2005 Results

Kings Mountain 200K
July 3, 2005

The Kings Mountain 200k went well. Along with the usual fine scenery found on SCR brevets, the weather was generally pleasant and riders got a good push home along the coast highway in the afternoon. We had 16 entrants, 10 starters, and 9 finishers. The folks who stayed home missed a good day of cycling. They also missed riding with a bunch of friendly randonneurs who tackled a tough route with gusto. Several of the riders were preparing themselves for the upcoming Gold Rush Randonnée. A look at Joseph Maurer's route profile will show the trip up Tunitas Creek outbound and the return climb up Kings Mountain will make their crossing of the Sierra Nevada Mountains seem less daunting during the GRR. The day was also special because Mark Nutini of San Bruno and Dan Barcellos of Davis both celebrated their birthdays by riding 200 tough kilometers in a day-way to go, guys! A special salute also goes out to Chris Hanson for traveling all the way from Redondo Beach to join the fun. All in all, everyone finished tired but in good spirits.

There were some pensive faces to be seen at the start of the Big Basin 200k-and with good reason. With about 13,200 feet of climbing, this is probably the hardest 200 km brevet in the USA. The problem is that the 13.5-hour time limit for the 200 km distance is carved in stone for our sport. Whether a brevet is held in the flatlands of Florida, or the mountains of Montana, randonneurs have that amount of time to get the job done. Nonetheless, 14 audacious riders showed up to test themselves. The morning weather wasn't optimal; fog and drizzle made the first few hours harder than need be, but afternoon temperatures were cooler as a result and this probably helped overall.

Everyone who started the Big Basin 200 finished, and hats off to all of them. The randonneurs and randonneuses were upbeat and resolute as they continually ascended and descended a jaw-dropping series of hills and mountains that never ended. Some riders, like Lisa Antonino, Ken Shoemaker, and Derek Eukel, were using this brevet to fine-tune their climbing legs before the GRR in July, while a few others simply wanted to see if they could do it. Kevin Salyer got some wide-eyed stares when he admitted that this was his first ride over 100 miles-wow! But as this was said upon reaching the finish line, it was obvious Kevin is made of the Right Stuff, and now he can say he is a Randonneur with a capital "R". Willy Nevin rode alone at the front all day and arrived back in Cupertino in just under 9 hours, quite impressive for such a challenging brevet. Hard on his heels were Jennie Phillips and Craig Robertson. A laureate of the inaugural event last year, Dave Nawrocki, one of our SCR stalwarts, is now the only rider to have ridden the Big Basin 200 twice. Alas, this brevet was a bittersweet event for us; Dave is relocating to the farmlands of Michigan; we hope he'll carry good memories of his randonneuring adventures in the mountains of California with him.

At the finish everyone said they had a good, if tough day of cycling and praised the rugged scenery of the Santa Cruz Mountains. No doubt some other, less complimentary words were muttered about the sadistic ride organizers while riders ascended the cruel slopes of Jamison Creek road, but luckily they were not recorded for posterity. Nonetheless, it was a pleasure to watch these hardy athletes tackle such an arduous brevet with alacrity and determination. They did it all on their own, and they did it in style. Bravo!

PINNACLES 300K
April 23, 2005

The 2005 SCR 300k coincided with rugged spring weather. It was a day for wool jerseys, fenders, and helmet visors, but that didn't deter 17 randonneurs and 4 randonneuses from taking the start. Beginning the day in heavy rain and darkness, various groups formed to survive the elements and the distance. Surprisingly, most everyone reported a good, if challenging day on the bike. All who started the brevet finished despite a day of rain showers and adverse winds. For some this event was part of their GRR qualifying campaign, still others wanted to simply see if they could do it, and for a few it was the longest ride they have yet done-- and all earned something meaningful along the way. Everyone finished in good spirits and upheld the randonneur tradition of athleticism, intelligence and determination. Bravo!

SKYLINE 200K
April 9, 2005

The Skyline 200k saw another successful day on the bike by some hardy randonneurs and randonneuses. 18 riders started and 17 finished and the one person not doing the entire distance had planned to cut the day short in order to get home early. Everyone displayed fine camaraderie and determination -- a good thing for such a mountainous route. A post-ride consensus of altimeters indicated around 7500-8300 feet of vertical gain, double that for the Moss Beach 200k two weeks earlier. The climbing made things hard, but everyone was happy the weather wasn't worse than it was. 24 hours earlier the region was hammered all day by strong wind and rain that would have battered anyone foolish enough to be up in the Santa Cruz Mountains on a bicycle. Luckily, Saturday was much better, even if the temperatures were rather cool for April. All the riders got a much-appreciated push back to Santa Cruz along the coast by strong afternoon winds, and everyone finished with a smile on their face.

Ken Shoemaker provided us with his altimeter data after the ride. I've uploaded his chart here. Thanks, Ken!

Moss Beach 200K
March 26, 2005

The 2005 Santa Cruz Randonneurs brevet season kicked off with the Moss Beach 200k. After cold morning temperatures, the day had good weather and generally helpful winds. There were 18 starters, with three randonneuses in the group. Everyone finished successfully. We saw quite a few waves and smiles as folks headed back to Felton from the turnaround in Moss Beach. Some folks rode alone but most bunched up into twos or threes and enjoyed a good day of cycling along the scenic Pacific Coastline. For several riders this was their first-ever brevet and they did fine, including Phillip Givens who drove all the way from Valencia to participate.

Along with turning the pedals for hours on end, there was the usual fine randonneur camaraderie too. David Gannon of Mountain View wrote afterward: "Thanks for another great ride! I finished today only because I was shepherded by my fellow randonneurs. I had a shredded tire sidewall and was about to make repairs as best I could... which wasn't going to be very good. Two gents arrived to give me a boot in the tire and a kick in the pants. They assured me I'd make it on the booted tire and that I hadn't sufficient reason to turn back. I'm ashamed to say I don't know their names but they saved my day. I'll endeavor in the future to be better prepared for trouble-- for my own sake and in the hope I may be of similar help to another randonneur. I am very grateful to these fellows and to the spirit of the brevet.

Matthew O'Neill of Santa Cruz wrote: "Thanks for the wonderful ride. I know that this is something that you guys can't really control, but I did another 200K last month and was alone the whole time, so it was rather refreshing to find so many people on this ride who wanted to chitchat while rambling along. It really made my day. Thanks again for everything."