PERMANENTS

In addition to the regular brevets organized by the Santa Cruz Randonneurs, we also offer several "permanent" brevets. What are these? A permanent is a randonneuring brevet too, with all the same rules and time limits, but here the rider can choose the day and time she or he wants to ride. These rides can be done alone, or in a group. But unlike regular brevets, which are open to any amateur rider regardless of club affiliation, in order to ride a permanent one must be a member of RUSA.

When you sign up for a Santa Cruz Randonneurs permanent, you should allow at least two weeks before the ride from the time you send off your entry form and payment-and three weeks is better still. A special packet of materials will be prepared for your ride and these must then be returned to you in the mail. If you don't allow at least two weeks, you run the risk of not getting entered (especially if the ride organizers happen to be away for a few days at the time you send in your entry. It never hurts to send an e-mail beforehand.) In any case, as soon as your entry arrives in Santa Cruz, you will be sent an e-mail confirmation that it arrived and the registration process has begun.

Even though the rider can choose the time and date of their ride, once registered with the ride organizer, these must be used. There are no "rain checks" or refunds for any reason. If you should decide to DNS (did not start) or you end up being a DNF (did not finish), please contact the ride organizer in either case since there are event insurance matters to attend to.

Along with providing a rewarding day in the saddle on some fine roads, a particular permanent will can count once per year for a rider's yearly kilometer total for RUSA Distance Awards. On the other hand, a particular permanent route can be ridden more than once to count for the RUSA R-12 Award, so keep your brevet cards after they have been returned to you with the RUSA homologation number. RUSA permanents are not sanctioned by the Audax Club Parisien (which has its own permanents program) and thus, do not count for any ACP medals or awards, nor do they count for Paris-Brest-Paris qualifying. (If you are thinking of using a permanent for qualifying for some other 1200k event, be sure to check with that ride organizer to see it that is allowed.)

If this type of randonneuring is new to you, please visit the RUSA permanents page or consult your RUSA handbook. The web page has a lot of additional information that can answer your questions. You should also review the RUSA Rules for Riders before undertaking any brevet. It is important that you fill in your brevet card carefully so that you get your ride credit. Even though the rider can choose the day and time for his or her permanent, they are just as formal as a regular brevet in all other ways.

The Santa Cruz Randonneurs currently offers the following permanents. If you have any questions about the terrain, or other considerations, feel free to contact Bill Bryant for additional information.

1. Chualar Ramble (200k):This ride does a big loop that goes south from Santa Cruz along the shores of the Monterey Bay, then to the western side of the Salinas Valley. After reaching the little town of Chualar, it begins the return leg along the eastern side of the Salinas Valley, then ascends San Juan Grade before descending into San Juan Bautista. The route then takes riders through Aromas and the Corralitos area before returning to Santa Cruz. The ride has roughly 3500 feet of climbing, but most of that is compressed into the second half of the ride.
   
   
2. HMB Century (167k):This route explores the scenic coastal roads between Santa Cruz and Half Moon Bay. There are many short climbs but no major ascents. A good training ride for randonneurs building up to the 200 kilometer distance, it is also a cool summer ride when inland regions are sweltering with high temperatures.
   
   
3. King City Ramble (229k): This ride is a big loop that begins and ends in San Juan Bautista and features fine scenery and tranquil roads. The first half travels southward from SJB as it skirts Hollister, then takes lonely Highway 25 past the Pinnacles. After climbing Bitterwater Summit, it drops into the Salinas Valley at King City. From there the route travels northward to Gonzales and Old Stage Road. The ride ends with a long climb up San Juan Grade before dropping into SJB. The overall climbing is not severe, but afternoon winds might make the second half difficult.
   
   
4. La Honda Ramble (154k): This ride goes north from Santa Cruz. You'll experience fine riding along the Pacific coastline for much of the brevet, as well as in the beautiful redwood forests that lie inland. There is a route section north of Davenport that takes in charming Swanton Road going outbound; on the return you stay on the coast highway. Overall, this route would be called moderately hilly. There is nothing extremely difficult in terms of climbing except Haskins Hill before La Honda, but there is a fair amount of altitude change from the numerous short climbs. The average randonneur will be happy they brought a triple crankset along; by the end of the ride entrants will have gained about 6,300 vertical feet of climbing.
   
   
5. Moss Beach Ramble (207k): This ride begins and ends in Santa Cruz, and is very similar to the last 200 kilometers of our Surf City 600k brevet. Riders will travel north along Coast Highway 1 to Gazos Creek, then go inland through majestic redwood forests to La Honda. The route returns to the coast at San Gregorio, goes north to Half Moon Bay, and northward still to the turnaround at Moss Beach. From there the route returns to Santa Cruz via the coast highway and Stage Road. Along with climbing Haskins Hill before La Honda, there are numerous short climbs along the route so come ready to do some climbing. Coastal winds can also add to the challenge. You'll enjoy great scenery throughout the entire ride. This map of the northern section of the 600k shows the route.

6. Pigeon Point Ramble (102k): This is a fun ride along coastal roads north of Santa Cruz, with the turnaround in Pescadero. This is a good first-time permanent for new randonneurs. Great scenery too.
   
   
7. Skyline Ramble (203k): This is a permanent version of our popular Skyline 200k brevet. It is scenic loop that climbs Eureka Canyon in the morning and then travels north along hilly Summit Road and Hwy 35, past Castle Rock and Saratoga Gap, until it reaches Skylonda. It returns to the coast at San Gregorio and then travels south to the finish in Santa Cruz. Most of the climbing is concentrated in the first half of the ride, some of it on very steep gradients. Come prepared with low gears and a lot of determination for a tough day in the saddle. Also be advised that the weekends between Thanksgiving and Christmas see numerous drivers visiting the Christmas tree farms along Skyline road; doing the ride on weekdays during that period will likely be a better choice.