2026 Rouleur Week Dart Populaire 120km: Team Treble

Ride Report

February 13, 2026

Team Treble: Steve, Debby, Marian, Bob

What is a Dart Populaire you ask? Well azrandos.com has the short answer:

The Dart Populaire is an event whereby teams of cyclists all ride to a common destination from various starting points. Dart Populaires are team events of 8 hours duration and 120km (75 mi) minimum distance. Each Dart Populaire team is limited to a maximum of five members and a minimum of three members. Each team is to design its own route of at least 120 km.  The traditional format for a Dart Populaire ride, like a Flèche, Arrow, or Dart event, is point-to-point, similar to an archer's arrow flying toward its target. At least 25 km (15.6 mi) must have been ridden within the last two hours of the event. 

Months ago when Mike Sturgill announced the AZ Rouleur week, I had the crazy idea of getting Debby and my piano teacher Marian Pease to ride their first RUSA event. Both have successfully ridden century rides and when we ride together, we keep a pace that would allow a few stops and still be able to complete the distance in the 8 hour time limit. Much to my surprise; they agreed and we put a training plan in place last fall with increasing distances using much of our planned route. It was a lot of fun getting ready for the ride. Our route would be a point-to-point from my house to the finish at Mike's house. Mark Pease agreed to drive our truck to join the finish party celebration, collect us and our bikes and return us back to Tempe. A few weeks before the event, Bob Fisher asked to join our team and he was a great addition.

Winds starting to build

We gathered at my house at about 0800 and were ready to go at the designated start time of 0900. We took our group photo and sent it to Mike to let him know we were starting and rolled out. We rode the first 20 minutes at a nice warm-up pace. Just a mile or so from our house, one of our cycling friends, Monica Suriano, came out from her neighborhood to wave and cheer us on. I was about to roll to a stop to say hello, but she said, ' the clock is running, keep going!' I only wish I thought to take a photo of her waving grocery bags as we rolled by.

We continued onto the Gila River Indian Community and rolled into a very strong wind and dust storm. The forecast was for light headwinds and crosswinds, but this was anything but light!

Free micro-abrasion treatment!

It took us about 30 minutes to cover 4 miles into this wind. That's 9 mph, and the minimum overall speed for the event is about 9.5 mph! The two positives; this covered the roughest section of road and rough roads are much easier to ride slowly, and we knew once we reached Riggs road, we would turn west, and get a quartering tailwind! 

The team did great and we rolled on through the dust and wind!

Gila River Indian Community

We stopped here to take a natural break, gather our wits, reload some pocket food and adjust layers. 

The wind at our back!

We covered the next 10 miles in 40 minutes with speeds up to 19 mph! We gained back almost all the time we lost in the headwind section.

Bob and Debby at the Komatke Market

At 25 miles we rolled into the Komatke Market to top off bottles and take a break. With the headwind slowing us down, we decided we would skip our next planned stop at the Blackrock Coffee in Laveen and instead make one long push to the next stop at Tempe Town Lake. We took a few extra minutes then set out heading north on 51st Avenue.

Cows were out today

We rolled out of the Gila River Indian Community into the farming town of Laveen. Well at least there are still a few farms that have not given way to housing developments.

Very happy to be on the Rio Salado Trail

From the quiet farm lanes of Laveen, we traveled through busy South Phoenix east to Central, then south to the mighty Salt River and the Rio Salado bike trail. From here we will be on dedicated multiuse bike paths for the next 24 miles!

Rain on the horizon

We had a few sprinkles on our route, and at one point it felt like we are about to get dumped on. We didn't need rain gear, but some of the Dart teams that were on the north side of the Valley got drenched!

A few steep sections

Here are Debby and Marian climbing one of the steep sections to leave the roaring river behind and follow the trail on a flood levee. OK luckily no roaring river today, nearly all the water of the Salt River is diverted through a series of canals that deliver it to various users throughout the valley. The only time this river flows is during the 100 and 200 year floods that seem to happen every 25 years or so!

Crossing Tempe Town Lake

There is a fantastic pedestrian/bike bridge over Tempe Town Lake at the Tempe Performing Arts Center. Its a great venue and Debby has performed there with the Arizona Wind Symphony many times. I usually find my way to the bar!

Tempe Town Lake is the centerpiece of the Rio Salado project in Tempe. A dam at the west end holds back the Salt River to form the lake that fills the riverbed. The water is supplied by the Salt River and Central Arizona Project. 

At the marina

Mark Pease stopped by to check on our progress at the control at Tempe Town Lake. We were slightly ahead of schedule, but he was tracking Marian on her Garmin Connect and was there when we arrived. There are many places to eat and drink around the lake, but as Monica said, the clock is running so we headed out! We rolled out and headed north for our next stop at the 2 hour control in Scottsdale using the Indian Bend Bike Path.

Crossing a golf course on the path

The bike path is part of the Indian Bend Wash Greenbelt project. Until the mid 1960's Scottsdale was prone to severe flooding as seasonal rains filled the wash on the way to the salt river. The US Army Corps of Engineers proposed a massive concrete channel to control flood water through the middle of Scottsdale. Visionary/architect Bill Walton noted that while dirt and mud would wash away during floods, golf courses and parks would remain relatively intact during the flooding. He wrote an article in the Scottsdale Daily Progress newspaper outlining his proposal for a park system designed to replace the wash that ran nearly the length of the city. It triggered an grass-roots movement that over the next 30 years developed this wonderful park that runs from Shea in north Scottsdale nearly 10 miles to Tempe and the Salt River. Click here for more history!

Sure beats a concrete flood channel!

2 hour control at Starbucks

We exited the bike path at Mountain View Road arrived at the 2 hour control 20 minutes early at 2:50pm. According to the rules, we could not leave to ride the last 25km before 3pm. The rule is to encourage riding at a slower pace, and for the teams to all arrive at the finish about the same time. Our plan was to leave at 3:25pm, so we decided to take an extra break and enjoy our coffee and stretched our planned stop from 15 to 30 minutes. We took this group photo to document stop and set out at 3:20pm to ride the last segment to the finish.

Our analog time schedule and digital navigation 

There was a bit of climbing still to do, but we covered it right on schedule. Once we turned west on Bell road, it was mostly downhill. Plus the forecasted headwind for that section turned into a nice tailwind.

A bit of city riding on Union Hills

Scottsdale traffic was heavy around the Princess Resort and Mayo Clinic, but soon we were on Union Hills Road, only 1.5 miles to the finish.

Team Treble at the finish

We rolled into Mike’s driveway at 4:49 pm; with 11 minutes to spare! Mark took our photo and we grabbed our drop bags with our street clothes and headed around back to the finish celebration in Mike’s back yard. Nearly all the participants were there and the food and camaraderie was a great way to finish the Dart! Yes, we used nearly all the allotted time, we were the last team to roll in, and I dare say we had the most fun!

Thanks to Bob for joining our team. We was willing to ride at our team's pace and help our two new RUSA members complete their first randonneuring event in style. He missed the training rides, but rode the event like a teammate that had been training with us all along.

Hat’s off to Mike for putting the first AZ Rouleur Week on the calendar and cooking up some really delicious barbecue!

I couldn't be prouder of Debby and Marian for taking on and completing this challenge. They rode like champions! PBP anybody?

Steve Atkins

Click here for Dart GPS data 

Click here to see a collection of all my Rouleur rides from the week!

2026 Rouleur Week North Valley 125k

Ride Report

February 12, 2026

Another great day to ride!

Welcome back! Mike gathered the group at the other end of the parking lot since we will be exiting north onto 32nd Street to start the ride. But more importantly, there is a section of the route about 6 miles in where the southbound lanes of the Cave Creek road will be re-routed to the northbound side. Mike met with the police officers controlling traffic and warned them of our approach and approved a plan to get us through safely. We would leave as a group and wait at the shoulder until all the riders arrived at the start of construction. Then we would take the one northbound lane and ride as a group with Mike taking up the rear in his truck to block traffic while we passed through. 

At the start

Another chance to lead out the group at an easy pace, yes please! Brian McGuire and I led the way out through the parking lot and covered the first six miles at a nice conversational pace.

All lanes diverted to northbound side

Waiting to form a single group

We arrived mostly as a group and waited only a minute or two for the recumbent and ElliptiGO riders to join the party.

Mike prepares to cover our six

With a break in the traffic, we rolled out as Mike hopped in his truck to escort the rear of the group through the roughly one mile section of construction. We passed through without incident and appreciated the escort! 

Brittlebrush in bloom

We had a tricky left turn onto Sonoran Desert Drive, but were soon rewarded with quiet riding through park reserves and blooming brittlebush everywhere.

Paul tries the inflator

We turn south and back into town after the Sonoran Desert Drive, but Paul's rear tire was going flat. He tried the inflator but the sealant wouldn't hold. He insisted I ride on while he got out his plug kit.

Unofficial stop at Carefree Highway and Lake Pleasant

I continued on mostly alone, but caught a few riders as I made my way toward Lake Pleasant and the Carefree Highway. There is a new convenience store there, and while not an official control, I have stopped there before and decided to stop in and get a hot dog lunch! Teresa rolled through on her ElliptiGO to top off her bottle while I enjoyed this lunch curbside. 

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Great views on New River Road

From the store its about 10 miles on New River Road. The road has a gentle, almost imperceptible 1% grade heading north. The winds were neutral and traffic was light. I stopped here to get a shot of more wild flowers with Daisy Mountain in the background. The route continues north to New River, then south on the other side of Daisy Mountain to return to Phoenix.

Mike, Penny, and Teresa

When I arrived at the control Teresa was ready to head out, but we got this shot with Penny! Still quite stuffed from my earlier stop, I topped off my bottles and visited with Mike before pushing out. I didn't see them go by, but most of the field must have passed me while I stopped near Lake Pleasant.

Photo contest loser!

Next stop was to get a photo of the Shangri La Ranch sign. Notice the outline on the sign. Normally a rock formation would be called a 'butte' around these parts. But since that ranch is of the nudist variety; the proper spelling of that formation is probably just 'butt!' The contest was a drawing and gave one chance for a photo of the sign alone, and two for a selfie. No socks for me, and probably none for the guests at the Shangri La either.

Lush desert on the edge of town

The route continued south on familiar roads through the desert to the northern edge of Phoenix. The return route missed the construction zone on Cave Creek Road and soon I was back at the start.

The Seattle crew finishing their post-ride coffee

When I arrived a huge group of riders were just finishing their post-ride beverages. I decided not to linger and head out before the heavy evening rush hour got underway.

Pack it up and get ready for tomorrow

I finished this one in about 5 hours and 32 minutes. Another great day on the bike. Time to pack up and get ready for tomorrow's Dart team event! We'll be gathering at my house at 0830 for a 0900 start. 

See you there!

Steve Atkins

Click here for GPS data

 

2026 Rouleur Week EOP 100k

Ride Report

February 11, 2026

Mike gives preride brief to a HUGE crowd!

Welcome to the main event, Arizona's first Rouleur Week. Five official rides to qualify for the Randonneurs USA Rouleur Award, and even a couple of bonus rides on President's day! Mike Sturgill, Arizona RBA, put in countless hours designing the routes and getting the new azrandos.com website up and running. He even loaded it with goodies including daily contests and photo galleries. There were 35+ riders at each event, about 4x the normal turnout for winter brevets here in Phoenix.

Gentle readers of this blog know that yours truly prerode the 200k and 150k events last week. Here is my report on the first event of the week; the End of Pavement (EOP) 100k. Stay tuned for upcoming reports on the North Valley 125k and the 120k Dart Team Event!

Lets get going!

Leading out the group

Mike completed the preride brief noting we had riders from 10 states in attendance for the event. It was a Wednesday and the first turn out of the start was a left turn onto busy Union Hills Blvd. No one seemed ready to move, and some shouted, 'let one the Arizona guys lead us out!' With Mike blocking traffic, somewhat reminiscent of crossing a street in Saigon, I led us out as one big bunch.

Traffic stop

We stayed together through several traffic lights and started the event at a nice easy pace. You're welcome!  A couple of the riders accused me of trying to rig the first contest (guess the average time that all riders reach the EOP) since my guess assumed a slower pace. Hey there were RUSA socks on offer for the contest!

Starting to spread out

Once we cleared the morning traffic, the fast movers took off as I continued at my own pace up the gentle climb toward the EOP. There are some steep rollers the last few miles, but soon the EOP sign appeared in the distance, and with it the first of many well stocked control stops we would have during the week!

EOP, Mike and Penny

Mike and Cindy foster future service dogs, and Penny was present at all the controls and was quite interested in greeting the incoming riders. Only one rule says Mike; ' no people food, she is in training to be a service dog!'

When I arrived about a third of the field was already there. With no real time pressure, and a chance to catch up with rando friends from around the country, I ended up staying until the nearly the last of the riders appeared, and most had left.

Not many photos on the way back. I caught Paul from Colorado in the rollers and got on his wheel. He picked up the pace until we nearly caught Vern, also from Colorado. We closed the gap together and the three of us traded fast pulls on the return. We passed a bunch of riders and somewhere along the way we picked up Doug from Illinois and the four of us rolled in to the finish 4 hours and 20 minutes after we started!

What a great way to start the week. The only downside for me; Chris won the socks for the closest guess to the average time to the control!

Go home and get some rest, tomorrow we ride the West Valley 125k.

Steve Atkins

Click here for GPS data

2026 McDowell Meandering 150km Preride

Preride Report

February 2026

Sunrise over the McDowell Mountains

This is my second preride this week, and today we tackle the McDowell Meandering 150km Rouleur. The actual event will be a week from Sunday (February 15, 2026) and I will be helping Brian McGuire at the control location in Fountain Hills. There are over 30 riders registered, and registration is open through Sunday so there is still time to sign up!

The ride heads north and east through the Desert Ridge area of North Phoenix. There was some Friday morning rush hour traffic on busy roads, then into quiet neighborhoods, high end retail, and the Five Star JW Marriott Desert Ridge Resort. Probably too early for a spa treatment, so I pressed on.

Only a few balloons today

Approaching the Princess Resort

Phoenix Open Traffic Control

A number of the roads were closed around the Princess Resort and the TPC Golf course for the Phoenix Open PGA event this weekend. Luckily the officers allowed me to pass through, and it was actually nice riding on closed roads. Later in the day the route would return through here and again there was no problem. All this will be long gone next week, so no worries.

Central Arizona Project Canal

The route crossed the canal, and no, the route is not on this gravel path, I just stopped here for a picture and to check out the canal path.

Bike path climb to Fountain Hills 

Instead of fighting traffic on Shea Boulevard to reach Fountain Hills, there is a bike route that heads up residential streets and through a gated community to reach a bike path for the final climb into Fountain Hills. It’s a bit steep in the gated community (8%) but eases off as you reach the bike path. The gates look closed, but there is an offset opening that allows bikes through!

Fountain Hills Park

Brian will have a sag stop set up at the park, if you are lucky the fountain may be on!  

Park restroom information

The restrooms I stopped at were clean and had a filtered water dispenser. I was about to leave when I noticed this information panel that describes where Fountain Hills gets its drinking water (CAP Canal), and how every drop is recycled and used for irrigation and the lake and fountain.

Roadwork is done!

When I rode through here (about a mile outside Rio Verde) earlier this week, debris was piled up on the shoulder. It has been cleared off and the shoulder was clear and free of debris!

Road Closed on Rio Verde Road

Near the top of Nine Mile Hill, traffic started to pile up. Ahead the road was closed but the officer allowed me to ride through.

About another mile another officer directed me onto this jeep trail that paralleled the main road. He said an accident was blocking the whole road.  

Overturned concrete truck

About 1/2 mile of gravel riding brought me to the scene. They were rigging the truck when I rolled through.

Lucky the gravel track was there, there was no way to get around this mess otherwise!

Hikers headed to Tom’s Thumb

The route continues up, but just before the summit the route heads toward Tom’s Thumb trailhead. Mike Sturgill will have a staffed control here with refreshments.

There were great restrooms (no water though) and trails that head in the McDowell Mountains preserve. The rock faces in the distance are the Sven Slab rock climbing area. Debby and I spent many days rock climbing there many years ago!

Some minor construction at the Mayo Clinic

The route heads back from the trail head and returns through Scottsdale to North Phoenix. If the roads look familiar, they are, some of them were on the outbound route.

Bike path along the freeway

The final few miles include an older bike path along the AZ 51 freeway. A bit rough in spots but much better than being in traffic. It has climbs about a mile apart for bridge crossings of major streets.

The bike path dumps you out right on Union Hills Road, and it’s only 1/2 a mile to the finish at the coffee shop.

Another great route. I’m looking forward to riding with the 30+ folks that have signed up for the AZ Rouleur Week!

Join us; azrandos.com has all the information !

Steve Atkins

Click here for GPS data