Gainesville Cycling Club 2010 Brevet Series

Enjoy the Challenge of Longer Rides!

Enter your name into the Great Book beside Charles Terront, PBP's first finisher.

Date	Time	Distance	Time Limit	Map/Cue	Cost
January 16	7:30AM	200 km	13:30	200k.zip	$20
February 20	5AM	300 km	20:00	300k.zip	$25
March 13	4AM	400 km	27:00	400k.zip	$30
April 10	3AM	600 km	40:00	600k.zip	$40

Note: The maps and cue sheets are the 2009 routes. In 2010, some routes may be shuffled (e.g., the 200K loop of last year's 600K may become this year's 200K) or ridden in the opposite direction. The 600K may be extended to an out-and-back course to more closely approximate the conditions found in a 1200K ride.

Final cue sheets won't be available until the Tuesday before the event. Hard copy will be provided at check in, but presbyopic cyclists may want to print an enlarged version. Rumor has it the latest AcrobatReader has this capability.

Background

Brevets are longer, self-paced rides ridden by randonneurs (tr: ultratourists). A sequence of four brevets of increasing distance qualifies the rider to enter Paris-Brest-Paris, the oldest bicycling event on earth. In years when PBP is not held, various surrogates (e.g., Boston-Montreal-Boston) have similar qualification requirements. Although BMB won't be held in 2010, there will be other opportunities.

Brevets are not races; published results traditionally list the finishers alphabetically and may not even include their times. For example, you'll have to look toward the bottom of the BMB 2006 finisher list to find GCC's own Andrea "the Italian Stallion" Tossolini, who was only the second cyclist ever to complete the gruelling ride in less than 50 hours. Andrea was unable to convince the officials to sort by first names!

However, there is a time limit. This limit includes the minutes spent eating, fixing flats, and on the longer rides, sleeping. All but the shortest brevet (200 km/125 miles) require some night riding, and good lighting is essential. Along the route, riders are required to stop at controls to get an authenticating stamp on their brevet cards. Each control has its own time window within which the authentication must occur to avoid disqualification. Riders should also anticipate one or more secret controls whose location will not be revealed in advance.

Unlike traditional century rides which may feature rest stops every 20 miles or so, the Gainesville Cycling Club brevets are unsagged and minimally supported. Controls are mostly convenience stores, and riders who abandon will likely need to provide their own transportation back to the start/finish.

In contrast, a fleche is a 24-hour team event. Each team consists of three to five machines that travel in a group. Three machines must finish to receive credit for the ride. (The number of riders is irrelevant -- a 20-rider team is OK if all machines are quad tandems or 3-passenger rickshaws.)

In France, the teams converge on a common destination, and schedule their arrival for the start of a massive celebration. There is much socializing lubricated with copious amounts of vin de table. When the party's over, everyone staggers toward the gare, boards a train, and is safely conveyed back home.

In less civilized parts of the world, we are constrained to use voitures, and our celebrations must be much more subdued. Still, routes and schedules are negotiated with the ride administrator, and I am unlikely to approve routes which violate the spirit of the event.

Randonneurs are a hardy lot. These rides will take place rain or shine, wind or cold, sleet or snow (although the last two are extremely rare in Florida). The course is not marked. Finding one's way is part of the fun. Getting lost is sometimes part of the experience.

Requirements

Each rider will be covered by the Gainesville Cycle Club's special event liability coverage as required by RUSA rules. (This coverage is secondary to any personal liability policy you may have. It provides very limited medical coverage. Today, a broken collar bone can set you back $20,000. Please assess your own risk tolerance.) Each rider must sign a waiver of liability before the ride start.

Each rider must present their machine for bicycle inspection. Lights should be affixed, correctly aimed and working. Inspections and rider check in will be held from 6:30 to 7:30 PM the evening before the ride at the Rush Lake Motel (See below) or after the ride start on the morning of the ride.

Randonneurs USA membership required before the ride to use the brevet as a qualifier. RUSA rules apply. Most notably, helmets are required. Membership in Gainesville Cycling Club is not required, but those who ride all four brevets will save a few dollars by joining.

Preregistration is not required, but riders will not be able to register or have their bike inspected on the day of the event until preregistered riders have departed, and the control windows must still be respected.

Registration

To save $5 per ride, and get the benefits of Gainesville Cycling Club membership, prepare a club membership application before registering for a Brevet. Send the Membership Application in with your Brevet Registration to the address on the Brevet Registration form.

You can enter all the brevets on one form or submit a separate form for each brevet. Please preregister. If decide not to ride, just notify me before the start, and your registration fee will be cheerfully refunded.

GCC members receive a $5 discount for each brevet.

If your printer is not working, copy the registration number, events entered, and your name onto a piece of paper and submit that with your check to:

Jim Wilson
GCC RBA
620 NW 27 Way
Gainesville, FL 32607

Accommodations

Out of town riders: We have negotiated a discounted rate of $46/night (+9.25% tax) at the Rush Lake Motel for the nights before and after each ride start. Mention the Gainesville Cycling Club, and make your reservations as soon as possible to receive this rate. Phone (352) 373-5000 or (888) 787-4525. FAX (352) 375-7485.

Rush Lake is just south of the UF campus at 1410 SW 16 Ave near the intersection of US441 and CR226: From I-75 Exit 384, go east on Archer Rd/SR24 2.3 miles, bear right onto SW 16 Ave/CR 226, go 0.2 miles to Rush Lake on left (just before US441). For GPS freaks, here's the Rush Lake Geocode: 29.636513,-82.340338.