Populaire this weekend is cancelled, please consider the Rough Diamond Century instead

[RBA Pittsburgh]

Hi, all.

The Lazing Through Layton populaire this Saturday has been cancelled. I suggest checking out the Rough Diamond Century as an alternative: 

https://m.facebook.com/roughdiamondcentury/

Several of our members will be in attendance.

Dan Blumenfeld

RBA, Pittsburgh Randonneurs

(412) 915-6206

https://pittsburghrandonneurs.com/

[Jim Logan]

Thanks Dan!  

For all, FYI the Rough Diamond Century is RUSA Permanent 4375.

If you happen to ride it as a permanent, I suggest you use the route published by this year's nominal organizer - https://ridewithgps.com/routes/51975395

Ride with GPS | Bike Route Planner and Cycling Navigation App 103.6 mi, +5507 ft. Bike ride in Millvale, PA ridewithgps.com

• Rather than the one published in the RUSA permanent library.  We found staying on the northwest shore of the Allegheny all the way to Freeport is more pleasant than any route passing through Lower Burrell.  It is longer than the one in the library, so it doesn't have a distance problem.

I see they have changed the route into Leechburg.  That will be new to me.  The Unison bike club is the club that published the route this year.

Like brevets, the rules for permanents are that they can't be part of some other event and you don't purposely ride with people not on the permanent.  For the first clause, the RDC isn't an event per se, so that is an easy one to cross off.  As to the second clause, just don't purposely ride as part of a group if you are riding it as a permanent that day unless you are riding with other permanent riders.  Otherwise, traffic happens.

Jim Logan

RUSA #3730

PS:  I expect to ride the RDC.  I seem to be beyond the worst of what has been impacting my fitness this year and can ride 100 km comfortably, so we will see.

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From: pittsbur...@googlegroups.com <pittsbur...@googlegroups.com> on behalf of RBA Pittsburgh <rba...@gmail.com>
Sent: Wednesday, August 6, 2025 11:56 AM
To: pittsbur...@googlegroups.com <pittsbur...@googlegroups.com>
Subject: [Pgh-Randos] Populaire this weekend is cancelled, please consider the Rough Diamond Century instead

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[Jim Logan]

Looking at the weather, it is going to be hot.  I plan to ride the Rough Diamond Century as a permanent.   I am thinking of starting at 6:30 AM (just after sunrise), so in good faith I am not start with Unison.

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From: Jim Logan <wpw...@gmail.com>
Sent: Wednesday, August 6, 2025 5:42 PM
To: 'Dan Blumenfeld' via Pittsburgh Randos <pittsbur...@googlegroups.com>
Cc: RBA Pittsburgh <rba...@gmail.com>
Subject: Re: [Pgh-Randos] Populaire this weekend is cancelled, please consider the Rough Diamond Century instead

[Jim Logan]

Preface:

Ignore if you don't care about Permanent rules or know the Permanent rules.  Sharing to show (because reading RUSA rules is fun!)  how flexible the Permanent rules are to avoid needless effort to meet them (more flexible than Brevet rules).

Short version:

As an aside to using the Permanent rules to make the ride pleasant for me, the rules allow me

• Use the published RDC 2025 route rather than the permanent database route.
• To ride it clockwise (otherwise known as the "smart direction" ever since the first year).
• To essentially start at my house and end at my house.  My house is near Friday road at the top of the ridge between Millvale and Etna.

Long version:

Here are rules that allow me to do this:

"Article 3:  Ride Direction and Starting Checkpoint Options - Permanent routes may be ridden in reverse direction.... or a permanent route that starts and finishes at the same location, the rider may start ... or (2) start at any location, proceed to a checkpoint, traverse the other checkpoints in their order on the route, and return to the original starting location. In the case of #2, the rider must document the start and finish location in a manner described in Article 8, providing timed proof of passage for both starting and finishing."

This article says it is kosher for ride the route clockwise (i.e."the smart direction"), and that I can jump onto the course I am using on Friday road to officially start, and my ride ends as long as I ride close the course near Friday road.

Article 7:  "....Between checkpoints, the rider can follow the standard route, or ride alternative routes, so long as they are legal and safe. (The “standard route” is the one which was submitted for the approved Permanent, and is the route accessible from the RUSA Routes Library.) The distance credited, however, is the distance of the official route. ...  The rider must ride at least the distance of the official route. If the rider’s route ends up being shorter than the official route, the rider must make up the distance at some point during the ride (e.g., at the finish)."

This is article that says it is kosher to use the 2025 Rough Diamond Century route, which is longer than the database route and hits all the controls.  The controls which are in common are:

Summary:

RUSA rules are fun!

PS:  I would be mildly annoyed with the 2025 route if I was riding it with a group, since they would drop me in the first mile on the climb over Friday road.  Since I live on top of that climb,  I can ponder how pleasant I have the start compared to others that will be chasing fast riders up that first hill.  Note that the route in the Permanent database crosses the Allegheny to avoid that hill, traversing Lawenceville instead.  For people that don't like hills, that is a great option when starting at Millvale Riverfront Park early in the morning.

Jim Logan

RUSA #3730

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From: Jim Logan <wpw...@gmail.com>
Sent: Thursday, August 7, 2025 4:41 AM