Just a few random thoughts - my impression is that the guys doing the work on this project are doing a great job of finessing the new system to fit in with conventional AUK thinking/procedures and not causing friction with anyone who might see "the GPS thing " as somehow disadvantaging the non-GPS user. (I don't think it does myself, but I suspect there are a few who might do so.)
As has been said elsewhere before, if we had started with a clean sheet of paper we'd likely have designed this procedure a bit differently. As Chris says (or implies) why not just compose a route on your desktop, either as a .gpx file or an Autoroute file, without nominating specific locations as "Controls", and send it in for pre-approval with your Entry Form and then go ride it. One possible consequence could be that on the day you actually go a slightly different route, either by accident or by design. So what, you say, so long as you've ridden the requisite distance, what's the problem? Well, this is only one simple step away from saying "I'm just going for a ride; if it amounts to [200]km I'll send in the trackfile and get it validated." There would be no point in pre-submitting a specifed route if there's no requirement to stick to it for validation purposes.
OK you say, why not have it totally "free"? The response to this is that, compared with conventional paper based Calendar and Permanent rides, you are (in the eyes of many people) diluting the degree of difficulty and therefore the challenge, of setting out to do a particular ride and establishing a wider gulf between the respective "philosophies" of the traditional and digital approaches. It's a matter of separate debate as to whether this is important or not.
For me, at the moment, they've got it about right. It's not a problem to pick out a sufficient number of specific locations on my planned route to act as "controls" - I'd be doing that almost as part of my planning process when getting the minimum distance right.
My own "grumble" is that I still don't see why we have to nominate a precise day/date of the ride - I like to send in an undated Entry Form and just ride it when the mood (and weather) suits me. OK you say, it's a matter of moments to send an e-mail ten minutes before you start, giving the date, but how and why does that change anything material? I don't see why it should be an issue for insurance purposes; I think it's just a hangover from "the paper world". But it's a rather trivial point I admit and not one I'd fuss about.
Another observation concerns the new guide on the AUK site - pedantic points - the webpage and the .pdf file are very similar and serve the same function; I'd like to see them identical. One talks of an Entry Form, t'other "an application form" and someone coming fresh to the subject might well ask "where do I get the "application form" from? On the .pdf there is no link to it as there is on the webpage.
Also, my experience has been that it's very easy to get your intended route pre-approved if you simply email your Autoroute file in with or in advance of your Entry Form. I'd suggest the guides could add this as an option for those people who have Autoroute.
But hey, this is great progress and I'll repeat my gratitude to those who have worked very hard to make it happen.