About New Jersey Randonneurs

• what is a •

randonneur

There is no direct translation of the French term randonnée, which loosely means to go on a long trip, tour, outing, or ramble. A person who goes on a randonnée is called a randonneur. In cycling, it means a hard-riding enthusiast who is trying to complete a long randonnée inside a certain time allotment. Note that a randonnée is not a race. One does it to test oneself against the clock, the weather, and a challenging route—but not to beat the other riders. Help can only be given at the checkpoints along the route, but randonneurs are free to buy food, supplies, or bike repairs at stores they encounter along the route. Successfully completing a 200-kilometer (or longer) brevet entitles one to be called a randonneur.

About Brevets

For the randonneur, an event they enter is called a brevet (rhymes with Oy Vey!). These are typically 200, 300, 400, 600, 1000 or 1200 kilometers, each with a specific time limit. The randonneur carries a brevet card which is stamped at each checkpoint along the way to prove they have covered the official route successfully.