Going The Distance: The Sport of Randonneuring in Ontario - By Fred Chagnon
Though I’ve been an avid cyclist for years, I began relying more on my bicycle as a primary source of activity in 2020, partly due to the global pandemic which closed many other forms of recreational activity, and also partly because cycling proved to be the best form of rehabilitation from a car accident induced injury back in the winter prior. Long story short, in 2020, I went from frequent bicycle commuter and mountain-biking weekend-warrior to daily 50km loops on the TVP and increasingly longer rides in the country on weekends. Once I finished my first 100-kilometer ride, a friend told me I ought to check out this thing he called “randonneuring.” Fast forward to July 2021, I’ve just completed my first 200-kilometer ride and can officially count myself among these randonneurs.
What is Randonneuring?
Randonneuring (strangely derived from the French word for “hike”) is a sub-discipline of cycling focused on covering long distances in a self-paced, self-supported manner. How far are we talking? The events, known as brevets, follow courses that start at 200 kilometers, and go up to as much as 1,600 kilometers. Comparing ultra-endurance cycling of this nature to running a marathon is accurate to a point, but for one critical difference: randonneuring is NOT racing.
Participants in a brevet are not competing against one another. They are simply required to follow a pre-determined route under a specified time limit. The course will have checkpoints that must be tagged (with a photo, a signature or a receipt) along the way. Generally, the required time limit assumes an average sustained speed of 15kph. A 200km brevet, for example, must be completed in under 13.5 hours. From there a 300km brevet must come in under 20 hours, a 400km brevet in under 27 hours, and so on. Simply finishing a brevet is the chief objective of a randonneur. While brevets begin with a group depart, they are very much a self-paced individual event.
The Randonneuring Season in Ontario
The season kicks off in the spring, with rides being scheduled every weekend (typically Saturdays) until late fall. Participants are welcome to join in as many, or as few of these brevets as they wish, offering a great deal of scheduling flexibility. In April, the rides tend to be shorter; around 70 – 100km. These shorter events, known as populaires, are intended to facilitate shaking off the rust of the winter season where many cyclists have been off their bikes for a few months (the recent rise in indoor cycling notwithstanding). The longer brevets start in May, with the shorter 200km courses being scheduled first and all throughout the year, with longer events starting to hit the schedule in late June. The schedule is designed in a way that keeps training the riders to push their distances further and further.
Randonneurs themselves have a variety of goals. Some are just looking to complete a 200 every month or so while others are looking to complete a “series”, which means completing a 200, 300, 400, and 600 within a single season. Regardless of the individual goals, the one thing they all have in common is they are all challenging themselves – again, this is not a race!
When it comes down to it, this is no different than joining any other cycling club that puts group rides and other events on the calendar -- the rides just happen to be a tad longer!
I Want to Try It! Where Do I Start?
Events in Ontario are governed by the Randonneurs Ontario club. Like many other cycling clubs, you need an active Ontario Cycling Association membership ($30 per year) to join, so if you’re already signed up with any of the local London clubs, you may have this covered. On top of this, the club fee for Randonneurs Ontario is $40 per year. The club allows anyone to participate in a single event with on a free trial basis, provided their OCA license is valid. This means you could jump into your first brevet for nothing if you already have an OCA license, or for a minimal $30 investment to cover the OCA costs otherwise.
So come on out! Brevets are happening every weekend leaving from places all over Ontario. If you’re from the London area, the St. Thomas to Paris (and back) 200km route is scheduled for Saturday September 18. I’ll be there. If you start getting your legs ready, you could be there too!
Fred Chagnon, London Cycle Link Volunteer