Shortest distance between controls and info controls.

[AndyH]

If people are making rides easier and then claiming they did the a longer/tougher route then that's for them to live with, I couldn't care less. (Actually that's not true, I did keep meeting someone on the Wuze400, at controls, who somehow kept arriving before me, despite me leaving them behind each time.  Their claims of "Phew that was a hilly stage" did start to annoy me but the ride was ultimately about whether I could do it, not them).

</bovvered>

You've contradicted yourself there surely Lee. On that occasion you only found it annoying, but what would be the point of belonging to an organisation whose raison d'etre is to encourage, validate & award long distance cycling if it didn't do just that? You may as well just go out and do long rides. Back to the what defines an Audax debate.

The track logging idea, whilst it may be a few years away from practical reality it is a great idea IMO. It would allow routes like the Faccombe Haul to be resurected amongst other things.

[Hot Flatus]

You can still really enjoy Audax rides for everything they offer without being concerned about validation and points etc.  The random company, the planned company, banter at cOntrols, shared hardship and shared wonderment and so on are all more valuable to me than anything else. In all honesty, the only reason I bother with the cards is because it is quite nice to have an online record that I can look back on, and some organisers get a bit sniffy if you don't take the brevet card thing seriously.

[Martin]

You can still really enjoy Audax rides for everything they offer without being concerned about validation and points etc.  In all honesty, the only reason I bother with the cards is because it is quite nice to have an online record that I can look back on, and some organisers get a bit sniffy if you don't take the brevet card thing seriously.

I for one think it's important; for a start AUK gets a few extra pence per rider and also when anyone is pondering an event they can look at previous years' results to work out the likely number of riders

[AndyH]

I don't disagree Ural, but given that they are validated it should be done properly. Otherwise it's pointless. Pun intended.

[mattc]

You can still really enjoy Audax rides for everything they offer without being concerned about validation and points etc.  In all honesty, the only reason I bother with the cards is because it is quite nice to have an online record that I can look back on, and some organisers get a bit sniffy if you don't take the brevet card thing seriously.

I for one think it's important; for a start AUK gets a few extra pence per rider and also when anyone is pondering an event they can look at previous years' results to work out the likely number of riders

That's because the system is broken. We've discussed this elsewhere.

I don't think that riders should feel compelled to do a validated ride if it will (in whatever way) spoil their day. If they simply can't arsed to fill in the Infos, that's a bit borderline, but if they fancy a short-cut (because 15kph over the specific terrain is beyond them) I find it hard to condemn them.

[phil d]

I don't get sniffy if people don't want to have their card/ride validated.  But on Upper Thames last time there was one chap who finished, did not hand the card in (because he wasn't bothered about getting a validated brevet) but didn't tell me.  He wasn't previously known to me, and I hadn't realised he'd been and gone at the arrivee.

So at the end of the evening I thought there was still someone out there.  While that's not technically my responsibility, like most organisers I do like to know that everyone's OK.  Luckily he'd phoned his wife to say he'd finished, so when I spoke to her she was able to tell me he was not still riding, or otherwise unaccounted for.

Now that rider had done nothing wrong.  I like to think that if he had packed he would have told me (all those that did, did).  But handing in his card would have saved me some anxiety.

So not disagreeing with Ural's post, but .....

[Hot Flatus]

I think that is a lack of awareness on the part of the rider. I am aware, and I would always report in, brevet card or no brevet card. I've never shortcutted a route, but I have arrived at a finish with no infos filled in, purely because I've ridden past them unawares, following a gps.  I've been more than happy to say 'don't worry about validating, I haven't filled the infos' as I haven't wanted to place an organiser in an invidious position, or a moral quandary. Despite this the organisers have always insisted on filling in the gaps.

[Hummers]

Blimey.

 

I'd forgotten about this thread.

 

When I saw the title, I looked at it and thought "Oh no, not another thread whinging on about the rules by someone who obviously has too much time on their hands".

 

Then I realised I started it.

 

^{In my defence, it was December.}

So, over two years later, how have things changed down in my corner of the Sceptred Isle?

From my perspective, the rules do not seem to have prevented new events from being held local to me and in some cases, events that were scrapped have made way for more interesting routes, sometimes from the same organiser.

Still no sign of the return of the Faccombe Haul though (although this might be for different reasons unrelated to route ruling).

H