Great Lakes Ultra Cycling and Randonneurs) was founded in 1987 by Lon Haldeman. Originally, rides were out of Sharon, WI but have moved over time. Today, GLU hosts rides in several states, we always enjoy seeing new and small roads and exploring the Upper Midwest. Our rides follow the general goal of endurance over speed; we do not race and our average speeds are generally in the realm of 12-16 mph. A nice long ride in the countryside or city where we can view wildlife and natural features is always key in a GLU ride.
To promote non-competitive endurance cycling events in the Upper Midwest including centuries, double centuries, randonneuring, cycle touring and others at and over 60 miles.
To encourage safe cycling, provide a forum for camaraderie and training for endurance cycling events, and to positively impact the communities in which we ride.
Great Lakes Randonneurs continues to exist as a subset of Great Lakes Ultra Cycling. It is a great sport with lots of tradition.
Our core values are Cameraderie and Perseverence. Our club follows these two principles in everything that we do.
Camaraderie means that we value and respect each other as riders and individuals. We share our challenges and know that our rides are successful when all of us have a good time and ride well. We also value the places we live and ride in and respect them in our behavior towards the people we meet, be they motorists, other cyclists, pedestrians, etc. Stopping or pausing to render assistance or just say hello to anyone is highly regarded and rewarded.
Perseverance means that we acknowledge that we all have goals and we know that it can take time to acheive them. We always ride within our physical and mental limits and respect our abilities. We are here to slowly become more fit and better,safer riding partners.
We are a big tent and welcome all rides, including but not limited to!
We are as a club becoming more aware of those who are less fortunate than ourselves. While previously we used the greatest part of our budget to provide amenities for ourselves, during the outbreak, this money will be diverted to support the homeless. As of now, we have choosen The Night Ministry in Chicago as our charity of choice. We have already donated almost $1500 to them via our jersey sale and as a portion of rider fees. You will always have an option to donate through GLU to this cause.
GLU is open to all riders equally. It does not and shall not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion (creed), gender, gender expression, age, national origin (ancestry), disability, marital status, sexual orientation, or military status, in any of its activities or operations. Respect for all is part of our club code of conduct.
GLU is run by a board of directors (and the efforts of MANY volunteers)
Unlike the typical awards, ours are all based on participating and supporting our core values. Awards should bind us together, not show us off.