Author Topic: Awards Around the World  (Read 6006 times)

LittleWheelsandBig

  • Whimsy Rider
Awards Around the World
« on: 22 April, 2008, 05:47:43 am »
This piece has been written for Audax Australia's Checkpoint magazine but I thought it may be useful for some riders here.  As you come across mistakes (there are always mistakes) or find some information that should be included, just let me know.
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Awards Around the World

There are now quite a few Audax Australia awards for members to aim for but some members may not be aware that other organisations also offer medals and badges for various achievements.  The former Boy Scouts amongst us may find it interesting that Australian riders can potentially claim several of these other awards.

Les Randonneur Mondiaux offers:
·   Medals for all LRM-homologated brevets (non-PBP 1200+km brevets).  Finishing any non-PBP 1200 brevet will get you an LRM medal, it is included in the entry fee.
·   International Super Randonneur = complete each brevet of a Super Randonneur series in a different country, no time limit.  Any rider can claim the ISR, a sew-on cloth badge.  Longer rides can be substituted for shorter, completing rides on different continents is recognised and backdated claims are allowed.  There is no 'exclusion requirement' i.e. not using the same rides for other awards.  Three Australians have collected four of the 55 or so ISRs awarded since 1989.  Administered by AUK for LRM, award details can be found at International Super Randonneur

Audax Club Parisien issues:
·   Medals for the standard 200, 300, 400, 600 and 1000 km brevets
·   Medal for the Super Randonneur = 200, 300, 400 and 600 in one year
·   Medal for the Brevet de Randonneur 5000 = PBP, a 1000 km, SR, Fleche Opperman or equivalent (worth 360 km) plus enough 200+ km brevets to exceed 5000 km within any four year period.

The ACP does not specify that the qualifying rides must be used exclusively for their awards and they automatically give a SR medal to every PBP starter.  Photos of ACP medals can be found at RUSA: Medal Gallery These medals are available for all ACP-recognised brevets worldwide, the design changing after every PBP.  Most countries only use the ACP medals and awards.  Some exceptions are Australia, Canada and the United Kingdom, issuing their own medals and/or badges but also able to provide ACP medals if requested.

Audax UK offer medals and/or badges for individual brevets from 50 to 1400 km, including calendar and permanent events in Britain and overseas.  AUK has a wide range of cumulative awards with associated medals and/or badges, most can be seen at AUK medals. Many of these awards are available worldwide, although AUK membership is expected.  AUK does not specify that their rides must be used exclusively for these awards.
Brevet Series of annual or multi-year awards:
·   Brevet 500 or B500 = 5 x 100 or 150 = 500 in one year.
·   B1000 = 5 x 200 in one year or 10 x 100 or 150, no time limit.
·   B2000 = 10 x 200 or 20 x 100 or 150, no time limit.
·   B3000 = 3000 km of 100, 150 and 200 combined, no time limit.
·   B4000 = 20 x 200, no time limit.
·   B5000 = 5000 km including 1200(+) km, 200, 300, 400, 600 and 1000 km, a 24 hour team Arrow of 360 km or more, plus other 200(+) within four years.
·   B25000 = 25,000 km  including PBP or London-Edinburgh-London, another 1300+ km brevet, a 1000 km, Arrow to York (Fleche Opperman equivalent), three SR plus sufficient 200+ km brevets to total 25,000 km within six years.
There are no restrictions regarding, for example, claiming a B1000 and a B2000 with different rides and combining them to claim a B3000 all in the same year or claiming a B2000 one year and adding more rides to it for a B4000 the next year.

There are some restrictions on the AUK's Randonneur Series of annual awards:
·   Randonneur 500 or R500 = 50 + 100 + 150 + 200 = 500 km in one year.
·   R1000 = 100 + 200 + 300 + 400 km of other brevets = 1000 km in one year
·   SR = 200 + 300 + 400 + 600 = 1500 km in one year.
·   SR2000 = 200 + 300 + 400 + 500 + 600 = 2000 km in one year.
·   R5000 = 5,000 km of 200+ brevets in one year.
·   R10000 = 10,000 km of 200+ brevets in one year
Riders can only claim the highest level they have attained that year (e.g. a SR rider cannot also claim a R500, with the same rides or with different rides), except that a R5000 or R10000 can also claim their SR and SR2000, if they qualify.
·   The Ultra Randonneur badge requires completing 10 years of SRs, not necessarily consecutively.  Multiple SRs in a year do not count.
·   The Audax Altitude Award is for accumulating 20 AAA points (originally 12) in AUK calendar or permanent events.  AAA points are based on accumulated altitude for the various distances, no time limit.  There are bronze, silver and gold Grimpeur medals for individual events and the cumulative AAA medal and badge.  There are also AAA Triple (completing 3 AAA) and AAA 3x3 (completing 9 AAA) badges for overachieving mountain goats.  See Audax Altitude Award for more information.  Associated awards are the AAA SR (all SR brevets are AAA rated) and the AAA Round The Year (completing AAA brevets for 12 consecutive months).

AUK acts as an intermediary for those members wanting the ACP Randonneur 5000 and occasionally Super Randonneur medals but does not require any rides to be exclusively claimed towards them.

There are other AUK awards that are not directly administered by AUK.  None require exclusivity of qualifying rides but AUK membership is expected (some organisers absolutely require AUK membership).
·   Randonneur Round the Year is run by Peak Audax, a group based around the Peak District.  The RRtY requires a 200 km or longer brevet for each of 12 consecutive months, whether calendar or permanent, AUK or ACP-homologated, in Britain or overseas.  There is a RRtY badge, another for doing 5 x RRtY (achieved concurrently, consecutively or intermittently) and the Ultra RRTY (10 x RRtY).  More details at Peak Audax Randonnees Round the Year
·   The Fixed Wheel Challenge requires completing 2500 km of 100 km or longer brevets on fixed wheel (no time limit) to get a badge.  An associated award is the Super Fixed Wheeler - completing a SR on fixed wheel.  See Audax UK FWC for details.
·   The Mileater awards involve completing a brevet card (a week to a page) with weekly distance totals (not just Audax rides).  There are trophies for the man and woman with the greatest distance, badges for accumulating 30,000, 60,000 and 90,000 Mileater miles and every entrant gets the Mileater medal annually.
·   The Brevet des Grimpeurs du Sud medal is for completing at least 5 AAA-rated calendar events in South-east England in a year.  Details at Grimpeurs du Sud .

There are some regional Super Randonneur awards:
·   SR Cymru medal for completing a SR in Wales.
·   SR Ecosse for a SR in Scotland.
·   SWAUK SR, based in the South-west of England (Devon and Cornwall).
Some organisers recognise riders completing their SR series (e.g. Invicta, Wessex, Denmead, West Yorkshire, Northumbria, Willesden, Peak Audax, Droitwich) and some issue unique medals or badges for individual events.

Randonneurs USA uses the ACP medals for individual brevets and the ACP's Super Randonneur and Randonneur 5000 medals but also has a range of cumulative awards for their members.  RUSA does not specify that rides must be exclusively used for any award but only RUSA events qualify.  The appropriate annual RUSA  brevet distance totals qualifies RUSA members for R1000, R2000, R3000, R4000 and R5000 medals.  Other awards are:
·   Ultra-Randonneur = 10 x SR, multiple SRs in a year qualify, permanents do not.
·   R-12 = similar to the Randonneur Round the Year.
·   P-12 = similar to the R-12 but for sub-200 km brevets.
·   American Randonneur Challenge = at least 2 x RUSA 1200s in a year.
·   Coast to Coast 1200 = completing 4 different RUSA 1200s, no time limit.
·   Mondial Award for completing 40,000 km of RUSA brevets, no time limit (inspired by the BC Randonneurs award).
La Societe Charly Millar recognises all Americans to have completed PBP faster than Millar (56h 40m in 1901 for 5th place).
More details at RUSA: Awards

The various Canadian groups are almost completely autonomous.  Randonneurs British Columbia mostly use their own medals/pins for their brevets BC Pin Archive The other groups (Alberta Randonneurs, Club Velo Randonneurs du Montreal, Manitoba Randonneurs, Prairie Randonneurs, Randonneurs Nova Scotia and Randonneurs Ontario) use the ACP medals.  The main cumulative awards for all groups are the ACP's Super Randonneur and Randonneur 5000 medals but Randonneurs BC also have the:
·   Ken Hathaway Trophy (aka Ironbutt) annual cumulative distance competition.
·   40,000 km Life-time Event Distance (roughly Earth's equatorial circumference) award.
·   100,000 km Life-time Event Distance award.
Randonneurs BC participates in (and usually wins) the cumulative distance Canadian Kilometre Achievement Program (C-KAP).
Randonneurs Ontario have the:
·   Best Fleche Team, awarded for the longest distance in that year's team brevet.
·   Long Distance Award for the most cumulative annual brevet distance.
Other Randonneurs Ontario awards can be found at Randonneurs Ontario: Awards Criteria

Audax Australia offers badges for completing sub-200 brevets and medals for 200+ brevets held in Australia and currently in New Zealand.  There is a range of cumulative awards for members, Audax Australia allowing each ride to count for both a single annual award and a single multi-year award.  Audax Australia previously specified that all rides could only be used for a single award.  The YRR does not affect eligibility for other awards.
·   Dirt Series = 35, 70 and 100 Dirt brevets in a year.
·   Nouveau Randonneur = 50 + 100 + 150 in a year, can only be claimed once.
·   Percy Armstrong 500 = 50 + 100 + 150 + 200 in a year.
·   Super Randonneur = 200 + 300 + 400 + 600 in a year.  Do each brevet in a different Australian State and receive the Australian Interstate Randonneur award.
·   Sarah Maddock = 5 x 100 in a year.
·   Irene Plowman 1000 = 5 x 200 in a year.
·   Joseph Pearson 2000 = 2000 km of 100 and 200, no time limit.
·   Arthur Richardson 3000 = 3000 km of 300, 400 and 600, no time limit.
·   Frank White 5000 = 5000 km including a SR, within four years.
·   Woodrup 5000 trophy = similar to the ACP's Randonneur 5000 but specifying a non-PBP 1200.
·   Year Round Randonneur = complete a 200+ brevet for consecutive months from November to October.

Audax Australia acts as an intermediary for members wanting the ACP individual brevet, Super Randonneur and Randonneur 5000 medals.

Audax Randonneurs South Africa (Aurasan) issue their own medals for individual brevets.  In 2006, riders completing 6 events in a year got a plaque to mount their medals on.  A trophy was available for riders completing 9 of the 12 calendared events.

Most randonneuring countries exclusively use the ACP's individual brevet, Super Randonneur and Randonneur 5000 medals.

The US-based UltraMarathon Cycling Association is primarily interested in long-distance races and records (their premier event is RAAM) but offers their members some participation awards in the Year-Rounder Challenge, with various divisions including both organised events and personal rides 90 miles or longer.
·   Larry Schwartz award = complete a Year-Rounder Challenge ride each month of a calendar year.
·   Gold medal = accumulate 3000 miles in the combined division.
·   Platinum medal = accumulate 5000 miles in the combined division.
·   Who's Who = top 5 Platinum riders in each division
More details at Ultracycling:  UMCA Year-Rounder Challenge

The original form of Audax, occasionally known as Euraudax or more commonly Audax 22.5, is ratified by the UAF in France.  It involves entrants riding together as a group under the direction of a 'road captain' with scheduled stops.  They offer a range of individual brevet medals for cycling 100, 200, 300, 400, 600 and 1000 km distances and for their own PBP (mostly at 22.5 kph riding average, plus scheduled stops).  There are also cumulative awards:
·   Aigle d'argent = 'Silver Eagle' for completing 200 + 300 + 400 + 600 + 1000 brevets (no time limit).
·   Aigle d'or = 'Gold Eagle' for completing 200 + 300 + 400 + 600 + 2 x 1000 (or longer) + PBP Audax brevets, no time limit.
Audax includes other non-competitive endurance events besides cycling, namely:
·   kayaking (20, 40, 60 and 80 km brevets)
·   skiing (25, 35, 50 and 70 km)
·   swimming (1, 2, 3, 4 and 6 km)
·   walking (25, 50 75, 100, 125, 150 and 200 km ).
These activities have their own cumulative awards and there are awards combining various disciplines:
·   Audax Complet = 200 km cycle + 6 km swim + 100 km walk + 80 km kayak
·   Super Audax Complet = 200, 300, 400, 600, 1000 km cycle + PBP Audax + 100, 125 and 150 km walks + 6 km swim + 80 km kayak
·   Le Challenge Raphael Boutin is an annual distance competition combining the various Audax activities

More details can be found at Union des Audax Français and Plaquette 1976

Other countries running Audax 22.5 brevets include Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands and Sweden.

Audax Australia's Audax 22.5 brevets (UAF medals may be available) qualify for the UAF's cumulative awards and, of course, these brevets qualify for Audax Australia's existing awards.  Interestingly, the Randonneur and Audax PBPs will both be held in 2011.  Each PBP will require their own qualifying rides.

Hopefully a few of these awards have caught your eye.  Many a grizzled veteran or Audax newbie has found the prospect of a shiny medal to be a great excuse to ride more brevets.  Perhaps you too have found a new target to aim at.
Wheel meet again, don't know where, don't know when...

Re: Awards Around the World
« Reply #1 on: 22 April, 2008, 09:37:11 am »
Thank-you to our unofficial world historian of randonneur cycling.





We need a page on Randonneurs' jokes. There's one about fetching milk during PBP, as I recall.  ;)

Re: Awards Around the World
« Reply #2 on: 19 May, 2017, 11:27:56 am »
When does ACP's season start & finish ? 

During which 12 month period does one have to ride the full series of ACP brevets (200, 300, 400, 600 and 1000km) under ACP rules ? 

Re: Awards Around the World
« Reply #3 on: 19 May, 2017, 12:04:39 pm »
As you come across mistakes (there are always mistakes) , just let me know.
==========
...

There are other AUK awards that are not directly administered by AUK. 
·   Randonneur Round the Year is run by Peak Audax, a group based around the Peak District.  The RRtY requires a 200 km or longer brevet for each of 12 consecutive months, whether calendar or permanent, AUK or ACP-homologated, in Britain or overseas.  There is a RRtY badge, another for doing 5 x RRtY (achieved concurrently, consecutively or intermittently) and the Ultra RRTY (10 x RRtY).  More details at Peak Audax Randonnees Round the Year

No longer administered by Peak Audax.   It's been brought formally into the AUK fold.
And link should probably be: http://www.aukweb.net/results/other/rrtyfaqs/

LittleWheelsandBig

  • Whimsy Rider
Re: Awards Around the World
« Reply #4 on: 19 May, 2017, 12:07:26 pm »
ACP's season, in common with almost everybody else round the world, runs 01 November to 31 October. AUK's season is a month earlier.

I'll get round to tweaking the OP, probably next weekend. It hasn't held up too badly for being written around a decade ago with infrequent updates.
Wheel meet again, don't know where, don't know when...

Re: Awards Around the World
« Reply #5 on: 19 May, 2017, 12:28:27 pm »
ACP's season, in common with almost everybody else round the world, runs 01 November to 31 October. AUK's season is a month earlier.

That's good to know - thanks !

Wycombewheeler

  • PBP-2019 LEL-2022
Re: Awards Around the World
« Reply #6 on: 19 May, 2017, 05:07:23 pm »
so when you want to qualify for PBP doing the 200km of your SR in October is not valid.

Missing from the list of international awards is the can-am medal for anyone who does a 1200 in Canada and a 1200 in USA in the same year.

Eddington  127miles, 170km

LittleWheelsandBig

  • Whimsy Rider
Re: Awards Around the World
« Reply #7 on: 19 May, 2017, 05:27:36 pm »
Correct on the second point.

PBP qualifiers are over a more restricted period, usually Jan to June in the UK. That isn't really part of this article though.
Wheel meet again, don't know where, don't know when...