What’s a Permanent?
A Permanent is a long distance cycling route that is “permanently available”. To ride a permanent you must register in advance on the RUSA website. There is a library of hundreds of permanent routes in CA (and all other states), ranging from 100km to 600km. To search permanent routes, go here. The new online registration system is really slick- you can literally register 5 minutes before you clip in.
Similar to riding a California Double Century and receiving California Triple Crown credit, you will receive Randonneurs USA (RUSA) credit for doing a Permanent. The permanents program is a great way to accumulate rides and km for the various RUSA awards. Once you have completed a permanent, be sure to submit your results (your overall ride time) on the RUSA website. Proof that you have completed the ride can be a GPS track or photos taken at the controls -you don't have to submit this proof but you should hang onto it because a few random perm results are "audited".
All permanents require you to be a RUSA member and to set up an account on the website. For more information on Permanents and membership, please visit RUSA’s website