Ronde 4.0 first recap

A huge thank you goes out to everyone who supported the 2013 Ronde Rosey and to all of you that took part in the ride, donations, and raffle.  I was blown away by the amount and quality of donations you all came through with.  There is a MOUNTAIN of bicycle parts to donate to Bikes Not Bombs and $2420!  I'll be at BNB on Thursday night to deliver both.

If you couldn't make it on Sunday, but would still like to make a donation, you can head here to do so

If you're doing some spring cleaning and have more bike parts you'd like to donate, go here to learn about how to do that

Ronde 4.0 final hours

Less than 72 hours to go.  The GPS track and cue sheets have been sent to the teams, the route is finalized, and the huge amount of goodies from sponsors is gathered.

Hammer Nutrition donated 100 gel packets, lots of HEED drink mix, and lots of endurolyte tablets to make sure people aren't bonking too badly out there

Soulrun made some special items that will be in the raffle

Pedros has come through with awesome items INCLUDING this tool kit

Lazer donated a sweet top of the line helmet! and a Lion of Flander helmet cover

Ortlieb donated a very nice bag

Cuppow and Geekhouse goods

Mad Alchemy goodness

T-shirts designed by the best

Other huge supporters helping us break last year's fundraising total include:

Did I forget to mention, the Strava folks, and their fancy new Sprinter Van will be there at the finish line?  They are also donating some jersey bins and clothing items for the raffle

Of course, The Washington Square Tavern and Beaver Brook Bottles who host us all and feed us delicious burgers after we finish

Mayflower Brewing for donating a keg of beer!

Even if you're not riding, join us for the post ride party starting around 2:30 and ending once you've donated every last penny to Bikes Not Bombs.

Ronde 4.0 shirts

Bob Morgan worked his magic and came up with a sweet shirt design for us to commemorate the Ronde and raise even more money for Bikes Not Bombs.

American Apparel t's, they are available now, for pre-order.  You can pick them up at the Tavern on April 14th, as long as you order before April 1.

If you are picking it up, be sure to select a country other than the US to negate the shipping cost.

Ronde 4.0 supporters

The Ronde de Rosey sends 100% of the money raised to Bikes not Bombs.  In 2013, in addition to the entry fee, all participants will be required to donate a new/like new bicycle component for the Bikes not Bombs team to either resell in their store, or use in their shop to make bikes whole.  I expect things like new chains (8 speed, single speed, even 9 speed are great), new brake pads, fully functional derailleurs and shifters, or handlebars, new bar tape/grips, new 26 inch tires, etc.  I'm sure everyone has at least a few items in their parts bin that would be of great use to Bikes not Bombs.

Also, this year's Ronde and post Ronde raffle wouldn't be possible without the support of the following companies:

Hammer Nutrition

Mike Zanconato

Mad Alchemy

Lazer

Soulrun

Castelli

Pedros

Be sure to stick around after the ride and buy lots of raffle tickets so you can win sweet stuff and make Bikes not Bombs happy with a big donation.

Ronde 4.0 is full

Registration is closed, but the course is continuing to take shape.  I snuck in one last scouting trip before the trails were buried by the recent snows.  2013 will be an awesome route, as long as the woods dry out before April 14th.

Ronde 4.0 date announced

April 14th, Patriot's Day weekend, the day before Marathon Monday.  Follow here for pictures of the new route: http://roseyscot.tumblr.com/  I'm about 70% done, and it will be a soul crusher, not for the weak or whiny.








(sorry Ian)

Ronde 4.0

I've selected some new trails for 2013.  I continue to be pleasantly surprised by what I'm finding.  Some will be familiar, old favorites, but there will be plenty of new stuff for everyone.  And, since the last few years there has been a bit of sabotage to my trail markers, participants in 2013 will need a bar mounted GPS to follow the route.

Ridiculous

Things I learned while riding 315 miles:

• A follow car at night is a huge bonus
• The person driving the follow car will tire out much sooner than the people riding through the night
• Prepping lots and lots of water bottles in the follow car makes stops a lot faster
• I experienced no less than 5 second winds
• Having good company, riding at a like speed is critical for such an adventure
• Town line sprints count less than state line sprints.  Country line sprints however, should never even be attempted, due to likely imprisonment
• We recon'd the route and were going to take out a 1 mile dirt road in southern NH.  Turns out, there were still about 30 dirt road miles once we got to Vermont so that 1 mile seems pretty insignificant now
• Aluminum race bikes do not make for comfortable triple centuries
• The entire province of Quebec has horrible horrible quality roads (but at least their health insurance is good)
• Desire to "do anything" other than eat and sleep upon finishing a triple century in a scenic city like Montreal was near zero

I'll write more about some of the good and bad equipment choices on the day soon