In an earlier post I mentioned that one of my reasons for putting these rides together is to introduce folks to the sport of Randonneuring.
From the Randonneurs USA website http://www.rusa.org/
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.
One of the keywords in that definition is “unsupported.” The idea is that each rider will prepare to support themselves. That means no SAG wagons, usually no paint on the roads, no easy way to abandon the ride. Each rider is responsible for themselves.
One of the cornerstones of randonneuring, is a series of events called “brevets.” In a brevet, the riders follow a predetermined course, stopping at checkpoints (called “controles”) to have their presence and time verified on a “brevet card.” All of this is done inside of a strict time. While times are kept, participants results are listed alphabetically, not by time. These are strictly non-competitive events. Any rider who finishes the event is considered to be just as good as any other, regardless of the time.
On a 200K brevet, the time allowed to complete the course is 13 hours and 30 minutes.
Hmm. This sounds familiar. Our Audax Ride is a 200 kilometer event. More, we’ll finish in well under that 13.5 hour time span.
Randonneuring is fun. It’s challenging. It might just be for you. This series of rides is a low risk way to sample the sport. Come join us.
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