New to Group and Randonneuring

[Thane McMartin]

Hello,

I recently joined RUSA and PCH Randonneurs, and plan to start joining rides this month. I've purchased a reflective vest and ankle bands from RUSA, and I see that I must register for rides through the website. Is there anything else?

I'm not new to endurance riding, just to randonneuring, but I welcome any advice.

Thank you,

Thane McMartin

[Brook Henderson]

Thane,

You're in luck! PCH is a vibrant region with excellent events and a top notch RBA. The adjacent regions, San Diego and San Luis Obispo are also fantastic.

https://pch.ridestats.bike/stats/pages/myClub.xhtml

https://sdrandos.org/

https://slorandonneur.org/

Of course, you need to be a member of RUSA and of PCH Randos before you can sign up for the rides. 

Note the sign up deadline (Thursday noon for Saturday rides, and Friday noon for Sunday rides) is strict; no late sign ups or same day sign ups are accepted. 

Reflective gear and lights (front & rear) are required if there's a chance you'll be out before sunrise or after sunset, or times of limited visibility (heavy rain, etc.). The ride descriptions are generally good at telling you what's expected/required. 

Helmets are required. 

In general, you're expected to be self-supported. This means you should know how to do basic repairs and flat fixes, and carry the necessary tools and equipment. You will need to carry and obtain your own food and water. (Some of the longer rides that cover more remote areas will have staffed controls.)

Rides start on time. (Technically, the rules allow you to start up to an hour after the official start time, but your official ride time begins at the official start time, not when you roll off.)

To get credit for the rides you must submit some form of proof. Most riders do EPP (electronic proof of passage). EPP means you submit a public link to your ride GPS file (on a site like Strava, RWGPS, Garmin Connect, etc.) or you provide time-stamped photos of you and/or your bike at all of the control points. (I use an app called "Timestamp Camera.") You will email the photos and/or link to the person who is leading the ride (as shown on the website when you sign up). Usually an email will be sent to all of a ride's registered riders a day or two before the ride that outlines the route and tells you how to submit your proof. For some of the longer rides (600k+) you'll be asked to use an app to check in at the controls. The app allows the ride admins to keep track of the riders. In this case, the app can serve as your proof, provided you use it to check in at all of the controls. [Lastly... Insert rant about stupid brevet cards here.] 

It looks like the upcoming rides are mostly populaires (rides less than 200k). I'm not sure what rides I'll be doing next, but most likely I'll be riding the Santa Barbara Easy 200k on New Year's Day. 

-Brook

https://www.strava.com/athletes/tarkus71

https://www.instagram.com/bh3927/

https://ridewithgps.com/ride_reports/10136-midnight-sun-randonnee-2024-1200k

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[Kerin Huber]

Thane- we look forward to seeing you on a future ride.  In addition to Brook’s thorough response, I would add a few things;

1) When you register for a ride, don’t wait until the last minute.  Occasionally there are technical issues and it’s nice to have a couple of days to resolve them.

2) After you register and complete payment, you will get a confirmation email that has a link to our online SmartWaiver.  Please fill out and submit that waiver right away.

3) During the ride folks tend to break up into small groups of riders with a similar pace.  These are not like club rides where there are set regrouping points.

4) If you are registered for a ride, you should expect to get a detailed email from the ride leader one or two days in advance.  It will have info about parking, restrooms, how to submit your proof of passage, etc.

See you on the road!

Kerin Huber

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[Thane McMartin]

Thank you both. This is great information. 

As I look at the Emerald Necklace ride, I see that it begins and ends at different locations. Do you typically park at the start location?