Monday, December 22, 2014

Number 10228

Today I filled out the registration form for the January 3rd 200 km brevet presented by the PCH Randonneurs.  So I guess I am committed to that one, at least.  Roger registered us with the RUSA group - that's the Randonneurs USA, I guess.  My number is 10228.  I think that number is going to be very important to me this year!

Thinking that you might be wondering, what is this "randonneur" business, I figured that I should explain.  I don't really know myself, to be honest, so I had to look up the word.  Randonneur - dictionary.com said, "did you mean LANDOWNER?"  No, I didn't.  Let's try again.  Hmm. There is a translation feature on the site.  It's a French word, I suppose, so go French to English and I get:  hiker, walker, backpacker.  That's not exactly what I'm looking for, I think - since it says nothing about a bike. But I guess that's the gist of it.  A randonneur is a traveler.  One that travels about and takes care of him or herself.

On to Wikipedia.  God I love that site!  Here's what they have to say about it:

Randonneuring (also known as Audax in the UK, Australia and Brazil) is a long-distance cycling sport with its origins in audax cycling. In randonneuring, riders attempt courses of 200 km or more, passing through predetermined "controls" (checkpoints) every few tens of kilometers. Riders aim to complete the course within specified time limits, and receive equal recognition regardless of their finishing order. Riders may travel in groups or alone as they wish, and are expected to be self-sufficient between controls. A randonneuring event is called a randonée or brevet, and a rider who has completed a 200 km event is called a randonneur.[1] [2] The international governing body for randonneuring is Audax Club Parisien (ACP), which works with other randonneuring organisations worldwide through Les Randonneurs Mondiaux (RM). Randonneuring is popular in France, and has a following in the NetherlandsBelgiumUnited KingdomAustraliaUSACanadaBrazil and India.

Okay, so there you go.  After we complete the January 3rd randonee, I will be a randonneur!  Goodie for me!

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