Gravel tour of Italy 210k RUSA brevet, June 14th

[Peter Rajcani]

Hi everyone,

LSR is hosting Gravel tour of Italy 210k RUSA brevet next Saturday, June 14th. This is one of my favorite gravel routes and it explores remote gravel roads in Navarro and Limestone counties. The route starts in Italy (Tiger mart / Denny's) and it is about 70% gravel. I recommend a gravel bike setup for this ride with at least 35c tires, tubeless is a plus. If not riding tubeless, carry at least 2 tubes since gravel can be sharp especially when it is fresh. It will be hot, so be sure to carry plenty of water. There are 3 stores on the route - Hubbard (mi 36), Wortham (mi 75) and Blooming Grove (mi 115). The store in Blooming Grove closes at 8 pm.

I recommend bringing the night gear (lights front and rear, reflective gear). When I rode this route as a perm with Joshua last November, it took us 13 hours to finish. I also rode the route solo last year in June and it took me 13 hours 41 minutes. With the 7 am planned start, expect to finish around 8-8:30 pm but it may take longer. The time limit to finish is 16 hours 28 min (the time limit is extended by 2 hours 25 min due to 90 mi / 145k of gravel). 

Caution: There is a short dirt road section in this route (about 1 mile, marked in the cue sheet), watch for ruts and possible mud after rain. 

Waiver & RSVP:  Signed waivers are due to Dan - dandr...@me.com and to peter....@yahoo.com no later than 7:00 pm the night before the ride.  Keep the signed paper copy and bring it with you to the ride start.  If you're a maybe, please go ahead and send it.  You can still decide not to ride if that's your call.  
 
The details:

• The Start:  Exxon/Tiger Mart, 101 L R Campbell Rd Italy, TX
• Start time: 7 am
• Parking: Park behind Denny's

• Membership:  Membership is required for LSR and RUSA.  RUSA Membership and LSR Membership
• RWGPS link: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/49799263
• Weather: Morning thunderstorms, high 88 F, low: 74 F, 9 mph S wind. I will keep an eye on the weather and post an update closer to the ride date
• Sunrise: 6:20 am, sunset 8:34 pm

Please contact me with any questions and check back for updates.

Riders:

Peter

Stephen

Joshua

ATTACHMENTS:  
1. WAIVER:  Fill in the waiver, then print, sign and scan or take a photo.  Email the signed waiver no later than 7 pm the night before the ride.  If you're undecided, send it in!  You can change your mind until the ride starts.  
2. CUE SHEET:  Print to have information related to stores, controls, hazards, etc.  
3. PROOF OF PASSAGE:  RUSA is accepting multiple proofs of passage, so it's your choice.  Be prepared to send one or more of the following to Dan as he requests:
    * EPP - Submit your EPP showing you completed the official course, made all the controls and finished in the time allowed.
    * Receipts - Submit photo of your compiled receipts with control and time highlighted.
    * Photos - Submit time-stamped photos (you may need to download a Time Stamp app) of you at each control. 

Please note:

Randonneuring inherently involves various hazards, and riders assume all risks associated with the activity.  Hazards include, but are not limited to, motor vehicles; other cyclists; loose dogs, livestock or wild animals; road flaws including cracks, potholes, ridges, gratings, rumble strips, sand or gravel; lightning, Sun in Drivers eyes, heat, cold, ice, or other hazardous weather; mechanical failures; fatigue; medical conditions; assault.  All routes are on public roads or paths, and neither the route nor any flaws in the road surface are marked, no cones will be provided.  All routes are unsupported.  Riders will be required to sign and submit the attached waiver prior to riding.  Please read it, as you are signing away some rights and are responsible for knowing what you sign. 

Take care,

Peter

[Peter Rajcani]

Update:

Riders:

Peter

Stephen H

Weather update: 88 High, 76 low, partly cloudy with 30% chance of thunderstorms, 10 mph S wind

There is a short dirt road section before Blooming Grove (about a mile) which may be muddy if we get more rain this week. I will check on reroute options for that section

Peter

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[Peter Rajcani]

Update - weather forecast for Saturday looks better now, 88 High, 74 low, 24% chance of rain, 11 mph S wind. Hope it stays that way.

For those of you who do not have a gravel bike - I have a spare gravel bike you can use for the ride. It's a Lauf True Grit with 30 mm travel fork which is perfect for gravel riding. The bike has 45c tubeless tires. It's a medium frame that will fit 5'8'' to 5'11" rider. It has Shimano SPD pedals so if you use different pedals, bring your pedals to swap them out.

The Gravel Tour of Italy is a great route, zero traffic (except the paved sections), about 70% gravel.

If anyone is interested to borrow the bike let me know. I also have a set of 35c Continental tires that I am willing to give to anyone who is interested. Those will fit a road bike with clearance for large tires.

Take care,

Peter

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/Talk2LSR/1768966391.1916552.1749610035694%40mail.yahoo.com.

[Peter Rajcani]

Update:

Riders

Peter

Stephen

Weather: high 91, low 72, 20% chance of rain

If anyone else wants to join us, please send the waiver asap

Take care

Peter

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/Talk2LSR/869954681.2300298.1749703204691%40mail.yahoo.com.