> One (of many no doubt) thing I will never understand about my fellow > human beings is why they want to take something as exhilaratingly free > as riding a bike and tie it down with rules, cards, controles. Don't > we get enough of this every where else we turn? > > I realize I am in a clear and decided minority on this point! >
The rules, cards and controls don't really ruin the ride or tie it down. The rules are very simple. I have every card from every brevet and populaire I rode. Our club collects the cards at the end of each ride and at the end of the year they're sent back to you. There's something kinda nice about having them. As for the controls... they probably make all the difference in the world for me in completing the rides. I think if I didn't have to stop to get my card signed, or answer a question as in the case of an information control, I'd probably ride myself into the ground. At the controls it's a chance to rest, eat and talk with others. Some folks are super fast through controls and others take their time. It's really up to you. Now, all that said... I've done one Super Randonneur series a year (200k,300k,400k, 600k) for the past couple of years and after that I'm pretty much done with randonneuring and a little tired of the organization and just want to ride free. But to do 4 or 5 rides a year in this format is not really much of a burden. Really, the most stressful thing about brevets for me is just dealing with conflicts with my work schedule and getting to the start which is usually quite early and outside of town. Oh, and packing up for a 600k can be a little nerve-wracking. The best and worst times I've ever had on my bike have been while riding brevets. If it wasn't for the brevets I never ever would have thought of covering these distances. I've also met the best cycling people I've ever met through randonneuring and I doubt I would have met them otherwise. Here's a picture of me from last year's 600k. It was taken about 30 miles from the finish at the top of a 5 mile climb. I was having the time of my life! http://www.flickr.com/photos/archivalclothing/3587741363/in/set-72157619139425082/ The first rando ride I ever did was a populaire and as others have pointed out, it served as a great introduction to reading cue sheets and figuring out how controls work and... it was a whole lot of fun! But randonneuring just may not be for you. I tried mountain bike racing years ago and it just wasn't for me. Nor is cross racing. And group/charity rides like AIDS LifeCycle hold no appeal to me. But others seem to find a lot of satisfaction in those types of cycling. Still, having followed this group for a few years now, I really think a lot of folks here would enjoy randonneuring. I think if you have the opportunity to check it out go for it. One final thought... if you're worried about riding slow or finishing at the back of the pack, try not to worry about it as it just doesn't matter. Overall I've found randonneurs to be a very encouraging, supportive and friendly group of folks. I've finished at the front of rides and at the back (see above photo) and been warmly welcomed into the final control by my fellow randonneurs. --mike -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bu...@googlegroups.com. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch?hl=en.
