downtube42

I submitted a 200k permanant a couple months ago and have a populaire ready to submit, and now a guy in Indy has another one approved. We've started a facebook group and have 57 members already. Talk of forming a club for a full SR series in 2015. Pretty exciting to me, since it's been a 2-5 hour drive to find a group to ride with. The Ohio and Louisville clubs have been great, but it would be nice to have a start close to home.

Indianapermanents

unterhausen

That sounds great.
it really is nice to start closer to home. There is a perm that starts an hour from here, and it was really nice to leave home later and get back earlier than normal

skiffrun

Good luck, Ken.
The Indiana Perms site looks pleasant. Haven't looked at the FB group.

Congrats on your R-12.

skiffrun

The first year a region puts on brevets, they are limited to only a 200 and a 300 (maybe multiple 2's and 3's). If the 2015 talk is serious, you'll need to move quickly to put on RUSAB's in 2014 (it is too late to add any ACP brevets for 2014).

You might want to contact the RUSA RBA liason very soon.

A chat with the Detroit RBA and/or the Tidewater, VA RBA might also be useful, as Detroit became a region this year and put on a 200 and a 300, and as Tidewater will put on their first "Tidewater" brevets in 2014 (having put on a 200, a 300 and a 400 in 2013 under the auspices of the DC Randonneurs).

Dudelsack 

Sa-weet. Louisville has an active club, but it seems like all the permanents are on the other side of the state. The one up in Columbus would be an easy drive to reach.

delcrossv

Looks like a couple of nice routes. Kind of a hike down to Indy for us, but maybe something to try in the future.

downtube42

I submitted the populaire (106k), and it was approved over the weekend. Decent route, a simple out and back with the turnaround in a small town with some food options. While I think normal brevets are the best place to introduce newby's to rando, having a 100k might pull in some more people. We'll see. Lots of interest locally, but we'll see who actually rides.

Zoxe

Thanks for posting this. I'm nowhere near ultra-distance, but is good to see this kind of stuff happening locally. (My locator says Indianapolis, but I'm now in Pendleton).

skiffrun

All RUSA members will look forward to seeing the Indiana-column grow.
For example, based on info extracted from the RUSA website a few days ago:

R-12 Awards by year:

Year ___Nat'l ____IN

2004 ______1 ____0
2005 _____11 ____0
2006 _____28 ____0
2007 _____81 ____0
2008 ____124 ____0
2009 ____180 ____0
2010 ____212 ____0
2011 ____243 ____0
2012 ____251 ____0
2013 ____176 ____1

Total __1,307 ____1

unterhausen

it's amazing what a difference an R12 series makes for participation. If I had to ride a permanent every month, I wouldn't have ever completed an R12. I have heard first-hand or read of people that had to travel considerable distances to complete and R12, and it boggles my mind. People come fairly long distances to the excellent Eastern Pennsylvania R12 series run by Tom Rosenbauer. It's hard to imagine how hard it would be to do an R12 if I had to travel much further.

skiffrun

(Except for the winter weather, which can obviously be a significant problem) it's all mental, Eric.
(Well, mostly mental.)

During the Taste of Carolina in October, Peter Dusel said to me, "you guys down here don't know how easy you have it."
I responded, "oh, yes we do. Not all of us were born and raised in the South."

Peter indicated that he had an R-36-continuous, all of which had been done in New York.
I suspect that he may be more able than many to decide at the last moment to do a Permanent when decent weather suddenly appears.

===============================================================

As I've written before, getting to R-12 was an adventure and a struggle.
However, since then, the rides have just seemed to happen.
I have a couple friends that have made similar comments.

That noted, almost everyone with a long R-series-continuous here in NC has rescued their R-series on the last day of the month.
However, as recently as the end of November, one prominent North Carolina member (who did Endless Mtns, btw), who'd had a very busy family month. decided to let his R-53-continuous-series go -- he just did not fancy spending all night Nov-30 / Dec-01 being cold.
In 2013, he did 4 ACP SR's, and also a "PBP-qualifying" SR (substituting a 1000 and a 1200 for some shorter rides).
So, I guess he proves that maintaining an R-series can be pretty tough.

==================================================

Except for avoiding bad weather, one need not travel to do a Permanent.
Any RUSA member can create a Permanent "out their back door" if need be.

==================================================

It is also amazing what a difference maintaining an R-series makes when brevet season rolls around.
"Doc on a Bike" Keith, the new Tidewater, Virginia RBA wrote that several years ago (click-here for his R-12 story).
I've experienced the same thing.

downtube42

That lonely 1 would be me, I suppose.

skiffrun

Yep.
That's how I confirmed who you are.

unterhausen

True. However, I am struggling to put together my first permanents. I had to skip one of the Eastern PA 200k's earlier this year so I did a permanent that starts only an hour from my house. It has a lot to recommend it, and I'm sure I will get in more miles when I have my own permanents set up. I have 3 in the works right now, although the one closest to being done probably isn't going to be great for the winter since it has dirt. Maybe my efforts will help some people that might not otherwise do an R12.
I don't know if it helps me all that much, but I am healthier because of it, that's for sure. Completing an R12 doesn't seem like too much of a big deal once you've ridden brevets for a while, but it can be a strain. I was going to give up my streak in October, but then I decided I shouldn't let it go that easily. If you have no streak, it becomes too easy to skip a month, and that's bad.

unterhausen

for some reason, I read my previous posts as being negative, which was not my intent. I crossed paths with a couple of people from Indiana on PBP, I never realized they must have been travelling just to get in an SR series to qualify. I would like nothing more than to be able to ride permanents, particularly if other people would go with me. I'm a little jealous of people who live near to enough people to do that on a regular basis.

skiffrun

I had inferred non-positive thoughts from quite a few of your recent posts. I've been torn between "something from LIFE must be nagging at him" and "WHY is the moderator being a negative instigator?" It is difficult, even when intending to be non-negative, to make sure the text comes out with the desired tone. In person, voice inflection, facial and body cues communicate much/most of the message -- in writing, those important cues are not there.

As you have noted at least once previously, I live in an active "Permanents culture" location with quite a few active randonnuers, and I've done most of my 200's WITH at least one other person. However, many times I like to go do a Perm solo. It can be so peaceful and relaxing to ride with just your shadow and your bike for company. There have been times, when riding a solo Perm, that it was just me and road, or maybe me and the passing scenery, the bike having become virtually superfluous. Maybe, once or twice, the bike and the road seemed superfluous. Perhaps that was a near out-of-body experience?

I should stop after the above paragraph, but I'll go on.

• In 2011, I did 17 Permanents with others, and 10 solo efforts (also 11 Perm-Pops with others and 1 solo Perm-Pop).
• In 2012, people did insist on riding with me, and due to a mechanical and the plan for the next day, I DNF'd the only solo 200 I undertook during the year.
• I missed the solo 200's, so come January 2013, I didn't let anyone know my plan, and after more than a year of doing every 200+ with others, I finally managed to do another solo 200+ Perm; it was good.
• I managed to do a second solo 200+ Perm earlier this year (by purposefully choosing to NOT ride with buddies Robert and Byron on Byron's hillfest perm); that ride, in the middle of July, was a GREAT adventure because of the weather.
• I haven't kept track this year, but I know that I have done at least a few solo Perm-Pops this year. At least one on my 103k 'free route' Bahama Beach route and at least one on my much calmer (climbing-wise) 138k route.
• I enjoy riding with people and I also enjoy riding solo. I can be quite a "chatty Kathy" when riding with others, whereas I am usually pretty quiet when riding solo. For me, each can be fun. I think the main thing is to stay mentally calm all the time; and also stay physically relaxed all the time.

The above is written not "in conversation" with Eric, but to encourage anyone that may read this to just get on your bike and go ride. Ride solo or with a few friends, but ride.

I suppose I should acknowledge that I have ridden more kilometers than the usual RUSA member the last three years, but I think that is NOT what has allowed me to do repeated, calm 200+ km rides. I think it is the other way 'round, the at-ease calmness is what has enabled the riding. I suppose it could be a positive feedback loop.

downtube42

One of my most memorable cycling experiences - maybe life experiences - came on a brevet in Tennessee with the Harpath Bike Club. 40 miles into the ride, I looked up from the road and saw a breathtakingly beautiful view. Wild daisies in the foreground, foothills nearby, layers of mountains in the distance, fading into the distant haze. For a moment I was clear of thoughts, completely absorbed by the beauty of the world in front of me. Then I got a cramp in my right leg and things were bad for a while.

skiffrun

ouch