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A handy Guide to Riding Your First Brevet.
1/ Arrive with plenty of time to spare, bike check-in is a half hour before the brevet start. Yes, it's early, but you'll be a lot less stressed with plenty of time to prepare yourself and complete your paperwork.
2/ upon your arrival at the start, locate the ride coordinator and register, paying the riding fee and indicate whether or not you'd like to receive a medal for the brevet, if so pay the medal fee as well. If not a club member, you'll need to complete both the club application form and the CCA waivers. You can save yourself a lot of time by downloading them from the club's web site and filling them out before hand.
Randonneurs Ontario Application - fill out the personal and contact information on the application page. You will also need to fill out the
Canadian Cycling Association waiver form - fill out the waiver completely.
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3/ Inspect the control card and route sheet you'll be given and make sure they're both complete. If in doubt, ask.
4/ Prepare your bicycle for the ride (assuming you drove and have to take it off the rack or out of the trunk or whatever).
5/ Make sure the ride coordinator has inspected your bicycle for lights and seen your reflective vest and marked you down as being in compliance with club requirements.
6/ Ask the ride coordinator or your fellow riders any questions you may have concerning the route. This might be questions about road surface conditions or information regarding services in remote sections of the course. It's easier to get this info now if you can than once everyone's on the move.
7/ When the starting time arrives you'll be told it's time to go. Ride!
8/ Randonneurs Ontario uses unstaffed controls. Usually these are located at a restaurant, convenience store or other business location and this is indicated on the route sheet. Upon arrival, present your card to the clerk, server or person working there and ask to have it filled in appropriately; the time the signing takes place in the Time column and the persons initials in the Seal and Signature column.
You may need to explain to the person what this is all about and what you are doing. Almost universally, people are fascinated by what we're doing and happy to help.
9/ If you can't locate what you believe to be the control or if there's no specific establishment indicated on the route sheet, stop at any establishment that presents itself at the appropriate location and mileage and get your control card signed there.
10/ Don't forget to have your card signed and timed at the finish, it's a control too.
11/ Report your safe arrival and finishing time as soon as possible to the Brevet Administrator either by phone or email and send in your control card to them by post in the next few days after the brevet.
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