Thanks to the Volunteers

We would like to express a heartfelt thank you to all the wonderful volunteers who made this event possible.

We are deeply indebted to Sharon Street, Doug Latornell and Susan Allen for sharing with us their wealth of detailed information from the 2004 Rocky Mountain 1200 without which we could not have organized the 2008 brevet in time. Many thanks also to Danelle Laidlaw for generously sharing her knowledge and experience from organizing and co-organizing the 1998, 2000 and 2002 Rocky Mountain 1200.

A huge thank you to Doug Latornell and Susan Allen who donated countless hours of their own time in the months before the event to take a graphic design concept and make it into an innovative and functional website. Their assistance, advice and counsel were invaluable.

We are very grateful to Bob & Patti Marsh who capably took on the role of Ride Director during the event making it possible for us to ride. We could not have done it without them.

Thank you also to Robert and Suzanne Lepertel who came from France to start off the riders and welcome them back at the finish. It was an honour and privilege to have Robert & Suzanne as our special guests.

To the control captains and volunteers, van drivers and photographers, thank you all for everything each of you did to make the 2008 Rocky Mountain 1200 such a successful event. The controls were wonderfully welcoming, the volunteers supportive and the variety and abundance of food fabulous.

Each person gave up their time to volunteer, many taking time off work without pay or using up holiday days to unselfishly support other riders in their goal to complete this challenging ride. This event was possible only because of the long hours and hard work each of you contributed. It is not possible to express how grateful we and all the riders are for the generous gift of time, energy, encouragement and knowledge that each
volunteer shared with us on this brevet, but on their behalf, thank you all very, very much!

Ali & Roger Holt
2008 Rocky Mt 1200 Ride Organizers

and thanks from some of the riders...

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It's been a few weeks and I realized that I haven't thanked anyone for this ride. The volunteers and support were second to none and the scenery ... well, let's just say I've seen very little else like it.

Thanks so much and, health permitting, I'll be back in 2012!
Sam Collins

PS. If your club ever needs to raise money, I'll bet you could get a fair amount by selling tickets to breakfast at Beauty Creek. I timed my ride to get there near sunrise on Friday morning. Absolutely wonderful! Even four weeks later I'm still thinking about pulling into Beauty Creek at 6am (or so) for an omelet and pancakes. It doesn't get any better. That alone made the ride worth it.

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Thank you for organizing such a great event. The jersey design is without equal. I wore it for the first time yesterday. All of your control staff were very helpful and organized. My two favorite stops were Beauty Creek and Salmon Arm. Both of those stops really got me jazzed up for the rest of the day's ride.

Thank you,
Bob Brudvik

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Hello

I just wanted to express my thanks for the 2008 RM 1200. It was a real eye opener for me. The organization, scenery, and support workers were fabulous, beyond all expectations. I can only imagine all the work that you and the rest of the volunteers put into this event. I want you to know it was greatly appreciated.

If my knees forgive me I look forward to doing another one!

Dean Zimmer (7980)
Manitoba Randonneurs

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Hi Eric

Thank you for the link. I hope that my story will decide other frenchmen to ride the RM. So many foreigners ride PBP, why don't we go abroad? It's worth it! I think, the BC Randonneurs made as good job as the Audax Club Parisien. All volunteers were so kind with us.

Reading my story will be very difficult for you if you're not fluent in French, because I (try to) write in a literary way, long sentences, many vocabulary. Don't spend too much time on it. I would like to be able to write in English...

Sophie Matter
France

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Hi Ali and Roger:

This e-mail is WWWWAAAAYYYY over due !!!

Although the Rocky 1200 is now well in the past, the memories linger. I have meant to write you a note of congratulations and thanks from the moment I first met you in Kamloops.

What you two have accomplished and contributed to the Rando world is simply amazing. The degree of organization and quality of your corps of volunteers is truly a real testament to the strength and enthusiasm of your club. I am so grateful and thankful for the experience that I had on your ride. The weather that you served up was surpassed only by the meals provided at the controls. To do a 1200 with volunteers falling over themselves to address my every need was beyond anything I had ever imagined (we do unsupported rides out here !!). I am certain that all of your efforts resulted in many PB's for the veterans, as well as simply successful finishes for first-timers like myself.

From the bottom of my heart, I sincerely thank you for all you did, and ask that you please pass on my thanks to all the members and volunteers of your club.

Thank you!
Willi Fast RPF
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

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Hi,

I had the amazing fortune to ride Rocky Mountain 1200 in 2008. I was suggesting to a friend who is changing focus from USCF racing to endurance riding that he should do RM1200.

I am actually from the Boston area but doing some work west of Kamloops and reliving the fantastic memories from the ride every time I look at the map or the photos. You put on a really high quality ride and I thought it would be a much more memorable experience than PBP. I have done both and while the PBP experience was unique, my experience with your ride was leaps and bounds better than PBP in every aspect.

Jessica Eckhardt
Boston, USA