RUSA isn\’t a foreign country: it\’s Randonneurs USA!

For cyclists interested in long-distance riding, but not competition, randonneuring might be the answer.

Participants in RUSA rides aren\’t racing each other. It is, however, a race against the clock. Rides of various distances must be completed within a certain time.

I joined RUSA several years ago, but have been able to go on only one ride. There were only four of us; and I was still pretty slow. The others were gracious and didn\’t complain about my slowness; but we finished the 100K with little time to spare.

I\’m still not fast enough for any more RUSA rides. I\’m better at going 15 mph, but can\’t yet do it for hours on end; especially not when I\’ve got a headwind!

Why, then, is one of my big cycling dreams successful completion of Paris-Brest-Paris? PBP is THE randonnee of them all: twelve hundred kilometers/750 miles, to be completed within 90 hours. This must include any sleep breaks a rider needs. PBP has even been called \”a contest of sleep deprivation\”.

PBP participants must be able to quickly take care of mechanical problems; and they must contend with anything that Mother Nature might throw at them. There could be rainstorms; headwinds; and I don\’t know what all else.

If I were riding PBP, I\’d hope for nights with clear skies. PBP is scheduled for every fourth August, to coincide with the full moon. I\’d love to be able to ride through the moonlight if the route goes through stretches of no street lights.

For some reason I fantasize about a group of cyclists riding PBP as a team, fortifying themselves with peanut butter and jelly sandwiches — and declaring that PBP stands for Peanut Butter Posse! Irreverent, aren\’t I?