The 2014 edition of the Coffeeneuring Challenge shows that people’s dedication to riding bikes and drinking coffee (or similar beverage substitutes) while also following a general set of rules remains strong.
After the homologation of results, the season ends with 175 Finishers and 4 people securing an Honorable Mention spot. Continue reading “2014 Coffeeneuring Challenge Finishers and Honorable Mentions”
We’re almost one week into the Coffeeneuring Challenge, and already I’m amazed by all the people riding their bikes to tasty beverages all over the land.
Some ride to four-walled establishments, and others enjoy beverages in the open air.
Much of the coffeeneuring activity is taking place on Twitter (search the #coffeeneuring hashtag), the Coffeeneurs Facebook group, and it’s also going strong on Instagram (also on the #coffeeneuring hashtag). If you’re on flickr, the Coffeeneuring group is here. Please join in as you like. Continue reading “Coffeeneuring Week 1: It’s On!”
We can’t go into the weekend (THE FIRST WEEKEND OF OFFICIAL COFFEENEURING SEASON) without another example of how coffeeneuring happens.
And, of course, it’s always nice to give the locals of #BikeDC and #BikeArlington a shout-out, especially ones who’ve taken such care with capturing their coffeeneuring images. With that, I present you with the coffeeneuring rides of Mr. and Mrs. Bike Snick from this past year. Continue reading “Mr. and Mrs. Bike Snick Go Coffeeneuring”
It’s not every day that someone says coffeeneuring has the potential to change his or her life. Coffee and bike riding can be powerful stuff, however, so who’s to say it isn’t these little pleasures that have great impact on us over time?
I will let you ponder that, as I share this post from Martin, who resides across the ocean from my house, and traveled many places in the completion of last year’s challenge. Continue reading “Coffeeneurs International: Martin in Ye Olde England”
October 4 is when it all starts– the 2014 edition of the Coffeeneuring Challenge. Yes, it’s less than a week away so I hope you’re getting ready.
There’s no one way to coffeeneur. You can do it by yourself. You can do it with your friends. You can pedal to an actual coffee shop, or you can go to a gas station that sells what is supposedly coffee and call it good. And there’s always the option for a Coffee Shop Without Walls, too.
While you develop your own strategy, I’m sharing Jason‘s Coffeeneuring Challenge summary from last year. Jason was the first person from Lancaster to ever complete one of my challenges. His summary is full of fall riding with bicycling buddies, and tasty coffee beverages. I do hope you enjoy it. Continue reading “Team Coffeeneuring with Jason in Lancaster, PA”
Coffeeneuring isn’t just for grown-ups, as 5-year-old finisher Sally proved last year. Coffeeneuring can be for kids, too. It can even be fun for the family. Plus, who can resist the great photo ops Family Coffeeneuring provides?!
Many thanks to Dan, Owen, and Elaine for representing the Family Coffeeneuring contingent, as well as the fine city of Pittsburgh, in the previous edition of the Coffeeneuring Challenge. Please enjoy their guest post.
Continue reading “Family Coffeeneuring: Dan, Owen, and Elaine in Pittsburgh, PA”
Cindy C. of North Carolina participated in the Coffeeneuring Challenge for the first time last year. The descriptive recounts of her rides, diverse beverage consumption, and her conclusion that bicycling might be the cure for the common cold make for excellent pre-coffeeneuring reading.
Enjoy, and thank you, Cindy for the guest post!
Continue reading “A Coffeeneuring Meander with Cindy C. in North Carolina”
Coffeeneuring season has arrived! Hard to believe that the Coffeeneuring Challenge is now in its fourth year, but I looked at my calendar and it really is true. From 12 participants that first year to over 125 last year, coffeeneuring continues to grow. I hope you will consider giving it a go this year.
Coffeeneuring is based on an idea from Joe Platzner, of the Seattle Randonneurs. As he discussed life after the 2011 edition of Paris-Brest-Paris, he noted:
A bunch of us have trained pretty hard for PBP. After PBP, I’m probably going to lobby RUSA for an official “Coffee Shop Run” medal. To earn it, you need to ride your bike slowly to a nearby coffee shop and enjoy a fine beverage.
Coffeeneuring, I thought. It’s perfect! I launched the Coffeeneuring Challenge that year.
Continue reading “Fourth Annual Chasing Mailboxes Coffeeneuring Challenge”
It all starts October 4. Mark your calendars. More details coming your way next week. Continue reading Coffeeneuring Challenge, 2014 Edition
The total number of official coffeeneuring finishers reached 125, with 11 of them being from places outside the United States.
Of these 11, there were three coffeeneurs from Canada, two from Scotland, two from Sweden, one from Australia, one from Finland, one from Ireland, and one coffeeneur from England.
Coffeeneuring, randonneuring, a fatbike, snow, a Salsa Casseroll, a dog, some moose, and a newly completed trail project. That’s just some of what awaits you in this fine post from Tom D., a first-time coffeeneur who has had a big year of riding in 2013, including the 1400K London Edinburgh London (LEL) earlier this year. It’s a perfect pre-holidays story. Thank you, Tom, for guest-posting today!
Tom D.’s Coffeeneuring Challenge
After reading about and seeing pictures of the last two coffeeneuring challenges, I decided that I should take the plunge this year. But I did not just jump in blindly, I sought advice and inspiration from fellow Alaskan Randonneur and coffeeneuring ancien, Ted T.
I have to say that I enjoyed the challenge. It got me out riding a few times when I might otherwise have driven, or even just stayed at home. Thanks, MG, for putting this together.
Continue reading “Alaska Randonneur Tom D.’s 2013 Coffeeneuring Challenge”
Given the little smack of winter we’ve had in the Washington, D.C., area the past two days I thought that a guest post from upstate New York would be a perfect match.
Linda, who resides in Albany, participated in the Errandonnee earlier this year and also completed the Coffeeneuring Challenge for the first time.
While the majority of Linda’s rides occurred around Albany, her coffeeneuring also includes a visit to Massachusetts and the town where she first learned to ride a bike.
Enjoy!
Continue reading “Coffeeneuring Rewind with Linda in Albany, New York”
Today I was pondering the spirit of coffeeneuring. Coffeeneuring is about encouraging people to celebrate the simple act of riding a bike and enjoying a beverage either alone or with friends.
It’s about getting out on our bikes at times when we otherwise might not, and being glad we made the extra effort. When you coffeeneur it does not matter how far you went (okay, you should go at least two miles). Really, the important thing is that you rode your bike somewhere.
As we head into the weekend, I’m pleased to feature this guest post from JP and Kristin, a coffeeneuring team from Arlington, Virginia, as I think their photo set and write-up capture many of these aspects.
Continue reading “The Spirit of Coffeeneuring: JP and Kristin in Virginia”
Today’s coffeeneuring guest post comes from the coffee-loving city of Portland. Graham, randonneur and coffeeneur, put together a succinct summary of his coffeeneuring with a memorable self-portrait at the end to round out his photo set.
After seeing his as well as other Portland coffeeneurs’ contributions, I have put this city on my coffeeneuring tour wish list.
Continue reading “Coffeeneuring with Graham in Portland… Featuring Randonneur Cameos!”
Welcome back from the holiday weekend, coffeeneurs and blog readers. I hope you all had a lovely weekend. I’m homologating coffeeneuring results like a madwoman and will have many exciting updates for you about the Coffeeneuring Challenge results later this week.
To celebrate this final month of the calendar year as well as coffeeneuring accomplishments, I will be dedicating much of this first part of the month (it’s a blog so these timeframes are estimates) to the stories and photos submitted by coffeeneuring participants. To kick off these December posts I am featuring one of the youngest coffeeneurs to complete the challenge.
Sally completed the Coffeeneuring Challenge with her dad Paul, who is the Regional Brevet Administrator for the Central Florida Randonneurs. He is also the ghost writer of her coffeeneuring submission.
Sally and Paul did patronize one coffeeneuring locale more than once, but as it was due to her father’s lack of reading the rules with greater scrutiny the Coffeeneuring Challenge Committee agreed to invoke the “Dad Read the Rules Wrong Exception” and award Sally an official finish.
Congratulations to Sally and without further ado, here is her Coffeeneuring Challenge report.
Continue reading “Coffeeneuring with Sally: She’s Five. She Rides a Pedal Bike. She Coffeeneurs.”
