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RUSA Dart NE 2008

The RUSA Dart is a team ride of 12 hours duration. ll teams converge on the same destination but design their own route, meeting the 180 Km distance requirement. A team may consist of three to five machines (a tandem counts as a single machine) and at least three machines must finish together for official credit. Each team must design its own route to the destination point and may not ride with any other cyclists. A minimum of 180 kilometers (112 miles) must be covered in 12 hours with no less than 25 kilometers to be ridden in the final two hours. No single rest stop may be longer than two hours. The RUSA Dart NE 2008 destination is Bourne, MA  and there we will meet at the Lobster Trap, 290 Shore Rd. at 5:00 PM . Teams may choose a start time between 5:00 and 6:00 AM Sunday. The RUSA Dart NE 2008 is RUSA sanctioned and celebrates the 10th Anniversary of Randonneurs USA.. The RUSA Dart NE is hosted by the Northeast Sport Cyclists and New Horizons Sports.

  • Date: August 17,  Time: 12 hours, start time between 5:00 AM and 6:00 AM Sunday, August 17
  • Destination: Bourne, MA, Cape Cod 
  • While the target destination is Bourne,MA, if you have accomodations in a neighboring town you may use that as the finish point.
  • Dart Rules

Route Requirements
Each team is responsible for selecting a route to the designated destination point, selecting control points along it, and proposing a timetable for arrival at each control point. Team captains submit the route information, with maps, cue sheets ( minimal route info for cues, keep it simple), control points (town, not an exact location), and timetables to the organizer. The organizer prepares route cards for each participant which must be signed / stamped at control points.

Distance requirements
The minimum distance that must be ridden in 12 hours is 180 km (112 miles). At least 25km of this distance must be ridden in the final two hours of the 12-hour period. You May ride a distance greater than 180 km. At least three of the team members must complete these requirements together. The distance a team will be given credit for will be based on the shortest mileage between control points on maps. The maps submitted must indicate distances clearly; odometer measurements or the map scale is not acceptable.

Commercial maps (e.g. Rand McNally, DeLorme, AAA) are recommended. Extra miles ridden as a result of detours due to road construction will only be counted if controlled at the extreme point of the detour. No part of the route may be used more than once (no out and backs or repeated loops).

The duration of rest stops are limited to a maximum of two hours each.

Assistance
Assistance between team members is allowed but assistance between different teams is prohibited, even if they are members of the same club. Assistance from anyone not involved in the randonnee is prohibited.

Follow vehicles are not permitted. If a team support vehicle is used it may only meet the team at pre-arranged control points.

Rider Responsibilities
The Dart New England is a randonnee not a race. Each participant is considered to be on a solo ride and is responsible for any accidents caused by or suffered by the same. Riders must be civil at all times, they must abide by all applicable traffic laws, and they n\must follow the directions of all law enforcement personnel.

Only human powered vehicles are permitted.

Event Procedure
The start time and starting place approved prior to registration must be used. If two teams propose to leave from the same location they must leave at least one hour apart.

Each team member will carry a route card provided by the organizer indicating the place names and passage times proposed by the timetable. The card is to be presented at all designated controls, secret controls, and the 10-hour and 12 hour control points. For controls with no one available to sign the route card a postcard may be mailed to the organizer, signed by all team members and bearing the postmark of the control town.

Attention
At the end of the 10th hour of the ride, the exact time and location of the team must be noted on each route card and verified by the signature and stamp of a local merchant, official, etc.

Teams must have their location and time verified at the end of the 12th hour. Verification must be a stamp and signature at a place of business, or a fire or police station.

Certification
For a Dart to be certified and the results counted toward team awards:

At least 3 team members must have ridden the same mileage and finished together.
At least 25 km must have been ridden between the end of the 10th hour and the end of the 12th hour of the ride. Under no circumstances may these two checkpoints be the same place, even if the planned distance has been completed.

Each stop, with or without a support car, cannot be longer than 2 hours.
These rules are based on information available December 2007. 

Registration
Pre-registration only. The deadline for registration is August 3rd. Registration forms, releases, maps, and cue sheet must be received by the organizer by this date. The entry fee is $30.00 per team.