February Newsletter
The next Brevet will be the third annual Ride Around Massanutten Mountain beginning @7:00a.m. on February 23rd from 67 Cullers Lane Strasburg, Va. This is a no fee brevet. The course is a loop design that circumnavigates Massasnutten Mountain. There is an early control (mile 22.6) so please try not to be late and not make the first control on time. The RBA will not be riding the course, but will be doing a shorter fun ride. Anyone not participating in the brevet is welcome to ride along. Weather permitting there will be a bonfire at dusk for those who are interested and have the time to hang around. This would also be a good time to voice your suggestions and opinions on what you think are good ideas to improve the brevets. It is also a great time to learn all there is to know about the Shenandoah 1200K.
On March 8th, Paul Donaldson will once again host “The Richmond Roundabout” this is not an official brevet ride but it has been a spring tradition for many years with the local randonneurs. This ride begins from the Ashland Tea and Coffee House in Ashland, Va @ 5:00a.m. and circumnavigates the city of Richmond. A very pleasant ride with way less climbing than a typical brevet course. ~176 miles with a few not recommended short cuts.
Beginning March 15th, the ACP Super Randonneur Series begins with the Urbana 200K which will start from the Waffle House located at 8904 Fingerboard Rd. Starting time 7:00a.m. Brevet fee is $10. The 2nd 200K ACP ride will be on March 29th beginning from the Super 8 Motel in Middletown, Va. Start time is also 7:00a.m. and the course will be the Lost River 200K. The Brevet fee will be $10. The rest of the ACP schedule will be finalized in the next week.
In between the the ACP 200K’s is the Fleche’. The Fleche’ is different from the other brevets in that all riders are part of a team. It is also different as the ride lasts 24hrs as opposed to a certain distance. There are many other rules and differences involved in riding the Fleches-USA. If you are planning on participating in the fleche’. Please submit the necessary documents to the RBA as soon as possible so that all the procedures can be accurately and timely completed. You may want to consult the RUSA team events section on the RUSA website. If you have additional questions contact the RBA. There is no entry fee for the Mid-Atlantic Fleche’ this year. We hope to have a Sunday Morning Buffet celebration at the Key Bridge Marriott, but at this time the Marriott is not positive that their renovations will be completed in time.
There is much work involved in organizing brevets and promoting randonneuring. Volunteerism is the key to keeping costs low while at the same time providing the essentials that keeps riders coming back. I once again wish to thank all the volunteers that have helped in the past year. I would also like to appeal to these and other potential volunteers to continue their support of randonneuring by giving back to the sport that gives us so much. Volunteers are always welcomed and appreciated.
Sincerely,
Matt Settle, RBA