From the Randonneurs USA (RUSA) Website:
 Randonneuring: 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.
brevet (bruh vay) - Literally, the word means "certificate", "patent", or "diploma" in French. In "randonneuring", it means two things: certification of having successfully done a randonné, --indicated by a small numbered sticker placed on a completed brevet card --, as well as, by extension the long-distance event itself (at least 200 kilometers in length). Completing a successful brevet means one's ride has been certified and registered in France, and the rider's name is added to the roll of honor, going all the way back to 1921. These challenging rides can also entitle the rider to enter longer events such as Paris-Brest-Paris or Boston-Montréal-Boston. As used in the "randonneuring" world, the terms brevet and randonnée are often interchangeable, but in common cycling usage, a randonnée might be considered to be less structured or formal than a brevet.
2012 Schedule:
I have a light brevet schedule for the summer/fall of 2012 with three events. I still have to go through the route approval process for the 300K. If things come together like I am hoping, these will be some amazing rides. 100K Populaire-July 28, 2012. We will be riding the "Bert Karp Memorial Populaire" in honor my mom, who was my most loyal volunteer and control staffer. Mom passed away from cancer this spring. This will be a fun "shorter" distance ride on a relatively flat course, ideal for those new to randonneuring. All finishers will receive an attractive commerative Randonneurs USA Populaire pin. The route will start and finish in Bozeman.
200K ACP Brevet-August 18, 2012. Early plans were for this route to be in and around Yellowstone National Park, but certain logistics and constant road construction have caused a change in plans. Instead we will use the already established Sheilds Valley 200K route starting and finishing in Bozeman and going to Wilsall, Livingston, and Paradise Valley. It's a fun, scenic, and challenging route.
300K ACP Brevet-September 8, 2012. We are hoping to incorporate the Going To The Sun Highway in Glacier National Park into this route. Tenative plans are to start and finish the ride in Whitefish, MT.
And for those RUSA members who want to get in more events, please consider riding one of my permanents. Permanents can be scheduled almost anytime, and if I'm available I'd love to join you (if you don't like going too fast). I have five great routes-all challenging and scenic. Check the right column of my blog for all the info on my permanents-or just send me an email and we can get something set up.
2011 BREVETS:
It was a great season. Thanks to Ken Billingsley, Jeff Fasteen, and Karel Stroethoff taking part. The results and links to photos and ride reports for all six 2011 brevets are posted.
2010 BREVETS IN MONTANA:
Many thanks to all the riders who came out. Go to the Results/Ride reports page for more details about how the rides went.
Randonneurs can also keep piling up the miles for the various RUSA distance awards by riding one or more of my Permanents. See my Blog for details (on right side of the page).
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