Three Rivers Velo Sport September Touring Challenge

Day 1: Today is the first day of the triple century weekend! 17 club members rode 100 miles or more. Marty Smolinski recorded the most kilometers of anyone. Congratulations to Aaron Hoover and Kyle Schwyn who completed centuries for the first time ever! Valerie Litznerski, Kyle Schwyn, and Russ Stephens take the top three placements on the competitive leaderboard as we begin our challenge!

Day 2: Of the 17 riders who completed a century yesterday, 10 of them went on to complete another century today! Who will conquer the triple century challenge this year? We'll find out tomorrow. Joe Bartels, Russ Stephens, and Carolyn Trier take the top three placements on the competitive leaderboard!

Day 3: Wow! Amazing accomplishments all around as we kicked off the challenge over the holiday weekend. The St Joe Labor Day event saw 36 participants rack up the miles on Phil Snider's loop course. 10 cyclists completed the triple century challenge and they shall be named! Clinton Allen, Joe Bartels, Kevin Crews, Aaron Hoover, Steve Pequignot, Cynthia Roberts, Marty Smolinski, Patrick Stelte, Russ Stephens, and Carolyn Trier - CONGRATULATIONS!

Day 4: Who's been bitten by the September riding bug! Eight cyclists have reached 500k or more and several pairs of competitors are emerging this week: Joe Bartels (665.79k) vs Steve Pequignot (654.68k), Aaron Hoover (572.93k) vs Russ Stephens (572.12k), and Carolyn Trier (552.49k) vs Cynthia Roberts (528.6k). A third of the cyclists from the personal challenge have already hit or surpassed the 25% progress mark toward their goals!

Day 5: Clinton Allen and Steve Pequignot have been putting in the miles - both have surpassed 700k! We still have 25 days left of the challenge, plenty of time to reach your goals! Consistency is key.

Day 6: We're almost one week in and it's so fun watching everyone log their miles! I see those extra commutes to a meal with friends, a family get together, appointments, work! It adds up and y'all are doing a great job taking opportunities to be outside. Shout out to the women's podium contenders who are crushing it! Cynthia Roberts (640.2k), Carolyn Trier (602.22k), and Wanda Reed (528.67k).

Day 7: Steve Pequignot is the first to reach 1000k! Many riders like to take Friday off, but Aaron Hoover made a move up to second place overall and Wanda Reed worked to close the gap toward Cynthia Roberts and Carolyn Trier! Looking forward to a beautiful weekend!

Day 8: Less than 50k separates the top three women, who also occupy 5th, 6th, and 7th place on the overall leaderboard: Carolyn Trier (716.48k), Cynthia Roberts (696.52k), and Wanda Reed (674.48k). Incredible work, ladies! In 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th we've got these beasts: Steve Pequignot (1,205.72k), Aaron Hoover (817.22k), Russ Stephens (772.32k), and Patrick Stelte (720.18k). Sounds like many have a big day planned for tomorrow, can't wait to see the miles roll in!

Day 9: Damn! A huge day as many club members rode in Wabash, IN at the Dam 2 Dam event! Four competitors (Jon DeWitt, Aaron Hoover, Colton Ihrie, and Gus Menezes) completed a whopping 150 miles at 21mph average, sheesh!! Cynthia Roberts snatched the top spot in the women's event and she's got three cyclists trying to get back to her wheel, all who just reached the 750k level (Carolyn Trier, Wanda Reed, and Valerie Litznerski)! Personal challengers have been super strong with several participants already over the halfway mark toward their goals (Helen Best, Kounsavanh Nelson, Rosy Saylor, Marty Smolinski, and Denise & Jim Snyder). Keep it up, y'all!

Day 11: Russ Stephens is the third participant to reach 1000k! Wanda Reed takes the top women's spot along with fourth place overall! Cynthia Roberts, Patrick Stelte, and Todd Andersen are close behind. 25 riders between both challenge options have each completed over 300 miles!

Day 12: More personal challengers reached over 50% of their goal (Bill Meyer and Steve Edmiston)! Of the 44 competitive challengers, the average miles completed by each rider is now 542k (336.7 miles)!! We're not even two weeks in, folks! Steve Pequignot is the first to reach 1,000 miles, congratulations! A pillar of our cycling community here in northeast IN, Steve is a former Touring Director who made a huge impact. He created the September Touring Challenge 11 years ago and continues to support us today. We cheer for his Zwifting!

Day 13: In the personal challenge Tim Johnston has completed 96% of his monthly goal of 195 kilometers. Ten others, Bill Meyer, Brenda Wiley, Jim and Denise Snyder, Helen Best, Kounsavanh Nelson, Marty Smolinski, Mike Miller, Rosy Saylor, and Steve Edmiston have all reached 50% or more of their goals. Valerie Liznerski has passed Carolyn Trier for third place in the Ladies' Challenge, tightening the top three. Wanda Reed remains on top with 977 km; Cynthia Roberts is second place with 945 km; and Valerie has 886 km in third place. As we near the halfway point in the challenge, the ladies' race could lead to a final sprint.

Day 14: Wanda Reed and Cynthia Roberts become the first two ladies to reach 1,000 km as their race for the top spot on the podium remains close. In the personal challenge Jim and Denise Snyder are only 57 kilometers from their challenge goal.

Day 15: We are halfway through the challenge already. In just 15 days we have seen 8 riders surpass 1,000 kilometers: Steve Pequignot, Aaron Hoover, Russ Stephens, Wanda Reed, Cynthia Roberts, Patrick Stelte, Todd Andersen and Valerie Litznerski. Wanda Reed maintains a 70 km lead over Cynthia Roberts in the ladies challenge. Jim and Denise Snyder become the first two riders in the personal challenge to achieve their September goal, with Tim Johnston and Helen Best inching close.

Day 16: The biggest ride of the day belongs to Valerie Litznerski a 170 km effort. Aaron Hoover rode 166 km, keeping him in second place overall and becomes the second rider to reach the 1,610 km (1,000 miles) level. Valerie and Aaron were the only two riders to capture an imperial century for the day. Todd Andersen was not far behind riding 145 km moving him up to fifth place. Russ Stephens piled on another 103 km today keeping him on a podium place. Keith Pulfer also rode 103 km and is in nineth place. Colton Ihrie stayed in the top ten, riding 102 km. Patrick Stelte held onto sixth place with a 101 km performance. Wanda Reed increased her lead to 99 km in the ladies division over Cynthia Roberts, while Aaron Hoover closes the gap by 65 km on first place overall. In the personal challenge Tim Johnston has surpassed his September goal of 195 kilometers becoming the third rider to meet their September goal. The 43 active riders in the competitive challenge, along with the 31 riders in the personal challenge collectively have amassed a total of 42,515.2 kilometers through 16 days. Great effort everyone! Keep it rolling.

Day 17: Steve Pequignot becomes the first rider to exceed 2,000 kilometers this challenge. Wanda Reed expands her lead to 189 km over Cynthia Roberts in the ladies' division and moves up to third overall on the challenge leaderboard. Aaron Hoover and Russ Stephens are in second and third places respectively in the men's division. Todd Andersen is inching closer to the podium as we head into week three. Twenty-six riders in the competitive challenge have earned awards. Mike Miller rides the most miles of anyone in the personal challenge today and reaches 73% of his September goal of 1,000 km.

Day 18: Wanda Reed has another big day, stretching her lead to 230 km in the ladies' division. Valerie Litznerski rides 70 km today and bumps Cynthia Roberts out of second place. In the men's division Michael Quinn rides 122 km and breaks into the top ten on the leaderboard. In the personal challenge Helen Best and Rosy Saylor both reached their September goals today. The weather continues to look ideal through the weekend for as many miles as anyone cares to ride.

Day 19: The only change in the top ten today saw Keith Pulfer move up to eighth place ahead of Cynthia Roberts. Wanda Reed continues to impress with a 124 km day. All podium positions remain unchanged from yesterday. In the personal challenge Marty Smolinski has the most distance with 1,320 kilometers, and has achieved 82% of his goal. Other personal challenge riders who have surpassed 1,000 km include: Clinton Allen, Denise and Jim Snyder.

Day 20: Todd Andersen piles on 74 km today to move into fourth place on the leaderboard and reaches the men's podium. Steve Pequignot remains on the top of the leaderboard with 2,440 km. Aaron Hoover is 2nd with 1,930 km and Todd Andersen is 3rd in the men's division with 1,506 km. The ladies' leaderboard remains the same with Wanda Reed 1st at 1,597 km and third place overall; Valerie Litznerski is 2nd with 1,292 km; and Cynthia Roberts is 3rd with 1,261 km. Colten Ihrie and Tom Lill both reach the 1,000 km award level today. Thirty of the 44 riders in the competitive challenge have earned awards. In the personal challenge 13 riders are on pace to reach their personal goals as we head into the final ten days of the challenge. Denise Snyder, Jim Snyder, Helen Best, Rosy Saylor, and Tim Johnston have already completed their challenge goals.

Day 21: The big news this day is that Wanda Reed becomes the first woman to reach 1,610 km (1,000 miles), the highest award level and is enshrined into the September Touring Challenge Road of Fame. Russ Stephens and Todd Andersen continue their battle for third place on the men's podium. Today, Russ rides around Todd and holds a slim 31 km edge. Keith Pulfer has moved up to sixth place on the leaderboard. Valerie Litznerski and Cynthia Roberts are second and third respectively on the ladies' podium, just 55 km apart. Marty Smolinski continues to have the most distance of all riders in the the personal challenge; but he is still 264 km away from his huge goal of 1,610 km. Go Marty go!

Day 22: Some big Ks today! Aaron Hoover cut 101 km off of Steve Pequignot's lead today by becoming the second rider to surpass 2,000 kilometers. Wanda Reed had an even bigger day by riding 130 km stretching her lead in the ladies' division to 431 km. Russ Stephens holds on to third place in the men's podium race by 4 km after a 103 km day. Todd Andersen closes in on the podium after a 130 km day on the saddle. Patrick Stelte has the biggest day riding 141 km moving him up to sixth place on the leaderboard. Cynthia Roberts put in 96 km on the road today overtaking Valerie Litznerski for second place in the ladies' podium. Russ Stephens and Todd Andersen both reach the 1,610 km level today bringing the total to five riders entering 3RVS Wall of Fame. Jonathan DeWitt and Carolyn Trier reach 1,000 km today. Ramon Vasquez reaches 1,000 km, becoming the fifth member in the personal challenge to do so. Today was sunny with a high temperature of 90 degrees. Tomorrow it will be about ten degrees cooler with a chance of rain in the late afternoon, so get out early if you can.

Day 23: Todd Andersen rides two huge back-to-back days to overtake Russ Stephens for third place on the men's podium. Todd's move to fourth place on the leaderboard is the only change in the top ten from yesterday. The ladies' podium remains unchanged with Wanda Reed leading with 1,788 km; Cynthia Roberts is second with1,437 km; followed by Valerie Litznerski with 1,316 km. Steve Pequignot and Aaron Hoover continue to hold down the top two places on the leaderboard, both riders are well over 2,000 kilometers for the month. Patrick Stelte closes in on a 1,000-mile month holding down sixth place on the leaderboard. Brent Lockwood, Verne LaRue, Joey Bauers, Joe Bartels, Steve McDonald, and Kevin Crews are all closing in on the 1,000 km award. Nancy Lichtensteiger reaches 500 km. David Hathaway and Kylie Eicholtz are knocking of the door of 500 km. In the personal challenge five riders have already reached their monthly goals. Mike Miller is less than ten kilometers from his 1,000 km goal as we enter the final week of the challenge. Marty Smolinski continues to lead all riders in the personal challengers with 1,439 kilometers.

Day 24: Wanda Reed has a big day riding 116 km, extending her lead in the ladies' division. Verne LaRue and Brent Lockwood reach 1,000 kilometers award level. Tom Lill moves into tenth place on the leaderboard with 1,194 km; but Jonathan DeWitt is only 30 km behind him. Thirty-two of the 43 active riders in the competitive challenge have earned awards. Mike Miller becomes the sixth rider in the personal challenge to reach his challenge goal. Well done, Mike! Marty Smolinski and Clinton Allen are the top two distance riders in the personal challenge. The total distance of all participants ridden through 24 days is 57,435 kilometers. Six more days remain, let's keep it rolling!

Day 25: The only change in the top ten today is Keith Pulfer riding 75 km and moving into sixth place. Those 75 km put Keith as the sixth rider to reach the top level of 1,610 km (1,000 miles), also enshrining him in the 3RVS Road of Fame. Great effort, Keith! Joe Batels reaches the 1,000 km award level today. Both the men's and ladies' podium positions remain unchanged from yesterday. Scott McCauley reaches the 750 km award level. In the personal challenge Tim Johnston, Denise and Jim Snyder, Helen Best, Rosy Saylor and Mike Miller are the six riders who have reached their personal goal. Nine other riders are within 20% of their challenge goal with only five days remaining.

Day 26: Steve Pequignot is the first rider in the challenge to reach 3,000 kilometers. Aaron Hoover has a big day riding 92 km holding down second place on the leaderboard. Todd Andersen adds 75 km today keeping a hold on third place in the men's division and fourth place overall. In the ladies' division Wanda Reed is in first place with 1,987 km; Cynthia Roberts is second with 1,572 km; and Valerie Litznerski is third with 1,510 km. The top ten positions on the leaderboard remain unchanged from yesterday. Colton Ihrie moves up two spots to 11th place while Joe Bartels moves up one spot to 13th place. Susan Zuber moves up two spots to 18th place, just 3.5 km from 1,000. David Hathaway and Kylie Eicholtz reach 500 km today. With four days remaining in the personal challenge six riders have completed their goals: Tim Johnston, Denise and Jim Snyder, Helen Best, Rosy Saylor and Mike Miller. Marty Smolinski and Clinton Allen remain the top two distance riders in the personal challenge with 1,484 km and 1,384 km, respectively.

Day 27: Wanda Reed is the first woman to reach 2,000 kilometers in this year's challenge! Patrick Stelte and Cynthia Roberts reach the 1,610 km (1,000 miles) for the month and are enshrined into the 3RVS Road of Fame! Susan Zuber reaches 1,000 km and moves into 17th place on the leaderboard. Michael Toole moves up two places on the leaderboard and reaches the 750 km award level. There are two changes in the leaderboard's top ten today: Patrick Stelte moves from 7th to 6th place and Cynthia Roberts moves from 8th to 7th place. In the personal challenge Dave Shaw passes his challenge goal of 750 km, and Bill Meyer exceeds his goal of 500 km, making them the 7th and 8th riders to attain their personal goals this month. Keep on riding everyone, there are only three days remaining in this year's challenge. Remember, since the challenge began August 31 to include all three days of Labor Day Weekend, the last day of the challenge is Sunday, September 29.

Day 28: The top ten on the leaderboard changed today. Cynthia Roberts moves from 7th to 6th place while Keith Pulfer moves from 8th to 7th place. Kevin Crews reaches 1,000 km today, as Kyle Schwyn passes the 750 km award level. Marty Smolinski has 1,558 km followed by Clinton Allen with 1,445 km and continue to lead the way in the personal challenge. We apologize for this daily post being late; our website host provide has been down today.

Day 29: Following the Jersey Ride and a spicy post ride party hosted by our Touring Director Elana Merritt and her parents we head into the final day of the challenge. With one day remaining the top ten riders on the leaderboard has only one change: Keith Pulfer has moved into 6th place. Both the ladies' and men's podium place remain the same with Wanda Reed leading the ladies; 2nd place is Cynthia Roberts; and Valerie Litznerski is holding down third place. The men's podium is led by Steve Pequignot; Aaron Hoover has a firm hold on second place; and Todd Andersen maintains third place. Valeie Litznerski reaches the top level in the challenge surpassing 1,610 kilometers and is enshrined into the 3RVS Road of Fame. Aneesh Balla reaches the 750 km award level, and Jeannine Mettler reaches the 500 km level. In the personal challenge Karen Lohmuller and Chris Carter reached their goals today, bringing to a total ten riders who have reached their challenge goals. Sunday is the final day of this year's challenge. Enjoy your final push!

Day 30: Thirty-Five of the 43 riders in the competitive challenge reached an award level. Only having 43 riders in the competitive challenge this year we were far off the record of most kilometers ridden in a challenge which is 77,147 km. A mark set in 2023 with 101 riders. However, the 43 riders in this year's challenge did establish a new record for the greatest average of kilometers ridden per rider of 1,097 km. What a great effort by everyone! This year ten riders from the competitive challenge were enshrined into the 3RVS Road of Fame for riding 1,610 or more kilometers during the challenge. They are Steve Pequignot, Aaron Hoover, Wanda Reed, Todd Andersen, Russ Stephens, Keith Pulfer, Cynthia Roberts, Patrick Stelte, Valerie Litznerski and Tom Lill. Another ten riders reached the 1,000 kilometer level, including: Joe Bartels, Colton Ihrie, Jonathan DeWitt, Carolyn Trier, Michael Quinn, Verne LaRue, Susan Zuber, Steve McDonald, Brent Lockwood and Kevin Crews. The next ten riders all made it to the 750 km level. Congratulations to Joey Bauers, Scott McCauley, Nathan Woods, Steve Martinski, Michael Toole, Gus Menezes, Aneesh Balla, Kyle Schwyn, Rick Bokern and Matt Sprunger. Six riders reached the 500 km level including: Mike Neag, David Hathaway, Jeannine Mettler, Kylie Eicholtz, Nancy Lichtensteiger and Mark Witmer. In the ladies' division Wanda Reed led all ladies with 2,291 km; 2nd place is Cynthia Roberts with 1,843 km; and Valerie Litznerski finished in third place with 1,687 km. In the men's division, at the top of the leaderboard is Steve Pequignot with 3,430 km; second place is Aaron Hoover with 2,689 km; and Todd Andersen in third place with 2,258 km. This is the first year for the personal challenge. We hope the 31 riders who took part in the personal challenge enjoyed the work they put into the challenge by striving to achieve their goals. In all 14 riders reached the goal they set. They include: Bill Meyer, Chris Carter, Clinton Allen, Dave Shaw, Denise and Jim Snyder, Helen Best, Karen Lohmuller, Kounsavanh Nelson, Marty Smolinski, Mike Miller, Roey Saylor, Steve Edmiston and Tim Johnston. Of those riders Marty Smolinski and Clinton Allen are now enshrined into the 3RVS Road of Fame as they both exceeded 1,610 km (1,000 miles) during the challenge. As a matter of record the 31 riders in the personal challenge rode 20,823 km collectively. Adding those kilometers to the 47,194 from the 43 riders in the personal challenge, 74 riders in both challenges rode a respectful 68,017 kilometers, making this year's challenge the sixth highest kilometers ridden in our eleven year history. To the 74 riders who participated in the two challenges this year, we say THANK YOU for your dedication and eagerness to succeed. We hope you enjoy a rest day or two.

Below are the 3RVS members who have registered for the Competitive
Challenge, along with the Personal Challenge listed below the Competitive Challenge.

3RVS Members: This year is the 11^th Annual Three Rivers Velo Sport September Touring Challenge! It will begin on Friday, August 31st and run through Sunday, September 29th, 2024. Slightly different dates than usual, but the same number of days as always, with the opportunity to let riders count all three days of the Labor Day holiday weekend as the Triple Century Challenge will again be an option this year for anyone interested, along with regular distances offered each day.

On Labor Day, Monday, September 2nd, the St. Joe Church of Christ is once again allowing us to use their space for our SAG stop for the St. Joe Century loops. This will be a free event for all members and food will be provided! Phil Snider and friends have marked the roads, so come on out at 8am for a fun loop (or two, or three, or four).

This year we are offering something new! If participating, you will get to choose between the competitive or personal challenge.

-----The personal challenge might be right for you if you are not interested in fighting for a spot on the leaderboard, but trying to meet a personal goal and looking for some encouragement or accountability. This challenge will be tallied weekly (Sundays 9/1, 9/8, 9/15, 9/22, 9/29), shown on an alphabetized leaderboard, and track your distance and percentage toward your goal.

-----The competitive challenge might be right for you if you are excited to push your limits and work toward 1,000 miles, or more.
This challenge will be tallied daily.

When you fill out the registration survey linked above, you will have the option to choose your award type.

Below are the official rules from September Challenge Administrators, Elana Merritt and Steve Pequignot. Please read and be aware of the rules.

Awards will be presented at our annual End of Season Party to 3RVS members for different levels of participation, make sure to fill out the registration survey!

Members' distances for any bicycling event, either a club tour, race, off road, riding by yourself, or smart trainer program such as Zwift are accepted as long as the ride is transferred to Strava (see exceptions below) showing details of the ride, such as distance, time, and a map of the course ridden.

-----Personal Challenge: Class 1 and Class 3 E-bikes (no throttle) are eligible. Class 2 E-bikes, with throttle power are not permitted and any distance ridden on such bike will not be counted for this event. If a member would like to participate in the personal challenge but does not use Strava, email Elana Merritt at touring@3rvs.com for other options.

-----Competitive Challenge: No manual entries will be accepted unless your recording device fails during your ride, in which case you may enter your lost miles as a manual entry along with the portion of the ride that was recorded offering an explanation for the lost distance in the description box. Please be aware of our privacy setting requirements during the challenge: All competitive challengers must have their Profile Page, Activities View, Group Activities and Flyby set to Everyone. All podium finishers MUST have all rides open for review during the challenge. Any ride(s) not open for review will be deducted from monthly distance totals before the results become final October 1st. Members who do not have these settings in place may also lose the mileage for distance awards. If a public profile is a safety concern for you, you may email Elana Merritt at touring@3rvs.com for accommodations.

DON'T FORGET! Go join on Strava too! www.strava.com/clubs/3rvs. This page is a closed group for club members only. After you apply to join the challenge your 3RVS membership will be verified. Once verified your place on the roster will be approved. Non-3RVS members may not participate in this challenge and have been removed from the group page. Non-members may join 3RVS then sign up for the challenge.

Distance entries will conclude at 11:59pm September 29th, 2024. Results will be finalized and posted October 1st, 2024. Daily rides must be entered to Strava and migrated to the September Touring Challenge by 8:30pm to be included in the daily update. Keep in mind, when Strava has heavy traffic it sometimes takes up to 30 minutes for a ride to migrate from your page to the September Touring Challenge page. All weekly Strava mileage must be posted and migrated to the 3RVS Strava Page no later than 11:59 PM each Sunday. After that time all prior weekly mileage is locked. Questions may be directed to the Challenge Administrators, Steve Pequignot spequignot@aol.com or Elana Merritt touring@3rvs.com

Not a 3RVS member? Join Here: https://www.bikereg.com/62102
View historical Challenge details at: http://www.americanclassicgroup.com/3rvs/3rvschallengehistory.htm