{"id":18,"date":"2012-05-21T15:18:16","date_gmt":"2012-05-21T19:18:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/floridarandonneurs.com\/wordpress\/?page_id=18"},"modified":"2012-12-10T22:45:07","modified_gmt":"2012-12-11T03:45:07","slug":"what-to-expect-on-your-first-brevet","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"http:\/\/floridarandonneurs.com\/wordpress\/?page_id=18","title":{"rendered":"What to Expect on Your First Brevet"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<!-- Facebook Like Button v1.9.6 BEGIN [http:\/\/blog.bottomlessinc.com] -->\n<iframe src=\"http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/plugins\/like.php?href=http%3A%2F%2Ffloridarandonneurs.com%2Fwordpress%2F%3Fpage_id%3D18&amp;layout=standard&amp;show_faces=false&amp;width=450&amp;action=like&amp;colorscheme=light&amp;font=arial\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"0\" allowTransparency=\"true\" style=\"border:none; overflow:hidden; width:450px; height: 30px; align: left; margin: 2px 0px 2px 0px\"><\/iframe>\n<!-- Facebook Like Button END -->\n<p>Brevets (or <em>randonn\u00e9es<\/em>, as they\u2019re sometimes known) are different from organized club rides or centuries. The following will help you understand what to expect on your first brevet and provide some tips to help make your ride safe, enjoyable, and successful.<\/p>\n<h1>Before the Brevet<\/h1>\n<p><strong><\/strong>Familiarize yourself with the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.rusa.org\/brvreg.html\" target=\"_blank\">RUSA Rules for Riders<\/a>\u00a0and the additional <a href=\"http:\/\/floridarandonneurs.com\/wordpress\/?page_id=75\">regulations that apply to events organized by Central Florida Randonners<\/a>.\u00a0Read them before registering for a brevet.\u00a0If you have questions, <a href=\"http:\/\/floridarandonneurs.com\/wordpress\/?page_id=80\">contact the RBA<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Brevet routes are <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">not<\/span> marked with arrows (sometimes called <a href=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Dan_Henry\" target=\"_blank\">Dan Henrys<\/a>).\u00a0You will need to know how to read and follow a bicycle cue sheet.\u00a0Time invested familiarizing yourself with the cue sheet is time well-spent.\u00a0This is especially true if you are programming the route into a GPS.\u00a0Many a randonneur has been led astray by autorouting or errors in inputting the route into a GPS.<\/p>\n<p>You may want to reformat the cue sheet to suit your individual preferences.\u00a0Some riders prefer a larger typeface, a different font, or highlight turns or controls to make them stand out.\u00a0Some riders laminate the cue sheet to protect it from moisture.<\/p>\n<p>There is an excellent article on what to carry on a brevet by Miles Stoneman in the February 2012 <a href=\"http:\/\/www.rusa.org\/nletter.html\" target=\"_blank\">American Randonneur<\/a> along with Bill Bryant\u2019s recommended brevet \u201cpacking list.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The best approach to most mechanical problems is to avoid them in the first place.\u00a0Make sure your bicycle is in sound condition before you start.\u00a0When was the last time you replaced your tires, changed your cables, or checked that your spokes are properly tensioned?<\/p>\n<p>You should be in sound condition, too.\u00a0You can find articles on training and nutrition for completing long rides on this website and elsewhere.\u00a0Prepare yourself physically and mentally for the challenges of a brevet.<\/p>\n<h1>At the Start<\/h1>\n<p><strong><\/strong>Brevets start on time.\u00a0An 0700 start means you will depart at <em>exactly<\/em> 0700.\u00a0Arrive in plenty of time to check-in and get yourself and your bicycle organized.\u00a0The ride will start on time without you if you are not ready.\u00a0The starting control will remain open for one hour, but none of the subsequent control closing times will be adjusted for those departing late.<\/p>\n<p>At the rider check-in, you will sign-in, sign the liability waiver, and receive your brevet card.\u00a0Your bicycle may be inspected to ensure compliance with the RUSA Rules for Riders, especially the lighting and reflective clothing requirements for events longer than 200km.<\/p>\n<p>Five minutes before the scheduled ride start, there will be a brief rider meeting.\u00a0At the end of the meeting, the ride begins and riders depart as a group.<\/p>\n<h1>Riding the Brevet<\/h1>\n<p><strong><\/strong>On a brevet, you must prove your passage through controls, or checkpoints, along the route.\u00a0Each control has an opening and closing time and the rider must present him- or herself at the control during the time that it is \u201copen.\u201d\u00a0Failure to do so means disqualification, so pace yourself and follow the route exactly to avoid time-consuming \u201cbonus miles.\u201d\u00a0Remember, the clock is always ticking, even when you are stopped.<\/p>\n<p>There are several kinds of controls you might encounter on a brevet.\u00a0A control could be staffed by a volunteer, who will sign and stamp your brevet card.\u00a0At others, you will obtain a receipt from a convenience store or other business. At <em>information controls<\/em>, you obtain a certain piece of information and note it on your brevet card.\u00a0If there is a <em>post card control<\/em>, you will be given an addressed and stamped postcard and instructions for mailing it.\u00a0<em>Secret controls<\/em> ensure that riders follow the route exactly and are not listed on your cue sheet or brevet card.<\/p>\n<p>As randonneurs are self-sufficient, make sure you have or can obtain what you need to make it from one control to the next.\u00a0Remember that there is no SAG on brevets and that non-neutral support outside the controls is forbidden.<\/p>\n<p>If you abandon the ride, you must call the organizer, whose phone number is on the cue sheet.\u00a0We want to know that you\u2019re ok and you don\u2019t want us to awaken your emergency contact needlessly in the middle of the night asking for your whereabouts.<\/p>\n<p>You must arrange for your transportation back to the ride start, whether by bicycle or other means, if you abandon.\u00a0Central Florida Randonneurs does not have the volunteer or financial resources to transport abandoned riders back to the start.<\/p>\n<p>Brevets are not races.\u00a0Finishers are listed alphabetically with no recognition of finishing order or time.\u00a0Pace yourself.\u00a0Better to finish slowly but within time than to go out fast and end up too exhausted to complete the ride.<\/p>\n<h1>After the Brevet<\/h1>\n<p><strong><\/strong>At the finish, obtain the final control stamp, sign the brevet card, and return the completed, signed card as directed in the pre-ride instructions.\u00a0Your brevet card will be validated and mailed to you at the end of the year. Results will be posted on the Central Florida Randonneurs website and, for RUSA members, on the RUSA website.<\/p>\n<p>If you are not already a member of <a href=\"http:\/\/www.rusa.org\">RUSA<\/a>, consider joining. As a RUSA member, you\u2019ll receive the RUSA Handbook which contains a wealth of information on randonneuring and the quarterly American Randonneur magazine.\u00a0RUSA membership entitles you to certain distance and other achievement awards.\u00a0You\u2019ll also be supporting your local and national randonneuring community.<\/p>\n<p>Bon route!<\/p>\n<hr width=\"70%\" \/>\n<p><center><span style=\"font-size: xx-small;\">Revised 10 December 2012 with thanks to Alabama Randonneurs, PA Randonneurs, and Santa Cruz Randonneurs<\/span><\/center><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Brevets (or randonn\u00e9es, as they\u2019re sometimes known) are different from organized club rides or centuries. The following will help you understand what to expect on your first brevet and provide some tips to help make your ride safe, enjoyable, and &hellip; <a href=\"http:\/\/floridarandonneurs.com\/wordpress\/?page_id=18\">Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":12,"menu_order":2,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-18","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/floridarandonneurs.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/18","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/floridarandonneurs.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/floridarandonneurs.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/floridarandonneurs.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/floridarandonneurs.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=18"}],"version-history":[{"count":16,"href":"http:\/\/floridarandonneurs.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/18\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":52,"href":"http:\/\/floridarandonneurs.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/18\/revisions\/52"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/floridarandonneurs.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/12"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/floridarandonneurs.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=18"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}