ACP's Super Randonnee

[LittleWheelsandBig]

While wandering through the ACP website today, I found the Super Randonnee webpage.

"Super Randonnées are a new category of rides organized by the Audax Club Parisien.

Super Randonnées are mountainous Permanents of 600 km (373 miles) with over 10.000 m (32.800 ft) of elevation gain.

Because of the higher level of difficulty, the time limit has been extended to 50 hours, corresponding to a minimum average speed of 12 km/h (7.45 mph).
Riders can also choose to ride a Super Randonnée as a Tourist. The requirement for Tourists is to complete the route with consecutive daily minimum riding distances of 80 km (i.e. seven days at most)."

Skimming the rules, there is a requirement to take pictures of your bicycle at summit signs along the way.

Having read the ACP's webpage, the Italian 600 km brevet planned for next year makes more sense, with a 40 hr BRM option or a 50 hr Super Randonnee option

[mattc]

Hmmm, sensible. (Are any of our 600s over 10k - I think the well-known ones are around 8-9k?) 50h sounds much more doable for us 'less gifted' types.

Allows for a nice lunchtime/elevenses start too - start without sleep debt, finish in daylight, a few hours afterwards to get home (or at least have a nap before a nice dinner at one's hotel)

But isn't that Italian ride a calendar event? Or are the rules somewhat elastic on this point? And will it be a qualifier in 50h mode (seems unlikely) ?

[LittleWheelsandBig]

The Italian ride is a calendar event but the "Super Randonnee" option is obviously the same concept.

BRM option is 40 hrs, 50 hrs wouldn't be a PBP qualifier (or for other international events or awards).

[Weirdy Biker]

I'm guessing it would be extremely difficult to get over 10,000m climbing over 600km in the UK.

Not impossible though, if pro-rating the Maniac's 17AAA by 60% is a yardstick.  And Colin Bezant's Cambrian 6A almost qualifies with 9.5AAA.

Not sure it would be much fun in the UK though.  On the continent, probably fantastic.

[kcass]

The Italian/Mont Blanc one is starting to look quite tempting.

[simonp]

I'm guessing it would be extremely difficult to get over 10,000m climbing over 600km in the UK.

Not impossible though, if pro-rating the Maniac's 17AAA by 60% is a yardstick.  And Colin Bezant's Cambrian 6A almost qualifies with 9.5AAA.

Not sure it would be much fun in the UK though.  On the continent, probably fantastic.

Do the Fred Whitton Challenge 3 times over (plus a bit extra).  That should do it.

[Ian H]

Hmmm. If I rerouted the K&SW over Bodmin, Dartmoor and Exmoor.

[LittleWheelsandBig]

That might be a nice route, at 80 km a day.

[Weirdy Biker]

Hmmm. If I rerouted the K&SW over Bodmin, Dartmoor and Exmoor.

Build it and they will come.

[RideHard]

Looks like an interesting set of 4 Super Randonees has been added to the ACP site http://www.audax-club-parisien.com/FR/index.php?showpage=424 ... the easiest by train to get to is from DAUPHINE gratin  starting from Grenoble, only at 616km & 14,000M looks the most rewarding ..and an ideal opportunity to suss-out future skiing hols:)

I'm thinking Post LEL ... any takers

[Frank9755]

The Pendle 600 is listed in the calendar at 10,150

[Exit Stage Left]

The Pendle 600 is listed in the calendar at 10,150

We had a thread about measuring the Pendle 600. https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=60204.0
It's difficult to do with any degree of certainty. I'm not really interested in climbing, only in the technical aspects. But it would be nice to have a 'Super Randonee' in England.

[LittleWheelsandBig]

Looking through the ACP's 2013 plaquette, it lists the results for ACP's various brevet types. Amongst the more familiar ones like Fleche Velocio team brevet (started in 1947) and Tour de Corse permanent (1956) is the relatively new (2009) Super Randonnee 600.

http://www.audax-club-parisien.com/EN/index.php?showpage=421

Basically, the SR600 is a 600km fixed route permanent with at least 10,000m of climb that is either ridden within 50 hours + extra time for extra climbing (randonneur pace) or at least 80km per day (tourist pace).

It is interesting to see how many SR600 routes there are and how many folk are riding them. Currently there are 5 routes in France but at least 8 routes in other countries and more Japanese completed SR600 in 2014 than every other nationality combined.

Incidentally, the Japanese topped the national BRM rankings, ahead of USA, Brasil, Italy, Russia, France, Spain, Australia, Greece and Germany. I guess we'll be seeing quite a few riders from 'non-traditional' cycling countries at PBP15.

[LittleWheelsandBig]

From a brochure picked up last weekend, the German SR600 has 12,000m of climbing, so an extra couple of hours allowed at randonneur pace.

http://www.ara-breisgau.de/super-randonnee/

[marcusjb]

There are 5 in France now.  The Garbure et Piperade in the Western Pyrenees is now official.  I have my eye on it.

The Japanese do seem to have taken to the concept rather! 

[Jeff E]

Well done Marcus for being the only AUK Audacious enough to get on these lists

[marcusjb]

Well done Marcus for being the only AUK Audacious stupid enough to get on these lists

I really hope some more AUKs will head out and try some of these rides. 

They are different, they are rather challenging, but if the rest of them are anywhere near as good as the Pyrenean one, then they are a superb experience. 

I'd like to ride another this year - we shall see if I can take enough time off to squeeze one in later in the season. 

[marcusjb]

Some videos of the German one - looks really nice indeed.  Looks like there was a large(ish) group perm for this ride. 

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/P9jJG2h4BzU&rel=1" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/v/P9jJG2h4BzU&rel=1</a>

<a href="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=72686189&amp;server=vimeo.com&amp;fullscreen=1&amp;show_title=1&amp;show_byline=1&amp;show_portrait=0&amp;color=01AAEA" target="_blank">http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=72686189&amp;server=vimeo.com&amp;fullscreen=1&amp;show_title=1&amp;show_byline=1&amp;show_portrait=0&amp;color=01AAEA</a>

Won't fit in with my plans for this year - but it's on the to-do list now!  My own plans are coming together slightly now. 

[LittleWheelsandBig]

ACP has now changed the time limit to 60 hours, which gives flatlanders a good chance of getting round one of these.

[mattc]

ACP has now changed the time limit to 60 hours, which gives flatlanders a good chance of getting round one of these.

That seems overly generous - assuming it's meant to be "comparable" (whatever that means!) with a 40hr flat/rolling 600km.

60hours is 2 days plus 12 hours; or 3 full days + 2 nights. So 3 rides of 200km, a day to ride each. A 200km with 3333m of climbing isn't THAT hard, and if you want to you could take 15h and still easily get 7 hours sleep on both nights. Actually that sounds rather nice! 

Nevertheless, this seems to be neither fish-nor-fowl 

[LittleWheelsandBig]

There is nothing stopping you from completing a SR600 in under 50 hours.

The French measure climbing quite differently to Brits, who tote up every single speedbump. I imagine that minimising unsupported sleep-deprived riding in mountainous terrain in the dark might have something to do with it.

Friends who've completed SR600s in under 50 hours rate their rides as very tough with more sleep-deprivation than expected.

[mattc]

There is nothing stopping you from completing a SR600 in under 50 hours.

Not so sure about "nothing" !  I reckoned 50h was a very very big ask for the likes of me, but not totally impossible. (I find hilly 40h 600s pretty flippin' challenging).

The French measure climbing quite differently to Brits, who tote up every single speedbump. I imagine that minimising unsupported sleep-deprived riding in mountainous terrain in the dark might have something to do with it.

Hmmm, good points.

<ponders ...>

[GPS]

Thanks for making this thread resurface, LW&B.

Interesting stuff.

I suppose an SR 600 perm in the UK is not totally out of the question, but difficult to create and therefore improbable ? If you've got the alps or the pyrenees in your country, it's not so difficult to come up with a route that could easily tick off 10km of climbing over a 600km ride.

I was tempted by the Norwegian ride Aunt Maud alluded to on the other thread, but getting there would be a bit of a pain. The German one looked good too and wandered into France and Switzerland for good measure.

A vague plan might be forming for next year ...

[Aunt Maud]

The Norwegian one would take a high degree of confidence if you were going to ride it alone.

[LittleWheelsandBig]

HK and I have finally decided that next year will be 'der Tag' for us and the SR600 (how many years has it taken?).

I am a big bloke and not a natural climber, so to maximise enjoyment, it'll help if:
- the descents allow real time gains, rather than riding the brakes
- the climbs are long and steady, rather than short and steep
- conditions tend to be dry and not too hot sometime between June and September
- there are some stunning views

https://randonneuredintorni.wordpress.com/super-randonnee-delle-dolomiti/ was suggested on another thread.

The new Welsh SR600 is out. That many Welsh climbs in one hit doesn't appeal to us.

Amongst the high mountains, HK thinks that the Alps might be best for us, as the Dolomites tend to be wet and the Pyrenees steeper, while there is a lot of food/ accommodation at frequent intervals in the Alps.

Any thoughts or suggestions?