On September 11-October 30, randonneurs from all over the globe will be gearing up for the 100th Anniversary of Audax riding in the world. All Audax-approved governing bodies, including Audax Randonneurs Philippines, will all be participating at some level (depending on covid restrictions in their country). But before we go into ride details for our country, please go through the following links:
100th Anniversary BRM 200 Background
Centennial BRM 200: Mechanics & Registration
Now that you've read through above links, we will now give more clarity on this ride so PLEASE READ all materials shared and to be shared leading up to September 11. We are still receiving a lot of questions that can easily be answered if one would only read. On the other hand, we have also received very constructive feedback regarding the registration process (THANK YOU!). Anyway, please see below information:
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REGISTRATION
1) Please complete ALL THE DETAILS being asked in the online registration forms especially your complete address. We need to send you your Audax merchandise. We will be shipping/delivering this to you after your ride as most of you reserved a finisher medal.
2) Some of you may not have received a confirmation email especially if you paid via PayPal on July 19-20. This has already been corrected by the web team but please give us this week to send out the rest. For those who paid by bank deposit or Gcash, you will receive your confirmation email once your payment has been validated.
3) For those participants who registered for the cancelled March 2020 Audax and opted to use their registration fee for the next Audax ride, we can apply that registration fee to this ride. Please let us know and we would be happy to accommodate.
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RIDE AND ROUTE
Approved routes for the Centennial ride has been posted in Centennial BRM 200: Mechanics & Registration. For now, these are the only routes that we will be accepting. In our small way, we would like to help these provinces/locations that have accommodated us in the past. Your presence there will somehow bring cyclotourism revenue to the communities.
In the spirit of a do-it-yourself Audax and to adhere to safety protocols, please see below points:
1) START TIME: You can start your ride any time as long as it is within September 11-30. We highly suggest to ride at a time where there will be less people and less cars on the roads. For example, a weekday or starting your ride very early morning in the morning or in the middle of the day.
2) START LOCATION and FINISH: You can start your ride at any point along any of the pre-approved routes. Previously, we said one can start and finish anywhere as long as it's within 3km radius of the route's start/finish. You can still do this but we're adding the flexibility of starting your ride at any point along the official audax route and covering the route that is part of the Audax. For example, a cyclist based in Barretto, Zambales can just start and finish at his place. No need to go to SBMA to start your ride.
3) SMALL GROUPS: Keep to your group small. Depending on locations, it can be a maximum of 5 or 8 people (Let's call this the "bubble"). Avoid intermingling with other groups outside your "bubble". You might see some other friends doing the same route on the road. A simple wave or acknowledgement will do for now. People will understand if you can't be near them. *wink*
3) GOAL TIME: You should still finish the 200km with an elapsed time of 13.5 hours.
4) NO CHECKPOINTS: There will be no on-site registration and release of brevet cards. What will really matter is your elapsed time so please make sure you have a record of this. The cue sheets provided still has the checkpoint locations and cut-off times. You can check how you're doing in your ride against this information.
5) PIT STOPS: Avoid crowded places. Head over to establishments that have safety protocols in place (e.g. McDonalds, 7-11 convenience stored, Jollibee, etc.). Note that there might still be some establishments who will ask you to wear a face shield. For those with support vehicles, do leap frogging instead of direct follow and park where you won't be an obstruction to anyone. Bottomline is: Be sensible and follow safety protocols ALWAYS.
6) SUDDEN CHANGES: Be creative but also be sensible. An example would be a town that is on the route can suddenly go on lockdown and won't allow cyclists to pass. If you can still cycle the remaining distance on an allowable alternate route (perhaps go back the way you came from and cycle more on those roads), this will be accepted.
7) COVID19 TESTING: Not mandatory but we suggest that you take a Covid-19 test 48 hours prior to this ride. You never know when a new rule pops up in your chosen route and you might be asked by the local authorities to show evidence of this. It would be good to have this handy for added peace of mind.
8) PROOF OF RIDE: Proof of ride should be submitted no later than October 31, 10AM. It can be a screenshot of Strava, Garmin, or any app showing Date of Ride, Distance, Route and Elapsed Time. For those who don't use cyclocomputers that connects to an online platform, your ride will still count! Send us a photo of your cyclocomputer showing the distance and time covered with a newspaper or mobile phone showing date and time.
9) NO CHEATING! Just like in ALL aspects of life, let's do everything with utmost integrity. THE AUDAX IS NOT A RACE.
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CENTENNIAL BRM 200 MEDALS
The Centennial BRM 200 medals all come from France. These medals are standard across all Audax-organizing countries and will only be given for this Centennial ride celebration. It cost Php 900 and because we don't want to burden the participants of this cost, this is optional. But please know that we only have very few medals for the Philippines and we are not sure if Paris can still send more to Southeast Asia. To reserve your medal, please purchase it during your registration. Should you not finish the ride within September 11-30, we will refund this 100%. Please get in touch with us to coordinate.
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COVID-19 IS STILL OUT THERE
Vaccinated or not, let us not let our guards down. Prior to the ride, it is your responsibility to be updated of the road situation on your chosen route. Please check regularly with local government units, IATF, local authorities and local cyclists about this. Please follow safety protocols. This may be (and not limited to) social distancing, wearing of masks/face shields, showing of negative Covid 19 test results, etc.
Given how rules can easily change and the unpredictability of the overall Covid19 situation in different parts of the country, Audax Randonneurs Philippines is planning contingencies for this Centennial ride. We are just in the process of having it approved. But of course, we are hoping that things are indeed getting better and that we won't have to use these contingencies.
On August 11, we will start discussions in the Facebook group of Audax Randonnuers Philippines so we can all share updates on this routes. We have identified key local cyclists who can share valuable information. *wink*
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APPEAL TO EVERYONE
We are living in unprecedented times. The format of the Centennial ride will not be the Audax PH format moving forward. I can still foresee mass releases (albeit in waves and in limited numbers), checkpoints (with contactless processes in place) and many more. However, we need to adapt to the current climate. I am appealing to everyone to be sensible and follow safety protocols. Let's keep to our small "bubbles" for now. Bottomline is: Avoid crowding and treat this ride as if you are organizing your usual weekend long rides. Do your proper research, plan and execute wisely.
Should you be uncomfortable with any of the above, we would be more than happy to accommodate refund requests given the following policies: 100% registration fee refund for requests submitted on or before August 11, 2021; 50% registration fee refund for requests submitted from August 12 - September 30, 2021 (to cover costs incurred at this point of the registration process).
LET US ALL DO OUR PART. For those who are new to Audax riding, please read about what Audax riding is about - Who We Are, Our History, Randonneuring (practicing self-sufficiency), etc. All relevant information can be found in this website. We also have so many veteran Audax cyclists who would be happy to answer any of your questions. For now, let's all stay safe, healthy and active. To better days!