To promote the development and enjoyment of long-distance, self-supported endurance cycling with an emphasis on safety and camaraderie.
We are open to anyone interested in long-distance bicycling and we encourage our riders to grow their interest in randonneuring anywhere in the world.
We organize and host a broad spectrum of long distance bicycling events within the state of Minnesota, including Western Wisconsin and Northern Iowa.
Minnesota Randonneurs is an incorporated entity in the State of Minnesota as a 501c3 organization.
Minnesota Randonneur events <=200k are included in the official Twin Cities Bicycling Club (TCBC) Ride Schedule under the Outreach ride category. Riders with current TCBC memberships will be credited for the distances completed on Minnesota Randonneur events that are on the TCBC Ride Calendar.
Minnesota Randonneurs is affiliated with and insured through RUSA (Randonneurs USA), the national randonneuring organization. All ride results are recorded in the RUSA Results database.
Rob Welsh’s first randonneur experience was Paris-Brest-Paris in 1979 when he was 28 years old. After a 27-year break for family stuff, Rob returned to randonneuring in 2007 and has helped to organize rides and events to grow the Minnesota Randonneurs club ever since.
Chris Carlson is the incoming president of the Minnesota Randonneurs. He has been a member for only four years. Before that he was a bike commuter for many years, and ramped up his riding after two hip replacement surgeries and Covid. Chris is a professional actor and presentation coach. He is hoping to complete his first PBP in 2023.
In November 2017 Keith Morical discovered the Trans America Bike Race and started to train on a 1991 Trek 520. Hearing about a group that rode long distances through the winter, Keith went on his first 200K brevet, in the snow, with the hard-core, winter riding Minnesota Randonneurs. After many successful ultra-distance races and a world record, Keith learned that the MN Randonneurs is an excellent way to train. More importantly it became his favorite way to ride with others.
In 2014, John Murphy discovered Minnesota Randonneurs online and signed up for his first 100k populaire with his steel touring bike. Despite struggling during the ride and swearing off randonneuring, he couldn't stop thinking about it afterwards. With each passing year, John has undertaken longer distances, and aims to complete a 1200k. Besides that, John is a type 1 diabetic, school teacher in Minneapolis, and a beginner mountain biker.
Kate Ankofski joined the Minnesota Randonneurs as a way to train for the Trans America Bike Race, which she completed in 2022. A fan of long days on pavement, Kate has also completed the Trans Mni Sota Wheel Race and the North Star Bicycle Race. She serves as the board's secretary, and is a copy editor at a local marketing agency.
