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A "Brevet des Randonneurs" is a day-long self supported cycling challenge of 200km or more, passing through several checkpoints. The riders are expected to be self-sufficient. Every rider who has completed the challenge receives equal recognition regardless of the finishing order and may call themselves a randonneur. There is no prize for finishing first. But you can’t put a price tag on the memories you will have made on this long ride.
The Vertical Brevet will take you through the punchy and hilly countryside surrounding our roastery set in the Swiss Midlands and will cover roughly 260km with around 5’000m of elevation gain (paved roads / very little but not technical gravel). The route will be divided into 4 loops, each one starting and finishing at the Vertical Coffee Roastery. This of course means that you will have the chance to get tasty coffee and snacks before / after each loop. Along the pre-defined route of each loop, you will pass several checkpoints confirming you completed the whole loop and in the end, the full brevet. The brevet is self-supported meaning you will need to take care of navigation, provisions and (in the unfortunate event) of fixing a mechanical.
There will be 45 starting slots in total with 15 solo riders and 15 pairs, allocated on a “first come - first serve” basis.
The 2024 Vertical Brevet will be on Saturday August 31st and registration will open on May 1st at 8:00h (right here below).
Stay in the loop by following us on Instagram @vertical_brevet !
We will be keeping a waitlist for the Vertical Brevet - so if you’re looking for a spot, feel free to put your name on the list!
While the Vertical Brevet may be a mere warmup for many die-hard Ultracyclists and Randonneurs, for most cyclists, riding over 250km and climbing more than 5000m can seem like a very daunting task. So, in order for a broader range of cyclists to dip their toes in long(-ish) distance cycling and randonneuring and to capture the spirit of the Vertical Brevet, we'll be hosting a series of Brevet Discovery Rides in the season leading up to the actual Brevet. These Discovery Rides will be shorter, starting at around 100km and building up in distance as the season goes on. Held in a similar format as the Brevet, the Discovery Rides will offer the possibility of pushing your limits and building your confidence to riding the full Brevet if that's a goal. All while riding the beautiful small roads of the Vertical Coffee backyard just south of Zurich and enjoying some tasty coffee and snacks between loops and meeting wonderful people.
For 2024, the Discovery Rides will feature a Gravel Edition of around 60-80km (total distance), taking you off the tarmac and onto the rougher surfaces and small trails in our backyard.
The dates for the 2024 rides are as follows:
Sa 16.03.2024 9:00h Gravel Discovery Ride 60-80km
Sa 27.04.2024 9:00h Brevet Discovery Ride 100km
Sa 08.06.2024 9:00h Brevet Discovery Ride 150km
Sa 20.07.2024 8:00h Brevet Discovery Ride 200km
Registration will open on January 1st 2024 at 8:00h (here below) - spots will be limited and allocated on a “first come - first serve” basis so set your alarm clocks.