Audax Brevets
Rules and Regulations
I. GENERAL BACKGROUND
A — Definition
Brevets and randonnées organized according to the Audax formula are conducted in a group. They are open to all types of bicycles propelled solely by human power.
The term audax (from the Latin, meaning “bold”) originally referred to cyclists capable of riding 200km between sunrise and sunset. An Audax brevet is a test of consistency and endurance on a rolling average of not greater than 22.5km/hr (14.0mph), whose participants are required to respect the rules of the road, which are set forth below.
B — Distance
Brevets are conducted according to the regulations set forth below and are organized in distances of 100, 150, 200, 300, 400, 600, and 1000km.
The only greater distances are Paris-Brest-Paris, which is organized by the UAF every five years (like all brevets departing from Paris), and long-distance brevets that are subject to special regulation.
C — Route Captains
The pelotons are led by officials called route captains.
The route captains ensure as regular a pace as possible. It is forbidden to pass them.
The route captains are responsible for ensuring that the brevet runs smoothly, safely, and on-schedule. The route captains are empowered to make all decisions to these ends.
II. RULES
(2008 edition, which supersedes all prior editions; updated 2012)
Article 1 — Organization
1.1 — Audax brevets may be organized by all member clubs of the UAF, whether French or foreign, respecting the current federal regulations on cyclotourism. The organization of Audax brevets outside of France takes place after the execution of an agreement between the UAF and the cyclotouring federation of that country. The organizing club must be insured.
1.2 — All Audax brevets organized under these rules and homologated by the UAF are valid toward obtaining the Eagle.
1.3 — A club (but not an individual member of a federation) can apply to the regional delegate of the UAF whose address is on the national brevet calendar to organize a 200km or 300km brevet.
1.4 — The organization of a 400km or 600km brevet will be entrusted to a club only when it has demonstrated its proficiency in organizing a brevet of at least 200km. Additionally, the organizer shall have at least two route captains who successfully completed brevets of these distances.
Article 2 — Before the Brevet: Organization
2.1 — After obtaining the authorization, the organizer must communicate the intention to organize a brevet to the person in charge of the UAF calendar. This must be done before May 31 in the year preceding the brevet, however, it is possible to change the date of a brevet until September 20.
2.2 — The route must be on well-marked, lightly traveled roads of good condition and over terrain of moderate difficulty.
The course, thus constructed, should be touristically attractive.
2.3 — The route will be subject to approval by the regional delegate. It must be as close as possible to the exemplars in the organizer’s manual.
The application must include:
- a cue sheet that permits verification on any recent map and on the ground;
- the principal municipalities traversed;
- the name of the municipality or crossroads where turns occur;
- changes in road names should be specified;
- distances between stops should be specified using partial and cumulative mileage;
- transit times between stops (calculated at 20, 22.5, or 25km/hr);
- arrival and departure times at all stops, including the duration of each stop;
- any information the organizer determines will aide in the consideration of the application.
2.4 — The organizer must accept modifications requested by the regional delegate and cannot organize the brevet without the regional delegate’s approval. In the event of a dispute, the UAF should be notified as soon as possible and the Management Committee will decide the matter.
Article 3 — Participants
3.1 — The organizer will accept all cyclists who desire to participate in the brevet. To this end, the organizer must calendar brevets with the UAF and the appropriate national and local federations.
3.2 — For logistical reasons (meal service, accommodations), the organizer can limit the number of participants. In the event of a field limit, the organizer cannot reserve all entries for club members. Entries must be available for cyclists who are not members of the organizer’s club.
3.3 — The organizer can establish a registration deadline.
3.4 — Those under the age of 18 can participate only with the consent of a parent or legal guardian and must be accompanied by a qualified person. There is no age limit.
Article 4 — Time Allocation
Regularity is necessary for the smooth running of an Audax brevet. The schedule should be the object of all considerations.
4.1 —Audax brevets should take place mostly during daylight hours, for reasons of obvious safety. Night riding should be as minimal as possible. In particular, the 200km brevet should occur between sunrise and sunset.
4.2 — Stops shall be spaced as indicated in Article 5.5, below. They must allow the participants to refuel without them having to leave the peloton, which can only be done in the event of unforeseen circumstances (mechanicals, physical ailments). The organizer should select the locations for stops based on the circumstances and the services offered (consider the availability of restrooms).
4.3 — The organizer of a 400km or 600km brevet should consider an overnight stop. It must allow:
- avoiding dangerous hours;
- satisfactory rest;
- good spacing between stops;
- respecting the base peloton time.
For overnight stops, it is desirable that they be:
- about 5 hours for the 400km; and
- about 6 hours for the 600km.
Depending on the time of the year, the overnight stop can occur between 10:30pm and 4:30am or between 11pm and 4am (plus or minus 30 minutes).
Article 5 — Requirements for Audax Brevets
5.1 — To be homologated, an Audax brevet cannot have fewer than four participants at the start, three of whom must finish.
5.2 — The minimum number of stages will be determined by Article 5.5, below, so to create a proper balance between rolling time and resting time.
5.3 — [reserved]
5.4 — The lunch stop cannot be less than 45 minutes, nor more than 1:45, and shall occur between 11:45am and 2pm.
It is a tradition on Audax brevets to have a sit-down, restaurant lunch. If this is not the case, the organizer should indicate in the registration that lunch will be had on the road, in which case lunch should be taken at a shelter in case of rain.
5.5 — The length of the stages for all Audax brevets (except the 100km and 200km, which can be shorter) must average between 45km and 55km and no stage can be longer than 67.5km.
5.6 — The rolling average is normally 22.5km/hr, except for the 100km brevet, which can be 20km/hr.
5.6.1 — The organizer may determine that the route, by nature of its terrain or road conditions, is not suitable to be ridden at 22.5km/hr and can indicate that such a stage is to be ridden at a lower pace, typically 20km/hr, which will be communicated to the participants and respected on the road. The route should not contain more than one reduced-pace stage per half-day, which cannot exceed 50km (2:30).
5.6.2 — In the first half of the brevet, there should not be more than one stage at 25km/hr, which cannot exceed 55km (2:20). This pace will be clearly indicated to the participants.
5.7 — The departure time is within the organizer’s discretion, but should be chosen so that the overnight stop, if there is one, occurs at the halfway point. The departure should not be before 4am or 4:30am, depending on the time of the year.
Article 6 — Respect for the Mileage
The indication of the overall mileage for each brevet must be verified in the field. Outside the scheduled distance of the brevet, participants may ride independently as to the pace and travel time.
For example, in Paris-Valloire-Le Galibier, Paris-Valloire is 600km (36 hours). The climb to the Col du Galibier therefore can be ridden allure libre.
Article 7 — Respect for the Schedule
7.1 — Base times apply to the peloton for the completion of each brevet.
7.2 — Rolling times are calculated on an average of 22.5km/hr.
7.3 — The minimum times must be respected. In no event can the peloton arrive before the minimum time.
7.4 — For the 100km, 200km, and 300km brevets, the minimum times are calculated based on a rolling average of about 20km/hr.
7.5 — For the 400km and 600km, the difference between the minimum and maximum time can be reduced by using an overnight stop. The maximum time is a tolerance in case of delay. The risk of bad weather is reduced because most Audax brevets take place starting in May.
7.6 — The maximum homologation time only applies to a participant in distress (mechanical or physical); eventually, he or she can benefit from a charitable companion. The global averages for the latter participant to receive homologation are as follows:
|
Distance |
Minimum Time |
Maximum Time |
Global Average, Maximum Time (km/hr) |
|
100km |
5:00 |
7:00 |
14.29 |
|
150km |
8:00 |
10:30 |
14.29 |
|
200km |
11:30 |
14:00 |
14.29 |
|
300km |
17:00 |
20:00 |
15 |
|
400km |
23:00 |
27:00 |
14.8 |
|
600km |
36:00 |
40:00 |
15 |
Article 8 — Respect for the Itinerary
8.1 — The organizer must respect the schedule approved by the UAF’s regional delegate. At the beginning of the brevet, the organizer will provide a detailed itinerary to each participant with the precise location, address, and phone number of the places of rest, meals, and overnight accommodations. The organizer has discretion to include a detailed schedule of passage with the itinerary provided to the participants or to reserve such information for the route captains, in which case the time and duration of the stops shall be given to the participants.
8.2 — The route captains, with the agreement of the organizer, can modify the route for valid, extraordinary reasons (e.g., roadwork). In this case, the deviation must be respected. A participant who becomes aware of an erroneous deviation shall inform a route captain. The route captains shall decide what to do to recover as quickly as possible on the official course. The participant cannot use this error as a pretext to leave the peloton.
Article 9 — Commitment: Concurrent Brevets
If multiple brevets are organized concurrently (e.g., 100km and 200km brevets starting at the same time and place), each participant must declare the particular event he or she is attempting. In the case of abandonment, the rider cannot obtain a homologation for a distance other than the one chosen.
Article 10 — Safety
10.1 — The organizer is responsible for matters concerning safety on brevets.
10.2 — The organizer shall prohibit vehicles not officially associated with the brevet from following or operating in the immediate vicinity of the peloton (i.e., vehicles associated with individual participants).
10.3 — The organizer shall refuse entry to any participant whose equipment does not comply with the requirements of the rules of the road in his or her jurisdiction. Where part of the brevet is conducted at night, riders are required to start the brevet with lighting affixed to the bicycle and must also have a reflective vest in their possession.
Mudguards are not required, but are highly recommended.
Article 11 — Brevet Cards
11.1 — Only brevet cards provided by the UAF can be approved.
11.2 — The organizer will ensure that the brevet cards are completed correctly from the start.
11.3 — Verification of passage through the controls should be done with stamps that indicate the locality. Control verification is required at lunch and dinner stops. Control verification is not recommended during short stops, where it is preferable that participants spend their time on other matters.
11.4 — At the last stop or on arrival, the organizer must collect the brevet cards. The organizer will affix the club’s stamp and document the results to the UAF on the form designated for that purpose.
11.5 — The results will be submitted to the UAF without delay for the homologation of the brevets. Brevets of 200km have been homologated since 1904; the other distances since 1979.
Article 12 — Protests
12.1 — In the event of a dispute between the organizer and a participant, protests can be lodged by mail with the UAF headquarters, 6 avenue Maurice Ravel, 75012 PARIS.
12.2 — If the claim is justified, in particular because the Audax pace was not respected, the club may receive a warning. In the case of recidivism, the UAF will suspend the club’s ability to organize Audax brevets for one or more years.
12.3 — A participant may be denied homologation, particularly for voluntarily riding behind the peloton, consequently resulting in delay and contradiction with the Audax formula.
12.4 — The organizer has discretion to exclude from the brevet a participant who, by his or her attitude, jeopardizes the safety of the peloton. The organizer can also subsequently refuse entry from such a participant on future brevets.
Article 13 — 1000km Brevets
13.1 — The organization of a 1000km brevet may be entrusted to a club that has evidenced completion of a series of brevets between 200km and 600km.
13.2 — The “1000” is considered a special brevet. It is given registration priority on the UAF calendar and will also be given a presentation before, and a short, concise report after, in La Revue des Audax.
13.3 — The minimum completion time is 75 hours; the maximum time is 76 hours (including for the last participant).
|
Time |
On Route |
Stopped |
Rolling Average |
Overall Average |
|
75:00 |
44:26 |
30:34 |
22.5km/hr |
13.33km/hr |
|
76:00 |
45:26 |
30:34 |
22km/hr |
13.16km/hr |
ADDENDA TO THE RULES
Addendum 1: Subscription to La Revue des Audax.
This magazine contains information and stories of the five audax disciplines: cycling, hiking, rowing, swimming and Nordic skiing.
Individual subscription is recommended for participants and required for organizing clubs. For special events, subscription may be mandatory for participants. A calendar of all Audax events will be made available to subscribers no later than mid-December.