Minnesota Randonneurs

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Minnesota Randonneurs

Dedicated to promoting the development and enjoyment of randonneuring in the state of Minnesota

05/01/2026

The awesome and formidable Nelson Challenge 200k ride tomorrow May 2! Looks like weather may finally cooperate and provide some perfect conditions for a beautiful WI rando! Come join us! For time constrained riders, there is a shorter half Nelson option as well. Not sure that includes the 25% Glodowski Hill so go for the 200 to not miss that special treat.

01/02/2026

Coulee website update:

Thanks to all who alerted us to the security messages they received when attempting to visit the Coulee site. While the .com version should work now, please use CouleeChallenge.org for optimal experience -- and let us know if you're still experiencing any issues.

12/26/2025

Registration is live! Join us for the 2026 edition of the Coulee Challenge, August 6-9. Featuring the wonders of the Driftless region, two rock tunnels and 18 miles of the first rail trail, the 2026 Coulee is an adventure you won’t want to miss. Not ready to register? Join the interested riders list. All details can be found on couleechallenge.com.

Photos courtesy of Deb Ford

12/07/2024

Thanks to Phil Higley, we have a cool new Hi-Viz jersey design queued up for our Pactimo Team Store, which is open now through 12/16!

Our usual kits and accessories are available as well. Global colors have been tweaked and some of the logo sizes will be larger on the bibs and shorts. More bib and short styles have been added as well.

You can visit the team store here: https://teamstore.pactimo.com/stores/minnesota-randonneurs/show

All sales are final once they are placed. Our team Account Manager has the ability to adjust SIZES while the team store is OPEN, but she cannot adjust QUANTITIES. If team members decide they want additional items, they must submit a second order.

**IMPORTANT: Pactimo has upgraded sizing on all 2023 upper garments for a more generous feel on the larger sizes. The sizes affected are Men's Size XL-###L and Women's Size L-###L.**

The team store will close at midnight on December 16. Once the store is closed, no additional orders can be accepted. At that point all orders will go into Production and the 7-week delivery time frame begins. Items purchased within the team store are not put into production until the entire store closes. (Estimated Delivery Date February 4)

All shipments are delivered via Fed Ex, cannot go to a PO Box and may require a signature at time of delivery.

Happy shopping!

08/19/2024

AV 300k Classic - Galaxy Ride!
We had a good turnout on Saturday for our 200k and 300k classic brevets. The weather looked a little sketchy but turned out quite nice with only a few brief sprinkles, 70s, a little bit of wind and some glorious sunshine on the last leg in.

The 300k ride celebrated Rob Welsh reaching the RUSA 100,000km Galaxy Award, the first ever earned in the Midwest. Rob had the support of two great riding buddies, Rob Mosimann and David Marsh. Also completing the 300k were Jonas Nygard and Phil Higley. Craig Plesco, from Detroit started and made it to Plainview before stopping.

On the AV 200k ride, Justin Tan and Dan Klausner finished the ride in fine form, with Doug Carlson completing an abbreviated version of the route.

08/14/2024

Rosemount-Red Wing 200k Gravel Challenge Permanent Ride

A challenging, fun and ultimately very satisfying ride. The going was tough on the gravel roads (132km) as many of them have recently been regraveled, which made it especially dicey on the steeper hills and descents. Getting up the 10-14% climbs was hard enough without the loose gravel but the downhills were really challenging to maintain traction on the loose gravel and soft sand. My fairly skinny 35mm smooth tires were definitely not enough for these conditions.
Milestones reached today:
1. Completed the Minnesota Randonneurs 2024 300k Gravel Challenge and earned my mug. As the organizer of this MnRando activity I had to check the mug out with a real beverage - it fits!!. More mugs will be awarded at the Murphy-Hanrehan Gravel 110k on Aug 31.

2. I'm now just over 300km away from reaching the RUSA Galaxy Award level for riding 100,000km of RUSA events over the past 17 years.

3. Enjoyed a brisk tailwind for the last 30 miles to get home fast on a beautiful day to be riding a bike.

05/05/2024

Dart 120k - Blackdog Ride, 5/4
Despite two hours of cold rain at the start, teams of MnRandos headed out for what eventually turned out to be a fine day to ride a bike, with sunshine and a happy get crew together at the finish to compare stories and enjoy each others company. Dart rides are intended to be a social event and this one certainly was the case.

Special kudos were given to Jonas Nygard and Phil Higley for riding to and from the event, over 50 miles for each of them, especially with the cold rain on the way to the ride start.

Congratulations to our newer riders completing their first Dart ride including Will Watson, Jack Noble and Alex Riddell.

Congrats also to our first 2024 Rouleur awardees: Randy Carey and John Murphy. To earn a Rouleur award you need to complete a 100k, 125k, 150k, 200k and a Dart 120k in one season. Several other riders are within one event of reaching this level so stay tuned for more awardees.

Our next Dart 120k Team ride will be on July 27, starting in Shoreview, featuring all new routes and a special finishing reception at our new RBA's place.

04/29/2024

Fargo Movie Location 150k Populaire April 27, 2024

A good crew of 20 riders followed Doug Carlson around the Twin Cities to visit several of the movie locations from the iconic Fargo Movie, released in 1996.
It was a little cool with some wind, but overall a good day to be out on a bike.
Nearly everyone had seen the movie at least once so Doug triggered a lot of extra commentary at each of the locations. The Minnesota accent/mannerisms were such a visceral part of the movie, especially for us locals.
Visits to the Stockmen's Cafe (the Blue Note in the movie) where Jerry meets the thugs who will kidnap his wife, which triggers several killings, the Lakeside Cafe where Marge interviews the hookers, the Hitching Post Cafe where Jerry is arrested trying to sneak out the rear window, the parking lot ramp in downtown Minneapolis, where Jerry's father-in-law is killed turning over the ransom, and the infamous wood chipper scene where the old cabin is long gone, replaced by a $1mm+ mansion, but the exact site of the wood chipper has been preserved by the new owner.
Many thanks to Doug for putting the route together and relating parts of the story for all of us.
More Fargo stories came up at the end of the ride while we were enjoying some snacks and refreshments. A good day for a story and a ride in Minnesota.

04/19/2024

Your Minnesota Randonneurs are ready for Iowa Wind and Rock!

04/14/2024

Amazing weather brought out many riders for the season opener Escape to Wisconsin 125k this Saturday. 30+ riders started north to Osceola with a pleasant tailwind. Once in Wisconsin, the headwind and hills spread riders out.

Lunch at Bass Lake Cheese Factory at mile 57 allowed riders to reconnect and fuel up for the finish at Autumn Hills Park in Oak Park Heights. They also found some recovery and conversation. Big shout out to all the new riders who came for their first ride with the Minnesota Randonneurs!

03/07/2024

Rob versus the Switchbacks of Medina, a tougher ride up and down 18 sets of switchbacks on the Medina River Trail, not far from our RV park in San Antonio. 4-10 switchback turns/climb. Grades 5-13%.
Tired legs, good interval training and a challenge to stay focused through all the turns, especially the downhills.

Address

Apple Valley
Hill City, KS
55124

Website

http://www.mnrando.org/

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