| Home | Join Us! | Contact Us | News | Schedule |  

Results for the 2008 TCBC 300k Brevet Ride, Saturday, June 28th

Congratulations to the TCBC 300k Brevet riders from the Saturday, June 28th event.  Despite the ride leader's assurances of a nice day and a reasonable route, the brevet turned out to be a real test of preparation and perseverence.  Rain and thunder kept the riders cool and cautious for the first five hours of the brevet, then after the turnaround, a brisk head wind dried them off and had them working hard for a good part of the way back.  Throw in a plethora of rolling hills, a few tough grunts and a couple of real challengers and it was a great day to learn and utilize key randonneur survival skills.

12 riders started, 8 completed the brevet.   

Congratulations to J Richard Soderberg and Bill Bennett on completing their first 300k brevets.  

A special congratulations to Brett Thunstrom and Al Voigt for completing their first brevet.  Brett and Al were models of experience with great bikes set up for randonneuring, good rain gear, quality lighting, reflective gear, and terrific attitudes.  Their goal was to get back before last call at Old Chicago - they made it with 1/2 hour to spare. Sorry I couldn't be there to help you celebrate guys.

Those that were completing their first brevets had good company.  The other four finishers and one other rider (Don McCall) are Paris-Brest-Paris finishers.

PBP 2011 is only 3 years away!  Keep riding to be ready for the TCBC Fall Brevet season, with another round of brevets - 200k on September 6th, 300k on Sept 20.  No promises, but Minnesota fall weather is generally more moderate and less breezy.  :-)

Ride Results
         Completed

Name	Time	Comment
Charles Breer	12:18
Mark Aeling	13:55
Mike Aeling	13:55
Bill Bennett	13:55	** First 300k Brevet**
J RIchard Soderberg	13:55	** First 300k Brevet**
Lara Sullivan	13:55
Brett Thunstrom	17:30	** First Brevet Completion**
Al Voight	17:30	** First Brevet Completion**
Richard Miller	DNF	166 miles completed - reached Randolph control but had to abandon due to darkness and no headlight/reflective gear
Don McCall	DNF	110 miles completed - turned around at Goodhue
Vincent Dominguez	DNF	60 miles completed - turned around at Cannon Falls
Ron Kenning	DNF	60 miles completed - turned around at Cannon Falls

Riders completing the brevet will get 189 TCBC miles credit.  Other riders will get TCBC credit for the mileage completed as shown above.
                                        
Special thanks to Mike Aeling, Charles Breer and my wife Nancy for getting the ride started after I was stranded in Chicago with a cancelled flight.

Rob Welsh

---

Results for the 2008 TCBC 200k Brevet Ride, Saturday, May 17th

Congratulations to all 18 participants in the TCBC 200k Brevet (125 miles) held Saturday, May 17th.  In spite of a 20-30 mph headwind challenge on the last half of the ride, 16 riders completed the brevet and 2 newer riders made it to the 100 mile control in Randolph.  Coach Rob says, "while it was difficult, the riders will see the benefits of the tough work to complete the ride in other rides and future brevets". 

All of you will get the TCBC mileage credit of 126 miles.  Those of you with RUSA #s will have your brevet submitted - you should see the results on line in a few weeks. If you want to order a medal commemorating your accomplishment, check out the new RUSA online medal ordering facility.

Here is the official list of riders for the event.

First Brevets
Bill Bennet (new RUSA Member)
Jim Bergman
Michael Derner new RUSA Member)
Lisa Dust (new RUSA Member)
Joe Hays 
Jeffery Lengmagic
Richard Miller
Doug Sams (new RUSA Member)
J Richard Soderberg (new RUSA Member)

Current Randonneurs - RUSA Members
Mark Aeling
Mike Aeling
Greg Barkley
Doug Dyer
Jim Joy
Don McCall
Rob Welsh

100 miles completers
Ahi Bennuri
Meg Brady

---

4-26-08 To register for the TCBC 200k Brevet ride on Saturday, May 17th, 7 AM, please follow these instructions:

1) If you are a TCBC Member there is no cost for the ride. If you are not, you need to be. To join, go to the TCBC web site at http://biketcbc.org/ and select the 'Join Us' tab on the top right corner of the page. You can sign up online, using Active.com, or can print off and mail the form in. Cost is $25/year - note that this covers registration costs for the other TCBC brevets and other TCBC rides for the year.

2) Are you a RUSA member? You don't have to be, but if you want your brevet to be recorded by Randonneurs USA and be eligible for a medal, you will need to join them. The registration process takes a couple of weeks. Cost is $25/year. www.RUSA.org

3) Send an email to me (brevets@biketcbc.org) confirming your attendance, with the following information:
Name
Address
Phone (for emergency purposes)
RUSA number - if a member
Is this your first brevet ride?

Sending the email helps me prepare brevet cards, etc ahead of time and saves you time at registration. Day of ride registrations are allowed, but will be subject to rider leader time and availability - you may have to start late If I don't have time to get the paperwork done.

On the Day of the Ride - May 17th

6:15a Be at the start (AmericInn/Old Chicago parking lot, NE corner of Cty 42 and Cedar Ave (23), in Apple Valley
Sign in and pick up your brevet card and cue sheet
6:45a Mandatory rider meeting
7:00a Ride will start promptly
8:30p Time limit for those looking for RUSA completion qualification and the medal.

Rob
612-801-4196

---

Brevet Training Ride #1 Report - Sunday, April 6th

Congrats to the dozen riders that made it out today for the first TCBC Brevet Training Ride.  We covered 61 miles (100km - 1/2 of the official brevet ride on May 17th).  The weather was as predicted, not particularly friendly, with some head winds and a period of cold rain, but 9.75 of the riders completed the distance.  Two mechanicals early on and one rider had a flat, broke the spare and got a ride in for the last 15 miles. 

Listed are the participants for the ride.  I'm mentioning them by name because the conditions were cold, windy and wet - good randonneuring training weather!  Way to go!

Marriner Smith
Charles Breer
Michael Derner
Mark Pruka
Meg Brady
Lisa Dust
Jim Joy
Craig Futterer
Steve Redelsperger
Vincent Dominguez
Ron Kevining

---

2-25-08 Hello Eager Randonneurs

This winter has been a little colder than we’re used to in the last few years, but  I’m hoping it warms up soon so we can get in some solid training miles for the inaugural TCBC 200K Brevet on Saturday, May 17th. 

RUSA Membership Note

If you are planning to ride the TCBC 200k Brevet and want to get the RUSA medal and have your miles recorded by Randonneurs USA, you need to join RUSA.   Cost is $20/year, which also gets you a very nice handbook and  a quarterly newsletter.

Attached here is a pdf of the RUSA membership application form.  Check out their web site at www.RUSA.org for more details.

Note that this form is mailed in and can take 2 weeks for processing.  Note that you do not have to be a member of RUSA to do the TCBC brevet rides, but you must be a TCBC member.  You cannot do the TCBC brevet rides as a guest.   This rule is necessary because of the extra insurance TCBC carries for these events.   You do get TCBC ride miles credit – 125 miles for the 200k, 188 miles for the 300k.

Brevet Training Rides

We planned to do some brevet training rides to prep riders for the 200k brevet.  Because there are  longer winter rides already on the TCBC calendar for Jan-March, we decided to hold off on specific brevet training rides until April.  We encourage you to get out when you can to build a good base of miles – and it beats sitting around on the couch watching old Tour d’France reruns.

Here’s the schedule of brevet rides – which will be showing up on the TCBC ride calendar soon.  The purpose of the brevet training rides is to get new and experienced Randonneurs together to spin some miles and talk about Randonneuring and how we can make Randonneuring a success with TCBC. 

All training rides will start from the AmericInn/Old Chicago parking lot on the NE corner of County 42 and Cedar Ave in Apple Valley.  We’ll be using some of the official brevet routes for part of the training rides to familiarize you with the typical start/finish miles.

The official TCBC brevets will go on regardless of weather.  The training rides will go on unless there is a severe weather problem (very cold or very wet).   Expect some wind this time of year.  We’ll try to plan for a tailwind on the home leg, but no guarantees.

Sunday, April 6th 10 am.  50 miles – B ride pace.  This will be an easy spin, relatively flat.  We’ll try to stick together to give newbies a chance to ask questions while we’re riding.   Plan on at least one rest stop, about half way through the ride.  We’ll convene at Old Chicago after to discuss Randonneuring over pizza.  Bring your questions.  If you are an experienced Randonneur, come along for the ride and share your knowledge and experience.

Sunday April 20th 10a.  75 miles – B ride pace.  A little longer ride, pick your pace.  Maps will be available at the start.  There will be a couple of convenience store/rest stops along the way.  You should be bringing some of your own food/nutrition to consume while you are riding to keep your energy levels high.  We’ll still meet at Old Chicago after to compare notes.

Sunday, April 27th – Minnesota Ironman.  This is not a brevet specific ride but is an excellent opportunity to click off some great training miles on one of the most popular rides in Minnesota.  For Randonneurs, plan on riding at least the metric century.  If the weather is reasonable, reach for the full century.

Sunday, May 11th 8am. 100 miles – B ride pace.  Last prep ride before the big event.  Maps and brevet type cue sheets will be handed out before the ride.  Set your own pace.  You should be able to complete this comfortably in less than 10 hours.   There will be 3-4 convenience stores/rest stops along the way, but bring your own food/nutrition along to keep you energized.   If you have done the previous training miles and can handle this, you are definitely ready for the 200k.

Saturday, May 17th 7a. TCBC 200k Brevet ride.  This is the medal ride.  Be well prepared and it will be a fun cruise.   You have up to 12 hours to complete the event.

Saturday, June 28th 6a.  TCBC 300k Brevet ride.  Keep the training miles going and this ride will be a natural.  Lots of sunlight, you have up to 20 hours to complete the event.

12-9-07 Introduction to the TCBC Randonneuring Program for 2008

 

Hi, I’m Rob Welsh and I’d like to tell you about the bicycling sport of Randonneuring and the Randonneur program that TCBC will be offering in 2008.

Randonneuring was started in France in the early 1900’s during the first big bicycle boom period. Randonee in French means a trip or a travel in the country.  Randonneuring came to mean to take a long trip on a bicycle as part of an organized event.  In the beginning randonneuring rides were competitive and professional bicycle riders vied for victory on long routes around France.   A big change in the sport came about when they added a ‘tourist’ division in 1924 which took away the focus on winning and emphasized the spirit of self sufficient long distance riding.  This concept was very successful in growing the number of riders but very quickly the professional racers stopped riding the randonneur events to focus on the competitive races, leaving the tourists to focus on the pleasure of the ride without the need to get there first.   

Randonneuring grew in popularity, with some highs and lows until after the Second World War.   It almost died out, along with many other forms of bicycling during the 1950s and early 60s, but has enjoyed a remarkable growth, particularly in the past 30 years.  The Audax Club Parisien is the international sponsoring body for randonneuring, sanctioning organizations in many countries including Randonneurs USA (RUSA).  There are many randonneuring groups across the US that put on series of rides and events every year.  In Minnesota there has been a series run out of Rochester for a number of years.  Iowa and Wisconsin also hold a series of randonneuring events every year.

There are a variety of randonneur riding experiences.  The most common is a brevet, which is a scheduled ride where all riders start at the same time, covering distances of 200, 300, 400, 600, 1000 or 1,200 kilometers, or 125 to 750 miles, in a specified period of time.   Other types of events are 24 hour rides called fleches, shorter group events named populaires and predefined routes called permanents that can be ridden at any time.  Awards are given for completing an event and the results are recorded and tracked by RUSA.  Special recognition awards can be earned by riders that achieve combinations of events over a season or multiple years. Randonneur rides in other countries can also count towards reaching these special milestones.

The ultimate Randonneur ride is the classic Paris-Brest-Paris event held every four years in France.  This ride started in 1904 and travels from Paris to Brest and back, covering 1,200 kilometers.  Randonneurs have up to 90 hours to complete the distance – an average of 8.3 mph.  Sounds easy, right?  Over 5,500 riders from around the world entered the 2007 event.  About 700 of them were American with 24 riders from Minnesota, the best showing ever.  A word of encouragement if 1,200 km seems like an incredible distance to ride;   all randonneurs start with the shorter rides and qualify for the longer distance rides every year.  Many riders are fine with these distances and do not aspire to the longer rides – no problem.  For those that do want to continue to grow their interest, the challenges are there.

Starting in 2008, TCBC and RUSA are putting on a 200k and 300k brevet series in the spring and again in the fall.  In 2009 we plan to add more events.  The next Paris-Brest-Paris ride is 2011 so we will have a full program by then for those that are up to the ultimate challenge.  We think there is a lot of interest in these events within the club.  There is a core group of TCBC members already working on routes and organization.

We have started an email group list of riders interested in following our progress as we put together the 2008 season.  If you would like to be added to this list, send an email to Brevets@BikeTCBC.org. If you are already a TCBC member most of this information will also eventually be on the TCBC web site and newsletter.

If you are still wondering why you would be interested in randonneuring, here are a few thoughts:

• It’s a challenge, but a personal one.  Randonneuring is not about getting there first, it’s about completing the route and enjoying the experience.
• Your miles count towards TCBC yearly totals.
• You can ride the events as a group or individually.  
• There are awards and recognition from RUSA for completing a ride and series of rides.
• It really takes you to a new level of cycling fitness and awareness of what you can do.
• It’s a different way to ride your bike and it’s fun – what could be better!

Preparing for the TCBC Brevet Rides

Here's some ideas to get in some training miles and to get you interested in randonneuring for the next few months.

New Year's Day Century Ride - Get your 2008 brevet training off to a great start with Randall's New Year's Day ride - see the TCBC online ride schedule for details.

Brevet Training Rides (see update above or on the ride schedule page)

To help you prepare for the 200k brevet ride scheduled for May 17th, these are some tentative dates and distances for a training ride series to prepare for the 200 and 300k rides.  Rides will start in Apple Valley.  Depending on the number of riders and pace, we may try to stick together or at least meet up at certain points for the first couple of rides.  These rides will be on the TCBC schedule soon.  Rides will be dependent on reasonable weather. Classification is AB/B for the shorter rides, AB for longer routes. 

If there is an interest we may use these training rides as a springboard to get together to talk about randonneuring - preparation, equipment, what to expect and why it's fun.  More on this later

Brevet Route Status

The route for the 200k TCBC Brevet ride on May 17th is complete and is awaiting approval by RUSA.  This brevet passes through the following towns in Southern Minnesota. 

Apple Valley – start/finish
Vermillion
Cannon Falls - control
Goodhue - control
Zumbrota
Wanamingo - control
Sogn
Randolph - control
Hampton
Apple Valley

The 300k brevet route is under construction.  This ride will use some of the same roads out of Apple Valley as the 200k, but will go further east and south toward the Mississippi River Valley.  Expect a few more hills and more of the beautiful riding roads of Southeastern Minnesota.

 

Rob Welsh

Questions and comments about this new section can be sent to Rob Welsh at brevets@biketcbc.org

Welcome sign in Yves St. Quentin, the starting point for the 2007 Paris-Brest-Paris. Rob Welsh is the rider.
 

2007: Start of a wave of 500 riders in the 80 hours group. It was 8:30pm and there was light rain.

Riders getting ready to ride through the night at the West Union, Iowa control for the Rochester 600k brevet: Dan Stahlman, Mike Aeling, and Mark Aeling.