200km -- 4 October 2014 -- Roggen Roundabout RUSA# Time   Rider 153 8:37 Ellis, John Lee 4819 7:32 Feldman, Tim 1471 8:37 Foley, Paul 9603 8:37 Fraser, Malcolm 5417 8:37 Grainger, Michelle 6:33 Greenfield, Jerry * 6:13 Guala, John 9962 8:25 Haugen, Timothy * 5692 6:13 Jones, Lloyd 3555 8:16 Knoblauch, Tom 4585 7:33 Koenig, Andrea 5418 8:37 LeGoff, Steve 6026 6:13 Lowe, Mark 1679 8:37 Mangin, L. John 6:13 Ploransky, Jonathan 6:13 Rudolph, Steve 3551 8:16 Snavely, Henry 9899 10:55 Stiasny, Matt *   * First 200k Randonnée Finish! Nicest Conditions Ever on Roggen Roundabout! 19 starters and 18 finishers - another above-average turnout! - enjoyed brilliant, warm weather with only moderate breezes - on a course that can be very "wind-prone" - on our second Roggen Roundabout. What's more, half of our Roggen Roundabout riders also rode the Rawhide Ramble two weeks before. Riders clumped together in a high-camaraderie quotient, thanks perhaps to the nice conditions and gentle terrain. One clump of riders could greet the next at checkpoints. We had the typical warm welcome at the Roggen store, folks who see us only sporadically and wonder where we've been. It was not all roses, of course: we had to walk across a muddy ditch and contend with our recalcitrant cleats after that; some of us had thorn punctures; and then there was the roadwork pause on Kersey Road (Rd. 49). But that was mere spice to the ride on such a nice day. I would like to thank all of you for coming out on these end-of-season 200k's, including some new riders whom we were glad to get to know and ride with! - John Lee Ellis Malcolm Fraser, Michelle Grainger, Steve Le Goff, Tim Haugen, and Henry Snavely in Roggen. Paul Foley, Tim Haugen, Michelle Grainger, and John Mangin on Rd. 16.   Muddy shoes (from crossing a ditch). John Mangin, Malcolm Fraser, Michelle Grainger, Steve Le Goff, Paul Foley, and Tim Haugen at finish.   200km -- 20 September 2014 -- Rawhide Ramble RUSA# Time   Rider 7760 6:59 Baker, Chris 5967 9:08 Cook, Brett 153 7:48 Ellis, John Lee 7:25 Emig, James 1471 7:34 Foley, Paul 9603 9:30 Fraser, Malcolm 6:59 Guala, John 5692 7:03 Jones, Lloyd 4585 7:26 Koenig, Andrea 5632 8:45 LeBlanc, Todd 9094 8:35 Ledru, Pascal 1679 7:21 Mangin, L. John 5471 10:28 Nakamura, Tammie 6:59 Ploransky, Jonathan 6:59 Rosenthal, Harris 3112 8:19 Rupel, Ray ® 1842 7:34 Smith, Vernon 3551 9:55 Snavely, Henry   ® Pre-Ride Nicest Conditions Ever on Rawhide Ramble! 19 starters and 18 finishers - an above-average turnout - enjoyed brilliant, warm weather with only moderate breezes on our third Rawhide Ramble. Every edition has had good weather, but today was especially nice, a summery last day of summer. More than one rider could look back on his/her spring Rawhide Ramble, and think of the brevets and other events that lay in between, hopefully some combination of good, challenging, scenic, and fun! - John Lee Ellis An above-average turnout. Three High Country 1200 veterans with their CHC jerseys: John Mangin (2014), JLE (2011), Todd LeBlanc (2012) - Paul Foley (photographer) and Vernon Smith also CHC veterans on the ride.   200km -- 16 August 2014 -- Black Forest RUSA# Time   Rider 5897 8:53 Cramer, Cathy 1471 8:40 Foley, Paul 9603 9:35 Fraser, Malcomb 9878 9:25 Stiasny, Eric * 7:44 Tasan, Murat   * First 200k Randonnée! Nicest Conditions Ever on BF 200k? Ride leader Paul Foley (thank you, Paul!) reports: "The Black Forest 200 km brevet saw six starters and five finishers enjoy a nearly perfect day. We started out with a bluebird day of a cloudless sky, but the temperature slow rose until it tickled just over ninety degrees. With essentially no wind to speak of, the numerous short climbs were at times rather warm. As the clouds gathered in the afternoon there was a slight suggestion of possible rain, but only one rider reported a few rain drops, and the rest of us were dry. Given the history of previous Black Forest brevets, this was perhaps the best day ever for a visit to the Black Forest. We were entertained by town festivals in Elbert and the Black Forest, and also saw up close the destruction of the forest fire of last year." Riders at the start in Castle Rock. Pikes Peak early in the ride.   Black Forest burn area. Pikes Peak later in the ride.   300km -- 2 August 2014 -- Golden Gate - Lefthand RUSA# Time   Rider 7760 12:59 Baker, Chris 5897 14:55 Cramer, Cathy 9094 14:21 Ledru, Pascal   Inaugural Golden Gate - Lefthand 300k! 4 starters and 3 finishers enjoyed wonderful weather on the inaugural Golden Gate - Lefthand Canyon route. Temps turned chilly, in the 40's in the canyon and reaching the Peak-to-Peak, but warmed nicely into the 80's later. Lefthand Canyon's dirt segments were a bit rough on bike and rider, but a pleasant venue in its own way. - John Lee Ellis Sunrise near Rocky Flats. Lefthand Canyon at James Canyon on the "mixed terrain" segment.   200km -- 26 July 2014 -- Coal Creek Conundrum RUSA# Time   Rider 2434 8:02 Flanigan, John 3555 7:16 Knoblauch, Tom   Inaugural Coal Creek Conundrum! Two riders graced the inaugural Coal Creek Conundrum, a new route constructed to avoid certain flood-impacted highways. But riders enjoyed the route, despite the couple dozen dirt segments descending Lefthand Canyon. John Flanigan writes: "It has been along time since I rode up Coal Creek and I had forgotten how long it is and how beautiful it is. I had not been on Lefthand since the floods and was amazed at the devastation. Just extraordinary how powerful the water must have ben to have moved some much earth." - John Lee Ellis John Flanigan, Cathy Cramer (doing a shorter ride), and Tom Knoblauch 1200km -- 15 July 2014 -- Colorado High Country 1200k RUSA# Time Rider Locale   7409 86:40 Albershardt, Andy Gunnison, CO 6090 82:42 Baxter, David Austin, TX 7691 81:42 Benson, Barry Ellicott City, MD 5090 dnf Bevan, Roland Ben Lomond, CA 7357 82:59 Burke, Brian (1) Cumming, GA 9123 81:24 Campbell, Dave (2) Victoria, BC, Canada 3846 dnf Conderacci, Greg Towson, MD 7468 85:54 DelNero, Gary (1) Leawood, KS 8093 81:52 Dixon, Emma Sunnyvale, CA 8094 81:52 Dixon, Jonathan Sunnyvale, CA 8770 86:21 Ehlman, Thomas Rochester, MN 1471 69:55 Foley, Paul Golden, CO 3301 85:25 Goursolle, Kitty San Ramon, CA 185 85:27 Grabiak, Larry Fort Myers, FL 66 86:15 Halay, Jim Eden, UT 7382 87:16 Hartson, David Shadow Hills, CA 7069 86:40 Heller, Luke Asheville, NC 679 85:42 Himschoot, Ron (2) Seattle, WA 83:40 Hoeltzenbein, Peter Calgary, AB, Canada 2060 83:40 Huber, Kerin Pasadena, CA 9592 64:55 Hulett, Jeffrey (1) Golden, CO 3067 dnf Ingold, John Flagstaff, AZ 2145 dnf Long, Beth Denver, CO 6026 dnf Lowe, Mark Arvada, CO 1679 82:48 Mangin, L. John Loveland, CO 2620 dnf Matney, Andréa Glen Echo, MD 69:02 Marion, Marcel (2) St-Michel-des-Saints, QC, Canada 9307 88:07 Maytorena, Hector (1) San Diego, CA 5049 82:48 Meade, Barry (1) Hopkinsville, KY 1583 81:10 Metcalfe, Mark (3) Duncanville, TX 2129 dnf Myers, Brent Denver, CO 1918 84:36 Nemoto, Toshiyuki (2) Loveland, OH 4574 83:40 Newberry, Jeff Austin, TX 82:58 Oliphant, David Medicine Hat, AB, Canada 2813 dnf Olsen, Bill (2) Califon, NJ 2860 86:21 Olsen, Mark Rochester, MN 5290 84:13 Pearch, John Olympia, WA 66:10 Perman, Fred Pierrefonds, QC, Canada 2843 dnf Roerhig, Mark Redmond, WA 4068 85:18 Roseman, Tom Ridgecrest, CA 2365 dnf Schroeder, Henrik A. Lighthouse Point, FL 8170 82:48 Smith, Greg Richland Center, WI 1842 69:55 Smith, Vernon (2) Colorado Springs, CO 8 dnf Springsteen, Lois Santa Cruz, CA 4638 84:07 Stum, Richard (3) Mount Pleasant, UT 7898 82:48 Warren, Corinne (1) Monument, CO   (1) First 1200k! (2) Second CHC Finish! (3) Third CHC Finish! First Return to Original CHC Course! 46 starters and 35 finishers (76%). Five riders were from Canada. Nine riders were local (20%). Marcel Marion (Quebec,) and Vernon Smith (CO) are two-time finishers, and Mark Metcalfe (Texas) has finished all three CHCs. All but three finishers rode the recommended stages and finished in the 80+ hour range. There was rough weather parts of the first two days (450 miles), nice weather the last two (300 miles). It's a tribute to these volunteers that things went so well, and to the hard work over many months of Pat Heller, volunteer coordinator. On the Route: Patricia Heller - volunteer coordinator, plus Walden Transit, Saratoga, Walden overnights Laurie Stanton - Saratoga Charlie Henderson - dropbag transfer, course monitoring Rick Melick - Steamboat Springs (chief) Andrea Albershardt - Steamboat Springs Tammie Nakamura - Walden John Lee Ellis - Walden Admin: John Lee Ellis - organizer Tom Foss - registration Carol Gerber - finance Charlie Henderson - lodging bookings - John Lee Ellis Andréa Matney at Snowy Range Summit - Greg Conderacci photo   400km/600km -- 21 June 2014 -- Platteville - Poudre Canyon — 400km — RUSA# Time   Rider 7760 14:48 Baker, Chris 16:35 Freeman, Jay 4425 20:09 Heck, Ken   * First 400k Brevet! ® Pre-Ride — 600km — RUSA# 400k   Time   Rider 1471 15:44 34:11 Foley, Paul 7751 17:50 35:11 Griffith, Scott ® 9592 14:48 23:20 Hulett, Jeffrey * 9307 20:09 34:25 Maytorena, Hector 2129 37:00 Myers, Brent ® 2145 37:00 Long, Beth ® 1842 15:44 34:11 Smith, Vernon 3551 18:34 35:54 Snavely, Henry 8564 20:48 38:18 Stanton, Laurie ® 6234 19:46 36:25 Warm, Ted * 16:30 35:02 White, Andy * 16:30 35:02 White, Kami *   * First 600k Brevet! ® Pre-Ride Poudre Canyon ... Plus Platteville! 17 starters and 15 finishers had actually good conditions, despite the threat of Plains storms, for their rides. We welcome visitor Hector Maytorena from San Diego, and congratulate newly minted, first-time Super Randonneurs Jeffrey Hulett, and Ted Warm! Thanks also to Paul Foley for collecting the brevet cards at the finish! - John Lee Ellis Snowy front range climbing back west from Platteville.   Scott Griffith and Laurie Stanton look forward to the final 200k (Kersey Kick loop) of their 600k. 400km -- 7 June 2014 -- Platteville - Poudre Canyon RUSA# Time   Rider 153 17:03 Ellis, John Lee ® 2434 17:50 Flanigan, John 4425 22:51 Heck, Ken ® 9592 14:42 Hulett, Jeffrey * 2999 22:08 Hutt, Amber 947 22:08 Hutt, Terry 9094 19:40 Ledru, Pascal * 1679 16:46 Mangin, John 9223 14:42 Zitz, Walter *   ® Pre-Ride * First 400k Randonnée! California visitors Amber and Terry Hutt by the totem pole in Masonville.   First Platteville - Poudre Canyon 400k! 9 starters and 8 finishers enjoyed an "atmospheric" day that sometimes threatened rain but remained mainly dry, on the jaunt out to Platteville before heading up Poudre Canyon and into northern Larimer County. Water was still high, and there are by now a number of rafters and kayakers on the Poudre. Temps were surprisingly mild and in a narrow range - 50's into the upper 60's - making for some good cycling! - John Lee Ellis An "atmospheric" day in Poudre Canyon - Terry Hutt photo 400km -- 31 May 2014 -- Fairplay - Canon City RUSA# Time   Rider 7409 21:15 Albershardt, Andy 7751 26:23 Griffith, Scott 6026 15:13 Lowe, Mark 19:43 Nelson, David * 3112 19:43 Rupel, Ray 1842 21:18 Smith, Vernon 21:15 Turek, Michael 6234 21:18 Warm, Ted 7898 21:15 Warren, Corinne *   * First 300k Randonnée! Most Riders Ever! 10 starters and 9 finishers enjoyed reasonable weather on the most challenging 400k course in the series, perhaps enticed by more fresh pavement (!) on Tarryall Road this year, and a much shorter section of rough conditions. Thanks to Vernon Smith, who designed and checked out the course (and led the brevet)! Mark Lowe wrote: "The route was absolutely stunning! It was easily one of the most scenic courses I've ever ridden!! I should have stopped to take a few more pictures, but I was trying to dodge the rain drops (as I imagine you were too!) The storms finally caught up with me in Woodland Park on the way home. I waited about 30 minutes for the showers to pass, then smooth sailing home! "My Garmin registered just over 17,000 feet (17,023) of climbing, which is fairly astonishing as this doesn't even account for corrected (i.e., known) elevation points along the course, so the actual elevation gain is likely more than that! It is indeed a challenging 400 km brevet, especially given the fact that there is over 6,000 feet of climbing between mile 172 and mile 217 (45 miles). The climbing and rollers just keep coming at you! I wouldn't change a thing! :)" Ray Rupel wrote: "I wanted to thank you for organizing and starting last Saturday's 400K. That was one of the most enjoyable brevets that I have done. The scenery, the roads, and the companionship were great. "Dave and I hung together the rest of the way. I was good and tired when we returned." - John Lee Ellis 400km/600km -- 17 May 2014 -- Poudre Canyon — 400km — RUSA# Time   Rider 5897 19:48 Cramer, Cathy ® 6329 13:52 Edwards, Billy 1167 19:03 Gooch, Terri * 9592 16:12 Hulett, Jeffrey * 6276 20:27 Shlachter, Jeremy 3551 20:27 Snavely, Henry 3108 19:48 Shenk, Catherine ® 9223 13:52 Zitz, Walter *   * First 400k Brevet! ® Pre-Ride — 600km — RUSA# 400k   Time   Rider 6322 21:34 37:41 Dean, Robert ® 153 18:34 34:31 Ellis, John Lee ® 2434 16:12 33:15 Flanigan, John 1471 16:12 33:15 Foley, Paul 3555 33:07 Knoblauch, Tom 6026 13:52 34:16 Lowe, Mark 1679 17:29 29:28 Mangin, John 3112 17:36 32:26 Rupel, Ray 7898 19:03 35:09 Warren, Corrinne *   * First 600k Brevet! ® Pre-Ride First Poudre Canyon 400k/600k Ever! 16 riders had pretty good conditions for the inaugural Poudre Canyon 400k/600k, with temps into the 70's on Saturday and low 80's on Sunday. Streets were wet for the first few hours, reflecting widespread rain overnight throughout the region. Morning fog and whispy haze lent an atmospheric haze to the Poudre Canyon climb. Riders parried with a few showers Saturday afternoon heading to Severance. But really fairly dry and mild overall. This new route, in place of Lefthand, St. Vrain, and Big Thompson canyons (because of post-flood issues) gave riders new miles to Rustic, Livermore (heading to Wyoming), and Severance (NE of Windsor). Variety is something! - John Lee Ellis Terri Gooch and Corinne Warren heading towards Horsetooth.   Spring showers grace Wellington to Severance. 300km -- 11 May 2014 -- Black Forest RUSA# Time   Rider 7409 14:29 Alberschardt, Andy 6764 11:17 Bachman, Greg 7760 11:17 Baker, Chris 11:42 Benoit, Diane 6402 14:55 Carroll, Conor 153 13:40 Ellis, John Lee 2434 11:40 Flanigan, John 1471 11:17 Foley, Paul 1167 13:40 Gooch, Terri * 7751 17:17 Griffith, Scott 4425 18:14 Heck, Ken 9592 11:17 Hulett, Jeffrey 853 17:17 Kestner, Marcia 9094 13:15 Ledru, Pascal 2145 16:30 Long, Beth ® 6026 10:07 Lowe, Mark 12:54 Ludwig, Scott 1679 11:58 Mangin, L. John 9481 13:15 Moerk, Mike * 2129 16:30 Myers, Brent ® 11:20 Nelson, David 5471 14:28 Nakamura, Tammie ® 8674 14:29 Peacey, Kendrew 1468 12:54 Rapp, Brian 3112 13:00 Rupel, Ray 6276 14:24 Shlachter, Jeremy 1842 11:17 Smith, Vernon 3551 14:43 Snavely, Henry 8564 18:14 Stanton, Laurie 11:43 Turek, Michael * 2307 10:07 Walsh, Bryce 6234 14:13 Warm, Ted 14:18 Warren, Corinne 13:00 White, Andy 13:00 White, Kami 2015 15:26 Wong, Felix 9223 10:07 Zitz, Walter   ® Pre-Ride * First 300k Randonnée! ** First Colo. Randonnée! Not Quite the Windiest Black Forest 300k Ever ... But Still ... 39 starters and 37 finishers enjoyed mainly dry weather, but mainly windy conditions, for which the payback started after the Black Forest checkpoint and Palmer Lake, rocketing down towards Sedalia. We had new, wide, cement pavement to ride for 98% of the segment we're on Santa Fe (US-85) heading towards Sedalia, so that was a plus. Tammie Nakamura - who pre-rode the course (twice!) - did extra duty by coming to the ride start, providing hydration and treats at Larkspur, whose store advertised a 9am opening time, and collected cards on a showery evening at the finish. This was a good turnout including some new faces at the 300k level. Thanks and congrats to everyone! - John Lee Ellis Tammie lays out a smorgasbord of hydration and calories at Larkspur! Terri Gooch enjoys a cinnamon bun before tackling Spruce Mountain Road.   200km -- 26 April 2014 -- Rawhide Ramble RUSA# Time   Rider 7760 7:23 Baker, Chris 9605 7:39 Barnes, Graham 7:23 Benoit, Diane 1557 8:32 Brining, Douglas ** 9710 8:15 Beyer, Corinna ** 6402 8:52 Carroll, Conor 6322 9:38 Dean, Robert 153 8:29 Ellis, John Lee 2434 7:50 Flanigan, John 1167 8:29 Gooch, Terri 1060 8:35 Grealish, Chris 9053 9:15 Hilligoss, David * 6:59 Horwood, Joshua 9592 7:23 Hulett, Jeffrey 9652 8:20 Hutchinson, James 853 9:27 Kestner, Marcia 3600 8:23 Koenig, Gary 9094 7:29 Ledru, Pascal 6026 6:34 Lowe, Mark 1679 7:23 Mangin, L. John 1468 8:20 Rapp, Brian 9692 9:32 Rick, David 6:38 Schaefer, Tim 6276 8:11 Shlachter, Jeremy 8694 7:56 Sendor, Jon 7:55 Sigmond, Bennett 3108 9:40 Shenk, Catherine ® 1842 7:29 Smith, Vernon 3551 9:53 Snavely, Henry 5139 9:40 Takahashi, Irene ® 8:15 Turek, Michael * 2307 6:34 Walsh, Bryce 2015 9:13 Wong, Felix 5479 8:16 Yant, Jane 9223 6:34 Zitz, Walter   ® Pre-Ride * First 200k Randonnée! ** First Colo. Randonnée! First Spring Rawhide Ramble! 36 starters enjoyed nice, nice temps, 50's to 70's, and afternoon winds not as hefty as forecast! This was a good turnout for our third 200k of April (and the year). Many of you have ridden one or both of the previous 200k's ... so you should be much up to speed by now. In my case, it took almost an hour longer to complete this one than the Kersey Kick two weeks before. Guess that's the price of some actual climbing and actual headwinds. The inaugural RR was on September 29th, 2013, as a substitute for the Stove Prairie 200k ... because the Buckhorn Road to Stove Prairie was closed. They've repaired one out of two impasses, so the road is still out. But we could add the final two Horsetooth climbs (much to the delight of riders, no doubt!) because Bellvue is now reachable again. - John Lee Ellis Terri Gooch leads the way on the fifth of seven Horsetooth climbs. Bryce Walsh, Tim Schaefer, and Walter Zitz at Rawhide - Mark Lowe photo   200km -- 19 April 2014 -- Falcon-Limon-Elbert RUSA# Time   Rider 6322 10:57 Dean, Robert 1471 8:57 Foley, Paul 3856 8:05 Handy, Leslie 9592 8:05 Hulett, Jeffrey * 853 12:00 Kestner, Marcia 9094 8:35 Ledru, Pascal 2145 10:18 Long, Beth 9481 9:01 Moerk, Michael * 2129 10:18 Myers, Brent 8:32 Nelson, David 7898 8:57 Warren, Corinne * 9223 7:03 Zitz, Walter *   * First 200k Randonnée! Biggest Turnout Yet! 13 starters and 12 finishers enjoyed the promise of tailwinds later on while fighting a stiff wind to Limon on the tree-sparse plains. They were not disappointed! Our gracious ride leader Paul Foley reports: "No rain and comfortable temperatures made for a fun day. I had the pleasure of riding with Dave Nelson for most of the first half of the ride, and Corinne Warren during the second half. It was fun to meet some newer riders. Mike Moerk completed his first 200K I believe, and seemed pleased with his experience. I think Jeffrey Hulett was also a first time 200K rider, but he completed the Colorado Triple Crown last year. I know Jeffrey is used to distance events as I have spent time with him on many Triple By Passes in the past, and he has successfully swum across the English Channel. Brent and Beth rode their usual steady pace after completing a 400K in Texas last weekend." Congrats to riders new and veteran, and many thanks to Paul! - John Lee Ellis 200km -- 12 April 2014 -- Kersey Kick RUSA# Time   Rider 7760 6:22 Baker, Chris 9605 6:58 Barnes, Graham 9:20 Bush, Trevor * 6402 7:43 Carroll, Conor ** 5967 7:47 Cook, Brett 6322 10:34 Dean, Robert 153 7:34 Ellis, John Lee 1471 6:44 Foley, Paul 1167 7:34 Gooch, Terri 1060 10:16 Grealish, Chris ® 9652 7:12 Hutchinson, James * 5692 6:22 Jones, Lloyd 853 9:19 Kestner, Marcia 9094 7:13 Ledru, Pascal 6026 5:57 Lowe, Mark 9657 6:38 Ludwig, Scott 1679 7:12 Mangin, L. John 7:20 Nelson, David (7980) 7:12 Purul, Lisa 8782 7:43 Rick, David * 7:18 Sigmond, Bennett 1842 6:44 Smith, Vernon 3551 7:57 Snavely, Henry 8654 7:58 Stanton, Laurie 7:12 Summerhill, Frances * 2936 7:26 Tankovich, Bill 2307 5:57 Walsh, Bryce 6:22 Ward, Jimmy 6234 7:23 Warm, Ted 6:50 White, Andy 6:50 White, Kami 5479 7:23 Yant, Jane 9223 5:57 Zitz, Walter   ® Pre-Ride * First 200k Randonnée! ** First Colo. Randonnée! Most Comfortable Kersey Kick Ever? 34 starters enjoyed mild temps - 50's to around 70° - and lots of tailwinds, under high overcast. The fast times reflect these propitious conditions, and everyone seemed to have a smile on their face. This is the first time in four years we've run the Kersey Kick 200k, as the Drake Doubleback was affected by flood damage in Big Thompson Canyon. - John Lee Ellis Lisa Purul and Fran Summerhill at the Kersey Checkpoint. A big contrast the next day, with April snows!