RUSA Central Florida Permanent Routes

Randonneurs USA (www.rusa.org) has approved permanent routes starting in Maitland, New Smyrna Beach, Deland and Deltona, Florida.

As explained on the RUSA website, “a Permanent is like a brevet but you can ride it any time, not just on one specific date. Like brevets, routes can start and finish in the same location, but they can also run point-to-point, and can be any distance of 200km+ (100-199km for a Permanent Populaire). Permanents are open to any RUSA member or member of an ACP correspondent direct organization. They can be ridden alone or with a group. Permanent rides in the US are validated by RUSA and do not count toward any ACP awards or PBP qualifying, but a Permanent can count toward your yearly RUSA brevet kilometer totals. To learn more, go to the Permanents FAQ.”

The Maitland to New Smyrna Beach route runs through Altamonte Springs, Longwood, Sanford, Osteen, Oak Hill, and Edgewater. Along the way, you catch a glimpse of beautiful Lakes Jessup and Monroe. You meander along the Indian River, and the route's northernmost point is right on the beach.

The New Smyrna Beach to Maitland route is the reverse of the above route. It starts (and ends) one block from the Atlantic Ocean. What better way is there to finish a ride than by enjoying the scenery or taking a dip in the beautiful ocean?

On the Maitland to Seville to Cody's Corner route, you enjoy the beauty of Old Florida in cities and towns like Deland, DeLeon Springs, Pierson and Seville. You ride along shade tree lined boulevards and back roads, through some of Florida's most lush fern growing areas, into one of the state's dairy and cattle farming regions. Of course to get there from here, there's some riding through urban areas — including a stretch of bike trail parallel to Interstate 4. But it's worth it to get to the countryside.

The Deland to Maitland to Seville route is the same as the Cody's Corner route above, except the starting and ending point is in Deland instead of Maitland.

The Cody's Corner Permanent Populaire covers a segment of Route #266 and is available for riders seeking to earn their P-12 patch.

RUSA’s Rules for Riders and Rules for Permanent Riders apply. Remember each rider is expected to be self-sufficient. No support from anyone along the route may be accepted, except at control points.

All riders must comply with proof of passage requirements at all controls including start and finish. The generally accepted method for permanent routes is to obtain a [rubber] stamp, or a store or ATM receipt with time and date, together with the time and the initials of the controller on the brevet card. A postcard can be mailed when nothing else is available, e.g. at night, and other reasonable methods can be used. RUSA does not guarantee validation for cards that do not meet these requirements.

RUSA Waiver Changes

RUSA updated its Release and Waiver of Liability, Assumption of Risk and Indemnity Agreement forms effective December 2018. Waivers are now specific to each route. In other words, a rider wishing to ride Permanent #264 must sign the Release and Waiver for Permanent #264.

If you have questions, please email me at dwallace@digital.net using “Permanent Route” in the subject line.