International Super Randonneur (ISR)
The International Super Randonneur is a lifetime achievement award that recognises riders who complete a Super Randonneur series across multiple countries. Where the standard SR requires four distances in one season, the ISR requires four distances in four different countries, with no time limit. There are also elevated tiers for riders who complete longer distances and ride across multiple continents.
How It Works
The basic ISR requires four qualifying rides at different distance categories (200+, 300+, 400+, and 600+ km), each in a different country. All rides must be ACP-homologated BRM, LRM, or PBP events. There is no time limit: rides from any date count, so you can build toward the ISR over many years of international randonneuring.
- Eligible ride types: BRM, LRM, PBP
- Distance requirement: One ride at each of 200+, 300+, 400+, and 600+ km
- Geographic requirement: Each ride must be in a different country
- Time window: No time limit (lifetime achievement)
Distance Substitution
A key feature of the ISR is that longer rides can substitute for shorter distance slots. A ride at a longer distance can fill any shorter distance requirement. For example:
- A 600 km BRM in France can fill the 200, 300, 400, or 600 km slot
- A 1,200 km PBP can fill any of the four distance slots
- A 1,000 km LRM in Germany can fill the 200, 300, 400, or 600 km slot
This means you do not necessarily need to ride a short 200 km event in a distant country. If you ride a 600 km or longer event there, it can satisfy a shorter distance requirement. The tracker automatically optimises the assignment of rides to distance slots to give you the best possible designation.
Elevated Tiers
Beyond the basic ISR, there are three elevated tiers that recognise riders who complete longer minimum distances across four countries:
The elevated tiers are cumulative. If you qualify for ISR 1000, you also qualify for ISR 600 and the basic ISR. The tracker shows your progress toward each tier separately on the International tab of the Progress page.
ISR 1200 is the most demanding tier. It requires four completed events of at least 1,200 km each, in four different countries. Given that 1,200 km events (PBP, LEL, and similar LRMs) are rare and run only every few years, this tier represents a lifetime of international randonneuring.
Continent Designations
If your qualifying rides span multiple continents, you earn an additional continent designation appended to your tier. The designations are:
- 2C: rides across 2 continents
- 3C: rides across 3 continents
- 4C: rides across 4 continents
For example, "ISR 600 (2C)" means you completed four rides of at least 600 km in four different countries across two continents. The continent designation is a recognition of the additional logistical challenge of riding internationally across continental boundaries.
The tracker determines the continent for each country automatically and calculates your continent designation as part of the ISR progress display.
Example Scenarios
To illustrate how the ISR works in practice, here are a few example ride sets and the designations they would earn:
Basic ISR
A rider completes a 200 km BRM in Ireland, a 300 km BRM in England, a 400 km BRM in France, and a 600 km BRM in Spain. This satisfies the basic ISR with four countries across one continent (Europe). Designation: ISR.
ISR 600 (2C)
A rider completes a 600 km BRM in Ireland, a 600 km BRM in England, a 1,000 km BRM in France, and a 1,200 km event in the USA. All four rides are ≥600 km, in four countries, across two continents. Designation: ISR 600 (2C).
Optimised Assignment
A rider has a 200 km BRM in Ireland, a 600 km BRM in France, a 1,200 km PBP in France, and a 300 km BRM in Spain. France appears twice, so PBP and the 600 km BRM cannot both count. The tracker picks the best assignment: PBP (France) fills the 600 km slot, the 600 km BRM is unused (same country), and the rider needs a fourth country. This is why riding in different countries matters. Duplicates within a country do not help.
From the road: The tracker optimises your ride-to-slot assignment automatically. If you have rides in more than four countries, it picks the combination that gives you the highest tier and best continent designation. You do not need to figure out the optimal assignment yourself.
Claiming ISR Awards
ISR claims are handled differently from other awards. Instead of generating a .docx form, the tracker provides a CSV download of your qualifying rides and a direct link to the external Google Form managed by the ISR coordinator. The process is:
- The tracker detects your ISR completion and shows it on the Claims page
- Download the CSV of your qualifying rides
- Open the Google Form link and fill it in using the CSV data
- Come back to the tracker and choose “I’ve sent the form”
See the Claiming Awards guide for more on the claim workflow and how submitted claims reserve qualifying rides.
Building Toward ISR
Since there is no time limit, the ISR is something you build toward over your randonneuring career. A few practical tips:
- Ride internationally when you can. Every time you travel for an event in a new country, you are potentially adding to your ISR progress. Even a 200 km BRM abroad counts.
- Maximise distance when travelling. If you are going to the effort of travelling to another country for an event, consider riding the longest distance available. A 600 km BRM abroad gives you more flexibility in slot assignment than a 200 km.
- Think about continents. If you have three European countries covered, a ride in North America, Asia, or Africa would earn you a 2C designation. Events like the Flèche USA, Korean 1200, or South African brevets open up continent coverage.
- Check the International tab. The Progress page has a dedicated International tab showing your ISR progress across all four tiers. Each tier card shows which countries and distances you have covered and what you still need.