Randonneuring is a long-distance cycling game with its origins in audax cycling. In random controls, passengers try courses 200 km or more, passing pre-determined "controls" (checkpoints) every few miles. Riders aim to complete the course within the timeframes and receive equal recognition no matter when they complete it. Passengers may travel in groups or individually as they wish, and are expected to be able to stand on their own within the control. The randonneuring event is called the randonne or brevet, and the rider who completed the 200 km event is called the randonneur. Randonneuring is popular in France, The Netherlands, Belgium, United Kingdom, Italy, Australia, the United States, Canada, Brazil, Ireland, India, Indonesia, Korea, Japan, and Malaysia.
At the end of the nineteenth century in Italy, "challenging" sports became popular. Participants intended to cover as much distance as possible and present themselves as audax ("audacious"). The first recorded audax cycling event took place on June 12, 1897, when twelve Italian cyclists took the challenging cycling route from Rome to Naples, a distance of 230 kilometers (140 mi), during the daylight hours. Similar events took place elsewhere, and in 1904 the French journalist Henri Desgrange published the laws of Audax, which belonged to his Auto newspaper. Under the rules of Audax, passengers rode as a group. Successful riders were awarded a certificate called the Brevet d'Audax. Randonneuring is very similar to cyclotouring, of which journalist Velocio (Paul de Vivie) is said to be the founder, who is also credited with making famous derailleur gears.
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