Permanents in New England

Information compiled by NER Permanents coordinator, Chuck Howes

About
Locating a Permanent
Riding a Permanent
Organizing a Permanent
Contacts

About Permanents

Permanents are brevet-distance and 1200k randonnee-distance (or longer!) rides that have been organized by individuals and approved by RUSA. They follow the same rules as organized Brevets and require riders to have a control card signed at predetermined locations while abiding by established time limits. They differ from traditional Brevets in that riders select the start date and time and coordinate directly with the Permanent owner or organizer.

Depending on the distance, they can count toward RUSA awards such as R-12 and the distance awards. Because Permanents are not ACP events, they do not count towards ACP's Super-Randonneur classification and thus can't be used to qualify for Paris-Brest-Paris and several other Grand Randonnees. That said, most domestic 1200k+ events will accept Permanents as qualifiers but check with the ride organizer first just to be sure.

The primary relationship in organizing and scheduling Permanents is between the individual Organizer/Owner and RUSA. New England Randonneurs is pleased to support the creation and managing of Permanents by individuals, and the riding of Permanents by RUSA members.

Note that Permanents are only open to current RUSA members.

Finding Permanents

RUSA has a handy form to locate Permanents.

For Permanent Riders

Riding a Permanent is a lot like riding a brevet, except you're on your own a bit more. Unlike normal Boston Brevet events, there won't be staff and snacks at the controls and there might be fewer opportunities to stock up on food and water. For many people that makes the ride more rewarding.

Riding a Permanent is an agreement between you and a Permanent Owner/Organizer to ride a specific route at a specified date & time. The Owner/Organizer fulfills a similar set of duties as a Regional Brevet Administrator (RBA) in terms of setting the date & time with you, providing the start/finish, route, and checkpoint locations, and submitting your results to RUSA for validation. Note that several people can ride a Permanent as a group if so desired.

Before riding or organizing a Permanent, please familiarize yourself with RUSA's:

Make sure to get in touch with the Organizer at least one week before the date you'd like to ride (the earlier the better - the Organizer has work to do on your behalf).

If you've written a Permanent report or have pictures to share, please contact the NER webmaster so we can post the text or a link on this site.

For Permanent Organizers/Owners

If you've ever wanted to share your favorite routes with other randonneurs, here's your chance! As an owner, the route belongs to you. As an organizer, you work with riders before and after the date of the event, supplying them with brevet cards and cue sheets, collecting their brevet cards and checkpoint receipts, and sending them to RUSA for validation and return.

You'll need to familiarize yourself with the same Rules and FAQs the riders need to know. Additionally, you'll need to know how to set up and administer a Permanent. All the information can be found at RUSA's Permanents web page. Pay special attention to the Rules for Permanent Route Owners and the links listed under the heading "Permanents Organizers Resources" at the bottom of the Permanents page.

Contacts

For information about a specific Permanent, contact the ride's owner or organizer directly.

For general information about Permanents in New England, please contact NER's Permanent Coordinator. (Email address listed at bottom of page.)


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