How to... Traditional DIY
Decide on the distance you’d like to ride. DIYs are validated at distances of 50km, 100km, 150km, 200km, and then at 100km intervals up to 1,000km or more.
Next, plan your route and define your controls. Only the shortest rideable distance between controls can be used towards your overall distance. It may be that the shortest distance includes busy roads that you intend to avoid by taking a more scenic route, however any extra distance ridden as a result cannot be included in your total. More on route planning here.
Controls should be at intervals around the route of between 50 km and 80 km and should be chosen to ensure proof of passage is available at the time you expect to arrive. Events of 100km or less should have at least one intermediate checkpoint in addition to the start/finish.
DIY organisers nominally have regional responsibilities, but you can choose to purchase cards from any Organiser – it doesn’t matter where you live or where you intend to ride.
If you are entering by post then you should submit your ride details (list of controls) along with a completed event entry form and a cheque for the entry fee.
Entry forms can be generated from the website. Simply select the DIY event you wish to enter from the list of events and click the 'Enter' button to open a printed form that you can complete and mail to the organiser along with your payment and details of your route.
If entering online (and not all organisers accept online entries):
First, purchase the brevet cards from the organiser. Since you are using paper proof of passage you may have the option of sending the paperwork (select “printed cards”) OR e-mailing scanned copies (select "virtual brevets") - check which your organiser accepts.
Then, submit your ride details online to the organiser from whom you purchased the cards, using the Online Entry Form. Usually you put the list of controls and add a google maps link to show the shortest possible distance (set to walking mode).
If you want the organiser to check your route in advance, you’ll need to ask specifically for this, and enter in plenty of time, at least two weeks before you plan to ride.
If it’s a route you’ve ridden before or you are an experienced DIY'er who is confident that your route meets the requirements then you can submit your entry much closer to the day.
If you have a physical brevet card, write the names of your controls on the card, and after the ride add the time at which you passed each one.
Send the completed card, the proofs of passage (receipts/ATM slips), to the organiser for validation, along with an SAE if you want your card returned to you.
If your organiser accepts virtual brevet cards and scans/photos of proofs of passage then e-mail these after the ride. Check the guidelines in FAQ02 here.
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