After the ride

One of the most important elements of randonneuring is insuring that every rider has ridden the prescribed route within the required time. It is your responsibility as a rider to provide the appropriate documentation to me in a timely manner. I will submit results no later than Friday after the weekend the brevet is held and I can only submit them once as a batch so if I’ve not received yours I will assume you do not want ride credit and will mark you as Did Not Finish (DNF).

Details below on the currently acceptable forms of proof of passage. Although you are encouraged to read all of it, you should make especially sure that you read and understand the form that you intend to use.

Electronic Proof of Passage (EPP)

There are two methods for documenting your ride electronically:

    1. Time Stamped photos
      • To use this method, use a smartphone or digital camera to take a time stamped photo of yourself at each control.
        • There are free applications for taking time stamped photos with a smart phone available for both Apple and Android phones. It is strongly suggested you practice beforehand with whatever application you’re going to use before the ride!
        • Don’t forget to take one at the start and finish controls. I use this to calculate your ride time.
      • Upload your photos to a file sharing service (Dropbox, Apple photos, Google photos, etc)
      • Send me a link to your photos
        • Make sure that link allows me to view the photos!
    2. A GPX track (preferred)
      • Record your ride via a GPS device.
      • Upload the ride to Strava, Ridewithgps or Garmin Connect
      • Send me a link to the ride
        • Make sure that link allows me to view the ride!
    3. Brevet card
      • This is the time honored and traditional method for proof of passage. There are entries on the card for each control including info or photo controls. The procedure is as follows:
        • At a manned control (volunteer, convenience store, etc), ask someone to initial your card and record the time.
        • At an info control, there will be a question on your brevet card that you can only answer if you at the correct location. It’s not a scavenger hunt and they aren’t trick questions so it should be obvious what the answer is.
        • At a photo control, you will be directed to take a photo of a nearby landmark.
        • Info controls are untimed however it’s a good idea to note the time on your brevet card.
      • When you’ve finished the ride I’ll either collect your card or there will be an envelope at the desk of the host hotel where you can leave it. Make sure you sign your brevet card! This is you certifying that you completed the ride according to the rules.

Frequently asked questions

    • Do I have to do both EPP and take photos?
      • No, you can do either. Having said that, doing both gives you some degree of insurance against having a GPS failure or some other technical difficulty.
    • If I’m doing EPP, do I have to do the photo controls?
      • No, the GPX track is sufficient. Having said that, see the previous bullet point. A backup is always a good idea.
    • I don’t have a GPS or smart phone. Can I still ride brevets?
      • Of course. A regular digital camera has the ability to timestamp photos or if you prefer you can use a brevet card as noted above.