Friday, March 28, 2014

It's a gran fondo!

The first annual Steese Summer Solstice Gran Fondo will be run in five stages from June 18 to June 22, 2014. It will run from Gold Hill Alaska  on the Parks Highway to Nugget Gulch at Mile 8.7 on the Circle Hot Springs Road east of Central at Mile 127 on the Steese Highway. (Please note: Participants do NOT have to commit to all 5 stages. See notes below about Stage 4 and 5.)

Please note: This event will be held under USA Cycling Permit 2014-790 . Online registrationthrough the USA Cycling website is now open at:

Register online with USA Cycling:
www.usacycling.org/register/2014-790 


 
Registration will be limited to members of Steese Highway Cycle Club plus 50 nonmember cyclists total, with a limit of no more than 25 nonmember Alaska residents and the remaining 25 for others. You do not have to be a member of the club to participate, but you must hold a USA Cycling license. (This is for insurance requirements; single day and single event licenses are available.) https://www.usacycling.org/

This inaugural gran fondo is itself a work in progress for what is planned to be an annual event during the summer solstice . You are invited to join the Steese Highway Cycle Club-Alaska. The club will manage the event and you can become a founding member by joining before the end of the event, June 22, 2014. Contact hilding.lindquist@gmail.com or Susan Osborne, Owner, Gold Hill Alaska. for additional details. We are planning for a club meeting tentatively set for 7 PM Thursday, June 12th to be held at Gold Hill Alaska starting in the the week before the race. Teleconference attendance will be available through Skype.


What's a gran fondo? Quoting from Bicycling:

Gran Fondos: Part Bike Ride, Part Cycling Race, All Fun
You're riding against the clock, but it's not really a race. It's as long as a century—but may feel even longer. Confused? Don't worry: Once you set off on the 100-mile-plus rolling party known as a gran fondo, it will all make beautiful sense. 
 (Read the entire article)


The five stages of the Steese Summer Solstice Gran Fondo, are listed below. They all have the same start time of 9:00AM EXCEPT Stage 4 which will start at 12 noon on Saturday, June 21st to allow participants to stop for breakfast at Chatanika Lodge before meeting up with the Gran Fondo at 12 Mile Summit for the ride to Eagle Summit to observe the Summer Solstice.


 Stage 1: Wednesday, June 18th: Gold Hill Alaska, 3040 George Parks Hwy  Fairbanks, to Chatanika Lodge, Mile 28.
(Pease note: The distance for Stage 1 will be determined by its route through Fairbanks. Currently the plan is to go through the the UAF Campus then follow College Road to the Steese Highway. This route is approximately 35 miles. Going around on Farmers Loop Road is approximately 38 miles.)

Stage 2: Thursday, June 19th:  Chatanika Lodge, Mile 28,  to Sourdough Creek, Mile 66. (Approximately 38 miles.)

Stage 3: Friday, June 20th: Sourdough Creek, Mile 66, to 12 Mile Summit, Mile 85. (Approximately 17 miles.)

Stage 4: 12 Noon, Saturday, June 21st, Summer Solstice, 12 Mile Summit, Mile 85, to Eagle Summit, Mile 107. (Approximately 22 miles.)


(Please note:  A primary feature of  Steese Summer Solstice Gran Fondo is that it will pause overnight at Eagle Summit to observe the Solstice. We anticipate that the largest group of local cyclists will join the Gran Fondo for  the last two stages, stopping for breakfast at Chatanika Lodge before meeting up with the early stage cyclists at 12 Mile Summit for the ride to Eagle Summit to observe the Summer Solstice, many—if not all—of these "solstice cyclists" continuing through Stage 5 to Nugget Gulch the next day.)

Stage 5: Sunday, June 22nd, Eagle Summit, Mile 107, through Central, Mile 127 and turning right at Central Corner on Circle Hot Springs Road, to  Nugget Gulch, Mile 8.7 on Circle Hot Springs Road, a total distance of approximately 29 miles.

The total distance is approximately 141 to 144 miles depending on the route through Fairbanks. You will be able to participate in the whole event or separate stages.
 
Preliminary rules:
  • Registration will be limited to 50 non-Steese Highway Cycle Club member cyclists total, with a limit of no more than 25 for Alaska residents and the remaining 25 for others. You do not have to be a member of the club to participate, but you must hold a USA Cycling license. (This is for insurance purposes. Single day and single event licenses are available.) https://www.usacycling.org/
  • Open to all genders, ages 10 to 99.
  • All minor children under the age of 16 (10 to 15) must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian and have a notarized USA Cycling approved liability waiver signed by a parent or legal guardian on file with the Race Director and be registered with their accompanying adult(s) prior to June 11th.
  • Youth under the age of 18 (16 to 17) must have a notarized USA Cycling approved liability waiver signed by a parent or legal guardian on file with the Race Director and be registered prior to June 11th.
  • All participants must have a signed USA Cycling approved liability waiver on file with the Race Director. Liability waivers not turned in person must be notarized.
  • All food, clothing, equipment, shelter, transportation, and all other personal needs must be provided by the individual participant for her or himself, except that a participant's items with total weight less than or equal to 50 kg or 110 lbs in a single suitable container with no outside dimension greater than 1 m or 3 ft. 3-3/8 in., and with the other two dimensions less than or equal to 0.5 m or 1 ft. 7-11⁄16 in will be transported between Stage sites.  Please note: If you need assistance in outfitting your trip please contact Susan Osborne at Gold Hill Alaska.
Please note: The route of this event goes deep into the wilderness of Interior Alaska with risks that the individual participant may have to manage by her or himself. Find out what you need to know before and be prepared before the event begins.
Registration begins April 30th: Complete Event Fee - $49.95 or $19.95 per stage.
Late fees begin June 11th: Complete Event Fee - $74.95 or $34.95 per stage.
On site fees begin June 18th: Complete Event Fee - $99.95 or $49.95 per stage.


If you want to participate in the Steese Summer Solstice Gran Fondo please contact us at:
Susan Osborne, Owner

Participants in three or more stages will be given the patch free of charge. Otherwise it is $7.95 to participants and $12.95 to others.


Please note that we have included concept maps and links at the bottom of this Front Page to help you understand the awesome wilderness of Interior Alaska's Yukon River Wilderness Arc that you will be entering if you participate in the Steese Summer Solstice Gran Fondo at whatever level you choose: cyclist, fan, volunteer, staff ... .

On this website you will be able to watch the inaugural race and the association to stage it take shape. You are also invited to add your comments—suggestions as well as criticisms—whatever they may be, although they are monitored for appropriateness. We hope that you will consider becoming engaged in forming the event, and then in the race itself.

Returning again and again annually to an incredible adventure that you helped create.
- HGL

[Cickable link: Linked Article]
– Cycling News –May 20, 2013

"Mountain biking is taking off in Oregon and across the world, so it makes sense that communities are beginning to see the value of mountain biking events," said Professor Jeff McNameehealth and human performance professor at Oregon's Linfield College. - Quoted from above referenced Cycling News article.



Note: Click on photos to enlarge.
The small red print in the map graphic below reads:
Please note: This is a draft “concept map” drawn on a USGS map. This concept map is being used with Google® Maps software to create an interactive map for this website.
The organizers of the Steese Summer Solstice Bicycle Race want to let potential participants in the race—cyclists, volunteers, fans, and staff—have a better idea of the incredible wilderness they will be entering if they are not familiar with this area already.
We have included some links below this graphic that will later be placed in an interactive overlay on the final version.


  
  
 


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