hour start, with the aim of sleeping in Jasper, about 450km into the route.  This is a reasonable option, as the route rises only very gently, with occasional short climbs, and there was a tailwind.  It's about the same distance as to Loudeac on PBP.

The forecast for the first day was for "rain" - not showers, but just plain rain.  We actually got a couple of dry hours between the first control at Clearwater and the next, and counted ourselves lucky.

But most of the day looked like this (except dark at the start and finish, of course).  Still, good scenery.

Given the BC moisture, lots of big, gushing waterfalls like this one.

Veterans like Ken Bonner were bolstered by a cheerful attitude and some soup.

Despite the goofy look, I'm actually doing pretty well at the Valemount control, aiming to look cheerful while wolfing down some food item at the same time.  - Ken Bonner photo

Ann Trason, in her Texas Rando Stampede jersey, is greeted by two of the great Rocky volunteers, and the ambience of palm trees, contrasting with the chilly, soggy scene outdoors.

As evening moved in, the rain felt like it increased, in a pelting way, and the temps decreased.  Fortunately, at Jasper, volunteers ferried riders to a local athletic club for warm showers. 

Makiyo Goto from Japan evidences the salutory effects of a warm shower and dry clothes.

Volunteers arranged an impromptu clothesline inside the Jasper control.

The trusty Green De Rosa waits at the ready out in the rain, but that's as far as I got.  I decided to write this report, though, because the RM 1200 is such a fine event, and there was much more to tell.

The Icefields Parkway, between Jasper and Lake Louise, is the high point of the RM 1200, in terms of elevation (two climbs above 6,000 ft.) and scenery.  Here's a waterfall (with bilingual sign).

... and another!

The mist and low ceilings only made the scenic impact more "atmospheric."

... as clouds hid and then revealed the grand mountains on either side of you.

Henk Bouhuyzen tops one of the big climbs ... before descending to the Beauty Creek hostel and control.

At Beauty Creek, Tim Foon Feldman and Mark Roerhig ponder some insightful remark from Gary Prince (center).

Organizers mounted helpful "RM 1200" arrow signs near controls, like this one at Lake Louise, making it easy to hone in on control venues even for distance-addled randos.

And just beyond the control is scenic Lake Louise!

The final third of the route triangle is the Trans-Canadian Highway (Hwy. 1).  Generally ok, but the cue sheet describes some segments deserving attention, such as this winding descent into Golden.

After Golden the route climbs to Rogers Pass, for some great, alpine views.

You traverse several snow sheds (termed "galleries" in some parts of the world) in particularly avalanche prone areas.  Both the Canadian trans-continental railroad and this highway faced numerous challenges and setbacks dealing with the heavy snow.

There are still pockets of snow in the north-facing avalanche chutes.

The day has brightened quite convincingly with mild, comfortable temperatures!

Highway 1 is not really a quiet road, but the scenery does not flag.

Mark Thomas, Bob Brudvik, and others motor along as though they're on a morning outing.

Spencer Klaassen is racking up another mountain 1200k on his fixie.

And Ron Himschoot is wearing a different RM 1200 jersey on each day of this ride.

We saw these menacing looking "hurtling dumptruck" signs periodically.  They may mean "trucks entering."

Past Salmon Arm, the route takes quiet country roads for a while before the home stretch - a nice touch.

We stop at a country store to enjoy local snacks, including "Cheesies" - which seem more like the Cheetos of old than the current product.

A big congratulations to all the finishers ... and thanks again to Roger, Ali, and the volunteers!

-jle