Dart -- 14 October 2017 -- Front Range 200km Dart RUSA# Rider Dist. At 11h30m Dist. At 13h30m   Team Lookout! Squirrel! 1679 Mangin, L * 167 202 10610 Nelson, David 167 202 7898 Warren, Corinne 167 202   Team Dartrek 10173 Turek, Michael * 175 206 5417 Grainger, Michelle 175 206 9094 Ledru, Pascal 175 206 3108 Shenk, Catherine 175 206 11024 Turner, Jason 175 206   * Captain   Breeziest Dart Yet! Two teams of eight riders had a 100% finishing rate on a day that turned very windy. Team Lookout! Squirrel! made their way up gnarly Grapevine Road, Highway 93, to Boulder then down to the finish at Ken Caryl. Team Dartrek took in points in Boulder County before finishing with an extended jaunt down Denver bike trails. Thanks to Corinne Warren for instigating this Dart and corralling the teams together! - John Lee Ellis Team Lookout! Squirrel! Dave Nelson, Corinne Warren, John Mangin Team Dartrek Michelle Grainger, Catherine Shenk, Pascal Ledru, Mike Turek, Jason Turner 200km -- 7 October 2017 -- Lefthand Lark  Platteville Poke-Along RUSA# Time   Rider 11054 7:59 Benoit, Diane 11265 6:43 Carl, Caleb 153 8:52 Ellis, John Lee 6:43 Guala, John 5692 6:48 Jones, Lloyd 11847 7:32 Howell, Jim 1679 7:33 Mangin, John 6:43 Rudolph, Steve 3108 8:52 Shenk, Catherine 11228 8:09 Sigmond, Bennett 3551 8:58 Snavely, Henry 10173 7:33 Turek, Michael 11024 7:59 Turner, Jason   Special energy food supplied by Mike Turek. First Fall Platteville Poke-Along! 16 starters and 13 finishers enjoyed a brilliantly sunny day on the near plains. We had originally planned to run the Drake Doubleback, but CDOT closed US-34 for the season on October 2, to resume mega-construction in the Big Thompson Canyon. We then planned to run the Lefthand Lark, but winds in excess of 40 mph were forecast for the Peak-to-Peak Highway and the foothills. In the end, Platteville Poke-Along riders got the consolation of giant homemade burritos in Platteville. Thanks to Diane Benoit for leading this ride! (Photos below courtesy of Diane.) - John Lee Ellis A nice crowd on a sunny day for a brevet! Climbing back from the first control in Platteville. Early snow on the Front Range! Sparkling Green Ridge Glade Reservoir near Masonville 200km -- 23 September 2017 -- Stove Prairie RUSA# Time   Rider 7760 7:27 Baker, Chris 11265 7:27 Carl, Caleb 6:31 Guala, John 5692 7:27 Jones, Lloyd 9094 8:46 Ledru, Pascal 1679 8:47 Mangin, John 6:31 Peterson, Tyler 11956 7:37 Rosenthal, Harris 10173 8:46 Turek, Michael 11024 8:47 Turner, Jason 8660 8:22 Ward, Don 7898 7:37 Warren, Corinne   Soggiest Fall Stove Prairie Ever! 13 starters and 12 finishers braved a chilly day that turned to showers and drenching rains towards the end. Temps were in the 80's under brilliant sun as summer drew to a close only a couple days before, but fall was definitely the season of the day for this ride! - John Lee Ellis Our riders zoom off at the start Mike Turek, Pascal Ledru, John Mangin, and Jason Turner at finish 300km -- 5 August 2017 -- Peak-to-Peak RUSA# Time   Rider 10610 13:41 Nelson, Dave 11863 13:53 Ramos, Mateo 3551 15:13 Snavely, Henry 10173 13:41 Turek, Michael 11024 13:41 Turner, Jason   Starting with them were riders doing the Coal Creek Conundrum 200km Permanent:   RUSA# Time   Rider 12136 9:01 Bruder, Dan 11054 9:11 Benoit, Diane 1471 9:11 Foley, Paul 3112 9:01 Rupel, Ray 1842 9:11 Smith, Vernon Mildest Peak-to-Peak Ever! 6 starters and 5 finishers enjoyed a mild, dry, variably overcast day for the Peak-to-Peak. The Hwy. 7 section of the route had been freshly paved just days before, adding to the pleasure of the day. Riders could choose a menu item from the Fawn Brook Inn for their answer for the Allenspark info control. For the first 100 miles, riders were accompanied by an equal number riding the Coal Creek Conundrum 200k Permanent. - John Lee Ellis Indian Peaks from above Peaceful Valley 300k and 200k riders at Crystal Springs in Allenspark Lyons checkpoint Vernon Smith, Paul Foley, Diane Benoit at finish 200km -- 22 July 2017 -- Vail Pass Volley RUSA# Time   Rider 11054 8:18 Benoit, Diane 2844 6:59 Dodge, Tim 11133 8:46 Kovalenko, Oksana 7:20 Magro, Joe ** 2129 10:56 Myers, Brent 2145 10:56 Myers, Beth 10610 8:06 Nelson, Dave 11863 6:54 Ramos, Mateo 10173 8:38 Turek, Michael 8660 10:57 Ward, Don   ** First Randonnée! Earliest Vail Pass Volley Yet! 11 riders enjoyed a wonderful, sunny day in the mountains while it showered on the plains. This foray into Summit and Eagle counties has been a favorite for those who ride it. A big thanks to Mike Turek for leading this one! - John Lee Ellis At the turnaround point in Gypsum Mike Turek photo On the Vail Path, fresh snow on peaks JLE photo the next week 400k/600k -- 24 June 2016 -- St. Vrain Canyon - Lefthand Canyon — 400km — RUSA# Time   Rider 7760 19:46 Baker, Chris 10581 17:07 Johnson, Kieran 11133 19:46 Kovalenko, Oksana 5632 17:40 LeBlanc, Todd 1679 17:07 Mangin, John 10610 19:57 Nelson, David 3112 15:31 Rupel, Ray 3551 21:55 Snavely, Henry 11024 17:40 Jason, Turner — 600km — RUSA# 400k   Time   Rider 153 18:30 35:20 Ellis, John Lee 7751 16:35 34:13 Griffith, Scott 11377 17:07 28:17 Hartokolis, Nate 11863 17:07 28:17 Ramos, Mateo Coolest Solstice Brevets Ever! Riders were treated to mild temps all day - starting out chilly, in fact, quite a contrast to the scorcher we normally have for our solstice brevets! We reprised the St. Vrain Canyon - Lefthand Canyon route from 2015, with nice road conditions all along that stretch. Hwy. 7 to Estes Park and then US-34 down Big Thompson Canyon still have construction work combined with unpristine pavement, so we opted for a smoother, quieter ride. Congrats to everyone at this wrap-up of our "core" series which began in April! - John Lee Ellis Sunrise Chipseal Warning Owl Canyon Roundabout Sunset 400k/600k/1000k -- 10 June 2016 -- Lefthand Canyon — 400km — RUSA# Time   Rider 153 18:36 Ellis, John Lee 2434 18:09 Flanigan, John 7751 18:10 Griffith, Scott 5632 20:40 LeBlanc, Todd 1679 18:09 Mangin, John 11863 18:09 Ramos, Mateo 10173 18:05 Turek, Michael 7898 18:00 Warren, Corinne — 600km — RUSA# 400k   Time   Rider 7760 19:50 38:00 Baker, Chris 11133 19:50 38:00 Kovalenko, Oksana 3112 18:00 34:05 Rupel, Ray — 1000km — RUSA# 400k   732k   Time   Rider 1471 16:24 40:40 62:59 Foley, Paul First Climb up Lefthand Since the Flood! Riders were treated to our first climb up Lefthand Canyon since the flood of September, 2013! Silky smooth pavement, and reengineered segments greeted the happy randos 100km into their ride. With temps breaking into the low 90's, it was pretty toasty back on the plains. Fortunately, there were spates of high cloud cover at times. And 600k riders had it a bit cooler the next day. A special congratulations to Paul Foley, for his first finish of our June 1000k! (We had moved it from its traditional solstice weekend in hopes of cooler weather ... ha, ha.) - John Lee Ellis Platteville as dawn breaks Windsor with swan Paul Foley - fresh for his 1000k 300km -- 3 June 2017 -- Cripple Creek RUSA# Time   Rider 12073 15:10 Fey, Jonathan 7751 18:10 Griffith, Scott 9481 18:01 Moerk, Mike 10173 18:10 Turek, Michael 11024 19:30 Turner, Jason   Climbiest 300k in 2017! Ride leader Mike Turek reports: "5 hardy souls started Vern's masterpiece at 4a ... where was everyone else they wondered? Enjoying the other ride opportunities with less punishment we had to assume. "We stayed together until Mike left his water bottles behind in divide ... then he played catch to Cripple Creek saying hi to Jonathan as he left control. "This course was made for Jonathan ... the rest of us 'flatlanders' merely survived. "But, when we weren't looking back at our cassettes wishing we had another gear, the scenery was spectacular, no really spectacular...snow still on hi, green everywhere and plenty of streams and fishermen! "The weather could not have been better. 4 of us rolled into Albertsons eventually...in the dark and thought about stuff we could leave behind next year! We're gonna cripple the cripple creek brevet ;-)." Thanks, Mike, and congrats to all! Photos courtesy of Mike Turek. - John Lee Ellis Colorado Springs start, 4:00am Mike Turek with dawn on Pike's Peak Jason Turner JLE ... thrilled Climbing out of Cripple Creek 300km/400k/600k -- 20 May 2016 -- Poudre Canyon / Jamestown — 300km — RUSA# Time   Rider 11656 13:00 Rivet, Richard * 3551 14:32 Snavely, Henry * First 300k!   — 400km — RUSA# Time   Rider 11377 21:06 Hartokolis, Nate * 11257 21:32 Miyazaki, Makoto * First 400k! — 600km — RUSA# Time   Rider 1471 34:49 Foley, Paul 9094 34:06 Ledru, Pascal 2145 35:20 Long, Beth 1679 34:06 Mangin, John 2129 35:20 Myers, Brent 1842 21:06 Smith, Vernon 11024 34:06 Turner, Jason 7898 34:06 Warren, Corinne Snow and Rain Again on the Early Bird 300k/400k/600k! After a warm, sunny Flèche and Black Forest 300k, Colorado spring returned with snow, which caused a delay, and then a chilly day of showers and the occasional peek-through of sunlight. Kudos to the riders for their persistence! And a big thanks to Corinne Warren for leading the rescheduled pre-ride! - John Lee Ellis 300km -- 13 May 2017 -- Black Forest RUSA# Time   Rider 7760 14:39 Baker, Chris 11996 14:50 Bates, Blaine 14:50 Bates, Kyle ** 11265 10:27 Carl, Caleb 153 14:22 Ellis, John Lee 2434 13:56 Flanigan, John ® 1471 12:20 Foley, Paul 7751 14:35 Griffith, Scott 11377 12:11 Hartokolis, Nate 10581 12:09 Johnson, Kieran 11133 14:39 Kovalenko, Oksana 15:25 Lippe, Amy 6026 11:18 Lowe, Mark 1679 12:25 Mangin, John 11257 17:05 Miyazaki, Makoto 9481 13:35 Moerk, Michael 11956 11:30 Rosenthal, Harris 3112 12:17 Rupel, Ray 6276 14:00 Shlachter, Jeremy 1842 12:30 Smith, Vernon 10173 13:27 Turek, Michael 11024 13:50 Turner, Jason 7898 11:30 Warren, Corinne 9223 11:18 Zitz, Walter   ® pre-ride ** First Colo. Randonnée! Sunniest, driest, toastiest Black Forest 300k in Years! 26 riders enjoyed a preternaturally warm, sunny, and dry Black Forest 300k. After years of cold rain, snow, and accumulating snow, our big concern this year was sunscreen. This year we headed to "directly" to Black Forest for our first intermediate control, omitting Ken Caryl and then making up the difference by turning around in Kiowa. And yes, that made for ten more miles up uphill into the wind. But ideal temps at 7,000 ft. while folks at lower elevations were baking. It was a brilliant day to be out. The only fly in the ointment was a traffic tie-up on I-25 which diverted some motorists onto Spruce Mountain Road into Larkspur, which put a dent of the serenity we were looking forward to for that stretch. Thanks to John Flanigan for previewing this new course, to Corinne Warren for stocking a water cache near Palmer Lake, and to everyone who came out and had a great time! - John Lee Ellis Snowy Pikes Peak towers over the BF 300k! Jeremy Shlachter at Corinne Warren's water cache Chris Baker and Oksana Kovalenko at Black Forest Henry Snavely at finish (after having to DNF, unfortunately) Scott Griffith at finish JLE ... thrilled at a sunny BF 300k! A mere hint of virga at the end of a brilliant day! 360km+ -- 6 May 2017 -- Front Range Flèche Team: Quartier Lanternes Rouges Distance: 362km   RUSA# Rider 1471 Foley, Paul 5417 Grainger, Michelle 5418 Le Goff, Steve 9094 Ledru, Pascal 10173 Turek, Michael (captain)   Most Beer Tastings Ever! Team captain Mike Turek writes, "Weather was fantastic (if you love headwinds) for the Team Quartier Lanternes Rouges' tour of Ales and Energy around Northern Colorado. The team stopped long enough for a quick 2 oz taste at 5 breweries. The sixth was closed when we arrived but my co-worker had a growler ... and Gatorade. "We also saw the might of Colorado's energy sector ... hydro electric plant, gas drill pads, gas separation & production facilities, gas power plant, wind turbine plant and even the Lafayette solar plant. "Thanks to Grace Turek and Sukmi Ledru for the fantastic support, and Britt Goldman for meeting us in Berthoud." - John Lee Ellis Start in the shadow of the Flatirons Time out to help a stranded motorist! Finish: Steve, Mike, Pascal, Michelle, Paul Gourmet Breakfast with French Cider, courtesy of Sukmi Ledru 200km -- 29 April 2017 -- Stove Prairie Rawhide Ramble RUSA# Time   Rider 7760 8:05 Baker, Christopher 8:05 Bremer, Robert 11265 6:55 Carl, Caleb 153 9:22 Ellis, John Lee ® 1471 8:22 Foley, Paul 9603 10:25 Fraser, Malcolm 11377 8:11 Hartokolis, Nathaniel 11847 9:06 Howell, James 11133 9:52 Kovalenko, Oksana 9094 8:22 Ledru, Pascal 11863 6:55 Ramos, Mateo 8:10 Schub, Nathaniel 12013 8:20 Stephen, Ricardo 11024 8:15 Turner, Jason 7898 8:11 Warren, Corinne   ® pre-rode Stove Prairie route Frostiest Rawhide Ramble Ever! 18 starters and 15 finishers fought fierce northerly winds and crisp temps for this taste of Colorado springtime riding. Snow the day before suggested a last-minute change of route from Stove Prairie, to the broad, open, antelope-dotted landscape up towards Wyoming. Speeds were in the single digits heading up, much brisker heading back. Paul Foley writes: "Another spring Colorado 200K, rescheduled due to a blizzard, with resultant character building headwinds out to Rawhide with rewarding winds home, Camaraderie developed by the love of randonneuring and flexibility of dealing with weather changes enhances yet another beautiful day on the bike." A big thanks to Paul Foley for leading this 200k, while I was out of state. - John Lee Ellis The mild Stove Prairie pre-ride Saturday: Dry roads but plenty of snow! Malcolm Fraser photo Sunday start Heading out Vern's Rawhide Finish 200km -- 22 April 2017 -- On A Lark RUSA# Time   Rider 11265 6:49 Carl, Caleb 1471 8:04 Foley, Paul 2145 10:25 Long, Beth 6026 7:36 Lowe, Mark 11257 11:26 Miyazaki, Makoto 9481 8:59 Moerk, Michael 2129 10:25 Myers, Brent 11029 8:04 Rolfs, Christopher 1842 8:04 Smith, Vernon 10173 8:04 Turek, Michael 11024 8:09 Turner, Jason 8660 10:23 Ward, Donald 7898 7:36 Warren, Corinne   A Nice Lark of a Ride! 17 starters and 13 finishers enjoyed this hilly 200k. Thanks to Vernon Smith for leading - and designing - this route! - John Lee Ellis Token photo: a different 200k, on April 25 ... where could this be? 200km -- 15 April 2016 -- Kersey Kick RUSA# Time   Rider 7409 8:25 Albershardt, Andy 11996 7:45 Bates, Blaine * 11054 8:14 Benoit, Diane 11265 5:55 Carl, Caleb 5967 10:05 Cook, Brett 2844 6:14 Dodge, Tim 153 8:14 Ellis, John Lee 4819 8:25 Feldman, Tim 2434 7:45 Flanigan, John 9603 8:34 Fraser, Malcolm 11377 7:39 Hartokolis, Nate 11847 8:07 Howell, James 11940 7:16 Hustvedt, Anders * 10581 7:05 Johnson, Kieran 7:14 Lippe, Amy * 1679 7:03 Mangin, John 11574 10:05 McKee, Amanda 11257 10:01 Miyazaki, Makoto 10441 8:59 Ng, Ricky * 11863 6:48 Ramos, Mateo * 11656 7:40 Rivet, Richard * 11029 8:00 Rolfs, Christopher * 11956 7:03 Rosenthal, Harris 11941 6:14 Rudolph, Steve 3112 7:29 Rupel, Ray 8945 9:54 Schabacker, Noah 6276 8:19 Shlachter, Jeremy 11228 8:36 Sigmond, Bennett 1842 7:45 Smith, Vernon 3551 9:15 Snavely, Henry 11523 8:36 TeBockhorst, Earl 10173 7:45 Turek, Michael 2307 6:48 Walsh, Bryce   * First 200k Randonnée! Most Rerouted Kersey Kick Ever! 35 starters and 33 finishers enjoyed mild temps - upper 40's into the 60's - under brilliant sun, with a stiff but not punishing SE breeze. This Kersey Kick featured three route changes that increased the delight factor of this ride. First was a jaunt up the I-25 Frontage Road, to avoid a rough and heavily trafficked section of Weld County Rd 13. Next - the "Evans Bypass" - totally avoided Evans and the busy, rough roads leading in and out, by crossing the South Platte and heading east on peaceful roads paralleling the river. The final change was to avoid Kersey Road (Rd. 49) entirely - they are reconstructing this road in segments, and it's unsafe for cycling - by heading west on rolling Rd. 44, past Pelican Lake, then on to Platteville. Lots of new riders and new RUSA members, as well as dear friends and familiar faces - welcome to all! - John Lee Ellis A bright start! Andy Albershardt Diane Benoit - Platteville Jeremy Shlachter - finish James Howell - finish Diane Benoit - finish Foon Feldman - finish Malcolm Fraser - finish Earl TeBockhorst & Ben Sigmond