Event Planning

Event planning lays the foundation for a successful brevet. Decisions made months before the event will often have a much greater impact on the rider experience than decisions made during the event itself. A well-planned route, clear communication, and thoughtful logistics allow the organizer to spend event day interacting with riders instead of solving preventable problems.

While every brevet is different, the planning process should always prioritize four goals:

• Safety – Select roads and controls that minimize unnecessary risk while still providing an enjoyable and challenging ride, and communicate safety expectations. Clearly communicate known hazards, equipment requirements, and safety expectations so riders can make informed decisions throughout the event.
• Reliability – Riders should be able to trust that the route, controls, cue sheets, and event information are accurate.
• Simplicity – Avoid unnecessary complexity for both riders and organizers. Every additional logistical element creates another opportunity for something to go wrong.
• Rider Experience – Think about the event from the rider's perspective. Small details, such as convenient parking and public transportation accessibility, clear pre-event / post-event communication, dependable controls, and a welcoming finish, often leave a stronger impression than the route itself.

Event Planning Stages

Route Selection

• Select the route and distance. RUSA maintains a library of approved routes. Work with the RBA to select a route that is appropriate for the start/finish location and time of year.
• If you would like to create a new route, note that it must be submitted to RUSA at least five weeks in advance. See the Route Design and Submission page for more on creating a new route.
  • Review road safety, traffic volumes, and seasonal considerations.
  • Select appropriate controls and resupply opportunities. Design the route so that no feasible shortcut can reduce the route by more than 5% of its distance between controls.
  • Create and test the RidewithGPS route.
  • Develop cue sheets in CueWizard (see CueWizard site).
  • Create event webpage and include route description.

Scheduling

• In most cases, the event date and distance has already been assigned by the RBA and RUSA. If so, ignore the following points.
• RBA creates and submits a new calendar in September. RUSA/ACP calendar runs from Nov 1 to Oct 31.
• RUSA events can be added throughout the year. ACP events must be approved in September of the preceding year. (ACP events are required for PBP qualification.)
• Check for conflicts with nearby regions and other major cycling events.
• Consider seasonal weather, daylight, and typical road conditions.
• Reserve the start/finish location if necessary.

Registration

• Create the event on the parando.org website. In most cases, the RBA has already created the event.
  • If using a previously used route, simply “clone” the old event page and adjust the date.
• Set registration fees on the “Edit Event” page (consider earlybird special & member discount).
  • For early bird registration: First set “Member price,” then set “Earlybird discounts.” Ex: Member price: 40; Earlybird discount: 14 days 15 off. This means the price up until 14 days before the event is $25. After that, the price is $40. 14 days is a good cutoff because that’s about the range of the weather forecast.
• Publish or “unhide” the event webpage.
• Monitor registrations and answer rider questions. Make sure everyone has signed a waiver.
• Decide the registration cutoff date. The default cutoff is 11:59pm on the Thursday before the event. To set or change the cutoff date, go to the “Edit Event” page and look for the field called “Reg cutoff days:” The default value of “2” means a Saturday event will have a cutoff on Thursday night. This allows organizers to print cards and sign-in sheets on Friday without worrying about new registrations coming in. For events with food orders or for organizers who may have other Friday night plans than printing and preparing materials, it can be helpful to have an even earlier cutoff date for planning purposes.

Route Set Up on Event Website

• Copy/paste RWGPS link to the “Edit Event” page.
• Then switch to the CueWizard page.
• Click “Re-download updated route from RWGPS.” This will upload the RWGPS route to the event page.
• Then click “Publish New (Ver #) Cuesheets to Event.” This step generates cue sheets based on the RWGPS route and numbers the cue sheet version for clarity and ease of reference.
• For more info, see the Route Design and Submission page.
• When sharing the route for a brevet, use the link to the Map & Cue page rather than the RWGPS link. The RWGPS link will change from time to time, but the Map & Cue page will always be accurate.

Logistics

• Determine whether food or staffed controls will be provided, which requires food and staff. Food is typically provided at the Spring SR Series and Fall Classic. The rest of the events are usually “barebones”. See the Food & Hospitality page of the handbook for more details.
• Recruit volunteers as needed. See below section for more volunteer considerations.
  • Start: The total time and staffing requirements generally needed for the start is shorter than the finish. Typically, for most bare-bones events, only one volunteer is needed for check-in and start duties. Two or three volunteers can be helpful if there is a large field, breakfast/coffee is included, lighting/reflective gear inspections, or drop bags. Expect to arrive at least one hour before the start time, and expect to stay one hour after the start time. The start control remains open for one hour after the official start time. If all riders are accounted for, volunteers can leave (i.e. all registrants have either started the ride or communicated that they are not participating).
    • It is also possible for the organizer or start volunteer to ride the event themselves, assuming they are able to remain at the start until all riders are accounted for and have arranged for another volunteer to be present at the finish control.
  • Finish: Be sure to consider the finish window time. If using an existing route, look at previous results to get an idea of time ranges. For most 200K’s, especially with a Philly start/finish, be prepared for a rider to finish as quickly as 7-8 hours. So if the 200K starts at 7AM, there could be riders finishing as early as 2-3pm, while the last riders could finish close to the 8:30PM cutoff (if possible, one volunteer should be prepared to stay past the cutoff time in case a rider finishes late). Volunteers can track eBrevet check-ins to get an idea of the riders’ progress, but not all riders use eBrevet. Rider contact information is included on the various sign-in and check-in control sheets.
• Determine whether food or staffed controls will be provided. Food is typically provided at the Spring SR Series and Fall Classic. The rest of the events are usually “barebones”. See the Food & Hospitality page of the handbook for more details.
• Assemble event supplies.
• Plan parking, restrooms, and start/finish setup.
  • Ideally, the finish control should include an indoor place for riders to hang out before heading home. This is especially important for rainy/cold brevets.
  • Longer brevets (i.e. 300K and up) should include a place for a rider to rest in case of a late finish. We usually rent the Chamounix Hostel for the SR Series for this purpose.

Volunteer Staffing

Volunteer needs vary considerably depending on the distance, venue, number of riders, and level of support being provided. Organizers should recruit enough volunteers to cover essential responsibilities without unnecessarily overstaffing the event.

When planning volunteer coverage, consider:

• Start Control: The start typically requires at least one or two volunteers in addition to the organizer, particularly for larger events. Volunteers can help with rider check-in, brevet cards, eBrevet questions, food, bike inspection, organizing drop bags, and last-minute rider questions.
• Finish Control: Because riders may finish over a wide range of times, consider dividing a long finish window among multiple volunteers rather than asking one person to remain for the entire period. Be sure that the ‘closing’ volunteer is willing and prepared to wait for the last rider, close up the venue, deliver the brevet cards to the organizer, and take care of any loose ends.
• Staffed Controls: Staffed intermediate controls should generally have enough coverage that one volunteer is not left alone for an extended period, particularly at overnight controls.
• Overnight Events: Longer brevets may require additional volunteers for overnight controls, food preparation, drop bags, lodging, or other rider services.
• Mobile Support: When practical, having a volunteer with a vehicle available can be useful for transporting supplies, responding to issues at staffed controls, or handling unexpected logistical needs. Riders who abandon remain responsible for arranging their own transportation unless an emergency requires otherwise.
• Lodging: If the event includes overnight accommodations, consider assigning a volunteer to help riders with beds, drop bags, showers, food, and other facility questions.

For events with long finish windows, establish volunteer shifts in advance so everyone knows when they are expected to arrive and when their responsibilities end. Use the Volunteer Assignment Sheet to document responsibilities and contact information.

Final Preparation

• Complete or arrange a pre-ride. See section on Pre-Riding for more details.
• After the pre-ride, update RWGPS, cue sheets, and CueWizard accordingly.
• Communications before event (see Communication & Promotion section for more).
  • Write a “Course Notes” blog post after pre-ride.
  • Send rider communications (typically one email sent mid-week before event).
  • Social media promotions.
• Print brevet cards and start/finish sign-in sheets.
• Review the Event Day Checklist.