Who May Ride - These rides are open to any amateur cyclist, and professionals whose UCI license have expired at least two years previously.  Cyclists under 18 years of age require the consent of parent or guardian. 

Allowable Vehicles for the Rider - Any form of human-powered vehicle is acceptable, as long as it is powered solely by the rider and is legal to be operated on the public thoroughfares used by the brevet route.

Registration - To participate in a brevet, a rider must submit a registration form, sign a waiver of liability, and pay a registration fee (if any) set by the event organizer.

Insurance - Each rider must be covered by liability insurance, either by a group policy or a personal policy -- in the case of the Colorado Brevets, this is achieved by being a member of the Rocky Mountain Cycling Club (REQUIRED, except for the Last Chance).

Rules of the Road - During the event, each rider is considered to be on a personal ride. The rider must ride in accordance with applicable traffic codes, obey traffic signals, and use bike paths when required by law. The ACP, RUSA, Rocky Mountain Cycling Club, and other brevet organizers cannot and do not accept responsibility for any accidents that may occur during the course of the brevet.

Night Riding - For night riding, bicycles must be equipped with front and rear lights that conform to the local regulations (Colorado and, where applicable, other states) for bicycles. While riding, lights must be on from dusk to dawn and at any other times when poor visibility conditions exist (rain, fog, etc.).  Each rider, whether riding in a group or alone, must use lights under these conditions. In addition, some combination of reflective vest, arm and/or ankle bands, or reflective strips on the bike is required. Light-colored clothing is also recommended for night riding.  Any violation of these rules makes the rider subject to disqualification, whether en route or at inspection prior to departure.

Support - No following vehicles or support of any kind, mobile or otherwise, are permitted on the course (except of course in an emergency situation). Personal support may be rendered only at checkpoints. Violation of the support rule subjects the rider to disqualification.

Equipment - Helmets are required.

Deportment - Riders are required to conduct themselves in a civil manner towards each other and towards the public, and respect local customs with regards to decorum.

Route, Brevet Cards and Checkpoints - At the start, each rider will receive a brevet card and a cue sheet indicating the route and the location of the checkpoints.  To receive credit, riders must ride the entire route, unless authorized by the organizer because of special circumstances (road closures, etc.). If a rider leaves the route, the rider must return to the route at the same point prior to continuing.

Organizers may also include unannounced (secret) checkpoints at any point along the route, to assure route integrity. Riders must stop at each checkpoint -- published or secret -- to have their brevet card validated.

Organizers may include unstaffed checkpoints [that is, unstaffed by brevet officials -- this is the norm for Colorado Brevets]. At these checkpoints, riders must have their brevet cards validated at some local establishment, such as a grocery store or gas station, as noted on the brevet card. Information must include the time (and date, for brevets that extend beyond 24 hours).

For unstaffed checkpoints where no means of getting a stamp is available (arrival in the middle of the night, for example), the rider may mail in a postcard (provided by the organizer) with the checkpoint information (time, date, rider's full name) to the brevet organizer. In this case, the rider should mark the brevet card in the space provided for the checkpoint "PC" for Personal Checkpoint.

Alternatively, the brevet organizer may specify an "informational checkpoint" where the rider is to note some feature of the surroundings on the brevet card, along with the time.

Checkpoint Variances - Missing checkpoint validation, missing checkpoint times, or loss of the brevet card subjects the rider to possible disqualification. Note that each rider is responsible to assure that the brevet card is properly completed at each checkpoint.

TimeLimits - The overall time limit for a brevet depends on its nominal distance (that is, a "200km" brevet whose route comes out as 205km still has the 200km time limit). These are (in hours and minutes):

 

Distance	Time Limit
200km	13h30m
300km	20h
400km	27h
600km	40h
1000km	75h
1200km	90h

Time limits for populaires are similarly proportioned based on distance.

In addition, each checkpoint has an opening and closing time. These times are noted on the brevet card. Riders must present themselves at each checkpoint en route during the checkpoint's open period. If a rider arrives at a checkpoint after it has closed and the ride organizer is satisfied that the rider's lateness is due to an unforeseen and valid cause (such as stopping to help at a traffic accident or a road closure), then the ride organizer may waive the fact that the rider arrived at the checkpoint late. Poor bicycle or equipment maintenance, hunger, lack of fitness, etc. do not serve as valid reasons for being late. Subject to the foregoing, failure to make all checkpoints (even if the brevet is done within the overall time limit) make the rider subject to disqualification.

Fraud and Cheating - Any fraud, cheating, or deliberate violation of these rules subjects the rider to exclusion from all RUSA, Randonneurs Mondiaux, and ACP-sanctioned events.

Ride Finish - The rider must sign and return the brevet card to the event organizer. The brevet card will be returned to the rider after the brevet has been verified and a certificate number issued. In the event that the organizer loses a brevet card, no replacement to the rider will be made.

Not a Race - These rides are not races or other kind of competitive event. Riders should feel free to aim for goals of their choosing - within the rules - for example for fastest personal or overall time, but recognize that this is not the aim of these events, and that ungracious behavior against other riders can be grounds for disqualification.

Drafting - Drafting is permitted. Riding cooperatively in groups and solo riding are equally encouraged. Above all, riders should keep their own goals and strengths in mind, as well as the constraints of meeting checkpoint times and the overall time limit.

RUSA Membership - Membership in Randonneurs USA is not required for participating in Colorado or other RUSA-sanctioned events, including 1200k's. (NOTE: For Paris-Brest-Paris, you must be a member of your country organization - RUSA in the U.S. - at the time of riding the qualifying brevets.) However, RUSA membership is highly encouraged - the organization does a very good job of providing randonneuring info to members, especially preparing riders for the 1200km randonnées such as Paris-Brest-Paris or Boston-Montréal-Boston, and certain benefits are available only to RUSA members - such as RUSA awards.

Results Reporting - A rider's results (events and certificate numbers) can be found on the Randonneurs USA website -- note that these are posted after certificate numbers have been issued - there may be a time lag for ACP-sanctioned events, as the certificate numbers come back from Paris. The results per brevet (riders and their finishing times) can be found on the RMCC / Colorado Brevets results page.

Medals and Awards - Medals and awards are available for individual brevets, and for finishing multiple rides including the following (complete list and details at Randonneurs USA):

 

- ACP Brevet medals for successful completion of individual brevets are available for order: a bronze medal for the 200km, a silver-plate medal for the 300km, a vermilion medal for the 400km, a gold medal for the 600km, and a silver medal for the 1000km. Prices of the medals are set by the event organizer. Medals may be ordered from the brevet organizer at the successful completion of the brevet, and payment is due at that time. (Order from the ride organizer - you must be a RUSA member.) - ACP Super Randonneur status is earned by completing 200km, 300km, 400km, and 600km brevets in the same year. Order directly from RUSA (you must be a RUSA member). - ACP Randonneur 5000 Award - The ACP also offers a "Randonneur 5000" medal for riding ACP events totalling 5000km within four years, including 200km, 300km, 400km, 600km, and 1000km brevets and Paris-Brest-Paris. Order directly from RUSA (you must be a RUSA member). - RUSA 1000km - 5000km Medals - RUSA offers 1000km, 2000km, 3000km, 4000km and 5000km medals for riding those distances in RUSA-sanctioned events (including ACP-sanctioned brevets in the US) in a single year. Order directly from RUSA (you must be a RUSA member).