With the ECE thing, are you committed to the whole distance, including the calendar event....can you decide to drop the ECE on the day and still claim points for just the Calendar ?
yes you can; I have no control over which riders an organiser chooses to validate, he / she doesn't even need to know about the ECE.
There are two situations with regards to ECEs. One I (personally) think is completely legitimate and one that isn't (although many may disagree).
Let's say I entered a 100km ride and wanted to ECE it up to 200km by riding 50km to the start of the event, and then 50km home from the event.
If I wake up that morning and think "you know what, ICBA to ride 50km to this event so I'm going to get the train and just ride the 100km calendar event".
That's fine in my book. What I've done is effectively DNF the ECE part of the ride and reset my commitment (down to just riding the 100km calendar ride). More importantly I've done this
before I've started what I am eventually going to claim, and at that point I wasn't currently 'riding' an event as I'd DNF'd the ECE part already. Likewise if I'd actually started the 50km ECE bit; if I give up part way through the first ECE leg then I can DNF that ride and reset my commitment again (to ride the calendar event only) before starting again (at the start of the calendar event).
What I don't personally agree with is (for example) riding the 50km ECE to the start, riding the 100km calendar event, but then not completing the 50km ECE home but still claiming the 100km calender event. To me this isn't completing what I had set out to do before starting the ride. If it were me I'd consider contacting the calendar event organiser and asking them not to validate my calendar ride[1][2].
It's impossible for Martin (as ECE organiser) to differentiate between the two situations, in neither case is ECE evidence submitted, so it must be down to the individual rider to do what they think is right.
Another similar situation that is unclear but doable:-
* ECE 100 + Calendar + ECE 100
* ECE 100 to start completed
* Calendar ride DNF - say cut short after a few km for some reason but then
* ECE 100 back home completed
* 2 points? (personally I wouldn't be submitting my ECE claim if this happened)
1. Although, thinking back to days before ECE when it was done through the DIY system I have done exactly this. I entered a DIY 200 to ride a 100km calendar event and then cycle 100km home. I wasn't feeling well at the end of the calendar 100 event so I bailed on the idea of riding home and got the train instead and the calendar 100 event brevet card was still submitted (and it counted for FWC points). I'd hope that if it happened again today I would stick with my principles and request non-validation.
2. If the organiser doesn't want to lose the fact that a rider did complete their ride they could submit the ride under a different name (without my AUK number). John Random Nonmember would get yet another x points.