Randonneurs Ontario
Access Grant
The Randonneurs Ontario Access Grant is designed to reduce barriers to the ultra-distance riding community. This access grant is for someone from a group under-represented in the ultra-distance riding community that would have otherwise not been able to participate in Randonneurs Ontario events.
We have been heavily inspired by the work of RAR’s SJ Brooks Scholarship.
Recipients
The grant is meant to reduce barriers for individuals who intend on completing a Brevet of at least 200km.
You must be able to physically attend an event on the Randonneurs Ontario schedule
The ideal recipient will be someone who:
- have existing experience with cycling in their community
- have a plan for training and completing an Brevet of at least 200km
- are enthusiastic about riding bicycles and growing their ultra-distance cycling experience
- are part of an underrepresented group within the ultra-distance cycling community
- absolutely need financial assistance to participate in the Randonneurs Ontario events
Grant
This grant covers the registration fees and equipment requirements for Randonneurs Ontario events, for a total value of $2000. This includes:
- Randonneurs Ontario membership fees for 2023
- $1500 worth of support from one of our bicycle shops sponsors, such as:
- Bicycle tune-up, repair, and/or misc equipment
- Required night riding equipment, such as sufficient lighting and a reflective vest or sash
- Approved cycling helmet
- Equipment bags sufficient for a 200km+ ride
- $500 worth of support for use during a Randonneurs Ontario event, such as
- Meals in-between the controls
- Lodging for overnight controls, if needed
- Extra equipment required to complete a brevet, such as flat repair kits
- Supplemental childcare
One recipient will also receive a bicycle bag suitable for air travel, donated by Internet Light and Power.
This grant does not cover the Ontario Cycling membership. OC Membership is included in all racing licenses, or it can be obtained with an OC Affiliate Club Membership.
Grant committee
The grant committee is responsible for determining the recipient of the grant. They are the only ones who will view your answers to this submission. They are:
- Carey Chappelle
- Charles Horslin
- Dave Thompson
- Erin Marchak
- Gwyneth Mitchell
- Martin Cooper
- Peter Leiss
Supporters
If your company would like to get involved, please email us at vp@randonneurs.to.
This grant is possible thanks to the generosity of:
Photography provided by members of Randonneurs Ontario: Scheherazade Haque, Stephen Jones, Tiago Varella-Cid
About us
Randonneurs Ontario is an ultra-distance cycling club. We've been riding long distance rides from of Toronto and southern Ontario since 1982.
Randonneurs Ontario is affiliated with the Audax Club Parisien, the parent organization governing the qualification of riders wishing to participate in the 1200K Paris - Brest - Paris Randonnee. The club is also affiliated with Les Randonneurs Mondiaux, which provides recognition for brevets other than Paris - Brest - Paris that are longer than 1000K.
Register to ride with us
Recent member reports
Nassagaweya, and Other Minor Calamities
By the time we reached the final ten kilometers, we were, to put it delicately, no longer in peak condition. It was 10 p.m. We’d been riding since six in the morning. Most of us had been up since four. I was sunburned, bruised, mildly concussed by heat, and radiating the unmistakable smell of someone who had eaten too many granola bars in a single day. And still, it felt good.
Michel arrives at the final control in Waterloo.
There’s a part of the route every ride in Waterloo seems to share, a stretch of road that tells you you’re almost home. For me, that’s the intersection of Katherine S...
Continue readingEndless Flat 1200. My first grand brevet – By Michael Charland
Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/14401335647
RideWithGPS: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/50530187
What?
Endless Flat 1200 hosted by the Northern Virginia Randonneurs (NVR) is a grand brevet starting and ending in Richmond, Virginia and looping to and from Elizabeth City, North Carolina. As the name implies the route is very flat, but with the first roughly 600km going south it means a lot of headwinds. 2025 was the first year of the event.
Why?
I got lucky and was able to get a position in London-Edinburgh-London (LEL) which is 1,540km with 13,000m climbing. My longest ride befor...
Continue reading 
