This is an international site, and randonneuring is an international (global) sport.
I've posted links to the Audax UK site above, and below are a few more. As I mentioned above, remember that randonneurs travel ... you may very well end up with a randonneur from another part of the world turning up at your event, and it can be helpful to be aware of their expectations of the randonnee so that everyone can have a good event. (It is, of course, also the responsibility of the randonneur to be aware that things could be a little bit different, and to ask some questions ... it's a two-way street)
I'm not an extensive world traveller, but I have done randonneuring events in 4 provinces of Canada (each of which has their own organising body the equivalent of Audax UK, Audax Australia, RUSA, etc., and each of which does things just a tiny bit differently), I've done numerous events now in the state of Victoria, Australia (and each organiser here adds a slightly different personality to their rides), and I've done one particular event in France, and have participated in 3 in the US. Each organising body (and sometimes each organiser) often has something about their rides, rules, traditions, expectations, etc. that is just a bit different from the next. There are (fortunately and comfortingly) lots of similarities ... much of the traditions of randonneuring carry through from one country to the next ... but there are a few idiosyncrasies.
And regarding the topic of route safely, it
is good to know what other organisations say (or don't say) about it. Some of their suggestions might be of benefit to ride organisers in other countries, at the very least as good reminders of things to keep in mind when designing a route.
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Audax Australia
Guidelines for route development ...
http://www.audax.org.au/public/image...sapril2007.pdf
Especially see Appendix 2: Guidelines for route planning starting on Page 7
Note that routes are to be designed for riders' safety in mind first of all. The "no or minimal shortcuts" is a secondary guideline, but it is mentioned.
Also, the person who wrote those guidelines is someone who has designed many good routes here ... and who rides them all and rides a lot in general. I highly recommend doing one of his randonnees if you're ever in Victoria.
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BC Randonneurs
To All Ride Organisers ...
http://www.randonneurs.bc.ca/organiz...klist-2012.pdf
At least three weeks before ride
1. Drive or ride the route and create/verify the route sheet, control locations, and distances.
In the Last Couple of Weeks
1. Pre-ride the route with your volunteers at least one week prior to the event, two weeks before is also allowed, but not recommended due to changes that can occur in the interim.
Permanent Rules ...
http://www.randonneurs.bc.ca/permanents/rules.html
I've ridden with the BC Randonneurs, and have been impressed by the accuracy of their cue sheets, and by their routes. They run some good events, and it is quite apparent that the routes have been ridden recently. If you're ever in BC, I recommend taking in one of their randonnees.
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As mentioned in a previous thread ... when I have designed routes, and if I were to do so again, I'd keep the following things in mind:
1.
Rider Safety ... very important. Although riders have to take responsibility for their own safey, ride organisers also have to design routes that are safe, and that means putting riders onto roads that have low to moderate traffic levels and/or shoulders. It also means making notes about railway tracks, bridges, etc. which might be more dangerous than the surrounding roads. Ride organisers need to ride the route regularly to be aware of changing conditions ... floods can chew through a shoulder, construction can completely destroy a road.
Rider safety can also including being aware of the sun location at different times of the day. It is a poorly designed route that has riders riding into the setting or rising sun ... a situation where riders simply disappear from driver's view.
Chris, in his advice linked above, also has suggestions for ride organisers regarding managing rider fatigue.
A ride organiser should do what he/she can reasonably do to ensure rider safety.
2.
Cue Sheet Accuracy. The cue sheet should be as accurate as possible. Distances should be as close as possible (there's always going to be some slight difference between the organiser's computer and at least one of the rider's computers, but as long as it is really close). Road names should be right ... and should be whatever is on the sign by the side of the road as well as whatever Google tells you.
When I've designed my routes, I mapped them using some online mapping tool, then drove them and took pictures of the road signs leading up to ever turn. Then I produced my cue sheet, and then I rode the route following the cue sheet. In many cases a road had several names ... at least the highway number and a common name. Google might have the highway name, but the signs might only have the common name. And so I would include both.
If there is any confusion, like if a road kind of meanders around and you want riders to turn at the second Green Valley Road, not the first Green Valley Road, make note of that on the cue sheet. I've encountered that before where the first road is only about half a km before the right one, and so I asume that the first one is it because it has the right name and quite close to where it should be.
If a road does not have a sign, and I've encountered that too, the ride organiser should try very hard to come up with some other distinguishing feature and should make a note that the road does not have a sign.
In the end, a rider should not get lost if he/she follows the instructions on the cue sheet.
3.
Rider Convenience. This ties in with Rider Safety. By this I mean that the start/finish location should be in a place where riders can get food and drink (especially water) before and after a ride to aide them in their preparation, and ensure that they aren't left stranded at the end of an event. It should also be a place with a public toilet. The route in and out of the start/finish area should be fairly easily manouverable ... this leaves a good impression at the beginning of the ride, and at the end, when riders are tired, they can reach the finish area in a simple and efficent way.
This also means that the controls along the way should have food and drinks available (either provided, if the ride is supported or available from a shop). Riders should not be left with long stretches of no supplies, and if it is anything more than about 80 km without supplies, there should be a note that rider will need to stock up at the previous control.
If the ride goes into the night, there should be some mention of the availability of sleeping spots.
These things are not rules for designing a route ... they are just much appreciated, and nice.
4.
Challenges. Because the PBP has 30,000 ft of climbing (I might be slightly off on that number), most randonnees are designed with hills or wind to simulate the amount of climbing you might do on the PBP. So if there is 30,000 ft of climbing on a 1200K, there could be 5000 ft of climbing on a 200K. Obviously that is not always possible because of the terrain where the randonnee is held. There was no way we were going to find 5000 ft of climbing for a 200K in Manitoba ... but we had a lot of wind there which kind of helped make up for it, and the organisers included as many hills as they could find.
Here in Australia, events are flagged as being hilly, or flat, or somewhere in between, so riders can choose what they want to do.
5.
Minimal or no shortcuts ... of course. Incidentally, the "threat" of a secret control can encourage riders to stay on route.
6.
Scenery. Scenery is nice, but not at the expense of the features mentioned above. Randonneuring is, after all, a timed event, not a scenic recreational ride.