# sorry but what does 'BP' mean



## bonj2 (28 Jan 2009)

asin if an audax is described as 'a BP'.
doesn't seem to give any clues on the aukweb.net site.


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## dudi (28 Jan 2009)

Apparently it means "Brevet Populaire"

I think that translates as "promoting popularity"... so presume it means that it's and 'open' event, for the real amateurs to get people involved in the sport...


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## Rhythm Thief (28 Jan 2009)

BP (Brevet Poplaire, as Dudi says) usually means an event is 150km or under. I think. I don't think they count towards your Randonneur "badge", for which all the rides must be 200km or over. Doubtless someone who did an Audax event more recently than nine years ago will be along soon to explain better.


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## yello (28 Jan 2009)

Brevet populaire and, yes, they are the shorter distances and often more relaxed time limits.

It's a category of audax rather than a distance per se but as the category is only shorter rides, it's a bit of a moot point! But, to be honest, I didn't bother with what class of ride an audax was - if it was local and/or I fancied it then I rode it. 

Audax has its categories and awards, etc etc, and some take it quite seriously - and fair enough. Not my scene personally, I didn't even bother hanging on to my brevet cards etc once the ride was done. I was most perplexed (and chuffed, tbh!) to receive a medal one year, still not quite sure why but I suspect it was something to do with miles in a particular category.


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## bonj2 (28 Jan 2009)

ok so what do you have to do to get a badge?


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## Rhythm Thief (28 Jan 2009)

Lots of events, basically. I know to do the Paris - Brest - Paris you have to qualify as a Super Randonneur, and to be one of those you have to do 200, 300, 400 and 600Km events in one season. Again, I may be wrong about this ... I barely know one end of a bike from the other these days.


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## Landslide (28 Jan 2009)

Finish the ride, and pay a little extra at the end to get a badge. It'll be sent to you after the event along with your brevet card. Or as in my case, the thieving bastard posty will think it's a pound coin and rip a hole in the envelope.


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## bonj2 (28 Jan 2009)

ok i found the awards page... it keeps talking about 'seasons' - what defines thesE?


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## Greenbank (28 Jan 2009)

_Ben_ said:


> ok i found the awards page... it keeps talking about 'seasons' - what defines thesE?



A season is 1st Nov to 31st October.

The first awards you might want to aim for are the Brevet 500 (5 * 100km or 150km Audaxes in a season).

Or, if you're happy doing 200km rides then the Brevet 1000 (which can be got with either 10 * 100km or 5 * 200km Audaxes in one season).

The Brevet series of awards tend to push you to do more of the same events as they are sort of cumulative distance awards.

Or the Randonneur Series which will push you to do longer and longer events. The Randonneur 500 is a 50km, 100km, 150km and then a 200km Audax in one season.

The Randonneur 1000 pushes you a bit further and requires a 300km Audax.

The Super Randonneur award requires a 200, 300, 400 and 600km Audax in one season. About 300 people a year do this.

Remember, the awards are there to encourage you to do more or go further, they aren't a requirement and no-one will look at you snootily if you only decide to only ever do 100km audaxes (although if you do 4 or 5 I bet you'll consider doing a 150km Audax).


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## bonj2 (28 Jan 2009)

so do you always get somewhere to sleep on 400 and 600s? i.e. is the finish time the next day from the start time...
oh and do you have to be a member of auk to get the awards


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## bonj2 (28 Jan 2009)

Greenbank said:


> Remember, the awards are there to encourage you to do more or go further, they aren't a requirement and no-one will look at you snootily if you only decide to only ever do 100km audaxes (although if you do 4 or 5 I bet you'll consider doing a 150km Audax).


i've already entered 5!  
in feb and march...so if i do those i'll have the 500 badge already...


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## Greenbank (28 Jan 2009)

_Ben_ said:


> so do you always get somewhere to sleep on 400 and 600s? i.e. is the finish time the next day from the start time...



Depends on the ride.

Some long rides provide nothing (usually the "barebones" events shown by an X on the calendar entry), and it's up to you what to do. The Border Raid 600 is like this but there's usually a recommendation or a cunning plan. I never got as far as Johnstonbridge (380km or so in) on the Border Raid but most people get a few hours sleep in the Travelodge there before starting out again.

Some rides return to the start location at about 400km so you can catch a few hours kip either on not much more than a wooden floor or what you brought with you to sleep on. It's surprisingly easy to sleep on a cold hard floor when you've been cycling for 20 hours.

One ride (the Bryan Chapman Memorial 600) has control at 400km in a Youth Hostel so there's the option of beds (as long as they aren't all gone) and showers/etc.

On the Severn Across 400 the control at 300km is at Membury Services and I had a lovely 45 minute rest (but only 10 minutes sleep) on the carpet of the cafe upstairs. You'd be surprised how accomodating the 24hour places are when they aren't busy. As long as you buy something from them they don't really care what you do.



> oh and do you have to be a member of auk to get the awards


Yes.

If you do a couple of rides before joining you can ask for the ones ridden as a non-member to be attributed to you, but it's best to join and let the organisers (of any rides you've already entered) know your membership nos as soon as you get it.


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## Randochap (28 Jan 2009)

We properly call them randonnees here, but our brevets (which translates as "certificate") are sanctioned under Audax Club Parisien, like all official events.

A "populaire" is an introductory event (shorter than the official starting category of 200 kilometres, which begins a "basic series.") Completing a basic series (200,300,400,600) in a season, leads to a Super Randonneur medal from ACP.

Medals are awarded for individual events, either from ACP, or clubs can award their own, as does my club, BC Randonneurs, which was a founding member in 1983, of Randonneur Mondiaux, an umbrella group for randonneur clubs and organizations worldwide.As you know, AUK is the main organizing body in UK.

Our first populaire of the year, on March 29, is in the capital of BC -- the Victoria Populaire. It has 50 and 100 km options.

Find out more about the sport here.


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## bonj2 (28 Jan 2009)

ACP, that reminds me - onthe AUK membership form it has a question:
"ACP choice: AUK, Club, or CTC"
I'm not in any cycling club but am a CTC member, so what should I put here?

and there's also a question "CTC: <text box>" - in the text box should i just put my CTC membership number?


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## Greenbank (28 Jan 2009)

_Ben_ said:


> ACP, that reminds me - onthe AUK membership form it has a question:
> "ACP choice: AUK, Club, or CTC"
> I'm not in any cycling club but am a CTC member, so what should I put here?
> 
> and there's also a question "CTC: <text box>" - in the text box should i just put my CTC membership number?



Answering in reverse order:-

For the "CTC:" question, put in the name of your local District Association. For me (in SW15) this is "SW London DA". If you don't know it don't worry about it.

AUK don't need to know if you're a member of CTC or not, but they keep track of points per CTC DA for fun.

The "ACP choice" question is even more bizarre, it's asking whether you want any ACP accredited rides (so only BRM events, not BP or BR events) to be attributed towards your local cycling club (again, there's no requirement for you to be a member of any specific cycling club), CTC DA or default to AUK.

I had no idea what these two boxes meant when I applied so I just left them blank. Once you join you can change them (except within the final 3 months of the season or so) online.


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## postman (29 Jan 2009)

Landslide said:


> Finish the ride, and pay a little extra at the end to get a badge. It'll be sent to you after the event along with your brevet card. Or as in my case, the thieving bastard posty will think it's a pound coin and rip a hole in the envelope.



Not a good idea to put objects in envelopes.A coin or badge should have gone into a jiffy bag.Your post could have damaged very valuable sorting machinery.


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## vernon (1 Feb 2009)

_Ben_ said:


> i've already entered 5!
> in feb and march...so if i do those i'll have the 500 badge already...



I've already ridden six - four of them in January got the badge


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## vernon (1 Feb 2009)

Landslide said:


> Finish the ride, and pay a little extra at the end to get a badge. It'll be sent to you after the event along with your brevet card. Or as in my case, the thieving bastard posty will think it's a pound coin and rip a hole in the envelope.



I doubt the confusion. The medal is a lot bigger than a pound coin. The medal might have been squeezed out of the envelope by the mechanical sorting machinery. A more robut envelope might have seen the medal reach its destination.


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