This is me.
the info on RUSA’s website appears to draw on a few past iterations of PBP, but as a general approach, I’m hoping to get a SR series under my belt (or bib suspenders, as the case may be) in 2018, in preparation for doing another in 2019. It sounds as if earlier is better for finishing the series in the PBP year, so as to avoid any issues with rider quota cutoffs.
I guess I need to find a club, there are active ones in DC and “tidewater” (SE VA and North Carolina?), but nothing in Richmond proper, as far as I know.
This is me.
the info on RUSA’s website appears to draw on a few past iterations of PBP, but as a general approach, I’m hoping to get a SR series under my belt (or bib suspenders, as the case may be) in 2018, in preparation for doing another in 2019. It sounds as if earlier is better for finishing the series in the PBP year, so as to avoid any issues with rider quota cutoffs.
I guess I need to find a club, there are active ones in DC and “tidewater” (SE VA and North Carolina?), but nothing in Richmond proper, as far as I know.[/quote]
Well, I know as far as PNW the rando club thing can be kind of cliquey and it can be difficult to start your own thing - but it’s possible. However that’s like a 3+ year project.
To qualify for PBP you need to ride an ACP (audax club parisienne) series the year of, prior to the event. Many small clubs only have ACP events so that’s fine but if you have a very active club there may be many (only) RUSA approved events.
It is possible to register for PBP without completing a series (registration happens in ~March) but you must complete a series before the event (mid August). I know of at least one guy who had not done a series the year prior, registered for PBP, bought all the tickets and hotels and merch, but then bonered his (multiple) 600k attempts. Heartbreaker but there are worse things than going to France for vacation
Thanks, that’s some good contextualization.
If I massively crush an SR series over the course of four consecutive weekends and go on to finish PBP in under fifty hours, I’ll probably set up my own club. If I bumble through all of it, finishing in mediocre times and realizing that a PBP effort is an once in a lifetime thing for all but the most dedicated people, I’ll probably just join DC Randonneurs or Tidewater and do the occasional brevet with them after the 2019 PBP.
The winter weather in the midatlantic is not amazing for long distance riding, but I’m pretty sure that I can do 200k and 300k rides in the winter, and then hit the 400k and 600k distances as it warms up and gets lighter. I’m using 2018 as a test for 2019 - at my age fitness is relatively predictable, both in terms of plateau and maintenance effort. I will know if I can do a 1200k well before the 2019 spring registration opens. There appears to be an SR series scheduled in Suffolk for 2018, should suffice for testing the waters.
This should be fun. I am now thinking I either need to dynamo and fender my bike, or do Xtracycle brevets.
That’s what I was getting at. If it turned out that my unique purpose in life was to completely excel at randonneuring, I’d devote the necessary time and energy to set up a club. In all likelihood, I am a mediocre randonneur, and will thus concentrate only the energy that my inborn talent and trained capacity prescribes.
last PBP the SIR illuminati vacationed in New Zealand during the shittiest part of our winter and banged out a sanctioned full series in a week of their nicest summer weather
that freed them up to organize multiple full series in the spring here to qualify as many locals as possible
That’s awesome - they’re doing a lot for randonneuring, I’d imagine that took a lot of work. Also lol winter rando training camp.
I’m currently living in central Virginia, a part of the country with a less intense tradition of randonneuring, but there are definitely clubs, brevets, and weather/landscape that make it not hellish to ride 200k+ on a pretty regular basis.
Imagine
You and your friends are all dotcom/telecom wealthy and nearing the ends of your careers. Golf is passé so you keep up with brother jones by suffering on your bike for distances others would quit.
But that’s not enough - you ever had snacks at a soccer game with rich kids on the team? Yeah those good juice boxes and gummies - you have a storage unit full and operating capital to replenish as needed.
With pre-retirement you find you have a lot of time on your hands so you build your club to closely resemble a business, and you’re successful in building a self perpetuating brand that your members love to support.
a couple of the SIR OGs floating stuff are indeed wealthy lawyers and doctors
but the even flirtier ones are career firefighters and plain ol’ engineers
the italophile primadonna in the weirdest assos you’d bet anything was a trust fund kid gone grey with a drug elevator is actually a working-class pipefitter
The SIR guy I rode the ferry with, and who always had the rattiest bibs, bike, and shoes, is a lab manager at the UW. Lots of people who just like bikes. Whenever we were a little, and I mean a little early for the ferry, he’d stop at one of the bodegas on the way and get a 6er to split on the boat.
Ok here’s what I want you guys to do:
1 search RUSA for existing permanents in your area
2 if none are found, start dreaming up 1-2-3-4-600km routes and map them in rwgps or something
3 submit them to the regional brevet advisor of the closest recognized club
4 continue to insta and write dumb stories about your rides
5 wait for RBAs response that you need to add checkpoints here and there
6 ask for RBA or club representative to “assist” in organization of an event (bring the liability disclaimers)
7 hold event (100km) and make damn sure you get 20 bodies and bikes to show up
8 now that you’ve demonstrated need and 4 or 5 new people have signed up for RUSA ask local RBA for instruction or permission to hold events.
Under their club you may not need to pay insurance or you’ll have to send some money - if that, then ask how to set up a club insurance program.
I have a better plan.
How aboot you move here.
Buy a carbon hardtail from me so we can shut down the fopmobile thread and get you focused.
Start the club.
Will and I join and bring the rest of our shop club anti-team.
Brian will share his edibles or weed pen with you.
???
New RUSA club in Richmond!
Do it anyway. I’ll join. So will Mark. Probably Brantley too. Hell, you should just “join” the Outpost “team” and be the rando squad leader.[/quote]
I’m only interested in this if i’m exclusively and CONSTANTLY referred to as “rando squad leader” during brevets. But yeah, I’ll pull some shit together and see how much I get done in the next few weeks. Updates to come.
Ok mfrs I’m only going to say this a few more times until you get it:
Dithering around on your bikes is fine but it is not a brevet. You need the bureaucracy and administration of grumpy greyhairs and a membership number to participate.