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Randonneuring (also known as Audax in the UK, Australia and Brazil) is a long-distance
cycling sport Cycle sport is competitive physical activity using bicycles. There are several categories of bicycle racing including road bicycle racing, cyclo-cross, mountain bike racing, track cycling, BMX, and cycle speedway. Non-racing cycling ...
with its origins in audax cycling. In randonneuring, riders attempt courses of 200 km or more, passing through predetermined "controls" (checkpoints) every few tens of kilometres. Riders aim to complete the course within specified time limits, and receive equal recognition regardless of their finishing order. Riders may travel in groups or alone as they wish, and are expected to be self-sufficient between controls. A randonneuring event is called a randonnée or brevet, and a rider who has completed a 200 km event is called a randonneur. The international governing body for randonneuring is Audax Club Parisien (ACP), which works with other randonneuring organisations worldwide through Les Randonneurs Mondiaux (RM). Randonneuring is popular in France, and has a following in The
Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
, Belgium, United Kingdom, Italy, Australia, United States, Canada,
Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...
, Ireland, India, Indonesia, Korea, Japan and Malaysia.


History

In the late nineteenth century Italy, day-long "challenge" sports became popular. Participants aimed to cover as much distance as possible and prove themselves ''audax'' ("audacious"). The first recorded audax cycling event took place on June 12, 1897, when twelve Italian cyclists attempted the challenge of cycling from
Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...
to
Naples Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adminis ...
, a distance of , during daylight hours. Similar events became popular elsewhere, and in 1904 French journalist
Henri Desgrange Henri Desgrange (31 January 1865 – 16 August 1940) was a French bicycle racer and sports journalist. He set twelve world track cycling records, including the hour record of on 11 May 1893. He was the first organiser of the Tour de France. Yo ...
produced Audax regulations, which belonged to his ''Auto'' newspaper. Under the Audax regulations, riders rode as a group. Successful riders were awarded a certificate called a Brevet d'Audax. A group of successful audax cyclists formed the Audax Club Parisien (ACP), which took over the organisation of Audax events on Desgrange's behalf. In 1920, there was a disagreement between Desgrange and the ACP. Desgrange withdrew ACP's permission to organise events under his Audax regulations, and ACP created its own allure libre (free-paced) version of the sport, where successful riders were awarded certificates called Brevets des Randonneurs. This style is now popularly known as "randonneuring". Desgrange continued to promote the original Audax rules, and on July 14, 1921 the Union of Parisian Audax Cyclistes (UACP) was formed, which became the Union of French Audax in January 1956, and later simply
Union des Audax The Union des Audax is the parent organization for the audax style of Randonneuring, a long-distance cycling sport. The other form of randonneuring is the allure libre Randonneuring (also known as Audax in the UK, Australia and Brazil) is a l ...
. The original style is still popular in France and neighbouring countries. In
Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It is ...
, where the original audax style does not exist, and in
Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...
, where it is not common, the term audax is used interchangeably with randonneuring, reflecting the sport's origins with
Audax Club Parisien The Audax Club Parisien (ACP) is a French Cyclist Touring Club. It is a non-profit voluntary association formed in Paris in 1904. It organizes long-distance rides in France. The most popular event is the Paris-Brest-Paris Randonneur, held every ...
. Randonneuring has much in common with cyclotouring, the founding-father of which is often said to be the journalist Velocio (Paul de Vivie), also credited with making derailleur gears popular.


Rules and process

The majority of randonneuring events are classified as "brevets des randonneurs". In such events, riders follow a course through a series of predetermined checkpoints called "controls"; these are typically a few tens of kilometres apart. Each rider carries a "brevet card" which must be stamped at each control to prove completion. In some events, riders will be asked to supplement this by collecting till receipts in certain places and by answering questions about their surroundings at "information controls", such as recording a distance from a milepost. At the end of the event, the brevet card is handed in to the organisers who will then check and certify the results. Riders are expected to keep within minimum and maximum average speed limits. For a typical brevet, the minimum speed is around and the maximum is . Riders who arrive early at controls will be made to wait before they can carry on. Riders can stop to eat and rest at controls, though no extra time is allowed for doing so. Riders are free to ride individually or in groups as they wish. A brevet is not a race, and no completion order is published. Riders are expected to be fully self-sufficient between controls and must carry food, water, spare clothing and tools to meet their requirements. In addition to brevets appearing on a calendar date, there are "permanent" (or "raid") brevets which may be ridden on any date by prior arrangement with the organiser, and "DIY permanents" where a rider proposes a specific route. In these events, the "controls" are predesignated places where a rider will stop and collect evidence of passage such as a shop receipt. In addition to events, there are brevets of and more. These will typically involve an element of night-riding. There are also shorter events: in a "brevet populaire" (or simply "populaire"), riders follow a course of . These brevets are seen as a good introduction to the full-blown "randonneur" events, and also as a manageable distance for riders who want to maintain regular participation in the sport over a sustained period of time. There are variations on the brevet theme including team events such as the "
Flèche Flèche or Fleche may refer to: *Flèche (architecture), a type of church spire *Flèche (cycling), a team cycling competition *Flèche (fencing) The flèche is an aggressive offensive fencing technique used with foil and épée. Background ...
" or "Arrow", which usually converge on a single end point from many starts, and per day "Dart" events.


Bicycles and equipment

Any type of bicycle is acceptable for randonneuring, with the only stipulation being that the bicycle must be powered solely by the human rider. Tricycles and
recumbents A recumbent bicycle is a bicycle that places the rider in a laid-back reclining position. Most recumbent riders choose this type of design for ergonomic reasons: the rider's weight is distributed comfortably over a larger area, supported by ba ...
, therefore, are allowed. Authors such as Simon Doughty describe a 'typical' randonneuring bike as being somewhere between a dedicated road-racing bike and a
touring bike A touring bicycle is a bicycle designed or modified to handle bicycle touring. To make the bikes sufficiently robust, comfortable and capable of carrying heavy loads, special features may include a long wheelbase (for ride comfort and to avoid p ...
. Such bicycles usually have lightweight steel frames, drop handlebars, relaxed (i.e. comfortable) frame geometry, medium-width tyres, triple chainsets, moderately low gearing, and the capacity to carry lightweight luggage. Mudguards and lighting systems are also common, and may be required for some events. As of 2019, modern lighting (LED & Lithium Ion batteries), paired with a dynamo hubs are more prevalent; as well as a mix between equipment designed for bikepacking (aerodynamic, lightweight); or more traditional pannier systems particularly for longer distance events. Randonneurs are expected to be self-sufficient between controls except in the event of real emergency. Riders are therefore expected to carry food, water, tools, etc. Some events require riders to carry specific equipment (e.g. lights, spare bulbs, reflective clothing), though this varies depending on the organiser.


Famous brevets

The majority of brevets are relatively small and locally organised, making for a busy calendar of events for enthusiasts. However, there are also some particularly well-known and prestigious events which attract participants from all over the world.


Paris–Brest–Paris

Sometimes regarded as the
Blue Riband The Blue Riband () is an unofficial accolade given to the passenger liner crossing the Atlantic Ocean in regular service with the record highest average speed. The term was borrowed from horse racing and was not widely used until after 1910. T ...
''randonnée'',
Paris–Brest–Paris Paris–Brest–Paris (PBP) is a long-distance cycling event. It was originally a 1,200 km () bicycle race from Paris to Brest and back to Paris in 1891. The last time it was run as a race was 1951. The most recent edition of PBP was held on 18 ...
(PBP) is an approximately event held on an out-and-back course between
Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...
and
Brest Brest may refer to: Places *Brest, Belarus **Brest Region **Brest Airport **Brest Fortress * Brest, Kyustendil Province, Bulgaria * Břest, Czech Republic *Brest, France ** Arrondissement of Brest **Brest Bretagne Airport ** Château de Brest *Br ...
every four years. Begun in 1891, it is the oldest bicycling event still regularly run. It began as a race for professional cyclists, but is now a non-competitive endurance challenge. To qualify, a cyclist must complete a series of ''brevets'' within the same year. The series can be completed in any order ( is traditional), and any brevet may be replaced with a longer randonnée. The PBP was the first popular long distance race, initiated in 1891. After 1931 the riders were separated into three groups: professional cyclists, and two non-professional groups known as the
Allure libre Randonneuring (also known as Audax in the UK, Australia and Brazil) is a long-distance cycling sport with its origins in audax cycling. In randonneuring, riders attempt courses of 200 km or more, passing through predetermined "controls" (c ...
club and the Audax club. Allure Libre consisted of individuals riding alone in the spirit of self-sufficiency, while Audax riders rode as a group and maintained a steady pace. As interest in long distance cycling had waned in favour of stage events like the
Tour de France The Tour de France () is an annual men's multiple-stage bicycle race primarily held in France, while also occasionally passing through nearby countries. Like the other Grand Tours (the Giro d'Italia and the Vuelta a España), it consists ...
, the professional race part of the PBP was lost in 1951, leaving only the randonneuring part of the event. The Randonneuring part of the PBP had been governed by Audax Club Parisien (ACP) since the 1930s. In 1975 the Audax and Allure libre groups split up and formed two different PBP events. Now the ACP runs the event every four years in their Allure Libre format, and the Union des Audax runs it every five years in their Audax format. The most recent Paris-Brest-Paris was held in 2019 on August 18. In order to qualify for the event a randonneur needed to do a super randonnee series of brevets () in the qualifying year i.e. by July 2019.


London–Edinburgh–London

London–Edinburgh–London London–Edinburgh–London ''(LEL)'' is a randonnée bicycle event of approximately over an out-and-back course between the capital cities of London (England) and Edinburgh (Scotland). It has been described as a contender for hardest cyclin ...
is a 1500 km event that takes place in the United Kingdom every four years. The event typically starts in north
London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
, taking a route through the east of England, to
Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...
, usually returning along the same route. The event last took place in August 2022.


Boston–Montreal–Boston

Boston–Montreal–Boston (BMB) is also a out-and-back between
Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...
and
Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...
. BMB is sometimes regarded as the North American equivalent of PBP. It was held every year except when Paris–Brest–Paris was held.


Other 1000 Km Brevets


Canada

* Riding Mountain 1000


India

* Kittur Express 1000 km (Bangalore) * Jog Falls 1000 km (Bangalore) * Noida Dasuya Noida 1000 km (Noida) * Deccan Queen 1000 km (Pune) * Brevet LOC * TN 1000 * BRM Ek Hazaar (Lucknow)


Ireland

* Celtic Knot 1000 km (Offaly)


Other 1200 km brevets


Australia

* Great Southern Randonnee 1200 * Perth–Albany–Perth (Australia) 1200 km * Sydney-Melbourne (Australia) 1200 km


Canada

*Granite Anvil 1200 *Rocky Mountain 1200 *VanIsle 1200 (Canada)


India

* Bangalore–Goa–Bangalore (BGB) 1200 (Bangalore) * Bliss In The Hills 1200 (Bangalore) * Gates of Heaven 1200 (Bangalore) * Goa 2 Kanyakumari 1200 km * Kochi–Bangalore–Kochi - Psyclepath 1200 * KODANAD – 1200 km * Mahro Rajasthan 1200 (Delhi) * Mumbai–Indore–Mumbai 1200 * Mumbai-Mahabaleshwar-Mumbai-Dhule-Mumbai 1200 (Mumbai) * Jammu Express 1200 km Noida–Jammu–Noida (Noida) * Ranbanka Ride 1200 * Rivers–Mountains–Beaches 1200 * Tapi to Aravalli 1200 km


USA

* Big Wild Ride 1200 km (Alaska) * Cascade 1200 km (USA) * Colorado High Country 1200 km Randonnée * Coulee Challenge 1200 Brevet (Minnesota/Wisconsin) * Gold Rush Randonnée 1200 km * Last Chance 1200 km Randonnée * Taste of Carolina 1200 km * Texas Rando Stampede 1200 km


Russia

*1200 Chuiski tract * Trans Oural * Vologda–Onega–Ladoga 1200 km


Other countries

* Big Tour of Bavaria 1200 (Germany) * BRM Tour of Hungary 1200 (Hungary) * Herentals – Cosne s/Loire – Herentals 1200 (Belgium) * Israel 1200 km (Israel) * Korea Grande Randonnee 1200 (Korea) * Lowlands 1200 km (Netherlands) * Lviv–Karpaty–Lviv, 1200 km (Ukraine) * Madrid–Gijon–Madrid 1200 km (Spain) * Míle Fáilte 1200 (Ireland) * Hokkaido 1200 km (Japan) * Silk Route (Uzbekistan) 1200 km * Södertälje–Falkenberg–Södertälje 1200 km (Sweden) * Sofia–Varna–Sofia 1200 km (Bulgaria) * Super Brevet Scandinavia 1200 km (Denmark, Norway, Sweden)


Other 1400 km brevets

* 4 Corners of Croatia 1450 km (Croatia) * Bangkok–Phrae–Bangkok 1400 km (Thailand) * BHARD Brevet (Bosnia and Herzegovina) * Dalhousie 1400 km (Noida Randonneurs) (India) * Danube Road Randonneur 1440 km (Romania) * Dutch Capitals Tour 1400 km (Netherlands) * Giro Central Greece 1400 km (Greece)


Other 1400 plus km brevets

* 1001 Miglia 1630 km (Italy) * Berlin-Munich-Berlin 1500 km (Germany)
Bristol-Glasgow-Bristol 1600km
(United Kingdom) * Hamburg–Berlin–Cologne–Hamburg 1500 km (Germany) * Maraton Rowerowy Dookoła Polski 3130 km (Poland) * Sverigetempot 2100 km (Sweden) * Tour Aotearoa 3000 km (New Zealand) * Ultimate Island Explorer 2000 km (Canada) * Uppsala–Trondheim–Uppsala 1500 km (Sweden & Norway) * Wild Atlantic Way 2100 km (Ireland)


Awards

A rider who has successfully completed a brevet in limited time is called a randonneur. This is a lifelong title. Riders completing successful events receive awards, either from Audax Club Parisien or another randonneuring organisation. Examples of these are: * Brevet Medalfor completing any single brevet of . * Super Randonneurfor completing a series of brevets within the same season. * Randonneur 5000for completing the full series of brevets, the Paris–Brest–Paris and a Flèche Vélocio (in which at least three riders must start, and at least three must finish). Other BRM, LRM, or ACP homologated events up to a balance of 5000 km total, all within 4 years. * Randonneur 10000for completing two full series of brevets, the Paris–Brest–Paris, another 1200 km event homologated by LRM, a Flèche Vélocio (in which at least three riders must start, and at least three must finish), and a 1 Super Randonnee (a permanent of 600 km and at least 10,000 m (32.800 ft) of climbing, within a 60-hour time limit, homologated by the Audax Club Parisien). Other BRM, LRM, or ACP homologated events up to a balance of 10000 km total, all within 4 years.
/ref> * Paris–Brest–Parisfor completion of the PBP within the 90-hour time. * Many othersfor example, BMB, RUSA specific Super Randonneur.


Time limits

Randonneuring events must be undertaken within set time limits based on a set average speed. There is some regional variation in these, but the following list is typical: *13.5 hours (15 km/h) *20 hours (15 km/h) *27 hours (15 km/h) *40 hours (15 km/h) *75 hours (13.3 km/h) *90 hours (13.3 km/h) *116:40 hours (12 km/h) *220 hours (10 km/h) Organisers are usually free to reduce the maximum speed. This sometimes makes it easier to man controls at particularly hilly events. To emphasise that Randonneuring events are not a race, many events also have a maximum speed equal to double the minimum speed (i.e. 30 km/h for a 600 km event).


See also

*
Challenge riding Challenge riding is a form of cycling where the riders challenge themselves rather than each other. Some challenge rides are charity events or pledge rides. Some are organised as pre- or early-season training events (sometimes in the UK called r ...
*
Cyclosportive A cyclosportive, or often simply sportive, is a short to long distance, organised, mass-participation cycling event, typically held annually. The Italian term '' Gran Fondo'' is commonly used for these events in the United States, Australia and so ...
*
Race Across America The Race Across America, or RAAM, is an ultra-distance road cycling race held across the United States that started in 1982 as the Great American Bike Race. RAAM is one of the longest annual endurance events in the world. All entrants must prove ...
*
Reliability trial A reliability trial is an organised bicycle ride which challenges a cyclist to complete a course, passing through designated control points, within a preset time limit. In the United Kingdom, such events are often held in the wintry opening months ...


References

{{Cycling Cycle sport Ultra-distance cycling