Santa Cruz Brevets are approaching

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Bill Bryant

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Feb 10, 2026, 6:42:53 PMFeb 10
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In a few weeks the Santa Cruz Randonneurs' 2026 season begins and it will have a variety of brevets, the 3CR 1000k, a gravel 300k, and a Rouleur Week next fall. We hope you can join us for some good randonneuring around the Monterey Bay region.

If you go to the SCR homepage, you can see each brevet’s route and climbing on its RWGPS file. You will find more event info and entry at: https://santacruzrandonneurs.org

Note that all our 2026 brevets of 200k and longer have ACP/BRM sanctions and will count toward “priority registration” for Paris-Brest-Paris. The longer the distance BRM event you complete before October 31, 2026, the more choices you will have for your PBP starting wave in 2027. (Riders will still need to complete the familiar Super Randonneur series of BRM 200-300-400-600k brevets in the spring and early summer of 2027 to complete the entry process.) Riders with a 2026 BRM 1000k or LRM 1200k get first choice of starting group/wave, then riders with a BRM 600k have second choice, a BRM 400k is third choice, etc.

Sunday, March 1 – Lobitos Creek 200k Brevet. Santa Cruz start/finish. 

Saturday, March 7 – Aromitas-La Gloria 300k Gravel Brevet. Carmel start/finish. 

Saturday, March 21 – HMB-Marina 300k Brevet. Santa Cruz start/finish. 

Saturday, April 4 – Voie Berg/Big Sur 300k Brevet. Carmel start/finish. 

Saturday, April 25 – San Gregorio-Greenfield 400k Brevet. Santa Cruz start/finish. 


Saturday, May 30 – California Central Coast Randonnée 1000k Brevet. Santa Cruz start & San Luis Obispo finish. 

The 3CR 1000k takes in some of California’s most scenic regions, including the beautiful Big Sur coast. It is a hard ride with lots of climbing but usually with more tailwinds than headwinds. There will be no support beyond drop bag service at the overnight hotels. Riders are responsible for their own transportation to the start, and from the finish. There is no bike box transport to the finish. Overnight bags must be <25 lbs. and one bag per rider. A successful 400k (or longer) brevet or permanent in 2026 is required for entry.

Day One – Santa Cruz to Half Moon Bay to La Honda, to Marina, to King City. Approximately 228.5 miles/368 km. Saturday, 6 AM start.

Day Two – King City to Carmel to Big Sur to Cambria to San Luis Obispo. Approximately 205 miles/330 km.

Day Three – San Luis Obispo to San Luis Obispo loop. Approximately 189 miles/304 km. Riders must finish by 9 AM Tuesday. 75 hr. time limit.

More 3CR Info Here: https://santacruzrandonneurs.org/pages/3CR2026


Saturday, October 24 – Surf City 600k Brevet. Santa Cruz start/finish. A last chance for PBP “priority registration” status for riders unable to make the spring and summer events. There will be a lot of nocturnal riding, but the full moon should help.

Coming in November – A Rouleur Week in Carmel. There will be a 200k, 120k Dart Team Ride, 125k, 150k, and 100k on Monday, November 9 through Friday, November 13. You can enter all the rides or some of them. It will be a great way to earn the Rouleur Award, build fitness before PBP-qualifying arrives, and have some rando-fun! More details and hotel info to come…

Bonne Route!

Bill Bryant & Lois Springsteen

Santa Cruz Randonneurs

 



Rhiana Henry

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Mar 9, 2026, 3:04:15 PMMar 9
to California Randonneurs
Hi Santa Cruz Randonneurs! 

I am down in Seaside CA, and a local randonneur in the Velo Club suggested I join the SC Randonneurs since I want to be doing longer and longer rides. I'm 36, with ~6yrs of cycling (commute) and ~2yrs with a road bike. Would really like to do the HMB-Marina Brevet on March 21st as my first event with the SC Randonneurs! I joined the club online, but haven't yet done an event. My longest ride so far has been 253km, solo, around the SF Bay on the summer solstice (it was amazing); I think with established routing and a few friends 300km will go smoothly and fun for me. 

Might I get some advice on preparation for the 300km? Got favorite items to bring beyond the must-haves (like my hydration vest)? Requirements for a proper brevet - so I don't mess that up (the brevet card, lights, reflectors)? Would there be anyone in SC with a couch I can crash on the night prior? 

Best wishes, 

~Rhiana Henry

Bill Bryant

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Mar 9, 2026, 4:35:22 PMMar 9
to Rhiana Henry, California Randonneurs
Hi Rhiana —
Welcome aboard!

The HMB-Marina is a fairly civilized route and you’ll find stores for food and drink at useful intervals all along the route. (good stops = Pescadero, Half Moon Bay, Pescadero again, Santa Cruz/Aptos, Marina, Castroville, Aptos again). I don’t think you need anything special to stay fed or hydrated besides the usual you’d bring in your jersey pockets and bottles. As you return from Marina to Santa Cruz, be sure to have enough for about 40 miles. You’ll pass the Exxon in Castroville, which is open until midnight and is your last chance before a long(ish) empty section until you see the Aptos Safeway (stays open late). 

You’ll want to have your bike in good mechanical condition, and be sure you have a puncture repair kit and can use it on the roadside (even if running tubeless tires.)  Personally, I have a small light on my helmet in addition to my main headlight on the bike. Sometimes one needs to look up at a road sign that is high off the roadway, work on a puncture in the dark, or head off behind a tree for a pit stop. There are times just having one headlamp on the bike is not enough, but I do see some riders using that approach.

Be sure to bring enough clothing layers to stay warm in the hours before dawn and after sunset. As you know, it can be quite chilly around the bay at night. Getting cold will really affect your ride adversely. Better to have a bit too much clothing than a bit too little. And, if rain is in the forecast, bring a raincoat, etc.

There will be some nighttime riding and you’ll want good lights. The northern section of the route has generally good to excellent paving, while the southern has some sections with potholes, and good lights will be useful to spot them at night. Your taillight should be set to run on steady instead of flashing so as not to annoy the riders behind you.

For the required safety gear, RUSA wants all riders to wear a reflective ankle band on each leg, a helmet, and some sort of reflective vest or sash for your torso. The important thing to remember is that it should put reflective material on the front, back, and sides of your torso (since cars can come from side roads.)  Some riders like a reflective vest, while others like some sort of device that has straps/bands. Here by the ocean, I find the vest to be a nice layer since it gets cold quickly after sundown, but during summer in inland regions with hot nights, the sash/band method can be worn over whatever clothing layer(s) you are using seems preferable? Here is something I spotted from REI just now:



The rules require your safety gear to be worn before sunrise and after sunset, or in times of low-light conditions (like coastal fog.) Being visible is really important.

The other thing I would advise is that when you get your pre-ride email in the week before the ride, look over the route on the RWGPS map and get a sense of where it goes, and what major climbs you’ll encounter (mostly between Pescadero and Half Moon Bay.)

There will be a brevet card, and at each checkpoint (or control) you’ll need to provide “proof of passage”. This is spelled out in your pre-ride info, but mainly, have a way to keep you card safe during the ride (they are notorious for coming out of jersey pockets, so carrying it in some sort of handlebar bag or seat pack is probably better. At the start we’ll give you a baggie to keep it dry. And, bring a pen for recording your progress on your brevet card at each control.

And, lastly, I guess, bring some extra chamois creme and sunscreen — you’ll be out there a long while.  Oh, and the de Amigos market in Pescadero (a popular stop) only takes cash, so bring a few $$ too.

Cheers,
Bill Bryant
Santa Cruz Randonneurs



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Rhiana Henry

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Mar 10, 2026, 7:56:25 PMMar 10
to California Randonneurs
Many thanks for the pointers! 

I will peel some lights off the commuter bike to transfer over to the road bike so I have multiple, and I can put some spoke lights on for side visibility too. If the stops are ~40mi apart then my two water bottles are probably good, especially if I have my hydration vest as backup (unfilled to start, can fill if it gets hot out). 

A long day out with a range of temperatures expected for our coast. Lucky us - it isn't so bad here! 

I'm not too worried about overall elevation gain; I'm pretty good with climbing as long as I pace myself and don't get over-eager. Biggest single climb to date has been Mt. Lemmon, followed by Tour de Big Bear with Mt. Onyx (which is worse on heat than gradient) - just commit to the trudge instead of sprint and its fine. 

Hopefully I'll find some other folks who go a similar speed to me. Having buddies would be nice :) 

There are two routes online and I want to make sure I'm using the correct one: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/38845484 presumably? Straight up and back for HMB, without the detour that is on this one https://ridewithgps.com/routes/2242142 ? 


~Rhiana

Bill Bryant

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Mar 10, 2026, 8:25:21 PMMar 10
to Rhiana Henry, California Randonneurs
Hi Rhiana —
Sounds like you’re getting things together and will do fine on the brevet. We’ve got about a dozen entries so far, and I know others will wait and watch the weather before entering. I see riders of many speeds so hopefully you’ll find others to ride with.

One more thought about lights — for your headlight, be sure to bring an extra battery (or an extra light) in case something goes sideways and you end up riding longer in the dark than you plan. The brevet will run from 6 AM Saturday to 2 AM Sunday (20-hr time limit) and you’ll likely do fine. The bottom pace, with stops, is 9.5 mph to finish inside the 20 hours. However, sometimes getting lost, or a serious mechanical problem will add time to your ride. It is always good to have some extra juice in case you need to run your lights longer than the official time limit. (Been there, done that myself.) So, like the scout’s motto — “be prepared."

For the routes, the first one you noted is for this year. It has 2026 in the title. The other thing to note is that it has a bigger RUSA Route Number assigned to it — that means it is newer. The other one was from some years back (and has a smaller/older RUSA Route Number.) Yes, this year is pretty much an out-n-back route, whereas the older one had a trip into the forest (if memory serves.)

Mainly, the one on the SCR homepage is usually the one to use, but the pre-ride info, which goes out Sunday evening before teh event, will have the most up-to-date RWGPS to follow. I wouldn’t load anything until then. If there is a worker’s pre-ride, they might discover a minor change (road work?) etc. 

Cheers,
Bill Bryant


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