Audax Ireland calendar events are run in accordance with the rules of the Brevets Randonneurs Mondiaux (BRM) as laid down by Audax Club Parisien. You can find the full rules on ACP’s website – this is a brief summary of the key points.
1. Events are open to any cyclist, provided they are covered by liability insurance. Riders below the age of 18 must have parental consent.
2. During an event, each rider is considered to be on a private excursion and must obey all traffic regulations.
3. For night riding front and back lights are mandatory. Riders must also wear a reflective vest, Sam Browne, sash or similar. This applies to ALL events of 300kms or more, at any time of year.
4. Each rider must be self-sufficient – following vehicles are prohibited and personal support may only be received at controls.
5. At the start of the ride, each rider will receive a brevet card and a routesheet. Riders must follow the route and should return to the point where they left it before continuing if they deviate from it. There may be secret controls along the route.
6. Riders must get their brevet cards stamped and/or signed at each control along the route. At controls which are not manned by the organiser, proof of passage can be obtained from a local establishment (e.g. shop receipt with place, date and time), or demonstrated by answering a question about a local landmark (i.e. info controls).
7. The time limits for each distance are as follows:
200km – 13hrs 30m
300km – 20hrs
400km – 27hrs
600km – 40hrs
1000km – 75hrs
8. At the finish, each rider must sign their brevet card and return it to the organiser for validation.
Although it is not explicitly stated in that set of ACP rules, the opening of control points is determined by the maximum allowed average pace of 30km/h, and the closing of controls by the minimum average pace of 15km/h (lower for brevets longer than 600km e.g. 13.3km/h for a 1000km brevet.)