Centennial BRM 300: from Permanent to a full-blown regular Brevet
05/05/2022 | Carmela Pearson
As shared a few months ago, June 11, 2022 marks the 100th year anniversary of the first ever 300km Audax in France. This will be celebrated by all Audax-sanctioned countries. When we announced this a few months ago, the initial format was planned to be similar to last year's Centennial BRM 200 format. It followed what we would call a "permanent" format where a route is given and cyclists can follow that route and submit the ride as an official entry for Audax accreditation. Last year, we had a phenomenal 1,400+ registrations despite having it done during the height of the Covid-19 Delta variant but with the flexibility of extending the ride to 6 weeks and giving the randonneurs a free hand in choosing where to start and finish their rides as long as it's within the approved routes (Subic, Tarlac, Baler, Davao and Gensan).
We have just recently confirmed with Audax Club Parisien that this will not be allowed anymore for the Centennial Anniversary BRM300 as the world is slowly coping with the pandemic and our usual Audax ride format has resumed for the Philippines. We need to have the manned checkpoints for this ride to be homologated and counted as a Super Randonneur ride and a Pre-registration ride for Paris Brest Paris. To accommodate this sudden change and to ensure that the Philippines participate in this celebration, we have come up with the plan to hold this ride in Subic on June 11. It will be in the usual format of a 4AM or 4:05AM release with manned checkpoints all the way to Dasol, Pangasinan and back. The only big change is that there won't be a Cabangan checkpoint anymore located at KM 52. The decision to skip Cabangan arose due to lack of manpower (as this is quite a sudden addition to the 2022 Audax calendar) and to disperse the crowd more since the 1st checkpoint will now be the Total Gas station in Masinloc - roughly 104km from SBMA.
Thankfully, our good friends from the Centurion Cycling Club (CCC) have stepped up and volunteered to man the 2 checkpoints located at Masinloc, Zambales and Dasol, Pangasinan. The CCC were the ones who tested the contactless checkpoint system back in November 2021 in Rizal to do a proper simulation of this new system. We wanted to hit 3 birds with 1 stone last year: test the app, test it in an environment where there is little signal and do a reconnaissance of the new Audax Infanta that we want to hopefully offer to our randonneurs in the future. Thank you, Centurions!
The special Centennial BRM300 medals from France have arrived and we have a limited number allocated for the Philippines. This will be available for reservation in the Add-Ons section as you proceed with your online registration. Finishers have the option to choose this limited-edition medal OR the standard 300km Audax medal. Please don't choose 2 medals for this 1 ride when you register.
Again, the Centennial Anniversary BRM 300 happening on June 11 will be counted in the Super Randonneur classification AND it will also be a Pre-registration ride for Paris Brest Paris 2023. Let's celebrate the Centennial Anniversary of the BRM300 on June 11! More updates in the next few weeks! :)
