For BC Randonneurs brevets and populaires up to 1000 km, the following rules apply, which are derived from the rules of the Audax Club Parisien (French / English). A few BC-specific differences and clarifications are noted with ⚠️ remarks.
- Only the Audax Club Parisien has sanctioning authority worldwide for these events. The ACP registers each successfully completed brevet with a verification number that is assigned chronologically based on the time of receipt. The ACP has registered all brevets since their inception in 1921.
⚠️ Events shorter than 200 km are not sanctioned, registered, or adjudicated by the ACP.
⚠️ Events longer than 1200 km, other than Paris-Brest-Paris, are sanctioned by Les Randonneurs Mondiaux and subject to their rules.
- These brevets are open to any insured cyclist regardless of his or her cycling affiliations. Nevertheless, restrictions may be imposed locally by the organizer to manage properly the BRM event (limitation of registrations, invitations, etc.). Any rider under the age of 19 must have consent of his or her parent or legal guardian.
Any form of human-powered vehicle is acceptable. The only stipulation is that the vehicle must be powered solely by the rider.⚠️ The age of adulthood in British Columbia is 19. Social rides, populaires, ACP-compliant 200 km brevets, and the Trace Pacifique are all open to minors aged 14 years and older, provided that such events take place entirely within BC. Longer distance events are not open to minors. Participation should be arranged and confirmed with the ride organizer at least one day before the event. The minor and their parent or legal guardian must be present at the start of the event to sign a witnessed hard copy of the waiver/assumption of risk form. The minor must be closely accompanied on the entire ride by a responsible adult participant, preferably a parent/guardian. This age restriction may be relaxed for certain shorter rides on approval of the Directors.
⚠️ For rides over 200 km, a rider must qualify at a shorter distance before attempting the next longer ride. A rider who has completed a distance in a previous season may advance to the next one in the current season without doing the shorter qualifier(s). (Exceptions may be made to this rule, but only with the prior approval of the ride organizer and the regional route coordinator.)
- To participate in a brevet a rider must complete a registration form and pay a registration fee. A waiver of liability must be signed.
- Each rider must be covered by liability insurance, either by a group policy or by a personal policy.
- During the event, each rider is considered to be on a personal ride. The rider must ride in accordance with all applicable traffic codes and obey all traffic signals.
The ACP, other organizers, ACP representatives and his/her association cannot and do not accept responsibility for any accidents that may occur during the course of a brevet.⚠️ Each participant must wear a helmet while riding in a BC Randonneurs event, even in neighbouring jurisdictions that do not require it. Riders observed riding without a helmet will be disqualified.
- For night riding, vehicles must be equipped with front and rear lights attached firmly to the vehicle. Lights must be fully functional at all times. Spare lights are strongly recommended. At least one of the rear lights must be in a steady (rather than flashing) mode. Riders not complying with all these requirements will not be permitted to start.
Lights must be on from dusk to dawn and at any other times when poor visibility conditions exist (rain, fog, etc.). Even when riding in a group, each individual must be properly lit. At night, riders must wear reflective clothing.
Any violation of these safety measures will result in disqualification of the rider. - Each rider must be self sufficient. No follow cars or exclusive support are permitted on the course. Personal support is only allowed at checkpoints. Any violation of this rule will result in disqualification.
If the organizer divides participants into starting groups, riders may leave the group since they are free to ride at their own pace. No rider can be considered as group leader. Distinctive signs (jersey, armband, etc…) or titles (e.g. road captain) are not allowed. All riders are required to conduct themselves in a civil manner and abide by all applicable vehicle codes, laws, and regulations. All riders are required to respect local customs with regards to decorum.⚠️ See “Understanding the No En-Route Support Rule” below.
- At or before the start, each rider will receive a brevet card and a cue sheet, physical or digital, indicating the route and the location of the checkpoints. Riders must stay on the route. If a rider leaves the route, they must return to the route at the same point prior to continuing, i.e. no shortcuts or detours from the route, unless specified by the organizer. Riders must stop at each checkpoint to have their card validated. Organizers may also include unannounced checkpoints along the route. This ensures that everyone will stay on the prescribed route.
The organizer must use the Audax Club Parisien brevet cards or the local brevet cards approved by Audax Club Parisien.⚠️ The event organizer will typically e-mail the brevet card to each rider before the event, which the participant should print and bring to the start.
- Organizers may have checkpoints with no member of the organizing staff present. At these checkpoints riders must get their brevet card stamped at a local establishment that the organizer specifies as a checkpoint, such as a grocery store or gas station, or validated by digital means. Checkpoint information to be noted on the brevet card includes the time and the date of passage (for brevets that extend beyond 24 hours).
For unmanned checkpoints where no means of getting a stamp is available (arrival in the middle of the night for example), the rider may either- (1) mail in a postcard with the checkpoint information (time, date, full name of the rider, and the rider’s club affiliation) to the brevet organizer, and on the brevet card write “PC” with the date and time for that checkpoint; or
- (2) write into their brevet card identifying information from a predetermined landmark or sign at the checkpoint also noting the time and the date of passage, or
- (3) provide a bank receipt, indicating the full name of the participant, or
- (4) provide a photo of the participant with decor (road sign, for example) justifying the place, or
- (5) validate her/his passage by an electronic control (reading of QR code, electronic chip, etc…), or
- (6) provide a receipt for a commercial transaction that clearly indicates the time and location, or
- (7) have a witness sign the brevet card.
The organizer has the discretion to determine which options are to be allowed for each checkpoint.
In all cases, the time of passage (as well as the date, in the case of multi-day breves) should be noted.
Missing proof of passage information or loss of the brevet card (regardless of how far into the ride a rider is) will result in disqualification. Each rider is responsible for seeing that his brevet card is properly completed at each checkpoint.
The homologation of a BRM by a GPS track can be a solution adopted by an organizer for all or part of the course. Nevertheless, the organizer must always leave the possibility of using a brevet card.⚠️ Note: Options (6) and (7) to use a receipt or witness signature are provided, as it is often impractical to find commercial establishments with a stamp, mail drops, and banks in BC.
- Overall time limits vary for each brevet according to the distance. These are: (in hours and minutes, HH:MM) 13:30 for 200 km, 20:00 for 300 km, 27:00 for 400 km, 40:00 for 600 km, and 75:00 for 1000 km. Riders must reach the finish of each of these distances inside the respective time limit; intermediate control times are an advisory to help keep the rider inside the final time limit.
Additionally, riders are invited to arrive at each checkpoint between the opening and closing time for the checkpoint and calculated as follows:
Opening: 34 km/h (km 1 to 200); 32 km/h (km 201 to 400); 30 km/h (km 401 to 600); 28 km/h (km 601 to 1000); commercial rounded by the minute.
Closing: 1 hour + 20 km/h (km 1 to 60); 15 km/h (km 61 to 600); 11.428 km/h (km 601 to 1000); commercial rounded by the minute.
These times are noted on the brevet card or registered with the information for the checkpoints. If a rider arrives at a checkpoint after it has closed, the passage can be validated by one of the means listed in article 9.⚠️ See “Understanding Time Limits” below.
⚠️ Arriving late at the finish may be acceptable only in the case of a serious material incident. BC Randonneurs considers “serious material incident” to include, for example, assisting a crashed rider get to a hospital, and helping out at the scene of a traffic accident. It does not include delays resulting from bike or equipment failure, nor does it include delays resulting from a rider injury or other physical problems.
- Any fraud, cheating, or deliberate violation of these rules will result in the exclusion of the rider from all ACP sponsored events.
⚠️ Ride organizers may at any time issue time penalties or disqualify riders for violations of the BC Motor Vehicle Act, for violating BC Randonneurs rules, or for unsportsmanlike conduct.
- At the finish, the rider must sign his brevet card and return it to the event organizer. The brevet card will be returned to the rider after the brevet has been verified and a brevet number issued. In the event of the organizer losing a brevet card, no replacement to the rider will be made.
These brevets are not competitive events, so no rider classifications are made. Commemorative medals for each brevet are available for purchase. Those wishing to purchase a medal should mark their brevet card accordingly. Payment is required at the finish.⚠️ Completed brevet cards should customarily be submitted electronically, whether or not you successfully completed the ride. This should be done promptly, since brevet records close on the second Monday following the start of the ride. For example, a brevet held on Saturday the 14th or Sunday the 15th is closed on Monday the 23rd.
- Medals: The medals noting the successful completion of the brevets are: a bronze medal for 200 km, a silver-plate medal for 300 km, a vermilion medal for 400 km, a gold medal for 600 km, and a silver medal for 1000 km. The design of the medals will change after each PBP. Cost for the medals will be set by the event organizer.
Super Randonneur: This title is earned by any rider who completes a series of brevets (200, 300, 400, and 600 km) in the same calendar year. A medal is also available for those holding this title. Riders should provide supporting documentation to their brevet organizer, as well as payment. The organizer can obtain the medal upon verification of the rider’s brevet numbers. - A participant may not count any other distance challenge as a brevet, in whole or in part.
- All activities associated with BRMs in a geographical area (such as classifications, awards, challenges, etc., for riders as well as for clubs) are exclusively of the competence of the ACP representative and his/her association.
- Organizers’ events can only be scheduled on the ACP calendar for the geographical area that corresponds to wherever the starting point is located.
The organizers must use the brevet card of their own geographical area.
An organizer (in particular a frontier club) may appear a second time on the ACP calendar in another geographical area as an “operational organizer”, with the agreement of the ACP representative of this geographical area, while observing the first subparagraph of this article as a formality. - By taking part in a brevet, riders accept the publication of their identity and the time achieved in the results published by the organizers. Their identity shall not be used for commercial purposes or be transmitted to a third party for this purpose.
- Any rider who registers for and starts a brevet agrees by these actions to the following: Any complaint or question concerning a brevet or its organization must be submitted to the organizer in writing, within 48 hours from the finish of the brevet. The organizer will review the complaint and forward it, with a recommendation, to the local ACP person responsible for a final decision.
⚠️ Complaints related to a non-ACP event will be handled by the BC Randonneurs club directors.
- Any question regarding the final decision will be sent to the Audax Club Parisien board with organizer and ACP representative recommendations. The Audax Club Parisien board will be the final arbiter of any complaints or questions that arise which may not be covered explicitly in these rules.
Understanding the No En-route Support rule
Support vehicles are not allowed to help riders between controls. Although randonneurs are expected to be self-sufficient, riders can receive help (repair assistance, tubes, tools, food, etc) from other riders in the event, other passing cyclists, or anyone else, provided that the help is not coming from personal support. A rider can, for example, receive a tube or an emergency power gel from a ride volunteer or official who happens to be out driving around the course.
Between controls, a rider should not stay at private accommodations, such as their own home, a friend’s home, or a car, that are not commercially available to all participants.
The rules for dealing with a major mechanical problem between controls, like a collapsed wheel or broken frame, are the same as for minor problems. If a rider can obtain a bike or wheel out on the course, including from a helpful stranger, a passing motorist or ride official, the rider can legitimately continue the ride. A rider can not call or in some other way arrange to have a new bike or bike part delivered anywhere other than to a control. To be clear, it is not the use of a cell phone, or other device, that is the problem, it is the use of these means to arrange assistance that happens out on the course.
A participant in a randonneur event cannot ride in the slipstream of someone who has planned to be on the route for the purpose of pacing the participant. A participant can, however, ride side by side or in front of a non-registered friend or companion rider for a reasonable, limited time during an event. With the permission of the ride organizer, a rider who feels uncomfortable or unsafe riding alone at night, may arrange for a companion to ride along side them. If a participant happens by chance to run in to other cyclists out on the road, a limited amount of shared drafting, which is natural in this situation, is acceptable. Extensive drafting, however, from a non participant is not permitted, and can be grounds for disqualification.
Understanding time limits
The time limits for the standard brevet distances are:
| Distance | Minimum time | Maximum time |
|---|---|---|
| 200 km | 5h53m | 13h30m |
| 300 km | 9h00m | 20h00m |
| 400 km | 12h08m | 27h00m |
| 600 km | 18h48m | 40h00m |
| 1000 km | 33h00m | 75h00m |
Time limits are calculated based on the following maximum and minimum average speeds, then rounded to the minute:
| Segment | Opening time | Closing time |
|---|---|---|
| km 0 to 60 | 34 km/h | 1h + 20 km/h |
| km 61 to 200 | 34 km/h | 15 km/h |
| km 201 to 400 | 32 km/h | 15 km/h |
| km 401 to 600 | 30 km/h | 15 km/h |
| km 601 to 1000 | 28 km/h | 11.428 km/h |
As an exceptional case, the upper time limit for 200 km is 13h30m, even though a calculation would yield 13m20m.
For example, a 603 km route is treated as 600 km — the excess 3 km is disregarded when calculating the time limits.
The minimum time, 18h48m, is the sum of:
5h53m (the first 200 km at 34 km/h)
6h15m (the next 200 km at 32 km/h)
6h40m (the final 200 km at 30 km/h).
The maximum time, 40h, is the sum of:
1h (start time grace period)
3h (the first 60 km at 20 km/h)
36h (the last 540 km at 15 km/h).
Historically, arriving after a control’s closing time meant disqualification. In 2024 ACP changed this rule, so that the opening and closing times for intermediate controls serve only as a guide to the rider.
Arriving late at the finish may be acceptable only in the case of a serious material incident. BC Randonneurs considers “serious material incident” to include, for example, assisting a crashed rider get to a hospital, and helping out at the scene of a traffic accident. It does not include delays resulting from bike or equipment failure, nor does it include delays resulting from a rider injury or other physical problems.
Alternate-day brevets: The volunteer pre-ride
Officially there are no alternate-day brevets in the sport of randonneur cycling. Here is how BC Randonneurs defines a brevet:
A brevet is a ride starting at a designated time and place, on a designated day, following a designated route.
There is, however, an exception to this rule in BC: the volunteer pre-ride. This ride, usually one week before the official ride, allows a brevet organizer and other ride-day volunteers to preview the route: check the accuracy of the route sheet, discover road changes and closures as well as hazards and construction. The organizing team will also be given credit for the brevet. Only the ride organizer and ride-day volunteers are permitted to join the pre-ride. There is only one pre-ride for an event, and typically the participants ride together.
Permission to participate in the volunteer pre-ride is granted by the organizer only to riders whose contribution on the official ride day is necessary and significant. Volunteers who provide non event-day help (promotion, printing route sheets) must ride on event day to get credit for the ride. The pre-ride is not to be used as a means of accommodating the personal scheduling conflicts of volunteers. A volunteer who rides the pre-ride and does not show up on ride day will be disqualified.
Is this rule absolute? Under some very special circumstances (one was a volunteer’s request to attend a funeral), some volunteers and organizers have in the past been given credit for a pre-ride without being present on event day. These circumstances are rare, and the decision is the regional ride coordinator’s, not the ride organizer’s.