Montana Randos-100% attendance!

June 15, 2013 may go down in history as one of the nicest weather days I've ever had on a bike ride.  That bike ride, the Tobacco Roots Mountains 300K Brevet, took me 16 hours and 15 minutes to complete, but with no chance for rain, light winds that were tailwinds much of the time, and pleasant temps, it was a joy to be outside all day.

Another cool fact about this ride: There are currently 5 active Randonneurs USA members in the State of Montana, and we had all five on this ride.  This is especially terrific because all the guys came from very different places in the State.  We had Mike Biggle from Great Falls, Joshua Loveland from Helena, Karel Stroethoff from Missoula, Ken Billingsley from Molt, and myself from Belgrade.  That's a lot of miles traveled to ride in our little 'ol brevet series.



Mike Biggle, Ken Billingsley, Jason Karp, Karel Stroethoff, and Joshua Loveland

We had a pleasant ride along the Madison River on brand new, yet to be chip sealed pave, before we hit our first control in Norris. After a quick stop we were about to assault the first big climb of the day, the Norris Hill. But before we could get there Mike got a flat-our only mechanical issue of the day. Mike was well equipped to get it changed so we continued up the climb, which got us all warmed up.

We were all back together at the next control in Ennis where we refueled for the beyond category (for me anyway) climb over the Virginia City Hill. Mike cruised up the hill easily and was soon out of site. Joshua and Karel spun a nice steady pace and were well ahead of me. Ken, who took the early part of the climb easy, caught me about half way up and gave me a nice push before he rode past. How he can do that and not wipe out I'll never know, but it was pretty fun while it lasted. Karel stopped at a scenic turnout to take some pictures and Joshua stopped on the false summit 1 mile from the top to help a guy in a pickup with a flat tire-calling a bunch of phone numbers trying to find somebody to rescue the poor guy. Everybody climbed well, although I need to lose about 10 more pounds of winter flab-that really slowed me down. We caught up to Mike briefly in Sheridan as he was having lunch in a small café. The rest of us settled for the grocery store and a shady spot on the bank lawn across the street. Mike was underway again just as we were chowing down. 

In Twin Bridges, Ken, Karel, and I stopped to check out the town's bike camp.  The town of Twin Bridges set up a small building and camping area for touring cyclists.  It has a sink, toilets, and a shower, along with maps, tools, and other essential items for the cross-country tourist.  Cyclists can stay free of charge (though a donation is encouraged). In exchange, it's hoped the cyclists will drop a few dollars in the town.  It's a neat idea.  I hope they can keep it going.  Reading the guest book, it is obviously much appreciated by those who have passed through.


Twin Bridges Bike Camp

On the ride from Sheridan to Twin Bridges, Joshua had fallen behind. After Karel, Ken, and I left the Bike Camp, which was a block or so off route, Joshua was no where to be seen. Looking way up the road coming out of Twin Bridges, which is straight and flat, we still couldn't see him. I was a afraid he wasn't feeling well, so I bid Karel and Ken to press on and I would wait at a roadside historic marker for Joshua to come along. After waiting about a half-hour or so I started to soft pedal back towards Twin Bridges thinking maybe he had a mechanical problem or something. Suddenly my cell phone rang, which was a surprise as the screen said I had no service. I heard Joshua's voice on the other end for just a second before it cut off. So I kept soft pedaling. Then somehow Joshua got a text message through saying he was up the road and Ken and Karel had just caught him. I was relieved to hear he was okay and turned around to enjoy a sudden tailwind that blew me to Silver Star without hardly pedaling. I arrived in Whitehall needing a rest, and found Joshua graciously waiting for me at the store. After a quick break we pedaled easy into a pleasant evening. Meeting up with my dutiful volunteer Brenda who gave us a coke and a smile! Joshua and I took it easy coming home. He had a motel room in Belgrade for the night so we were under no pressure to finish quickly. It was a pleasant cruise despite my ever aching backside.

Many, many thanks to my fellow Montana Randonnuers for all coming out and making for such an enjoyable, and even historic day. And as always, many thanks to my wife Brenda, and son Jackson for supporting us so well and having a meal prepared for us at the finish.

Our 109K 4th of July populaire is just around the corner and then it's on to our 400K on July 20. If those days are half as nice I'll be happy.  Ride results and a link to more photos are HERE.

Tobacco Roots 300K Brevet

Madison County Courthouse-Virginia City, MT

The time for my next brevet is approaching.  This is a nice 300K brevet (actually 188 miles) that starts and finishes at my house in Belgrade.  We'll ride to Norris, climb Norris Hill and go to Ennis, then climb the big 10 mile long Virginia City Hill before dropping into Montana's Gold Rush Country.  The last half of the route is flatter and has some nice scenery-especially through Jefferson Canyon.

Ride: Tobacco Roots 300K Brevet. Click here for the map, profile, and navigation info. The cue sheet is here.

Date: Saturday June 15, 2013

Start Time: 6:00 AM

Registration from 5:30 AM– 6:00 AM. Click here for the paperwork. Please CONTACT ME before the ride to let me know you're coming.

Start Location: 713 Cheery Drive, Belgrade, Montana (my house).  Go north on Jackrabbit Lane from the Belgrade I-90 interchange for about 1.5 miles and turn left on Cheery.

Time Limit: 20 hours. Lights and reflective gear will be required-just in case. See Article 10 in the Rules for Riders.

Entry Fee: $10. No membership required, but RUSA membership ($20) is encouraged. Membership forms will be available at registration.

Motels: Super 8, La Quinta, and Quality Inn are all within 2 miles of the start.

Yellowstone National Park South Loop

Map, Profile and more info

Entry and Waiver forms

This route is also scheduled to be run as a 200K brevet with the first edition being held on September 28, 2013.

Most of the roads on the south loop of Yellowstone have been redone in recent years.  There's a little bit of shoulder, but riders must always be alert.  A rear view mirror is strongly recommended.  Watch out for those motorhome mirrors!

The route goes past some of Yellowstone's greatest attractions, including Old Faithful, Yellowstone Lake, The Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, and Norris Geyser Basin.  There will also likely be lots of wildlife including bison, elk, deer, antelope, and if you're really lucky, a wolf or bear.  The route is pretty well serviced, but be mindful of the closing dates of some of the park vendors if doing this ride in the fall.

The park entry fee for bicycles is $12

West Yellowstone-Old Faithful 100K Permanent Populaire

Map, Profile, and more info

Entry and Waiver forms

A relatively flat and scenic ride from West Yellowstone to Old Faithful and back in Yellowstone National Park.  The ride starts and finishes in Montana, but most of your time will be spent in Wyoming.  Grab a bite to eat at the Old Faithful Lodge, watch the geyser go off (if you have time) and then return the way you came.  Caution-it's like rush hour right after Old Faithful goes off and Yellowstone traffic is always quite busy in the summer months.  The roads are in good shape in this part of the park.  For a more relaxing ride, come out in the fall when a lot of the tourists have gone home.

The park entry fee for bicycles is $20

Hilly Hyalite 101K Permanent

Map and more info

Entry and Waiver forms

This is a nice permanent populaire route, starting and finishing in Belgrade that goes through suburbia, farm land, national  forest, and even some urban with a ride through downtown Bozeman.  The top feature is the 10 mile climb through Hyalite Canyon-the Bozeman area's most popular cycling route.  It's a long steady, but not too hard climb and a fun descent.  I've done this route many times and always enjoy it.

Missoula 200K Brevet-Loving the Bitterroot Bicycle Trail

Karel had a flat 5 miles from the finish-but got it fixed in a jiffy

More Photos Here 

 

When we last did this route in 2011, I wrote that it featured the best piece of infrastructure in Montana, The Bitterroot Bicycle Trail.  Well since then, the trail has gotten even better.  It has been extended all the way to Hamilton.  So I modified the 2011 route to stay on the trail instead of using the highway on the east side of the Bitterroot River.  The result was over 70 miles of bike path riding, and not having to deal with intolerant Ravalli County drivers-who proved in 2011 to be pretty hostile.

 

Karel Stroethoff and I were honored to be joined by Mike Biggle from Great Falls on a breezy chilly morning in Missoula. We set out at 7AM and were blessed with a nice tailwind to Frenchtown.  Then we made our way across the Missoula Valley in heavier than usual traffic.  Something was going on.  Eventually we came across the staging area for some sort of huge running event.  There were people everywhere.  The traffic remained heavy for a few miles, but most were going the opposite way and didn't cause us any problems. 

 

We eventually joined the aforementioned Bitterroot Bicycle Trail in Lolo and flew to Hamilton with a 15 mph wind at our backs.  Our first 100K was done in just over 4 hours and life was easy.  Unfortunately, we had to return from were we came and the ally wind was now our adversary for the next 40 or so miles.  Mike spun on ahead, the wind causing him little resistance while Karel and I chugged along behind.  Karel got a flat right at the Missoula city limits sign when he ran over a staple, but he had it changed in short order and we cruised through residential Missoula and the University of Montana to the finish. 

 

The weather forecast called for highs in the mid-60's, but I don't think we reached that until about 10 miles from being done.  I kept my arm and leg warmers on the whole way.  But it wasn't a bad day, considering the awful spring weather we've been having.  The 15 mph winds were a mere breeze compared to the record setting gales from last weekend.  So it was a successful 200K and a good start to the brevet season. Congrats to Mike for completing his first randonneuring event in fine fashion-I'm so happy to have another Montana randonneur in the fold.  Our next one, the 300K, is June 15 out of Belgrade.  Should be fun!

Missoula 200K-Coming soon!

Here's the details on our next brevet:

Ride: Missoula 200K Brevet. Click here for the map, profile, and navigation info. The cue sheet is here.

Date: Saturday May 4, 2013

Start Time: 7:00 AM

Registration from 6:30 AM– 7:00 AM. Click here for the paperwork. Please CONTACT ME

before the ride to let me know you're coming.

Start Location: Park and Ride Lot, 1192 East Broadway, Missoula, MT. Take the Missoula Van Buren Street I-90 exit (exit 105) and go left on Broadway.

Time Limit: 13.5 hours. See Article 10 in the Rules for Riders.

Entry Fee: $10. No membership required, but RUSA membership ($20) is encouraged. Membership forms will be available at registration.

Motels: We'll be staying at the Motel 6, which is close to the start.  Lots of other motel choices in the immediate area.