Date and rough outline for Midwest Riv Rally

[Jim Thill - Hiawatha Cyclery]

I'm copying the following from the other thread, so it doesn't get lost:

Let's try June 1-3 in Red Wing, MN. The riding part will be on the 2nd and 3rd, so locals could show up in the morning on the 2nd to save a hotel night in Red Wing. The overnight location would be Wabasha, MN, where there are several hotels and restaurants and other services. I believe the city of Wabasha is amenable to cyclists camping at the city park, but I will seek official permission in advance.

As an aside, Wabasha is famous as the backdrop of the acclaimed film 'Grumpy Old Men' and its sequel.

I'm envisioning 2 route options: the main highways around Lake Pepin for those who want an easier ride, and a longer, more diabolical mixed-terrain route in the bluffs. There will be pie.

[RonaTD]

> Let's try June 1-3 in Red Wing, MN.

The only conflict I know of so far is that the Great Lakes Randonneurs
have an event that weekend (200-600k options). It's not a show stopper
- I don't know how many potential Riv Rally attendees are also GLR
riders. The GLR schedule also has events 5/19 (200-300k) and 6/16
(200-600k).

> Wabasha is famous as the backdrop of the acclaimed film
> 'Grumpy Old Men'

Wabasha is also famous for an inn full of cats.

Ted Durant

[Tim McNamara]

Speaking of Rivendells, Lake Pepin and the Anderson House Hotel:

http://members.bitstream.net/~timmcn/tour2000.html

[Jim Thill - Hiawatha Cyclery]

Thanks for the update about the brevet schedule, Ted. I briefly considered a research-based and/or democratic approach to scheduling to avoid these potential conflicts. I quickly reverted to the equivalent of throwing a dart at a calendar, with some care to avoid major holidays. I hope the dates I picked work out for most people, but I am certain that they will conflict with at least two dozen interesting cycling and non-cycling events, not to mention that curious but not uncommon personal quirk that prevents some people from committing to anything in advance.

At least randonneuring has become popular enough that there is now a full brevet calendar that allows riders numerous opportunities to piece together a full series.

[Philip Williamson]

And Red Wing was famous in song as a reform school,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NiWBXp46XC4, a fact I only know because
a BOB or RBW list member (Perry?) used "Let Me Die In My Footsteps" in
a video, which led me to find a Dylan album with it, and it also had
'The Walls of Redwing."


Philip

Philip Williamson
www.biketinker.com

[EricP]

The Anderson House has been closed for a couple of years. Unless
something has changed recently. A shame.

Bigger issue - that is the same weekend as the Tour de Pepin, which
starts in Lake City and goes counter clockwise around Lake Pepin. It
could mean the possibility of hundreds of riders going the opposite
direction. And possibly some attendant bicycle vs traffic headaches.

I'd vote for the following weekend. But would still ride the present
schedule.

Eric Platt
St. Paul, MN

[Jim Thill - Hiawatha Cyclery]

Thanks Eric.

It really is impossible to find a Summer weekend free of schedule conflict in this part of the country. The weekend following the TdP and proposed Midwest Riv Rally is MS150, of which a few of the 4,000ish riders will undoubtedly be RBW types, who would be torn between the Rally and a supposedly good cause.

At least the TdP is one day only, going the other direction, and two of the three route options would not interact with the proposed Riv Rally at all. I'm tempted to assume that most/all of the Riv Rally people will try my secret magical back road route, thereby avoiding the Harleys, other cycling events, and almost everybody else who flocks to Pepin on summer weekends.

[Forrest]

June 9-10 also is TOMRV (Tour of the Mississippi River Valley) in NE Iowa and NW Illinois. Could be a conflict for a few Midwest Riv types (could be for me). Probably not a big deal.

Anyway, I'm with Jim about picking event dates (as he has done) and letting the chips fall where they may.

[EricP]

Good enough. Although at this early date, am 90 percent plus sure
I'll be doing the most boring route around the lake. Just the easiest
for my hands.

Eric Platt
St. Paul, MN

[Jim Thill - Hiawatha Cyclery]

The most exciting route and the least exciting route meet several times, so a compromise is possible.

[Marc Irwin]

I would love to but I am already committed for the first two weekends
in June.

Marc

On Jan 14, 2:41 pm, Jim Thill - Hiawatha Cyclery <thill....@gmail.com>
wrote: