Talvipäivänseisaus-pyöräilyn ilmoittautuminen on auki 15.12.2024 asti. Tänä vuonna maalipaikkoina jälleen Oulu, Turku ja Tampere.

Ilmoittautuminen ja lisätiedot: https://www.randonneurs.fi/events/talvipaivanseisaus-2024/

(Update: Quiz is over. The controls can now be found on the map.)

Ruska 2025 route will be announced once someone correctly answers the quiz. The hints obviously have plenty of bias towards native Finns, but can with some extra effort be solved by others too.

The #ruska2025quiz hints are published here. The answer still has to be sent in Twitter using #ruska2025quiz. Once someone Tweets the answer with correct start, finish and 3 controls using #ruska2025quiz the route will be announced.

• For a Finn it will be the same whether you finish or not
• The first control is surrounded by water. Just like it once was.
• The second control is the same, but different.
• From the third control you can see something northmost in Finland.
• The final approach to the finish is some 5-6 km of easy gravel.
• The start has burned down.
• The first control parkour is roughly 200 km long and it could be a lot longer, or shorter, but especially longer.
• The second control is an inspiring little tour, but somehow it still feels like a punishment.
• Either before or after the climb and hike to the third control, the participants will have to cover nearly 300 km from or to a another point of interest familiar from a previous Ruska.
• For the finish you will briefly visit something northmost in the world.
• To narrow down possible start locations the next hint is that, as the crow flies, it is more than 15 km to the nearest current VR passenger train station from the start.
• The first control was late to the party and after a era of extraordinary global importance it fell into the dustbins of history.
• While the start, finish, first and third control give you a view to past and present, the second control might just give you a rare view to the future.
• A nearby fell top was used for air surveillance during the 2nd world war. But from the 3rd control we are looking the other way.
• Your way from the third control’s points of interest to finish will have three parkour options to block the shortest path. Two options will be somewhat equal. For the last and shortest option you better check you mail before you proceed.
• People often come to the start to see acknowledged built environment. Yet they can’t avoid seeing something reckoned hard to see.
• The first control lies innocently at the end of parkour, a few kilometers from the town’s old church.
• At the second control there is a small hut next to a spring. From there participants will ride a short parkour loop.
• While the third control’s points of interest are far apart east to west, they are only around 20 kilometers apart north to south. Both points of interest are also within 10 kilometers of Finland’s borders.
• The finish is evergreen.
• The start might have once upon time had something to do with brevet cards.
• On the last quarter of the first control’s parkour participants will visit a piece of Finland’s industrial history that was left behind from a earlier Ruska. The site is the fourth and last one of them.
• From the 2nd control you have a line of sight to the Arctic circle. That means you could see the Arctic circle if Arctic circle was something you could actually see and if vegetation wasn’t potentially obstructing your view.
• At the 3rd control your path in a wilderness is as long as a path to a wilderness from the other point of interest.
• The final approach to the finish starts from the shores of a very long fjord.
• The start was turned into a museum 100 years after it was originally founded.
• The 1st control parkour starts from a home of a highly regarded professional who along with the 1st control itself made its way to the dustbins of history in the same paradigm shift, but for a very different reason.
• A bonus hint for the 1st control. The ruins of the church that was later replaced by the new old church are just about hundred meters from the 1st control.
• The observation plot around the 2nd control was founded over 100 years ago and is still being actively studied.

(9.9.2024 vapaa julkaistavaksi)

Perjantaina 13.9.2024 auringon laskiessa kello 19:46 alkaa Helsingistä Paavo Nurmen patsaalta kahdeksas Ruska-pyöräily. Tänä vuonna Ruskan noin 2100 km reitti seuraa Olympiatulta, 100 vuotta sitten Pariisissa oli viimeiset Olympialaiset ilman Olympiatulta ja Ruskan maaliin Tromssaan Olympiatuli ei koskaan syttynyt.

Helsingistä tapahtuman noin 50 osallistujaa aloittavat matkansa kierroksella tutustumaan Helsingin olympialaisten jälkeensä jättämään rakennusperintöön kuten Olympiaterminaaliin, Lasipalatsiin, Teekkarikylään ja julkisiin käymälöihin ennen kuin jatkavat Tuusulaan Helsingin olympialaisten marathonin kääntöpaikalle, josta alkaa vapaa reitti. Reitin kolme rastia ovat Juha Miedon patsas Kurikassa, Olympiatulen sytytyksen muistomerkki Pallastunturilla ja Pertti Ukkolan olympiagalleria Sodankylässä.

Osallistujilla on reitin ajamiseen aikaa kahdeksan päivää, viisi tuntia ja neljätoista minuuttia eli maalissa Tromssassa pitää olla lauantaina 21.9. keskiyöllä. Päivämatkat ovat minimissään noin 250 km ja lyhyitä ennalta määrättyjä osuuksia lukuun ottamatta osallistujat suunnittelevat itse omat reittinsä. Kello käy koko tapahtuman ajan ja osallistujat saavat käyttää vain kaikille yhtäläisesti saatavilla olevia palveluja, kuten kauppoja ja hotelleja. Kaikki erikseen järjestetty huolto on kielletty ja osallistujat eivät saa auttaa toisiaan, pois lukien parina tapahtumaan ilmoittautuneet, jotka saavat avustaa toisiaan.

Ruskaa voi seurata sekä kartalla että sosiaalisessa mediassa tunnisteella #ruska2024. Seurantasivu osoitteessa https://www.randonneurs.fi/ruska-2024/

Lisätietoja Mikko Mäkipää / +358 505822386 (Saatan olla pyöräilemässä, kun soitat)

Transcontinental race numero 10 alkaa sunnuntaina 21.7. kello 21 Suomen aikaa Roubaixista Ranskasta.

Kontrollit:

1. Mangartsko sedlo, Slovenia
2. Bjelašnica, Bosnia ja Hertsegovina
3. Prevallë, Kosovo
4. Çanakkale, Turkki

Maali on Istanbulissa Turkissa.

Live-seuranta osoitteessa https://www2.followmychallenge.com/live/tcrno10/

Mukana olevat suomalaiset:

24: Auri Teinilä

43: Mikko Kainu

44: Mikko Mäkipää

63: Sami Martiskainen

87: Taneli Myllykoski

178: Mikke Luostarinen

204: Kim Heikkinen

296a: (pari) Dulce Pedroso

Time for another Transcontinental race kit list. In the rare cause you’ve missed the earlier they can be found at 2023, 2022, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015 and 2014. Or you can just skip to this year’s album.

Again hitting the street with my Orbea Avant. 50/34 cranks and 13-29 rear. Both rim’s now RR 411 with Schwalbe one 365 tires and Aerothan tubes. A new recycled 28 spoke rear Dtswiss hub and a Son deluxe dynamo in the front.

Carradice saddlebag, Apidura ”fork bag” under saddlebag, 3 Apidura food pouches, Miss grape frame/top tube bags and a Topeak top tube bag. I may still juggle the bags a bit before start.

Also still haven’t quite decided whether I will juggle the Gopro and Piko for day and night or just mount both permanently. For main front light there is a B&M IQ-X.

Again Secuzed dynamo tail lights with reflectors and as my ”only” micro-usb gadget Niterider solas blinder light.

This time using Garmin edge 840 with the physical buttons and usb-c charging. Sinewave revolution for dynamo usb charging. Remotes for Piko and Garmin also available. Garmin remote has a few benefits, mainly a single button get back to the map screen regardless of where you are lost in the menu.

The usual wear will be the long sleeve merino jersey, socks, cap, helmet, gloves, shorts and new shoes. I’m a bit worried about pressure on the shoes while walking, but hopefully either me or the shoes will get used to it.

Phone is in the left pocket. The camera is really a Tg-7 used to shoot these photos, and the old Tg-5 is just for reference in the right pocket along with RHA MA650 earphones. In the middle pocket there are passport, brevet card and wallet for easy haptic feedback when leaving a stop.

Essential extra wear is a little lighter than usual. Just a ultralight packable jacket, gloves, thin rain gloves, toe warmers, arm warmers and 2 buffs. The other is a ”UV” Buff that is better for cooling, especially when wet, and will during some days replace face area sun screen too.

Route hardly climbs over 2000 m and the coldest bits are relatively short. Hence I didn’t bring a warmer jacket. We’ll see if I regret it at some point. Long clear nights may be suprisingly cold.

In the top tube pack there is a spork and rag to clean it. Mostly it and the food pouches are for food during the ride.

The food pouch outer pockets will this time house a hand cleaner, hand disinfectant, Gopro helmet mount and a camera tripod.

All the spares. The spare Garmin edge 1030 is why the rear light was my ”only” micro-usb gadget. Also the required bike bell, micro-usb cable, 2nd Piko battery and the battery’s charging plug. These are stored in the bottom of the saddlebag.

The ”normal” clothes along with spare bibs and socks are in a waterproof pouch in the saddlebag. These are typically needed together. I’ll likely leave a longer stop with the other shorts while the other are left to dry after washing.

Here is the main charging equipment. Anker 3 ports 65 watt charger, 2 longer usb c-c cables and a short usb a-c cable. Also a basic power bank that fits inside the phone pouch to charge on the go. All packed inside a lezyne tool bottle.

The bottle along with sun screen and a mussette are in the left pouch of the saddlebag.

The Topeak top tube pouch is mainly for easy access to toilet paper and chamois cream. Also for other small items, such as earphones, that may require quick access and waterproofness.

And next to the frame bag. For quick access some charging eqiupment. A pass-through charging power bank, 2 usb a-c cables to use with power bank and Revolution, Polar Vantage watch charger and Lupine in-out charging bits.

Again in the frame bag usual tools.

• 3 spare tubes
• Spare outer tire
• Patches, TPU quick patches, levers, pump adapter and spare hose
• Pump
• 2 multitools
• Spare cleat, cables, connectors, zipties, tape and nipples
• Black diamond ”wax” and some rags for keeping chain moving
• Derailleur hanger
• Spare spokes are in the saddle bag

And still in the frame bag basic hygiene stuff. Toothbrush and paste. More chamois cream, razor, little bodywash and deodorant. In addition to plasters, wipes and water purification pills I decided to bring some Compseeds due to new shoes and possible issues with them.

Finally the camping kit that is the same as last year. Literally, because I never scrapped the bubble wrap this time. MSR e-lite bivy bag and a bit of bubble wrap for mattress. These are under the saddlebag for quick access.

That’s all for now. Still a little more packing to do this year.

Ps. Forgot about vest and packable backpack in the right pocket of the saddlebag. Petzl tikka xp 2 headlight with usb-c rechargeable aaa batteries is in the vest’s pocket usually. The actual weatherproofness of the Tikka combo remains to be seen. On paper it is good enough.

After I had used poor quality reflective elements for the vest last year I had to redo them again this year. The new material should be for high wear work clothing so it will hopefully last more than two weeks. The back is ”open” for backpack while ”wings” below are visible and I mostly ride with the vest open so the front element are playing in the wind.