Rules of the Manitoba Randonneurs

 Club Specific Rules from 1 km to 1000 km

Article 1: The Manitoba Randonneurs is affiliated with the Manitoba Cycling Association (MCA), with sanctioning authority reserved for the Audax Club Parisien (ACP). As an MCA affiliated club, all participants are required to hold at least a General Non-Racing License with the MCA to be covered by liability insurance. Canadians with residence outside Manitoba must hold a license with their provincial cycling association prior to participation in a ride with the Manitoba Randonneurs.

Article 2: All riders must purchase club membership with the Manitoba Randonneurs prior to participating in their first club ride. This membership grants riders access to participating in as many or as few club rides as they prefers. There is no separate entry fee per ride.  Canadians with residence outside Manitoba may participate as a guest in one Manitoba Randonneurs club ride per year if they hold membership with their provincial Randonneurs club.

Article 3: All riders must register for each ride prior to taking part in the ride. The ride registration form is available on the Manitoba Randonneurs website. Registered riders will be contacted by the ride organizer about one week prior to the start date to confirm their participation. If someone arrives at the start line of a club ride without having purchased their MCA license or club membership, or they have not registered online for the ride, they will be required to do so via mobile phone prior to starting the ride.

Article 4: Participants must read and sign the club ride waiver for each ride they take part in. This waiver will be present at the start line.

Article 5: Approved bike helmets are required for all club rides

Article 6: Rides start promptly at their designated start time. Riders are encouraged to arrive at the start line about 30 minutes early to ensure they have time to read and sign the ride waiver, and to prepare their equipment and body for the ride. The start line control closes one hour after the designated start time, but any departure time delay caused by the rider is not credited back to the rider.

The Manitoba Randonneurs abides by all of the following rules of Brevets de Randonneurs Mondiaux:

From 200 km to 1000 km

Article 1: Only the Audax Club Parisien has worldwide sanctioning authority for these events. The ACP registers all brevets. Each brevet receives a verification number, which are assigned chronologically based on time of receipt. The ACP has registered all brevets since their inception in 1921.

Article 2: These brevets are open to any amateur cyclist regardless of their cycling affiliations, if covered by insurance. Any rider under the age of 18 must have consent of a 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.

Article 3: To participate in a brevet a rider must complete a registration form and pay a registration fee set by the event organizer. In some countries, a liability waiver must be signed.

Article 4: Each rider must be covered by liability insurance, either by a group or personal policy.

Article 5: 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 representative, and their association cannot and does not accept responsibility for any accidents that may occur during the course of a brevet.

Article 6: 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 (not 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.). Each rider, whether riding in a group or by themself, must fully comply with this requirement. Everyone must use their lights! All riders must wear a reflective vest, sash, or some other device that clearly places reflective material on the front and back of the rider’s body. Any violation of these night riding rules will result in the immediate disqualification of the rider.

Article 7: Each rider must be self-sufficient. No follow cars or support of any kind are permitted on the course. Personal support is only allowed at checkpoints. Any violation of this requirement will result in immediate disqualification. At the start, if the organizer creates groups, as everyone rides at their own pace, a rider could go out the group at any time. No rider can be considered the group leader. All distinctive signs (jersey, armband, etc.) or title (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.

Article 8: At the start, each rider will receive a brevet card and a cue sheet 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 stamped. Organizers may also include unannounced checkpoints along the route. This assures 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.

Article 9: 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. 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; 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. When the rider mails a postcard, the rider should mark their brevet card in the space provided for the checkpoint: PC, with the time and date the postcard was sent. The organizer has the discretion to determine which option is to be allowed for a given checkpoint.

Missing checkpoint stamps, missing checkpoint times, 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 their brevet card is properly completed at each checkpoint.

Article 10: 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. Additionally, riders must arrive at each checkpoint between the opening and closing time for the checkpoint. These times are noted on the brevet card with the information for the checkpoints. Riders must arrive at each checkpoint between the start and the finish while the checkpoint is open. If a rider arrives at a checkpoint after it has closed and the ride organizer is satisfied that the rider's lateness is due to the occurrence of something unforeseen and beyond the control of the rider (such as stopping to help at a traffic accident or a road closure), then the ride organizer may waive the fact that the rider arrived at the control late and allow the rider to continue. Poor bicycle or equipment maintenance, fatigue, lack of fitness, hunger, etc. are not unforeseen and beyond the control of the rider and therefore will not serve as a valid reason for being late. Subject to the foregoing, failure to make all checkpoints, even if the brevet is done within the overall time limit, will result in disqualification.

Article 11: Any fraud, cheating, or deliberate violation of these rules will result in the exclusion of the rider from all ACP sponsored events.

Article 12: At the finish, the rider must sign their 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.

Article 13: 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 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.

Article 14: A brevet must be done alone and may not be counted as participation in another event held in conjunction with it.

Article 15: All animations regarding the BRM in a geographical area, such as classifications, awards, challenges, etc, as well for the riders as for the clubs, are exclusively of the competence of the ACP representative and their association.

Article 16: Organizers’ events can be scheduled only on their geographical area on the ACP calendar, whatever the starting point is located. The organizers must obligatorily use the brevet card of their own geographical area. An organizer (in particular a frontier club) will be able to appear second once on the ACP calendar like "organizer connected" in another geographical area, with the agreement of the ACP representative of this geographical area, while having for formal obligation to apply the first subparagraph of this article.

Article 17: While taking part in a brevet, the riders accept the publication of their identity and the time achieved in the results published by the organizers. Their identity could never be used at commercial purposes or to be transmitted to a third for this purpose.

Article 18: 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 “Commission des Randonneurs” of Audax Club Parisien for France or to the ACP local ACP person responsible for outside France for a final decision.

Article 19: 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.