INTRODUCTION TO RANDONNEURING OVERVIEW AUGUST 25, 2018 MEL CUTLER, VP RECREATIONAL RIDES OVERVIEW • Randonneuring is long-distance unsupported endurance cycling. – This style of riding is non-competitive in nature, and self-sufficiency is paramount. – When riders participate in randonneuring events, they are part of a long tradition that goes back to the beginning of the sport of cycling in France and Italy – Friendly camaraderie, not competition, is the hallmark of randonneuring. • Scope of rides – 100 km -1200 km distances – 15 km/hr – 30 km/hr average speeds – Pre-defined routes with controls • “Open” controls – get receipt • “Staffed” controls – get signature • “Info” control – answer trivia question • “Secret” controls – staffed to short-circuit “cheating” 1 Courtesy of rusa.org TYPES OF RIDES (1/2) • Individual – Brevets -- Ride of 200 km or more with a pre-approved course and scheduled for a particular date – Populaires -- Ride of 100-199 km with a pre-approved course and scheduled for a particular date – Permanents -- Ride with a pre-approved course that may be ridden at any time with prior agreement between the rider and the route “owner” • Te a m – Fleche -- Ride of 360 km in which only the endpoint and date are specified and to be completed in 24 hours by a team of from 3-5 bicycles departing from different locations – Date -- Ride of 200 km km in which only the endpoint and date are specified and to be completed in 13.5 hours by a team of from 3-5 bicycles departing from different locations – (cont'd on next slide) TYPES OF RIDES (2/2) • Te a m s ( c o n t ' d ) – Dart Populaire -- Ride of 120 km in which only the endpoint and date are specified and to be completed in 8 hours by teams of from 3-5 bicycles departing from different locations • Grand Randonnees • Paris-Brest-Paris (PBP) – brevet of 1230 km to be completed in 90 hours • Held every 4 years starting in 1931 • Must qualify by riding ACP sanctioned brevets of 200, 300, 400, 600 km in the year it is run • Limited to ~5000 riders by use of pre-qualifying in prior year and by country quotas • Not the most difficult but certainly the most famous • London-Edinburgh-London (LEL) -- brevet of 1500 km UK version of PBP • Boston-Montreal-Boston (BMB) -- brevet of 1200 km USA version of PBP (now defunct) RULES • RUSA Rules – generally follow Randonneurs Mondial rules – Riding at night or low visibility conditions – Permitted and Prohibited Assistance – Safety – https://rusa.org/pages/rulesFor Riders • RUSA experimenting with modernization – Scanned receipts, cellphone photos for information controls – GPS track files as backup evidence • But the French are die-hard traditionalists ORGANIZATION CHART Audax Club Parisien 1904 Randonneurs Mondiaux 1983 Randonneurs USA Other National Randonneuring 1998 … Administrative Bodies PCH Randonneurs SD Randos SLO Randonneurs … PCH Randos SD Randos SLO Randos Brevet Schedule Brevet Schedule Brevet Schedule RANDONNEURS USA • Established 1998 – prior to that US residents had to qualify for PBP in other countries – All volunteer, virtual organization • Over 12000 members, member number assigned serially (like employee numbers) • Mel Cutler – RUSA #5833 • Lois Springsteen – RUSA #8 – Active in Santa Cruz Randonneurs – Married to Bill Bryant – RUSA #7 – Both held RUSA national offices – Worked at Aerospace Sunnyvale Office – Became CFP after office closed in 1990s AWARDS • Brevet medals – for each distance • Design changes every 4 years (after PBP) • Super Randonneur (200, 300, 400, 600 km in one season) • Te a m m e d a l • R-12 and P-12 • Lifetime awards • à all must be purchased TERMINOLOGY • Ancien (or Ancienne) – a cyclist who has completed a brevet of 1200 km or more • Brevet – a sanctioned, scheduled ride of 200 km or more to be completed within time limits • Dart -- a ride of 200 km to be completed in 13.5 hours by one or more teams that start at a point of their selection, ride a route of their selection, and arrive at a common end point at the same time. A RUSA event. • Dart Populaire -- -- a ride of 120 km to be completed in 8 hours by one or more teams that start at a point of their selection, ride a route of their selection, and arrive at a common end point at the same time to celebrate. A RUSA event. • Fleche – a ride of 360 km to be completed in 24 hours by one or more teams that start at a point of their selection, ride a route of their selection, and arrive at a common end point at the same time. An RM event typically ridden on a weekend around Easter Sunday. • Grand Randonnee – a brevet of 1200 km or more • Permanent – a brevet that may be ridden at any time upon agreement of the rider and the “owner” • Populaire – a sanctioned, scheduled ride of less than 200 km to be completed within time limits • PBP (Paris-Brest-Paris) – The oldest Grand Randonnee (1230 km) • Randonneur (or Randonneuse) – a cyclist who has successfully completed a brevet QUESTIONS? BACKUP AEA DART POPULAIRE TO SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO LOGISTICS OVERVIEW MARCH 19, 2018 MEL CUTLER, VP LONG RIDES OVERVIEW • 120 km (~75 mile) point to point ride ending in San Juan Capistrano sponsored by PCH Randonneurs (RUSA) – Lunch provided at finish control (Bad to the Bone BBQ) • Saturday May 19 from 0800 to 1600 • Teams consist of from 3 to 5 bikes 3 members from a team must finish for the RUSA team members to get RUSA credit Non-RUSA members pay $5 extra each to cover insurance costs • Proposed route starts at Union Station in DTLA – Approved in principle by ride organizer PROPOSED ROUTE • Draft route stored on AEA ridewithgps account – https://ridewithgps.com/routes/27030384 – Still a bit short of 120 km – Organizer has approved in principle • Route overview – Through East LA and south to LA River Bike Trail – LA River Bike Trail to its end in Long Beach – Standard coastal route to Newport Beach, then inland to avoid riding through Laguna Beach – OC arc through Upper Newport Bay, Irvine, Lake Forest, Mission Viejo, then due south to San Juan Capistrano – This is where the climbing is – not bad • Controls (we get receipts here to prove that we rode the route) – Start Control at Starbucks Union Station – Control in Shoreline Village, Long Beach – “6 hour” control tentatively selected (Tanaka Farms, Irvine) LOGISTICS • Mel Cutler has volunteered to be team captain • Need to select a name for the team • Ride start: Union Station is an LA County transportation hub served by Metro Rail, Metrolink, Amtrak, regional transit systems (e.g. Foothill Transit, OC Transit, Antelope Valley transit. – Commuter oriented transit (e.g., Metrolink) has limited weekend service – Recommend you find a way to start at Union Station without your car, although subterranean parking is available at Metro HQ adjacent to station • Ride finish: Lunch is provided as part of $15 registration fee – Riding back is ALWAYS an option. A direct route is likely only 65-70 miles – Amtrak options: (1) bolt down your lunch and fly the 0.8 miles to the station to catch the 4:25 Pacific Surfliner or (2) 5:34 Pacific Surfliner arrives at Union Station around 7 pm (earliest return options) • $21 regular one way fare; need a bike reservation (limited but no charge) – Metrolink option: 6:11 train arrives Union Station around 8 pm (best deal) • Buy a $10 weekend pass, no bike reservation needed, free transfer to LA transit SIGNING UP FOR THE DART • Prospective riders must complete the following 4 tasks at least 7 DAYS prior to the ride. • 1. Provide personal information to team captain (emergency contact, etc. TBS) • 2. Register using the link below. • https://pchrandos.com/rusa-dart-populaire-120k-registration-and-waiver/ • 3. Fee: Write a check to Channel Islands Bicycle Club (CIBC) for $15 and bring to the ride start (TBR). RUSA members, deduct $5. CIBC members deduct another $5. Bring to ride start. • 4. Other information as required by the ride organizer (TBS) • 5. Read the rules at https://rusa.org/dartpopulairerules.html and send the team captain an e-mail acknowledging that they read and understand the rules. QUESTIONS? AEA DART POPULAIRE TO SAN YSIDRO LOGISTICS OVERVIEW OCTOBER 19, 2017 MEL CUTLER, VP LONG RIDES OVERVIEW • 120 km (~75 mile) point to point ride ending in San Ysidro (San Diego P.O.) sponsored by San Diego Randonneurs (RUSA) – Lunch provided at finish control (CBTL) • Sunday November 19 from 0700 to 1500 • Teams consist of from 3 to 5 bikes, – 3 RUSA members from a team must finish to get RUSA credit – 4 current RUSA members are interested in joining a team; only I am AEA Cycling Club member • Two routes are proposed – Oceanside start -- submitted for approval – San Clemente start -- approved SELECTING A ROUTE (OCEANSIDE) • Somewhat more climbing overall but more distributed and avoids To r re y P i n e s c l i m b • Able to use COASTER on return trip – No bike reservation required – Arrives Oceanside 8:16 pm – Free parking at Oceanside Transit Center (or at your motel if arriving on Saturday evening) SELECTING A ROUTE (SAN CLEMENTE) • Less climbing overall but includes Torrey Pines climb • Must use Amtrak on return trip – Bike reservation required – no additional charge but only 6 slots per train – Evening trains do not stop at San Clemente! – Amtrak 791 arrives San Juan Capistrano 8:16 pm • 7 mile ride back to San Clemente in the dark or • Arrive in San Juan Capistrano Saturday, park, and ride to San Clemente motel – Parking at San Clemente station -- $1.00 if arrive Sunday morning – Overnight parking at San Juan Capistrano station -- 32 spaces, $0.25 per hour SIGNING UP FOR THE DART • Prospective riders must complete the following 4 tasks at least 7 DAYS prior to the ride.