| Description:
 This series of events is a 
		  first for AZ Randonneurs. Since Phoenix is the envy of the US in 
		  February, why not put on some early season events of modest distances 
		  and give the Northerners a destination sure to get them away from 
		  scraping ice off of their windshields! It's also a good chance for 
		  locals to play hookie from work and get some early season training in 
		  their legs.
 
 Rouleur - What!? Another 
		  strange word to learn?
		  
		  Wikipedia defines it this way: A rouleur is a cyclist who is able 
		  to maintain a high level of power for a long period of time. They will 
		  generally be relatively poor at short, very intense efforts and will 
		  be unable to match the accelerations of pure climbers in the 
		  mountains. They excel on long efforts on relatively flat terrain, such 
		  as solo breakaways and time trials.
 
 As long as "high level of power" is defined relative to a turtle, I think this defines Randonneurs 
		  pretty well. In any event,
		  RUSA 
		  now has a trinket for all members who suscessfully complete each of 
		  the following events in a year: 100-124k, 125-149k, 150-199k, 200-220k and a 
		  Dart Pop (nominally 120k.) These are distances achievable by most 
		  cyclists if they choose to.
 
 Here's what's on tap:
 o All riders who complete the entire series will receive the official 
		  RUSA patch! See below.
 o All riders who complete the entire series will receive a special 
		  gift that's only available in AZ!
 o 6 straight days of riding are available 
		  to all RUSA members. Choose 
		  one, choose all. Everyone is welcome to ride what they can. Bring some 
		  friends and ride the
		  
		  Dart Pop Team event.
 o The days that each event is offered may be found in the
		  CALENDAR.
 o There will be a discount to those choosing ALL of the 
		  events. Like shopping at
		  Costco, 
		  the more you buy, the cheaper it gets. Or, something like that.
 o Lodging can be a challenge to find in 
	  The Valley of the Sun in Feb! 
	  We've secured a block of rooms close to the start/finsh.
 o The Dart Pop will 
		  finish at the RBA's home. Smoked ribs and pork butt with all the 
		  fixin's are on tap. Stories of your adventures are your 
		  responsibility. Join us and share yours!
 o The rides will 
		  occur on 3 special days - Friday the 13th (Thankfully,
		  
		  Camp Crystal Lake is nowhere around here!), Valentine's Day (Feb 
		  14) and President's Day (Feb 16). We will have 2 additional rides 
		  available for you to ride on President's Day, in case you have the day 
		  off work and want to enjoy more desert sunshine.
 Sounds great! But, how do I get 
		  there?For those coming from out-of-town, Phoenix
		  Sky Harbor 
		  airport can be reached from any airport in the world. From the 
		  airport, it's about 18 miles to the
		  
		  start location for the rides. Some possible ways to get from there 
		  to/from here include:
 1. Rental car at the airport2. Uber/Lyft - In my experience, it's a $25-$35 ride 
		  to/from the airport to this area. Cost seems to depend on time of day.
 3. Taxi - There are plenty of them from the airport. 
		  I haven't used them in decades, so I have no useful infomation to 
		  share.
 4. Supershuttle - Again, I have not used this service 
		  for decades, but here is a
		  
		  LINK to their services.
 5. Bus - Phoenix is not renowend for its public 
		  transportation. But, it is possible to do it. Here is a
		  
		  LINK as an example.
 6. Ride your bike? I have not ridden from the 
		  airport, but if that's your preference,
		  contact me and I can help you 
		  with a route from the airport to your destination.
 Lodging: We have a block of rooms (2Q or 1K options) available at the 
		  Holiday Inn 
	  Express about 4 miles from the start. If I can offer one 
	  piece of advice, it's do NOT wait to book your lodging and car, if you 
	  need to do either! The world descends upon Phoenix between Oct and 
	  Mar. Numerous events get scheduled in February and you will be in 
	  competition for the limited resources available. If you wait until you 
	  can see what the weather will be like, you'll be sleeping in your car, 
	  if you can get one. Book a room and a car now, making sure that you 
	  can cancel it if your plans change.
 
 To book a room there, follow these steps:
 o Cannot 
		  be reserved on-line.
 o You must call Dina Duran at Holiday Inn: 480-473-3400 ext. 432, email 
		  here HERE
 o Block of rooms reserved: 2/10 through 2/17
 o Total 
		  number of blocked rooms for Randonneurs USA: 20 total, 15 Queen Rooms, 
		  5 King Rooms. Must be booked by Jan 12, 2026.
 Things to do:February in Phoenix is a veritable treasure trove of possible 
		  activities! There are outdoor, indoor and all inbetween. Since there 
		  is so much to cover, I've put together an entire page of possibilities 
		  with descriptions and links. This will allow you to bring your non 
		  road cycling friends and SOs. They will probably have more fun than 
		  you will! Or, stay another week and do it all yourselves.
 
 Check out that
		  PAGE for 
		  all the details. I will be adding things as they come up.
 
 Yeah. Blah, blah, blah.
		  Tell me about the bike rides already!
 
 The links below will take you to the details of each event. The Dart 
		  Populaire is a team event and that web page is in the works now. If 
		  you have any questions, just contact the
		  RBA and ask away!
 
 NOTE: While the 
		  routes are under review at the RUSA Mothership, the links below will point to the 
		  PRELIMINAY routes.
 Once each route gets approved, the link will magically change to 
		  include all the details of each ride.
 
 To see all of the routes overlayed, check out the 		  
		  COLLECTION
 100k details may be found
		  HERE
 125k details may be found
		  HERE
 150k details may be found
		  HERE
 200k details may be found
		  HERE
 Dart Pop details may be found HERE
 Bonus
		  100k 
		  & 
		  125k event details may be found HERE
 
 Last Minute Notes may be found 
		  HERE. 
		  This link will be valid once available,
		  
		  generally the day after registration closes. 
		  Please read them. There will be a lot of information posted there. I 
		  will also send them out to registered riders. If you don't receive 
		  them, please check your spam folder.
 
 
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