Super Sixes (Super Randonnées)....Anyone??

[Dan Driscoll]

It’s that time of the year…..When many Randos start to think and plan new adventures, for the upcoming year. 

Here’s an idea that’s brought many of us some wanted pain and pleasure, coupled with an awesome adventure, a nice sense of accomplishment / satisfaction with our planning and completion, some unforgettable scenery and some good times and great memories with friends. 

Sure, there’s a new kid in town the 8K 600km, but there’s something very special and different about so many of RUSA’s Super Sixes. You get more climbing, but also additional time (60 hours), allowing you to have two overnights, ride mostly in the daylight, and see much more. The RUSA Super Six Perms, tend to be more remote, with some spectacular scenery, in a lot of different areas of the USA. There are also a lot of international Super Sixes to explore. Another advantage is that a Super Six is a permanent, and can be ridden any time you like, as long as you coordinate with the perm owner. 

RUSA has a medal available which is quite good looking, but if you are looking for a bigger challenge, there is a custom hand made ceramic award, mailed to you from Sophie from France if you finish 10, 20 or 30 Super Sixes. With special recognition if all routes were completed in Rando mode (60 hours) and / or if they were all unique routes. To my knowledge only 3 RUSA members have earned 10 or more Super Sixes, and only two have earned 10 with unique routes. 

Here’s a list of all the SR’s around the world, scroll to the bottom to see USA offerings https://www.superrandonnees.org/sr-list . Having done 13 unique routes in the USA, I can tell you, while the distances and amount of climbing are similar, the degree of difficulty for different routes is not, I’ve found some routes to be either more remote (spaced out services), steeper longer climbs, gravel and with altitude considerations, or a combination of of several of these factors. 

Getting older and not sure, about this challenge, you can earn the same awards riding a Super Six in tourist mode, although you’d not get RUSA km credit, you have a lot of extra time, and can actually make it a Bike Packing experience. 

Happy planning, for 2026 and beyond 

DanD  

Class of 2022…….

[Hamid Akbarian]

Thanks Dan for motivation us to ride and plan ahead :-)

I could be wrong but I think that the Super Sixes that you are referring to, they can no longer be

used for ACP R10000 award unless a Super Randonnée 600 homologated by 10/31/2022, a ACP 8K600km is needed instead.

Hamid Akbarian

[Kitty Goursolle]

Hamid, you're correct...now one must do a 600 km with 8K climbing--  as an ACP brevet, not as a perm,  to count toward the ACP Randonneur 10,000. 

[JEFF NEWBERRY]

Hamid, absolutely correct that an ACP 8K600km is the requirement for an R10000, but it's important to also note that since you can only earn one R10000 every 4 years (as each of those is tied to PBP), there's not the incentive, from an awards point of view, to keep seeking out the 8x6. Get an 8x6 in the bag for PBP 2027 and then focus on the considerable fun factor the Super Six provides. I've ridden 4 Super Sixes, each of them unforgettable challenges, made especially memorable by the tightly knit group I rode them with. My point is that these events now exist separately from the R10000 chase, but the glory (and perks, such as time for sleep(!) and freedom to select your starting date) the Super Six event offers is its own unique reward.

Jeff Newberry 

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[Noah Swartz]

But do SR600s still count for other awards? K-Hound, R-12, Rusa Cup, etc?

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[Charlie Martin]

Not only do SR600s contribute towards RUSA distance and streak awards, but they're also the exclusive qualifier for the 10/20/30x Super Randonnées Challenges. The trinket for those is super cool. It's a ceramic SR600 placard hand-crafted by the legendary Sophie Matter herself (pioneer of Super Randonnées), customized with your name, tier(s), and year of achievement.

I'll echo what Dan and Jeff said. Riding these is a unique experience and its own reward. The extended time limit makes it much more achievable in my opinion than the 8k600 format, while getting to experience more of the route in daylight and with much more potential for sleep. Riding it in tourist mode (average 75 km per day) is extremely doable even for the toughest routes, and opens up some fun possibilities if the 60-hour format seems too daunting.

- Charlie

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[Hamid Akbarian]

I hope that my post did not sound negative toward Super Sixes. I get sometimes questions about the R10k award and I was just pointing the changes in requirement.

 Hamid

[Andrew LaMarche]

I've been eyeing some super sixes - is anyone aware of some that are more dirt/gravel oriented? Bonus points the closer it is to New England, but really just looking for something scenic and memorable.

[Charlie Martin]

These SR600's all have unpaved sections. The NorCal Traverse SR600 in California also has notable unpaved sections (most notably Mendocino Pass). If you have a knack for route building, you can also create your own.

- Charlie

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[Ramsey Hanna]

Not sure where you live Andrew, but the one I built in Virginia is intentionally built as a gravel route. As a bonus, nobody has ridden it yet, I’d gladly ride it with anybody that is interested,

Ramsey

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[Andrew LaMarche]

Thank you! Ramsey's certainly looks interesting to me. I have been adding a fair amount of perms recently and have been working on a predominantly gravel SR, but it likely won't be ready for quite some time.

-Andrew