2009
RUSA
Fall 2008
Pete Dusel has replaced Jenn Barber as the RBA for the Western/Central New York region.
Pete will be ruinning a full SR brevet series in 2009. All starts will be from Ontario, NY.
Laurent Chambard
Excerpt of Email to RBA Listserv 24 Feb 2006
Note from Jenn: The following is an excerpt from a discussion of 600km route design.
I recognise that over here in the US there is a certain popularity for riding 600k without sleep. I am personally not convinced that it is the best way to prepare for a 1200 where unless you are after the course record (how many riders is that?), the most important target will be to manage energy, physical and mental, and it will require the right balance between pain and enjoyment which to most people means some sleep, if only a bit.
CNY HQ Moves
Jennifer Barber
Feb 2005 List Serv Message
The first two brevets of the Central New York brevet season will be held at the new headquarters, my house. I'll be moving to a new location at the end of March and am looking forward to holding my events from the house. The location is within 10 miles of the Geographic Center of New York State and is a wonderful location for event starts. We are on the edge of the Mohawk Valley near the northwest foothills of the Catskill Mountain Range. We are less than 100km from the foothills of the Adirondacks and will make forays into the Finger Lakes wine and apple country with our rides. The first two rides will head to the north. The 200km is slated to head towards the Adirondacks and the 300km is planned to head out to and along the eastern lakeshore of Ontario.
By starting from our house I will be reducing a large part of the overhead of putting on the events in time and money and will be able to put on higher quality events. Our basement serves as a warm dry start location and an indoor registration area where riders may bring their bikes. Also, there is plenty of free parking. Riders will be able to take their time after the brevets to get some sleep if needed before heading home. If riders are planning to stay for a bit they should bring a sleeping mat and blanket. I will also provide a microwave for riders to heat any food they bring with them. I will not be providing meals to the riders after the event. Riders who have a long trip back may use the shower for a small fee.
The remainder of the brevet series will be run from Peter Dusel's home on the shore of Lake Ontario, except for the 600km which starts south of Buffalo. The 600km, designed by Mark Frank of QuadZilla fame, is run every other year. The route starts in Western NY and heads across the *key* of Pennsylvania and into Ohio. Pete and I are also looking forward to hosting a 1000km event in 2006 to alternate with the 600km.
Any questions regarding the series may be directed to either me or Pete. We hope you will be able to attend.
RUSA PBP 2003 Press Release
RUSA Board of Directors
Various Publications
On August 18, 2003, 3500 randonneurs (long-distance cycle-tourists) from around the world will gather in France for the start of the legendary PARIS BREST PARIS 1200km Randonnée. Since 1891, thousands of elite cyclists have challenged them-selves to ride 1200 kilometers (750 miles) within the 90 hour time limit.
The Audax Club Parisien hosts the quadrennial Paris-Brest-Paris (PBP), the oldest bicycling event still run on a regular basis. Beginning in the suburbs of the French capital, riders travel west 600 kilometers through Brittany to the port city of Brest before turning around and heading back to Paris. On the way, they face uncertain weather, endless hills, fatigue, and long hours of riding in darkness.
For randonneurs, the clock never stops. The cyclists will test the limits of their physical and mental capacities and must carefully budget their time to include riding, eating and resting. Cheered on by thousands of French spectators, the PBP riders command the country roads of France in numbers larger than the Tour de France. Yet, PBP is not a race. These are not professional cyclists. These are self-sufficient amateur riders with one goal; to finish. The 90-hour time limit ensures that only the hardiest riders earn the prestigious PBP medal and have their names entered into the "Great Book" which lists all PBP finishers since the event's inception.
The town of Guyancourt and the village of St. Quentin en Yvelines will host the 15th PBP. The participants will gather to start PBP in their respective nationalistic brightly colored jerseys, astride a variety of bicycles and, despite language barriers, bond together in a common personal quest. Some will ride PBP for the first time, others for a second, third or even fourth time. The median age of finishers is between 45 and 50 years. Quite a few riders are over 70, and while they may not be amongst the early arrivals, they are tenacious and will not abandon the ride.
Randonneurs USA expects over 500 Americans to participate in PBP 2003, which will be held Au-gust 18-22. To enter, riders must complete a series of four qualifying rides called "brevets" between January and June of 2003. Brevets are held in 30 different regions of the United States. For more information on randonneuring and details about qualifying for PBP, visit the Randonneurs USA website at www.rusa.org.
2002 Summary/2003 Preparations
Jennifer Barber
Nov 2002 CNY Brevet and RBC Ultra ListServ Message
I just have a few items to share and to help you prepare for next season.
1) For those that participated in the two late season 200km, I didn't forget about you. The certifications are not in from France yet. I should be receiving the stickers soon and will return them to you as soon as I have them. Apparently the 200,000th 200km was ridding this year and the results were held up so the certification number could be awarded to a VIP. If you ever have questions about the processing of the results, please check on www.rusa.org under the RBA Resources. There is a link to the status of results processing.
2) I have reserved a block of rooms at the Tully Best Western and will be reserving rooms at the Geneseo Days Inn for the evenings before the brevets. They will be held until 1 month before each of the events. If you call saying you are with the distance cycling group you will receive the discounted rates.
3) If you are even entertaining the idea about participating in PBP be CERTAIN that you have your passport in order - if you need to get one you need to get the paperwork in NOW. It can take 6-9 months to process passports and with the increased security I'm sure there will be delays. Also, you will need a note from your doctor, so it might be a good idea to get your appointment set up now for the April/May time frame.
4) I am planning on holding 2 PBP info/discussion meetings. The first meeting will be May 2 at 8:00pm at the Tully Best Western (the evening before the 1st 200). This meeting will cover what riders need to qualify for PBP and any initial travel questions. The second meeting will concentrate on travel, packing, and last minute prep for the event. Riders are responsible for making their own travel arrangements. However, if someone would like to open discussions with a travel agent, I'm sure group deals are to be had. Anyone who might be interested in heading arrangements for the CNY qualifiers should let either me or Mark Frank know soon. The sooner we get tickets the cheaper they will be. I'll see what I can do about getting a list of accommodations in Paris from my cousin.
5) Lighting - remember all participants must meet the lighting requirements for the brevets. Be sure to read the requirements on the CNY brevet page and be sure your lights meet the guidelines. Winter is a great time to take care of the lighting.
6) I think it would be *spiffy* if we could get some national attention for those people who participate in the series and who qualify and ride in PBP. If someone out there has some marketing background or some interest in this I'd love the help. I think we might be able to get some interest from OLN since they are pretty much bike headquarters on TV. Also, there might be an opportunity to get into Outside Magazine, or Bicycling. Just a thought.
7) Volunteers - I will need some volunteers, especially for the early season brevets. If you are interested, or know someone who might be, take a look at the calendar. I'll be sending out emails about volunteers closer to the series. The gig isn't too tough. It would be nice to have 1-2 people at the start, 1-2 people who could drive the route, and 1-2 people taking shifts at the finish. 1 person can do the whole thing, but whew! And if we get more people it could get rough.
End of Season Update
Jennifer Barber
Oct 2002 OCC Newsletter
The changing season signals the end of the first Central New York Distance Cycling Series. I had a great time offering the rides this year and have learned a lot for next year. The series was quite successful with over 50 different cyclists participating in the rides.
I would like to thank all of the volunteers who assisted with this year's offerings. The series would have gone nowhere without Bill Stiteler, Bill Lodico, Mark Sheehan, and Mark Frank. These four helped with the route planning and design - no small feat. Bill S. also helped with all sorts of other odd jobs from grocery shopping to running events. Other volunteers were Susan Lodico, Bill & Densie Barber, Paul Swinburne, and Carl Weissgerber. All helped with the day of operations from manning controls to driving around checking on riders. The participants and I sincerely appreciate these individuals who made the event easier to run and provided a friendly face and a word of encouragement.
The 2003 schedule is now available! Paris-Brest-Paris is held next summer so I have added a number of events to the schedule to keep the riders who qualify in shape. In addition I have added a couple of introductory rides for those who think they might enjoy the style of riding, but aren't quite ready to commit to a full 200km. These events, called populaires, are free and will be held in conjunction with the other brevets so people can meet the randonneurs on the rides. Between our series and the QuadZilla offering riders can complete up to 3045 km of sanctioned brevet riding!
The web page has been updated with next year's schedule and ride information. There is also general information about randonneuring, the rules, the series results and stories. Be sure to go to www.distancerider.net to check out what's going on. As always, if you have any questions let me know.
Randonneuring Update
Jennifer Barber
April 2002 OCC Newsletter
It's April and a lot has been happening in the randonneuring community. It is time to prepare for the distance cycling season ahead. For those who are interested in riding brevets of any distance this year there will be an informational meeting after the OCC ride in April 21 in Parish at 11am. Join me for a late lunch at the Grist Mill and a discussion of the season ahead.
The big news at the national level is the addition of domestically sanctioned events to the current Audax Club Parisian and Randonneurs Mondaiux sanctioned events. This means any distance from 200 km and up can be sanctioned as a brevet. This will expand the traditional offerings of 200, 300, 400, 600, and 1000 km and will allow the Finger Lakes 555 km to be counted towards national level awards. Also, Populaires have been added to the sanctioned rides. These rides, which are typical in the British Isles, are similar to brevets in structure, but are shorter events (100 km to 199 km). They are intended as social rides or introductory randonées. More information about these events is available in the CNY Brevets web site. Look for info in Flèches, Arrows and Darts while you're there.
Recently Mary Thomas and I traveled to Rochester to meet with Mark Frank (organizer of the dreaded Quadzilla) and some of the distance cyclists from the Rochester club. Everyone is interested in joining us for the brevet series and is excited to meet more area cyclists. A few have even indicated interest in joining OCC so they may participate in our club rides.
If you have any questions about randonneuring be sure to check out the CNY Brevet web site at http://www.distancerider.net. Preliminary cue sheets are up for all of the brevets so people can check out the style and pre-ride them. The finalized cues will only be available the day of the ride or by special request 3 days prior to the event. Entry forms are also available online. If you have any questions that are not answered on the web please feel free to email me, to call me at (315) 254-5164, or to write me at 150 Jamesville Ave, Syracuse, NY 13210.
Brevet Dedication to 9/11 NYPD Victim's Family
Bill Strachan
February 2002 Email to RBA's
My name is Bill Strachan, a member of RUSA, and have successfully completed four BMBs and the PBP Centennaire. I have been involved for many years in law enforcement and was the New York City Police Department's first Bicycle Patrol trainer in 1991. I currently serve with the City's Hospital Police Department.
This is a request through your good offices to ascertain/advertise if anyone riding a brevet this year would be interested in dedicating their brevet and donating tier medal to the family of a New York City Police Officer who died in the line of duty September 11, 2001.
If someone does wish to do so I can supply them with the name, rank, unit and biographical data regarding one of these officers as well as a photo. I would take responsibility for having the medal engraved with the officer's "pedigree" and "In Memory, September 11, 2001." They may want to dedicate each brevet to a different officer or more than one brevet to them.
The medal would be presented to the family on the first anniversary of the attack or other appropriate ceremony (the NYPD has an annual "Medals Day" for example). The rider and the brevet would be named and a certificate of recognition would be sent to them.
Anyone wishing to dedicate or having other questions may do so by the following means:
Phone: 212-677-6951
e-Mail: nycezrider@aol.com
Post:Bill Strachan
335 East 13th Street #7
New York, New York 10003
In closing, I want to thank all of you in advance for the time and cooperation you are extending me, the officers, their units and their families in consideration of this request.
Ride easy and ride safe.
Randonneuring Returns to Central New York
Jennifer Barber
November 2001 OCC Newsletter
The Onondaga Cycling Club has expanded its offerings once again with the addition of a series of distance cycling events called brevets. Accepted by Randonneurs USA as the Regional Brevet Administrator for the Central New York region, Jennifer Barber will be heading the effort to provide quality distance events to the club membership and distance enthusiasts state and nation wide. Events of this format were held in the region up to 1999 by Jim Konski, International Randonneurs and OCC founder.
Brevets are time limited distance events between 200 km (124 mi, 13.5 hr) and 1000 km (624 mi, 75 hr) in length. Individuals who ride the brevets are termed randonneurs. The international sanctioning body for these events is the Audax Club Parisien. There are a few 1200 km (744 mi, 90 hr) brevets offered within the US, the UK, Canada, Australia, and France. All of these, except for Paris-Brest-Paris, are sanctioned by Randonneurs Mondiaux. PBP, the oldest of all cycling events still in existence (est 1891), is still held under the auspices of ACP which took over its organization in 1931. To qualify as a participant in the 1200 km brevets a series of the 200, 300, 400 and 600 km events must be completed in order before the middle of July of the year in which the 1200 km is held.
Brevets are for EVERYBODY! They are not races. Anyone who rides on a regular basis and can sustain 13 mph for an OCC weekend ride can complete a 200 km brevet. If you can ride a century now, you can do a brevet. There is no requirement that riders do a full brevet series. There are many people who never go longer than the 200 km distance. Stops are built into the ride. Every participant carries a contrôle card which operates much like a passport. At certain points along the designated route riders stop to get their cards stamped. This card is turned in to the organizer at the end of the event to prove that the rider has completed the stated milage. These cards are returned to the rider at the end of the cycling season. The rides are fun and social; many stop for treats with friends along the route. Unlike USCF events, participants need not be licensed by or belong to RUSA. However, membership in RUSA is encouraged as they provide support for the local series and, of course, a newsletter to keep people connected with the national and international events.
As with any sporting event there are awards for exemplary performance. Since brevets are not races these awards are based solely on distance completed and not on the completion time. ACP offers medals for each of the sanctioned distances as souvenir. For those who go the extra distance there are a series of recognition awards. Medals are available for those who complete 1000 km or 2000 km combined of brevets (any distances) in a single season. To receive both awards in a year 3000 km of brevets must be completed and no brevet can count for both. The Super Randonneur award is available to those who complete a full series of brevets in a single year. The rides can be completed in any region or combination of regions. The crowning achievement for a randonneur is the Randonneur 5000. To qualify for this award the following must be successfully completed within a four year period: a full series, 1000 km, PBP, a flèche, a total of 5000 km in brevets. Very few Americans have received this award (30 men, 1 woman). The organizer also offers the "OCC Randonneur of the Year" award to an OCC member nominated by fellow OCC randonneurs who completes at least three brevets in the region, volunteers for at least one event, and best exemplifies the qualities of a randonneur. All medals and awards received by OCC members will be awarded at the annual banquet.
The series here in CNY will feature rides around the Finger Lakes and east towards Hamilton and Sherburne for the first year. Rides in subsequent years will include forays into the Adirondacks and northern Pennsylvania, and rambles along the Lake Ontario shore line. Three 200 km events will be held in 2002 starting at the Best Western in Tully: 4 May, 10 Aug, and 28 Sep. A 300 km event will also be held at the Tully start on 31 Aug. Bill Lodico will be assisting with the events starting at the Holiday Inn in Elmira. He is offering a 300 km on 18 May and a 400 km on 22 Jun. For those who would like to complete a full series without leaveing the area, and who are not faint of heart, Mark Frank will again be offering the Quadzilla as a 600 km brevet on 20 Jul. All of the organizers are very excited about the opportunity to offer these rides. The registration form is available online at the links listed below, and will also be made available through the OCC newsletter.
For more information about the CNY series please visit www.onondagacyclingclub.org or email Jennifer. For more information about RUSA, ACP, and randonneuring in general, please go to www.rusa.org.