Introduction
Many of us enjoy getting out on a long ride with friends or just by ourselves ... and doing so on a regular basis throughout the season. It's the satisfaction of a day out on the bike under mild spring sunlight, winter gales, summer thunderstorms, stiff mountain climbs, and easy rolling countryside. Our season may have high points and peak events, but these are against the backdrop of consistent endurance mileage and endurance fitness.
Such a season might include:
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a brevet series culminating in a 1200k randonnée,
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a week-long, multi-week ... or transcontinental bike tour,
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solo or organized doubles over a variety of landscapes,
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fast centuries or leisurely centuries! — every weekend with friends,
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a long ride every month of the year.
The Year-Rounder (Y-R) provides a structure to motivate you throughout the season and to recognize your personal achievements. The Y-R is designed to showcase consistent performance in cycling throughout the year.
Check out the Year-Rounder blog for inspiration!
The Y-R has different divisions to recognize different goals. Rides are categorized by distance (Century or Long) and type (Organized or Personal ride).
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Organized events have a name, start/finish location, starting time(s), route plan, registration or sign-in, an organizer, and advance publication. They needn't be blockbuster events with a t-shirt, water bottles, and a cast of hundreds - they can be a simple club ride 90 miles or longer.
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Personal rides you design yourself — you can ride by yourself or with friends — and document by collecting store receipts at a few points along the way. Personal rides augment organized events when the latter are scarce, or when you'd just rather do an ad hoc ride!
Rides are tallied in the following divisions, plus the combined mileage from those divisions, as well as the consistency-based Larry Schwartz award.
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Organized Long Division: Organized rides of 150 + miles. You must complete at least 150 miles of the ride to receive credit. You will receive credit for your actual, on-route mileage.
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Organized Century Division: Organized rides of 90 - 149 miles. You must complete at least 90 miles of the ride to receive credit. You will receive credit for your actual, on-route mileage.
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Personal Long Division: Personal rides of 150 + miles documented by receipts and/or witness verification. For credit, you must complete at least 150 miles in an 18-hour period (and maintain an 8.33 mph average after that).
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Personal Century Division: Personal rides of 90 - 149 miles. For credit, you must complete at least 90 miles in an 11-hour period including off the bike time (and maintain an 8.33 mph average after that).
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Combined Division: Combined mileage from the Organized Century and Long divisions and Personal Century and Long divisions.
The Year-Rounder recognizes three distance-based levels of accomplishment and one consistency-based award. (The rider's award will reflect the highest distance level achieved plus the Larry Schwartz if qualified.)
Gold: 3,000 miles or more in the Combined division — award is a medal.
Platinum: 5,000 miles in the Combined division — award is a medal.
Who's Who: the top five Platinum riders in each division — award is a plaque and mention in UltraCycling.
Larry Schwartz award: completing at least one Y-R ride in each calendar month, with up to two make-up rides — award is a medal.
To receive an award, pay a $10 participation fee to fund the awards. The Year-Rounder year runs from January 1 through December 31. Because up to two make-up rides are allowed for the Larry Schwartz award, riders can still start as late as March.
Deadline: Submit your ride within 14 days after the completion of the event.
Organized Rides, web-submission: If an organized event publishes results on a website, you may submit online
Individual Organized and Personal rides: Fill out the single ride form, print it, and mail it to the address indicated on the form. For Organized rides include a cue sheet or event flyer. For Personal rides include store receipts showing date, time and location.
Multi-Stage Organized rides: Fill out the Stage ride form, print it, and mail it, along with ride documentation, to the address indicated on the form.
Questions? Contact the Year-Rounder Chair, year-rounder @ ultracycling.com