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Long Distance Competition/Ultracycling, Randonneuring and Endurance Cycling Do you enjoy centuries, double centuries, brevets, randonnees, and 24-hour time trials? Share ride reports, and exchange training, equipment, and nutrition information specific to long distance cycling. This isn't for tours, this is for endurance events cycling

Thoughts on Randonneuring?

Old 03-20-18, 01:11 PM
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Thoughts on Randonneuring?

I am thinking of trying randonneuring. It looks like a challenge (duh) and would fit with my schedule. I have no desire to race, and my job prevents the long tours I want to take. Rando looks like something to feed my need to challenge myself.


What are your thoughts? Recommendations on getting started, bikes, etc?
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Old 03-20-18, 01:26 PM
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Old 03-20-18, 10:17 PM
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We do have a forum for it but me personally since I don't hang around there is that Randonneuring is cool. I did build a bike with Rando bikes slightly in mind (my Single Speed/Fixed Gear RandoCross FunTime Machine based off of a Cinelli Work frame) Me personally though I don't really have the endurance for a rando event because I don't get the time to ride as much these days.
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Old 03-21-18, 12:02 AM
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Old 03-21-18, 03:13 AM
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Originally Posted by Colt_Luger
I am thinking of trying randonneuring.
Thread moved from Touring forum to Long Distance Competition/Ultracycling, Randonneuring and Endurance Cycling forum.
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Old 03-21-18, 03:37 AM
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Originally Posted by Colt_Luger
I am thinking of trying randonneuring. It looks like a challenge (duh) and would fit with my schedule. I have no desire to race, and my job prevents the long tours I want to take. Rando looks like something to feed my need to challenge myself.


What are your thoughts? Recommendations on getting started, bikes, etc?
I've been doing Randonneuring since 2001. It is a challenge!
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Old 03-21-18, 05:31 AM
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Originally Posted by Colt_Luger
What are your thoughts? Recommendations on getting started, bikes, etc?
Have you done a century ride before?


If yes, then you are more than ready. Sign up for a 200k brevet near you, pick your most comfortable bike and go enjoy. Once you've done 200k, you can start thinking about 300k, and so on.
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Old 03-21-18, 06:37 AM
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Originally Posted by atwl77
Have you done a century ride before?


If yes, then you are more than ready. Sign up for a 200k brevet near you, pick your most comfortable bike and go enjoy. Once you've done 200k, you can start thinking about 300k, and so on.
Yep ... that's how I got into it.

I had ridden several centuries. I read about the 200 km distance, so I went out and cycled 200 km on my own just to see if it were possible.

Then a little while later I joined up and decided that I would do a 200 km, and if it went well, I'd do a 300 km, and if it went well, I'd go for the 400 km, etc.

A year later I was cycling the Rocky Mountain 1200.
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Old 03-21-18, 07:21 AM
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COLT_LUGAR wrote:
I am thinking of trying randonneuring. It looks like a challenge (duh) and would fit with my schedule. I have no desire to race, and my job prevents the long tours I want to take. Rando looks like something to feed my need to challenge myself. What are your thoughts? Recommendations on getting started, bikes, etc?

JLIPPINBIKE's response:
Randonneuring can be a challenge, it can be just plain fun, or it can be both. It can be whatever you want to make it. Randonneurs in the US have the option to limit their rides to a mere 100k each, and they can opt to do rides 1200k or more. Probably the simplest goal at the outset would be to try earning the RUSA (rusa.org) P-12 award. To do that you would need to ride a 100k each month of the year. That doesn't sound that hard unless you live in Montana. But you could set a goal of riding a 100k ride each month it is warm enough for you to ride outdoors in Montana. Or you could “cheat” and on a business trip to San Diego or Miami you could get your monthly ride in. Riding 100k routes is a logical next step up from a local bike club's weekend rec rides.

I just checked the Permanents Database at RUSA.org and it appears there are four 100k perms available in Montana. One in W Yellowstone, two in Belgrade, and one in Missoula. Go for it!

You can upgrade from there and do 200k perms or 200k brevets. Brevets are calendared events RUSA.org offers across the country. You'll meet fellow randonneurs at these events. And then randonneuring will be a social thing for you. RUSA.org also has an award for doing 12 monthly 200k rides called the R-12. Again, you might want to do the cold month rides on business trips to a warm climate.

But once you get comfortable doing the 200k group rides, then you will get talked into trying the 300k, 400k and maybe even the 1200k. This all depends on how fit you can get and how much time you have. If you aren't that fit, or don't have that much time, then just stay down in the 100k and 200k rides. Nothing wrong with that. The point is: randonneuring can be whatever you want to make it.

I joined RUSA.org in January of 2017 after having only ridden about 1000 miles total for 2016. In 2017 I rode every distance ride offered by RUSA in order to get me the RUSA Cup award in just 7 months. And I earned an R-12 award starting in January and ending in December. This year I'm not interested in repeating last year's accomplishments. But I'm still interested in randonneuring. This year's challenge is to ride three 1200k events and a 1000k event. That will get me two more RUSA.org awards: Coast to Coast 1200, and the American Randonneur Challenge. And what about 2019? Well, I'm not really interested in repeating past accomplishments. So I suspect I'll want to tackle a few SR 600k rides. But we'll see.

With regard to getting a bike, any bike will do. Some are better than others. There are basically two schools of thought when it comes to getting a bike. One school thinks a bike with 35mm tires is ideal, and a relaxed riding position. These guys typically will have fenders on their bikes, too. The other school wants a performance bike with skinny tires, no fenders and lightness. If you have been participating in local bike club rec rides, then you probably have a nice performance bike. I'd recommend you stick with that, and you'll be fine.

What do I ride? Last year when I participated in RUSA.org events I rode one of the following bikes: 1985 Schwinn High Sierra mountain bike, 2013 Felt CX (cyclocross) bike, 2010 Cinelli Xperience road bike, or a 1974 Schwinn Paramount (60”-fixed gear) track bike. This year I probably will add to that list a 2011 20”-wheel Dahon Speed P8 folding bike. The point is: you can ride just about anything during a rando ride.

The only thing that is really unique to randonneuring from my point of view is night riding. I had never done much of it before I started the longer rides in 2017. I rode the first couple of night rides on the cheap – I went with battery powered headlights. It was the 600k event in New England that convinced me to get a dyno hub and expensive headlight. But you won't cross that bridge until you start entering the longer events.

Last edited by jlippinbike; 03-21-18 at 07:26 AM.
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Old 03-21-18, 08:14 AM
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I'm going into my 4th season of randonneur riding this year. I did my first 1200 last year. In my first year (2015) I did a 200, 300, and 400. I tried a 600 but had a weird cramp in my leg so I abandoned instead of risking injury... have since resolved the fit issue that I think was responsible and went on to do a full series in 2016. Hoping to do PBP in 2019. This year I have signed up for the Cascade 1200 and the new Coulee Challenge 1200. I enjoy the solitude that one sometimes finds on a brevet, as well as seeing new roads outside of my usual roads around here. One can do rando distances without joining a club but I have met some cool people and gone to places I didn't know about when I rode the official brevets. Another bonus is being able to buy the official medals when you do an ACP ride.

I started off on a vintage road bike and it was well suited to the rides, I also did my first 400K on my vintage touring bike. I got a good deal on a carbon roubaix and it has since become my main bike. I don't usually try to ride brevets fast but I have done some good times on that bike. If you've got a good fitting bike that you can crank out a 100K on without issues I would just stick with that and get a few brevets under your belt before thinking about another bike just for long distance. Any rando forum is full of hang wringing about bike selection
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Old 03-21-18, 08:51 AM
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I stumbled into randonneuring when someone came into my lab for VO2max testing and I got talking with her about what she liked to do. I've done centuries on and off since I was 19 so a 200K didn't seem like that much farther. I was also intrigued by the self-supported nature of the events. I did my first 2 200K brevets last summer and joined RUSA in October. I'm now hooked on chasing a P-12 (100K Populaire for 12 consecutive months). I might also try for an R-12 (200K or more for 12 consecutive months) as I ended up going to Kansas with two members of my club at the end of February. We did the KOMA 200K which gave us 4 states! Not sure if the weather up north will cooperate to fit in a 200K in December and January but at least I'll give it a try.

Chasing the P-12 has led me to explore parts of my state that I wouldn't normally have done as I was seeking opportunities to have slightly better weather. I did 2 100Ks in southern Illinois in January and was the first person other than the route owner to ride them. Same for the one I did this past weekend in central Illinois (I was down in the area for a conference on Saturday so just stayed an extra night).

I used my road bike for my 200Ks last summer and it was fine. I have since purchased a new bike that allowed me to go with 28mm tires and fenders instead of the 23mm tires that my road bike has. The new bike was more comfortable for the 200K last month. I appreciated how the wider tires help smooth out some of the rougher roads.

Not sure if I will ever try a 300K as I'm not a fan of riding in the dark. I prefer to sleep when the sun goes down!

Last edited by GadgetGirlIL; 03-21-18 at 08:58 AM.
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Old 03-21-18, 03:39 PM
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No reason not to give it a try. It sounds a lot harder than it really is. Sure the rides are long, but the time limits are generous.

I use randonneuring as motivation to stay in shape like some people use marathons or triathlons or whatever. It's just 5 days a year for a full series so the time commitment is pretty low beyond the 6-10 hours a week of training. I talked a guy at work into riding a 200k with me in April for him to use as motivation to ride his peloton over the winter.
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Old 03-21-18, 06:15 PM
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Originally Posted by cb400bill
Thread moved from Touring forum to Long Distance Competition/Ultracycling, Randonneuring and Endurance Cycling forum.
I'm not sure you've actually done @Colt_Luger a favor by moving the thread, but he'll get more positive replies here!

I mean, most people on this sub forum are already into randonneuring, including myself. As others have mentioned, it's addictive.

Compared to touring, there are some obvious differences. Touring usually involves camping (and therefore camping gear); randonneuring does not.

Touring cyclists often leave a lot of time for looking at stuff, visiting places of interest, and that kind of thing; randonneurs usually don't.

Tourists can turn on any road that looks interesting, following their nose as desired; randonneurs follow a route that's been chosen ahead of time.

Touring cyclists are often on the road for weeks or months; randonneurs usually ride one day, sometimes two, occasionally three or four.

Touring cyclists ride by themselves and sometimes go hours, even days, without other human contact; randonneurs usually ride in groups.

Tourists rarely ride the same roads over and over; randonneurs, at least those who stick with the sport for several years, do.

At the end of a randonnee, we all shake hands, congratulate one another, and often drink a few beers together. I can't remember ever doing that at the end of a tour; I was just happy to be home.

I suppose every sport has a rulebook, and the players have differing opinions about many of the rules; well this is certainly true of randonneuring, not so true of touring (where there are no rules).

In theory, I prefer touring. In practice, I do very little touring and a whole lot more randonneuring; and the more I do, the more I like it.

Last edited by rhm; 03-21-18 at 06:19 PM.
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Old 03-21-18, 08:40 PM
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Originally Posted by rhm
In theory, I prefer touring. In practice, I do very little touring and a whole lot more randonneuring
I think I'm the same. My other hobby is photography, so in theory it is more fun for me to ride around, make stops, take plenty of pictures, and then come back from a multi-day tour with a bunch of awesome pictures. In practice, I rarely stop. I don't want to ride on a heavily-loaded bike. In fact, I'm not really the camping-outdoors sort of person. Looking for hotels or homestays for the night? Nah, I'd rather just get a couple of hours rest at controls and then get going again.
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Old 03-22-18, 05:47 PM
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There's some long responses above. I didn't read them 'cuz this rando thing is rather simple in concept:

do some long rides to build up toward the 200 km brevet in your area,
take the comfortable bike that you did those building rides on and go ride the 200.
If that goes well, and you have the time, do the 300.
If that goes well, and you have the time, do the 400.
If that goes well, and you have the time, do the 600.

If all goes well, somewhere in those above rides, there will be a time when you hate randonneuring, you hate bicycle riding, you hate bicycles, you know that you cannot possibly complete the ride you are doing, and then ... maybe 10 miles later, maybe less, you'll find yourself realizing that you can complete the ride you're on, and that you can complete the entire Series. After that, it will be fun, interspersed with periods when you likely ask "WHY am I doing this?"

It is easier if you discover a friend to ride with.

But first, contact the local RBA.
If you are in Montana, that is likely:

Jason Karp
713 Cheery Drive
Belgrade, MT 59714 Voice: 406-388-1099
Voice/Cell: 406-599-2897
E-mail: belgradebobcat@msn.com
RBA for Bozeman MT
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Old 03-23-18, 09:10 AM
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Randonneuring is one of those things that one can get excited about in theory when sitting in front of your computer, but find that when you are actually out there in the 14th hour on your bike, it’s cold, you’re tired, you’re nauseous, and even though you can keep riding, it is the entirely unappealing and you’re thinking WTF, how is this fun? It’s not for everyone, just keeping it real.

Don’t overthink it, just ride and lengthen your rides until you are signing up for brevets and figure out if you like it. As problems arise, research and address them (nutrition , gear, training , etc)

I got a 400km tomorrow, and hope I am at good spirits at the end. I’m finding that I like riding all day and calling it a day, but riding all day and all night... has not been appealing thus far, but I’ll see what happens tomorrow

Last edited by Flounce; 03-23-18 at 09:15 AM.
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Old 03-29-18, 02:35 PM
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Originally Posted by Flounce
Randonneuring is one of those things that one can get excited about in theory when sitting in front of your computer, but find that when you are actually out there in the 14th hour on your bike, it’s cold, you’re tired, you’re nauseous, and even though you can keep riding, it is the entirely unappealing and you’re thinking WTF, how is this fun? It’s not for everyone, just keeping it real.

Don’t overthink it, just ride and lengthen your rides until you are signing up for brevets and figure out if you like it. As problems arise, research and address them (nutrition , gear, training , etc)

I got a 400km tomorrow, and hope I am at good spirits at the end. I’m finding that I like riding all day and calling it a day, but riding all day and all night... has not been appealing thus far, but I’ll see what happens tomorrow
Thank you. Well said.
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Old 03-29-18, 02:36 PM
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Thank you all! I'm going to give it a shot - WTH am I going to with my time, anyway?
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Old 03-29-18, 06:20 PM
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Originally Posted by Flounce
Randonneuring is one of those things that one can get excited about in theory when sitting in front of your computer, but find that when you are actually out there in the 14th hour on your bike, it’s cold, you’re tired, you’re nauseous, and even though you can keep riding, it is the entirely unappealing and you’re thinking WTF, how is this fun? It’s not for everyone, just keeping it real.

Don’t overthink it, just ride and lengthen your rides until you are signing up for brevets and figure out if you like it. As problems arise, research and address them (nutrition , gear, training , etc)

I got a 400km tomorrow, and hope I am at good spirits at the end. I’m finding that I like riding all day and calling it a day, but riding all day and all night... has not been appealing thus far, but I’ll see what happens tomorrow
How did it go?
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There's no such thing as too far.. just lack of time
Originally Posted by noglider
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RUSA #7498
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Old 03-30-18, 01:45 AM
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I finished my 400km brevet, keeping good nutrition throughout, etc. But it wasn't enjoyable at the end, at all. After 200 miles, I'd felt I'd had a nice scenic ride and was ready to call it a day. Last 25 miles sucked, and I promised myself I was not going to do the 600km I'm signed up for in June. I'm not quitting randonneuring, but count me out for anything longer than a 400km, and even that I'd only do once a year I think. 300km is probably the sweet spot for me.
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Old 03-30-18, 01:33 PM
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Originally Posted by Flounce
I finished my 400km brevet, keeping good nutrition throughout, etc. But it wasn't enjoyable at the end, at all. After 200 miles, I'd felt I'd had a nice scenic ride and was ready to call it a day. Last 25 miles sucked, and I promised myself I was not going to do the 600km I'm signed up for in June. I'm not quitting randonneuring, but count me out for anything longer than a 400km, and even that I'd only do once a year I think. 300km is probably the sweet spot for me.
When I did my first series, it seemed like the last 1/4 of each one sucked, regardless of the distance.
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Originally Posted by chandltp
There's no such thing as too far.. just lack of time
Originally Posted by noglider
People in this forum are not typical.
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Old 03-30-18, 07:01 PM
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Originally Posted by ThermionicScott
When I did my first series, it seemed like the last 1/4 of each one sucked, regardless of the distance.
Isn't that like some kind of rule of thumb for all long distance rides?

If not, it should be...
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Old 03-31-18, 12:13 PM
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Originally Posted by Flounce
I finished my 400km brevet, keeping good nutrition throughout, etc. But it wasn't enjoyable at the end, at all. After 200 miles, I'd felt I'd had a nice scenic ride and was ready to call it a day. Last 25 miles sucked, and I promised myself I was not going to do the 600km I'm signed up for in June. I'm not quitting randonneuring, but count me out for anything longer than a 400km, and even that I'd only do once a year I think. 300km is probably the sweet spot for me.
Hang in there. My first several seasons I only did 200's & 300's. Then when my kids got a little older that gave me more time to get in shape and more availability on the weekends so I could attempt the longer distances at an easy pace and feel pretty good the whole time.

Last edited by kingston; 03-31-18 at 02:22 PM.
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Old 03-31-18, 12:29 PM
  #24  
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Originally Posted by Flounce
I finished my 400km brevet, keeping good nutrition throughout, etc. But it wasn't enjoyable at the end, at all. After 200 miles, I'd felt I'd had a nice scenic ride and was ready to call it a day. Last 25 miles sucked, and I promised myself I was not going to do the 600km I'm signed up for in June. I'm not quitting randonneuring, but count me out for anything longer than a 400km, and even that I'd only do once a year I think. 300km is probably the sweet spot for me.
, outstanding for completing the 400km. How long did it take you? How about a distance of your desire in 24 hours? 600km or longer?? Something like..... Bike Sebring 12/24 My first ride in 2017 I had ridden 307 miles when I abandoned around the 22 hour mark. I had wanted to ride 300 miles, I did and then just wimped out instead of continuing.
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Old 04-03-18, 12:14 AM
  #25  
downtube42
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After my first year of rando I was contemplating PBP, leaning to not doing it because the distance sounded crazy. Then a 70 year old friend of mine said "what do you think this is, a practice life?" So I did it.

This ain't no practice life. Go ride your bike.
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