New BRM award from Audax Club Parisien

[Andrew]

I mentioned it upstream but I think the requirement for a Fleche Velocio will also require some planning for the UK rider.

http://www.audax-club-parisien.com/EN/index.php?showpage=351

Off the top of my head, I doubt I know 2 other French based riders interested! It's beyond the scope of everyone in my club. I'd have to ask on the French forum.

Following on from Ian's comments above,  I'm not now sure I'd set myself the (sole) target of this award. It seemed enticing when I thought it might come as a more-or-less natural consequence of (or fall out of) the riding I'd planned to do but I wouldn't go compromising my preferred options to make them meet the requirements of the award.

[LittleWheelsandBig]

The Easter Arrow is an ACP-homologated alternative to the Fleche Velocio.

[Andrew]

Thanks for the info, I'd assumed there was an AUK 'fleche nationale' but I must admit that I didn't know what it was!

[AndyH]

In the process of re-planning the rest of my season, working out how to get a BRM SR in. Looking at the calendar there are only 2 BRM 200s left, & 19 BRMs in total! It'll have to be Valley of the Rocks revisited for me. Plus Denmead 300 (which will require a begging email as I'm already late entering), Brevet Cymru, BCM & Mille Alba.

I've got a Welsh route drafted with just under 11,000m by a rough contour count, which I'd given thought to registering

Given it any more thought, Mr Dulates?

I hope it's a pretty badge.

[LittleWheelsandBig]

HK and I are aiming at a BRM SR + Aussie 1000 this year. See you at Denmead?

[AndyH]

Hopefully.

[L CC]

From down south it really is easy as to get to the French/Low Countries BRMs.

I'm looking at this for my 1000, as the Mille Alba is feeling very unlikely at the moment.

[Plodder]

Plus Denmead 300 (which will require a begging email as I'm already late entering)

Don't worry, Pam understands late! 

PS Must get my entry in...

[Ivo]

From down south it really is easy as to get to the French/Low Countries BRMs.

BRM 200's are available in the Low Countries during most weekends between early march and early october.

[CrazyEnglishTriathlete]

Can you substitute longer rides for shorter as in an SR series.  If so the Cambrian 10A has 18000m of climbing over 1000km so would have least one continuous section of 600km with 10000m ascent

[Ian H]

Depends whether you need BRM.

[LittleWheelsandBig]

I think it likely that virtually all brevets except the Super Randonnee have to be BRM. The Super Randonnee has to be registered with the ACP.

[AndyH]

Getting a British ride registered as a super randonnee would be excellent.

[LittleWheelsandBig]

Not necessarily, cycling in France and particularly in the Alps is a lot of fun. The style of riding is quite different too, easier navigation and much longer but less steep climbs and descents than in this part of the world.

[AndyH]

OK, It would be excellent for those of us whose other halves aren't long distance cyclists and for whom getting to the Alps or the Pyrenees presents a brownie point problem. 

[LittleWheelsandBig]

I suppose we should think about the less fortunate ones...

 

It is only two overseas rides (including PBP) in the several years allowed to achieve the award though. Is it really that difficult to get a pass out?

[mattc]

In a world where rides over 100 miles are considered too time-consuming, it's fair to say that a trip to the Alps is quite an undertaking for many ( in cost, too) just to meet the abritrary requirements for an arbitrary award.

[LittleWheelsandBig]

There is an easy answer to that, of course.

The award itself is arbitrary, so arbitrary rules are appropriate. Ride whatever sort of rides you like and then award yourself whatever you want. Why does it matter whether the ACP knows what you've done?

[AndyH]

Is it really that difficult to get a pass out?

No, it's easy.

The trouble is I want 20 pass outs all for rides that bugger up a whole weekend or more, and going abroad to do a 50 hour 600 would take the best part of a week. However, I would like to go and do one of these in France so maybe I will sometime.

That doesn't change my original point that it would be excellent to have a Super Randonnee here in the UK. Maybe some of our cycling cousins from around the world would want to come here to do one!

[LittleWheelsandBig]

Go ahead, get a Super Randonnee listed in the UK. It isn't the same thing as doing one in the Alps. Not better, not worse, just different.

Arbitrary requirements of this award include needing BRMs, of which there are few in the UK. BRs are comparable but don't count for an ACP award. Is this unfair or just the nature of things?

[Ian H]

Go ahead, get a Super Randonnee listed in the UK.

I've been wondering about this. Trouble is, it's one thing having controls either side of an Alp; quite another trying to route people over the hilliest bits of the UK without there being an easier way round - especially with an extra ten hours to kill.

[LittleWheelsandBig]

Absolutely, though GPS tracks and accepting a rider's honesty are both possibilities.

[Ian H]

Yup. The other question is whether you'd end up with a tortuous route that zigged and zagged just for hills, without actually going anywhere. My gut feeling is that it might be better left to areas with proper hills. However...

[LittleWheelsandBig]

I think you'd need to create a rubbish route stuffed full of gratuitous hills just to reach an arbitrary climbing total. No doubt a lot of those hills would involve dodgy descents in the dark.

[simonp]

From down south it really is easy as to get to the French/Low Countries BRMs.

I'm looking at this for my 1000, as the Mille Alba is feeling very unlikely at the moment.

It looks interesting and not very hilly, but I'm put off by countries with mandatory cycle helmet legislation. I have until 2016 to bag another 1000 anyway, if we take the 6-year period starting with the Mille Cymru.