RIDES AGAIN
Volume 6 Issue 1 - January/February 2001

The 2000 SIR Executive Board: Mark Thomas, Ken Carter, Peter McKay, Bill Dussler, Terry Zrmhal, Greg Cox & Wayne Methner.


Membership fee:  $8.00 - full membership w/e-mail newsletter or $15.00 - full membership w/printed newsletter.
Membership Address: c/o Ken Carter, 348 Lind Ave. SW #33, Renton, WA 98055 (email: [email protected])
Newsletter Address: c/o Peter McKay, 8837 32nd Avenue SW, Seattle, WA 98126-3722 (email: [email protected])

In This Issue

2000 ACP, RM & RUSA medals earned by SIR members
Gold Rush Randonnée
Terry Z's Winter Training Rides
Mark's speech to the Redmond City Council
2001 Brevet Information

Updated: 20 February 2001




2000 Audax Club Parisian, Randonneurs Mondiaux & Randonneurs USA Medals

Congratulations to all those who earned distinction during 2000 by achieving cycling milestones. Below are the SIR members who earned Super Randonneur, Randonneurs 5000 and RUSA 1000 & 2000 medals.


Super Randonneur

Ken Carter
Bill Dussler
Andy Fuller
Ron Lee
Dick Pado
Kent Peterson
Lynn Vigesaa
Peg Winczewski

Randonneur 5000km

Ken Carter
Greg Cox
Bill Dussler
Dick Pado
Mark Thomas

Under the results for the BC Randonneurs, you'll note Ron Himschoot's twin brother by the same name.

RUSA 1000 km & 2000km

Bill Dussler - 2000km
Jim Giles - 1000 km
Peter McKay - 1000 km
Dick Pado - 1000 km & 2000km
(Editor notes that many others completed the qualifying distances, but did not submit medal applications to RUSA.)



Gold Rush Randonnée -- 1200 km Randonnée in California Next July

The Davis Bike Club extends a hearty invitation to our SIR randonneuring colleagues to do the first Gold Rush Randonnée on July 9-11th. The GRR route is a mixture of high mountains and flat farmlands, all of it on scenic roads in some of California's last unspoiled regions. Standard randonneuring regulations and format will be used, namely 90 hours to do the 1200 kilometers. Riders will need to do the normal Super Randonneur series of four brevets in spring of 2001 for automatic entry into the GRR--but they should contact us if their regional 600 km brevet occurs too late for this. The controls are spaced every 80-100 kilometers and will have full support by the Davis Bike Club. The club is working with a travel agent to arrange travel packages for entrants travelling long distances to Davis. There will also be various tourist excursions during the ride itself for spouses and their children while the rider in the family does the GRR. Since Davis is centrally located in the northern part of the state, many popular tourist regions such as San Francisco, Yosemite National Park, Lake Tahoe, or the Napa Valley wine-growing region are all accessible for vacations before or after the event. For further information, write to: Gold Rush Randonnée c/o Dan Shadoan, Corresponding Secretary 2206 Whittier Davis, CA, 95616 phone: (530) 756-9266 or visit the informative GRR web site at: http://davisbikeclub.org/goldrush.



Terry Z's Winter Training Rides

Last week, Terry Z kicked off his third annual winter training ride series with a 36 mile/55 km ride around the familiar farm roads east of Redmond. We had great weather (interpretation: it was dry). Here is a list of this year's tentative schedule. Terry will send a message out during the week preceding the ride with ride details.

SIR Winter Training Series III
1/20 1.5-2 hours 40 miles Marymoor to Carnation, Union Hill and back.
1/27 3.25 hours 50 miles Camano Island from Stanwood
2/3 4.25 hours 60-65 miles Issaquah to Enumclaw (from Issaquah Park and Ride)
2/10 5.25 hours 75-80 miles Arlington/Stanwood or Conway to Bellingham / Greg & Ruth Sneed also have a 66 miles ride Gene Coulon to Flaming Geyser
2/17 2.5 hours 40-50 miles Issaquah to Black Diamond bakery (Issaquah Park and Ride)
2/24 3.5 hours 60 miles RCC Roller Coaster ride, led by Greg & Ruth Sneed, 61 miles, Southworth to Gig Harbor & back
3/10 85 miles (or 200 km) Millersylvania with Bill & Melody.
3/17 open
3/24 open



Mark's speech to the Redmond City Council - January 16, 2001

Mayor Ives, members of the city council, I'm Mark Thomas and I'm here tonight on behalf of the League of American Bicyclists to recognize Redmond for its support of bicycling.

The League of American Bicyclists is the nation's premier cycling organization, with a current membership of 300,000 affiliated cyclists, including 40,000 individuals and 600 organizations. The League promotes bicycling for fun, fitness and transportation, and works through advocacy and education for a bicycle-friendly America. The League represents the interests of the nation's 42.4 million bicyclists.

Tonight I'm pleased to announce that the League has awarded Redmond its designation as a "Bicycle-Friendly Community." This designation is memorialized in this plaque, which I am pleased on behalf of the League of American Bicyclists to present to the city. Redmond joins 50 other communities nationwide that have been recognized by the League for actively supporting local cycling and for meeting the League's established criteria for bicycle infrastructure and promotion of cycling.

By this award, the League applauds the many accomplishments of the Pedestrian and Bicycle Advisory Committee and the City staff as they work to improve cycling in Redmond. In reviewing this application three items were particularly important to the League.

– First was the creation of a subsection of the Redmond Comprehensive Plan outlining the Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan for the city.

– Second, was the commitment by Redmond of $700,000 to fund bicycle facilities improvements between 1999 and 2004.

– Third, and most important was the positive feedback the League has received from individuals who cycle in Redmond on a regular basis.

The League believes that, in many ways, this designation is a metaphor for distinguishing a community as a good place to live and work. It recognizes that the community takes care of its citizens by providing excellent facilities and resources to support bicycling for transportation and recreation. Being friendly to bicycling enhances the attractiveness of Redmond to its residents, its employers, and its potential employers.

I can personally heartily second the League's recognition of Redmond.

~ As an avid recreational cyclist and president of the Seattle International Randonneurs, a local bicycling club devoted to long distance cycling, I have found Redmond to be a "Bicycle-Friendly Community" in which to ride for fun.

~ As the owners of Sammamish Valley Cycle in Redmond, my wife and I have found Redmond to be a "Bicycle-Friendly Community" in which to do business.

~ As a bicycle commuter who has often used the streets and trails of this city to get to work, I have found Redmond to be a "Bicycle-Friendly Community" for bicycle alternatives to car commuting.

~ And as parents of two cycling children who use the trails and bike lanes of Redmond to visit friends, shop, see movies, and achieve an important degree of independence and self-reliance, my wife and I have emphatically found Redmond to be a " Bicycle-Friendly Community" in which to live and raise a family.

So I join the League of American Bicyclists in recognizing the excellent work that has been done in Redmond for cyclists and also in encouraging continued improvements in and attention to this important aspect of life in Redmond. Every community has numerous areas in which citizens, local businesses, and local government can work together to become more bicycle-friendly. Congratulations and keep up the good work.



2001 Brevet Information

Greg and Bill have posted information for the 200 km and 300 km brevets, respectively. Information for Flèche Northwest is also posted.