Solstice Rando Adventure on June 19th

The Bread & Water Populaire was a smash hit! 70 riders showed up to ride the big, beautiful loop around Anchorage. It was great seeing so many new faces on the ride. And even the weather cooperated. Looking for more populaires, or perhaps a 200K? Check out the rest of the rides on the Rando Calendar.

Thanks to Buzz and Carlos for helping out on the course. You two really made things run smoothly.

Results will be posted soon. But in the meantime, populaire photos are HERE!

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Next up is the Solstice 200/400/600K brevets starting from Gakona next Saturday, June 19th.

Ride details for the 200K, 400K, and/or the 600K are HERE.

The 600K is a huge, remote, beautiful ride! If you're not quite up for it, but are still looking for a solstice adventure and a reason to ride the Richardson Highway, consider the one-way 200K to Delta, or the one-way 400K to Tok. It's up to you to get yourself back to your car at the start, or perhaps you can cajole friends or family to drive up and meet you. Another option is to get a B&B in Delta for the 200K, and ride back to Gakona the next morning. For the 400K, consider taking an extra day and ride the remaining 200K back to your car in Gakona.

There are lots of options! The riding is such high quality, and the scenery is so breathtaking, I really hope more people make the effort to get up there sometime during the summer!

Photos from 2009 are HERE.

See you in Gakona!

Denali Hwy Brevet Gear List + Solstice 600K Logistics

If you're joining us (AEA and the AK Randonneurs) up on the Denali Highway over Memorial Day weekend, you're urged to add the following to your kit:

1) Bear spray

2) Water filter

3) Camelback

This is a very remote ride (no cellphone service), checkpoints (contrôles) are far apart, and the weather outlook is telling us it'll be in the mid to high 60s up there; think "Parched!"

No doubt this will toughen you up for the upcoming Anchorage/Seward/Anchorage 400K!

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It's less than a month until the Solstice 200K/400K/600K brevets up in Gakona/Delta Junction/Tok. If you're doing any of these rides, I suggest you make arrangements for accommodations in these towns as soon as possible; places are beginning to fill up rather quickly.

Last year, several riders had a good experience with Young's Motel in Tok. I have no relation to Young's, and there are other options up there, but this would be a good place to finish for the 400K, and to overnight for the 600K. They still have a few rooms open; its $94. They close their office @ 11pm but you can make arrangements for late arrivals. (Several riders got there after midnight and 1AM.)

Here’s their info:

EDDY’S RESTAURANT & YOUNG’S MOTEL and RV Park

Mile 1313 Alaska Highway. Seafood, pizza, steaks, sandwiches, salad bar & soup. 43 Motel rooms, satellite TV, phones, non-smoking available. Year-round 6 am to 11 pm. RV sites, water & electric, Wi-Fi available.

P.O. Box 482

Mile 1313 Alaska Highway

Tok, Alaska 99780

907-883-4411

Ed and Diane Young Email: edyoung@aptalaska.net

For other options, check out the latest edition of the Milepost.

Gakona Lodge

Tok Chamber of Commerce

Delta Junction Chamber of Commerce (visitors' center)

See ya up there!

The Alaska 600K Brevet

Where the Bread & Water 100K populaire embodied the light-hearted, fun nature of rambling on a bike from point-to-point around the city, the Alaska 600K brevet, that travels from Gakona to Delta Junction to Tok, and back to Gakona, is absolutely mammoth in scale, scope, and adventure-factor.

Seven riders, long-distance veterans as well as first-year randonneurs, left Gakona early Saturday morning, under a thick blanket of low clouds, to meet the challenge. It was more than an honest test of the randonneuring spirit...

...And a challenge it was! A tire boot and a Leatherman aside, the best tool anyone can bring to a ride like this is determination.

Weather forecasting across Alaska is never very dependable, but the predicted mid-70s temps were as fraudulent as Bernie Madoff's disclaimer statement. None of us realized that it had snowed 4" on the Tok Cut-off the week before. But Alaskans know we live in a land of extremes, and for the most part, the riders that showed came well prepared.

The beauty of this ride is absolutely remarkable. Each 200K leg has its own distinct character; quiet and intimate winding miles through lush subalpine landscapes, vast forests of spruce, birch, and aspen, the expanse of both the Alaska Range and the Wrangell Mountains...and some quirky little Alaska towns too. Its a wonderful way to experience that part of interior Alaska.

A hearty and sincere congratulations to those who finished. And to the riders who looked deep within themselves to understand their limits, be encouraged with the experience you gained. It'll be a really useful advantage next year.

Results

Photos

Thanks so much to all the riders and volunteers who showed up for this year's 600K. It was great having that many riders show in a non-PBP year. And honestly, Kate and Susan, you were a tremendous help along the course. One of the best surprises were Sam and Max who traveled up here from Portland and Washington D.C, respectively. I hope you'll return to join us on another brevet again. In the meantime, please spread the word about all the fantastic riding and adventure there is up here. I'm grateful to you all for your support of randonneuring in Alaska!