SR in a week

[LittleWheelsandBig]

Some groups round the world arrange a Super Randonneur series in a week, under a few different names.

Kiwi Randonneurs are organising a Gran Turismo SR on the South Island of New Zealand in the first week of March 2015. When combined with a touring holiday to see yet more glorious scenery (and justify the flight), this PBP qualifier series looks quite tempting.
https://www.kiwirandonneurs.org.nz/ride/2040/gran-turismo-series-1-8-march-2015

[LittleWheelsandBig]

Be aware that not all 'Hell Week' series in 2015 involve a full SR series.

The Texas Hell Week in March only has 3 brevets of no more than 300km, the Florida Hell Week over the New Year tops out with 2 x 200km brevets and the New Mexico Hell Week has no PBP qualifier brevets at all.
http://www.hellweek.com/

HK and I found during the 2011 Texas Rando Stampede that the Texas Hill Country isn't overly hilly compared to AUK rides. The roughness of the chipsealed roads shouldn't be underestimated though.

[LittleWheelsandBig]

Randonneurs Ontario are holding a 'Devil Week' SR looping out of Markham, near Toronto, in early June.
http://www.randonneursontario.ca/sched/allsked.html

British Columbia Randonneurs have an 'Eau de Hell Week' SR on Vancouver Island during April. Weather is guaranteed and a pin/ medal is certain.
http://www.randonneurs.bc.ca/eau-de-hell-week.html
http://www.randonneurs.bc.ca/schedule/overview.html
http://www.randonneurs.bc.ca/eau-de-hell-week/pin_2013.html

[LittleWheelsandBig]

Audax Oz are running their Gran Turismo SR at the end of March in the Australian Capital Territory and through New South Wales.
http://www.audax.org.au/public/index.php/feature-rides/35-all-rides/major-rides/263-gt-superseries-2015-overview

[Doo]

SR in a week. There should be a medal for that!

[LittleWheelsandBig]

Audax Oz give an award.
http://www.audax.org.au/public/index.php/audaxawards/riding-awards/52-awards/all-awards/146-gt-super-randonneur

[frankly frankie]

There used to be a late-summer one based on Salisbury, in the early AUK days.  Ran for about 3 years I think.

[Folly]

SR in a week. There should be a medal for that!

I was wondering about an SR round the year. Doing an SR series in each of 12 consecutive calendar months!! Not that I have the time to complete one myself.

[teethgrinder]

SR in a week. There should be a medal for that!

I was wondering about an SR round the year. Doing an SR series in each of 12 consecutive calendar months!! Not that I have the time to complete one myself.

That would be a tough challenge! It works out to at least 180 points. I had this in mind for my 2007 points chasing season but never managed it, falling short of an SR some month or other in the winter.

[LittleWheelsandBig]

FF, was the Brit version sometime back in the '80s? I don't recall reading about it during the '90s.

[rob]

FF, was the Brit version sometime back in the '80s? I don't recall reading about it during the '90s.

I seem to recall reading about it in one of the 'Arrivee Recycled's.   I'll need to find them, but I think it was late 80s and run out of Salisbury YHA.   I think it culminated in the Wessex Star 600, but I may be wrong.

[Ningishzidda]

SR in a week.

A long(er than normal) LEJOG.

[Dave_C]

I recall some folk talking about riders who complete an SR in the first week of the new season, in some sort of competition! Sounds balmy.

[Bairn Again]

Brevet Mallorca used to run in order to provide riders with the opportunity to complete their SR in a week.

When I took part in 2007 it was run over two weeks in early May with a 200-300-400-600 each week.

Another bonus was the events were allowed as PBP qualifiers, some weeks earlier than the official qualifying schedule in respect of  the 600.

 

[marcusjb]

I recall some folk talking about riders who complete an SR in the first week of the new season, in some sort of competition! Sounds balmy.

I have read of doing an SR before the AGM, this would be heroic enough today, but back when the agm was only a couple of weeks after the end of the season, something else.

Anyone going to own up to having done it?

[Jethro]

I think Teethgrinder has.

[teethgrinder]

I'm the only one I know of. That was in my 1996 season (so the 1995 AGM)
IIRC it was a 600 on the first weekend, a 200 and a 300 the following weekend, then a 400 to the AGM.

[marcusjb]

I'm the only one I know of.

I might have guessed!

[frankly frankie]

FF, was the Brit version sometime back in the '80s? I don't recall reading about it during the '90s.

Yes I've got old routesheets for it (I know!) from 1984 and 1985.  It was a 300 and 600 on consecutive weekends, with a midweek 400 and the 200 slipped in somewhere, I don't think it was actually back to back with the 300 so it was probably on the Monday, so probably the August bank holiday Monday, I know it was late summer.  Obviously a cunning ruse to drum up trade for Salisbury YH.  I only rode the 400 and 600.

Sheila reminds me there was also an SR week - indeed, a PBP qualifying week - held in the north of Scotland, also in the early 80s.  Based just north of Inverness.

[LittleWheelsandBig]

Obviously nothing new in the world, but did the Brits dream up a testosterone-filled name for the week, like the Over-the-Ponders?

[SR Steve]

FF, was the Brit version sometime back in the '80s? I don't recall reading about it during the '90s.

Yes I've got old routesheets for it (I know!) from 1984 and 1985.  It was a 300 and 600 on consecutive weekends, with a midweek 400 and the 200 slipped in somewhere, I don't think it was actually back to back with the 300 so it was probably on the Monday, so probably the August bank holiday Monday, I know it was late summer.  Obviously a cunning ruse to drum up trade for Salisbury YH.  I only rode the 400 and 600.

I rode the 400 and 600 in 1985, as part of my first SR series. The Wessex 400 started on Saturday 17th August and the Wessex Star 600 started on Saturday 24th August, which was the bank holiday weekend. I rode them both with Bob Worrall and have happy memories of Dorset Coast descents at night on the 400 using Wonderlights. On the Wessex Star the night leg was a lot longer than it was supposed to be, so the last leg was shortened to Stonehenge and back.

I returned to Wessex in September to complete my SR series with a 300 that started at 2am from Poole; a precursor to the Hard Boiled.

[Exit Stage Left]

I'm surprised that no-one has picked up on the sequential nature of the New Zealand ride. It answers a lot of the questions about a multi-day Audax. I'm interested that it's possible to have a one-way qualifier, I suppose that the whole event goes in a circle. there are echoes of the 1920s Tour de France in the structure.

https://www.kiwirandonneurs.org.nz/ride/2040/gran-turismo-series-1-8-march-2015

[LittleWheelsandBig]

The Kiwi series is based on the Aussie series, which has been held in various parts of the country over a number of years. The whole point is that the Gran Turismo SR 'goes somewhere' in a big loop (or point-to-point), rather than just doing multiple loops out of a fixed point.

[craigofnz]

I'm surprised that no-one has picked up on the sequential nature of the New Zealand ride. It answers a lot of the questions about a multi-day Audax. I'm interested that it's possible to have a one-way qualifier, I suppose that the whole event goes in a circle. there are echoes of the 1920s Tour de France in the structure.

https://www.kiwirandonneurs.org.nz/ride/2040/gran-turismo-series-1-8-march-2015

I had considered a one-way option from Bluff to Picton. There was some purity in the South-North through trip that mostly traveled in a single direction, but it would have been at least 4x more expensive to arrange logistically and neither end-point would have had an International Airport...

[Aunt Maud]

There's always the H-B-K-H 1500 if you really want to do that distance in a week.