Grand Canyon brevets scheduled for July!

[Mike Sturgill]

Hello randos and Happy New Year!

Most of us are making plans for the upcoming year so I want to throw another option out there for your consideration. It has been a while since Arizona has offered a brevet to the Grand Canyon. This time it will overload your senses!  The routes will visit The Grand Canyon west rim & south rim, Little Colorado River Gorge, Wupatki National Monument, Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument, Walnut Canyon National Monument, 2 Lowell Observatory telescopes + NPOI, Kaibab and Coconino National Forests, and more!

There will be 3 route options available.

1) Jul 13: Grand Canyon 360 - 360 km 

2) Jul 14: Coconino Forest route - 240 km 

3) Jul 13: The whole enchilada - ACP 600k = Grand Canyon 360 + Coconino Forest 240 routes

The 600k route is the concatenation of the first two so riders may ride together even if choosing one of the shorter route options. The routes start/finish in Flagstaff, AZ at 7000' in elevation and range in elevation from 4400' to 8050'. The Grand Canyon 360 is already approved. The others are being approved now. The start finish location will not change. The routes are not anticipated to change.

I'm sending this note out early in the year because accommodations in Flagstaff in the summer can get hard to find. If you even *think* you might join us on these rides, I encourage you to book your rooms now. They can be cancelled at a later date if your plans change. If you wait until the spring to book, they will likely be gone. The AZ Randonneurs' web is updated with a ton of information about the routes and the places to be visited. Both routes are spectacular and encompass topology not found anywhere else. The west rim drive in Grand Canyon is closed to cars in the summer making it an ideal cycling venue. Any of the locations listed would make for a great vacation for yourself and/or significant other.

Check out the web for more details. There's a lot there. Let me know if you have any questions. Feel free to share this info with your friends or local lists.

www.azbrevet.com

-Mike

RBA:Phoenix