400K ACP Brevet — Tavares-Gainesville (7 March 2026)

Date: 7 March 2026
Distance: 400km
Start Time: 0400
Official Finish Cut-off: 0700 Sunday (27h) **NOTE: This ride will be run on EST (ignore the time change occurring Saturday night)
Location: Comfort Suites, Tavares, Florida
Climbing: 1300m
Cost: $40
Cue Sheet: here (tentative). Final will be posted no later than 4 March 2026
Check-in: Evening of 3/6 or starting 0330 on 3/7 in the lobby; details to follow
Registered Riders (5): Rozelle P, Rozelle Sa, Savchuk, Szymanski, Van Der Wiele
Other Requirements: Current RUSA membership; sign the waiver at the ride start
Food & Drink: We’ll have snacky things at the start and dinner at the finish. Bring your own coffee. Riders will be on their own for food/drink on route.
SAG: None. There is no event/volunteer SAG. Riders need to make their own arrangements for return to the start/finish in the event they abandon.
Brevet cards: Use is mandatory; this is not an electronic-proof-of-passage brevet.

Ride Description: This is the out-and-back to Gainesville through the Ocala National Forest last run as a stand-alone brevet in 2019. (It also appeared on a lightly ridden 1000K in 2022 and was Day 1 of the first-ever cover-style 1000K in 2014.) It’s rolling. It is very remote, other than at the start and finish. It can be very fast or a real slog, depending on the wind. You may see a bear. Or two.

Why does this start so early? To get off of CR 452 & CR 42 before they’re too busy. Note that, especially if you are a fast(er) rider, those roads will likely be busy on your return and the shoulder sucks or is nonexistent.

Where are the official GPS files? There are no RBA-provided GPS files for ACP brevets. The cue sheet is the official route. Please make your own GPS file formatted and organized and loaded as you like it. You can use one your buddy made, but please check it yourself for errors and conformity with the final cue sheet. Please be wary of anything you find on the internet, and especially a GPS file from any old versions of this route. It has changed over the years, including the location of the turn-around control in Gainesville.
Scotch? Of course.

Registration

You MUST pre-register for this event! No day-of registrations. Preregistration must be completed by no later than March 6 at noon.

There are two steps to completing your registration.

Step 1. Please fill in the information here.

    Name (Last, First)

    Street Address

    City

    State

    Zip

    Email

    Phone

    RUSA#

    Emergency Contact (Name)

    Emergency Contact (Phone Number)

    Step 2. Send in your $40 payment using Zelle (most US banks support this) using my cell (614-565-3483) or email address (prozelle at gmail dot com). Contact me for instructions for check/money order or wire transfer instructions. Registration = completed form + payment.

    Last revised: 16 February 2026