The Rest of the Story
Mission
Tour de Guava has two primary goals. First, it is intended to introduce club century riders, amateur road racers, and just ordinary bicycle enthusiasts to the sport of randonneuring.
Second, and perhaps most importantly, it is to demonstrate the utility of the bicycle as a legitimate means of transportation in the Tampa Bay area. The Tour de Guava will completely circumnavigate Tampa Bay, using only public roads and bike trails, none of which are closed to other traffic. In addition, all proceeds raised through Tour de Guava will benefit the Florida Bicycle Education Foundation, a not-for-profit organization whose mission is to promote cycling in Florida and elsewhere through the creation and dissemination of bike safety, how-to, and related instructional materials.
Who Can Participate
Tour de Guava is open to everyone. With that being said, remember that it is a 125 mile route in Florida in the middle of the summer. If you have never ridden a century or similar distance, and/or are not used to riding long hours in the heat, this may not be the best ride for you. Also, do not come expecting a closed-course, triathlon-style route with plenty of manned water and food stops, and people to fix a flat tire for you. This just isn't that type of event. Again, the purpose is to demonstrate the utility of the bicycle as a transportation device. If a large group of self-sufficent riders are seen riding 125 miles around Tampa Bay in the August heat, then perhaps the average person will consider riding 10 or 15 miles to work a couple of times a week.
Ride Format
Tour de Guava is a 200k (125 mile) brevet. There is a great deal of information available on the Web on the wheres and whatfors of randonneuring (see the links page), so I'll just give a very brief overview here. Randonneuring is, in essence, unsupported long-distance cycling. The brevet is the prototypical randonneuring event, and is a ride of (usually) 200k, 300k, 400k, 600k , or 1200k which follows a specific route, and has specific checkpoints (called controls) along the way that must be reached within specific time windows. Tour de Guava is a 200k brevet, and must be completed within 13.5 hours to avoid disqualification. Most riders will take between 7.5 and 10 hours to complete it. Controls are generally convenience stores or other places every 20 to 30 miles where food, water, and restroom facilities are available.
The focus of randonneuring is self-sufficiency over long distances, and randonneurs demonstrate by example the utility of the bicycle as an efficient transportation device. They routinely cover distances of over 250 miles in a single ride, on ordinary bicycles purchased off-the-shelf and available to anyone, with no support crew to help in case of mechanical problems, etc. They are not supermen or superwomen - they are just your friends and neighbors with a love of cycling.
How Is Tour de Guava Different Than Other Brevets?
It's important to note that because of its mission Tour de Guava is a little different than other brevets. First, we've marked a good bit of the route to make it easier to follow. On most brevets riders are simply given a cue sheet.
Second, Tour de Guava is an urban cycling route. We've tried very hard to make it as bike-friendly as possible, but at the same time we wanted to stick to our mission of traversing one of the most densely populated areas in Florida. Without exception, the other brevets run in the South Central Florida region are designed with the opposite goal - to traverse sparsely-populated, rural areas with as little automobile traffic as possible.
What we've found after running this event over the past couple of years is that Tampa Bay area riders (whether first-time brevet riders or not) really enjoy the route, and are thrilled to be able to circle Tampa Bay by bicycle - they're used to riding here, and find the traffic on most of the Tour de Guava route amazingly light. However, riders who are used to the more typical brevet routes don't like it as much, as they are not as comfortable cycling in an urban area.
What Does "Unsupported" Mean?
It means that, unlike a traditional club century or road race, SAG or other types of support vehicles are strictly forbidden. In fact, if it is discovered that you've arranged for a follow car, you may be disqualified. That is not to say that you're completely on your own - you may receive support from other riders at any time during the ride. Also, you may receive support from anyone at a control. The theme here is that self-sufficiency on your bike, over long distances, is what's important. Tour de Guava is a little different that many brevets, in that the organizers promise a lunch stop, will try to give you a ride home if you abandon the ride, and will try to be at controls to give you help if you need it.
Is It a Race?
Officially no, but the real answer is a little more nuanced. Your finishing time is recorded, and if you're a RUSA member your finishing time will be recorded in RUSA's official database. However, no one is declared the sole "winner. " Some riders strive to finish first, others to beat their own previous time, some don't care what their finishing time is, and some struggle to finish within the maximum time limit. So in some sense it is a race, but who or what you are competing against is up to you. Because of the distances traveled, and the focus on self-sufficiency, comraderie among riders tends to be quite high. There is much more a feeling of "us vs. the road" than "me vs. you."
Do I Have To Be a RUSA Member?
No. Even if you're not a RUSA member you'll still be issued a brevet card and participate just like everyone else. However, RUSA membership is a measly $20/year, and if you join at least 2 weeks prior to the event and/or have your RUSA membership number by the day of the event you can purchase the ACP 200k medal if you successfully complete the ride. In order to purchase a medal, RUSA requires that you be a member (meaning that your membership application has been completely processed, and you've been issued a RUSA membership number) on the date of the brevet.
Who Administers a Brevet?
There are three basic layers to the administration onion. At the bottom, each individual brevet is administered personally by a Regional Brevet Administrator (RBA), who is responsible for organizing brevets in a defined geographic region. Individual RBAs report directly to RUSA, the organization responsible for all brevets in the United States. RUSA answers to the Audax Club Parisien, the French randonneuring group at the top of the heap.
How To Join RUSA
Brevets in the United States are administered by Randonneurs USA (RUSA). RUSA membership is open to everyone. To join, just print out a membership application and mail it to RUSA along with your membership fee. The application asks for the name of your local club - if you belong to a bike club you can list it here, or you can enter "TampaCycling.com," or just leave it blank. Join RUSA.
Other Info You Should Know
Remember, Tour de Guava is not a closed-course event, there are no SAG vehicles, and there is only one scheduled stop where food and water will be provided. While food, water, restrooms, etc. are generally available at controls, you're officially on your own for all of your needs. There will be no police or event officials directing traffic. While we've done our best to design the route using as bike-friendly roads as possible, you will frequently be riding with automobile traffic.
Finally, you must follow the official Rules for Riders at all times. This includes, among other things, a requirement to wear a helmet and to obey all applicable traffic laws.
