Randonneurs Nova Scotia was formed in 2003, so that Nova Scotia cyclist Mark Beaver could qualify to ride Paris-Brest-Paris ’03. In our first year we had eight members, and two riders completed a “brevet series” of a 200k, a 300k, a 400k and a 600k brevet ride. Mark went on to successfully complete PBP-03 in a finishing time of 84 hours.
Since then, Randonneurs Nova Scotia has offered a schedule of rides every year. Our members have completed other major brevets such as the Boston-Montreal-Boston 1200, the Rocky Mountain 1200, and London-Edinburgh-London 1400. The tales are epic and the rides are too.
In 2007, Randonneurs NS had eight riders complete a brevet series to reach their “super randonneur” status and five Nova Scotia riders went to France to participate in PBP-07. In 2011, we had seven riders achieve their "Super Randonneur" status, and two of our riders headed off to PBP. In 2012, five of our riders are signed up for the "Rocky Mountain 1200" in British Columbia. Randonneuring is a growing sport around the world. Interest in brevets is at an all-time high. This was evidenced in 2011 by the planet's participation in the grand-daddy of all ultra-marathon cycling events, the "Paris-Brest-Paris" 1200km ride - 90 hours or less. There were 5100 riders from 35 countries around the world who attempted P-B-P in '11, up from 4100 riders in '03. (PBP happens every four years).
Most of our club members will have a riding average speed of 25 - 28km/hr for under 150km and 22 - 26km/hr for longer rides, depending on the individual's fitness level and pace. We do have shorter rides, too, check out the ride schedule. If you are interested in trying long-distance cycling, you can find the 2012 Randonneurs Nova Scotia ride schedule under "Resources".
If you would like to join the club, the application form is available under "Resources" as well. You do not have to be a member of the club to participate in any of our club rides; all Bicycle Nova Scotia general members or licensed members are very welcome. Those who join the club will get a weekly update by email with the details of the coming weekend's ride, as well as maps and cue sheets for the ride and carpooling to the start of those rides which start outside of the metro area. We look forward to seeing you on one of our rides this spring! Join us! Mark Beaver Randonneurs Nova Scotia CC
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