As one of the US’ top cycling cities, it’s no surprise that Seattle is home to a great diversity of clubs and teams. One of our most unique groups is the Seattle International Randonneurs (SIR), which is one of the most well-established clubs of its kind in the world.
Sweat-infused baguette at 2008’s control stop in Cumberland.
Randonneuring is self-supported long-distance cycling. Randoneurring events (called Populaires or Brevets) vary in length from 100 km (62 miles) to 1200 km (750 miles). These events are not races, but they do have time limits to keep things challenging. Some Randonneurs aim to finish within the course’s time limit, while others try to set personal bests.
Riders get a route sheet and carry a “control card,” which gets signed at pre-determined checkpoints (called controls) along the way to show that they have completed the course. Riders who complete the course within the course’s time limit get a medal.
On June 26-30 SIR will be hosting its biggest event of the year, the Cascade 1200. This challenging ride attracts riders from around the country and even a few international riders. To ensure the success of the event, the Randonneurs are looking for volunteers.
Incoming riders get their time cards completed during the 2008 Cascade 1200.
The exact route of this year’s event is a bit up in the air at the moment, due to snow levels on some of the remote roads. The current plan is to do the original route (Monroe-Carson, Carson-Quincy, Quincy-Mazama, Mazama-Monroe). This year’s event will also include a concurrent 1000K route that finishes in Mazama–requiring riders to arrange their own return transportation back to Monroe.
If self-supported long distance cycling appeals to you, volunteering to support this event could be a great way to dip your toes into Randonneuring culture. Given the sleep deprived nature of this event, volunteers who will have the most fun will be able to improvise and keep a positive and helpful attitude to help motivate the riders.
In 2008 I helped with some pre-ride preparation and at control station #1 and it was an enlightening experience. How many of us can even comprehend the idea of cycling 1200K in a single effort? Wow. It is absolutely inspiring to see folks pushing their physical and mental limits in this kind of endurance event. Speaking from experience, helping riders during this event is an amazing and rewarding experience.
Riders get (almost) personal attention during the 2008 Cascade 1200.
The specific volunteer tasks vary depending on the location of the control:
-At the daytime controls, volunteers date/time stamp and initial control cards.
-At overnight controls volunteer tasks include showing riders to sleep areas, taking wake-up orders, preparing and serving food, and helping riders locate their drop bags and bikes.
Contact: Amy Pieper : tripieper*at*yahoo{dot}com
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