NAVIGATION

Simply put, “How do I find my way around this route?” The primary navigation tool in randonneuring is the “cuesheet.” You find these at charity rides too. A cuesheet is a written series of directions to guide a rider along a predetermined route. Reading a cuesheet is possibly the most important and useful skill any distance cyclist can learn.

Before I go any farther with this discussion, let me state this. You will not need to do any navigation on our Audax Tune Up rides, or on the 200K Audax Ride. We will keep you “on route.” You will be riding with me, and other experienced riders who know the route, and the surrounding territory well. You may, with confidence, leave the navigation to us.

But if you are interested in randonneuring, or simply want to be a little more self-sufficient, then learning to navigate is worthwile.

In aid of this, I will provide cuesheets to any rider who wishes one, on the day of the ride. How does this help? Please read on.

Cuesheets tend to vary, but there are some fairly standard features. They are usually set up in columns. There will be a “Leg” or “segment” column, which will tell you how many miles to go from the last turn to the next. There will be a “cumulative” column, which will tell you how many miles it is overall from the start to a given point. There is usually a “direction” or “cue” column, which tells you what to do, i.e. RT for right turn, LT for left turn, etc. And there is a “comments” or “directions” column. This last will identify street names, landmarks, and special information.

Navigating by cuesheet is actually fairly simple. You will need a good cycle computer, that is accurately calibrated for you bicycle. It helps to have some kind of cuesheet holder. This can be as simple as a baggie, with the cuesheet folded inside it. The baggie trick works well. One technique is to slip the baggie into one of the legs of your shorts. There are, of course, any number of commercially available map and cuesheet holders, which mount on your bike’s handlebars.

A great way to begin doing this kind of navigation, is to come out on the Tune Up Ride, get a cuesheet at the start, and follow along with the ride leader as we do the route. This is also a time to ask questions about navigating by cue.

There are any number of routes available in cuesheet format. Once you are comfortable with the techniques, you can start exploring some of them. This makes you even more independent.

Come on out and try it.