After a year of preparation by a committee of 20 dedicated volunteers, it was a very satisfying feeling to watch 73 randonneurs leave Davis at 6 p.m. sharp on July 9th for a 750 mile journey through some of California's most scenic landscape.

The 6 p.m. start time was set primarily to avoid the heat of the day (occasionally above 100 degrees) and to take advantage of the cooling Delta breeze which often kicks in during the early evening hours. We were not disappointed as the Delta breeze provided cooler temps and a tailwind to the first control in Oroville. The first riders to reach the control covered the 101 miles in 4 hours 46 minutes with the rest of the riders not far behind! The tailwind provided a big cushion for many riders so they could take a sleep break later without as much worry about missing a subsequent control. The rules for riding a randonnČe include specific opening and closing times for controls. If a rider arrives at a control after it has closed, the rider is disqualified.

Following the first 100 miles of virtually flat farm and range land, the randonneurs then ventured into the forested Feather River Canyon. The long, mostly gradual climbing brought them to the crest of the Sierra mountains on the near sub-alpine Janesville Pass (6,320 ft). The route then dropped like a stone into the high desert in the rain shadow region of the Sierras. From there to the turn-around at Davis Creek, near the Oregon border, riders rode through vast, beautiful and untouched wilderness at about 4,000 feet above sea level. From the turn-around, the randonneurs mostly retraced the route back to Davis.

After the first 50 miles, Keith Fraser and Michael Lau, both from Canada, took the early lead and maintained it throughout the ride. However, when the Canadians arrived back in Davis and were a mere 15 blocks from the finish, Michael suddenly veered off course and went to his motel to get some sleep. This gave Keith sole possession of first place at 58 hours, 55 minutes. Michael checked in nine hours later after a 6.5 hour sleep break. He said he really didn't want the notoriety of finishing first, and besides, this was only a training ride for him. We were left to ask ourselves, "training for what?"

The Davis Bike Club was fortunate to have an incredible group of control volunteers to support the riders. We also had a top-notch group of Course Monitors led by Lee Mitchell. Lee and his crew kept a close eye on the riders and supported them in the more lightly populated portions of the course where there were few towns and stores. The remarkable support was the most talked about aspect of the GRR.

Roughly half of the entrants were veterans of Paris-Brest-Paris (PBP) and other 1200 km brevets, and it was only natural to compare the GRR with those events. Most seem to think that the GRR was tougher than the PBP, and possibly harder than Boston-Montreal-Boston. Others said the GRR was about as hard as PBP. Riders with altimeters registered total elevation gain of 24,000 to 28,000 ft., less than the 30,000 ft. of gain that both PBP and BMB have. What made the GRR more challenging were the wide variations in weather conditions, and that the climbing was concentrated in the middle portion of the course.

Riders had a wide variety of weather conditions! The high temps in the Davis area and in the high desert were in the high 80's and low 90's. Lows in the high desert were in the mid-40's. Early morning temps near the summit of Janesville Pass were recorded in the mid-30's! However, local thundershower activity in the high desert around the Susanville and Adin controls kept the ride quite interesting. While thunderstorms are not unusual for this part of the country, their intensity was. Because thunderstorms are localized, some riders, including Lau and Fraser, managed to avoid all forms of precipitation. Others, including Dana Bradshaw and Jerry Khorll, got hit by intense rain and hail activity more than once! Chris Wilby from England said he rather enjoyed the thunderstorms because it cooled the temperatures down, made for very scenic vistas, and reminded him of his homeland.

Immediately following the finish, the Davis Bike Club held an awards banquet for the riders and volunteers. It was very gratifying to see that nearly all of the riders were in attendance and had clearly enjoyed riding the first GRR. Certificates and trophies were handed out to the top finishers. Special awards were presented at the end of the banquet in categories that embody the spirit of randonneuring. Mitch Ashley was given an award for "best time management". Mitch, more often than any other rider, was the last person into a control prior to the control's closing. Mitch paid good attention to the control times and "maximized" his enjoyment of the GRR.

Bill Bryant, Vice President of RUSA, handed out the Dennis Hearst "most determined" award to Craig Wilson. Craig's neck gave out about 500 miles into the ride and he was fitted with supports (including water bottles and towels) under his chin to hold his head up. Even though this gave him an undignified appearance, was uncomfortable, and left him with limited head movement, Craig maintained a wonderful, upbeat attitude and a healthy determination all the way to the finish line. And this is what won him the award.

The Mayor's Cup was won by British Columbia Randonneurs, the club with the greatest number of finishers (4 participants), and was accepted by Michel Richard and Karen Smith. Steve Larsen, National Mountain Bike Champion and Davis resident, handed out the Mayor's Cup.

Summary Results

Awards
Mayor's Cup	British Columbia Randonneurs
Dennis Hearst "Most Determined" Award	Craig Wilson
Best Time Management	Mitch Ashley
Senior Men's Trophy	Peter Galloni (age 67)
Senior Women's Award	Karen Aydelott (age 55)
Youngest Rider(s) Award:	Jason Buck (age 29) and Stig Lundgaard of Denmark (also a young guy)
Rider	Hours:Minutes
Tandem
Scott English and Susan Cooper	68:05
Dan Crain and Anny Beck	78:38
Peter Dusel and Cynthia Van der Wiele	80:14
Women
Karen Bonnett	75:51
Karen Aydelott	79:26
Lois Springsteen	83:45
Karen Smith	87:55
Men
Keith Fraser	58:55
Reid Walden	60:31
Jerry Khorll	63:51
Ken Bonner	64:08
Wayne Woodside	64:42

Other notable statistics included a 100% completion rate among foreigners (10/10), 100% completion rate among tandems (3/3), and a finish by the lone recumbent rider, Robert Kobliska.