This was the first of the monthly long bike rides I planned to take this year. I would like to do more than one a month. But at a minimum I was aiming at 12. A long ride might normally be 100 miles or more. The Ultramarathon Cycling Association (UMCA) has a year rounder program (http://www.ultracycling.com/standings/umc.html) that gives out an award for every rider who completes at least one long ride a month during the calendar year, the Larry Schwarz award. Last year I qualified with total mileage of 1628 miles. RUSA – Randonneurs USA is another cycling organization that offers a similar award to cyclists who complete a 200km (or longer) randonneuring event in each of 12 consecutive months (http://www.rusa.org/award_r12.html).
This year I would like to get the RUSA award, but it's certainly ok if I don't. The basic difference is one of how the rides are organized. UMCA allows a rider to do a personal ride with fairly minimal restrictions. A personal ride can occur anywhere as long as it is documented with receipts or the equivalent at the beginning, the end, and at least every 35 miles in between. Although the distances are about the same the randonneuring award is more difficult because the rides are ones that have been approved by RUSA. There are two types of rides that are approved, brevets and permanents. The brevets are organized rides or 200K, 300K, 400K, 600K, 1000K, and 1200K, that are scheduled during the year on particular dates at definite locations. Each cyclist is issued a verification card for the ride and at definite places during the ride, controls, has the card validated by a person at the control.
Permanents can be ridden any time but the rider must coordinate the date and time of the ride with the organizer. Like a brevet, a permanent has controls at which the ride gets a card validated and possibly a receipt to verify having stopped at the control. There may also be information questions about things at the control to confirm that the rider was there. My first long ride this year as a 211K permanent from Piercetown, SC to Rosman, NC and back. Last year I rode just over 100 miles on January 25 and froze the whole time, so I thought a day with a predicted high of 60 would be ideal for a winter ride.
Aside from the first patch of ice that I hit and nearly crashed on, the ride was fine. The route took me up Caesar’s Head and into North Carolina where the snow from storms in December still covered the ground and the air was predominantly cold.
At the farthest point of the trip in Rosman the sun was out and I could believe it was 60, but that was only briefly. As I entered Rosman from the south, I crossed a bridge over a small river that I had been riding along on and off for the last 5 miles. The small river was the French Broad. I was caught by surprise because the only other times I had seen the river were in places where its size reflected its name. It does begin in Transylvania County in North Carolina where Rosman is located. Growing up in Knoxville, Tennessee and travelling regularly to North Carolina to visit relatives I was familiar with a French Broad river that joins the Holston River in Knoxville to form the Tennessee River. I also vividly remember watching this huge river from the back seat of the car as we drove the road from Newport to Hot Springs. So as I road towards Rosman it didn’t occur to me to connect the lively mountain stream that I followed with the French Broad.
I apologize for not taking a camera to provide pictures of the river and other scenic parts of the ride, but I have some pictures I found on the internet that reflect some of the beauty of this spot along the ride.
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