Audax Season

The Audax season does not follow the calendar year. It runs from 1 November to 31 October the following year. Understanding when the season starts and ends, and how multi-year rolling windows work, is essential for planning your riding and tracking progress toward awards. This page explains the season structure, how it affects each type of award, and how to plan around the boundaries.

November to October

The Audax season runs from 1 November to 31 October the following year. The 2025/26 season begins on 1 November 2025 and ends on 31 October 2026. This is the window within which season-based awards are calculated. A ride on 15 October 2026 and a ride on 5 November 2025 both count toward the same season.

This differs from the calendar year (January to December) and catches many newcomers off guard. A ride completed on 10 November belongs to the new season that just started, not the one that ended the previous month. The tracker handles this automatically, assigning every ride to the correct season based on its date.

The November Transition

The 1 November boundary is the most important date in the Audax calendar. On that day, every season-based award resets to zero. If you were one ride short of completing an award on 31 October, that progress is gone. Conversely, any ride you complete on or after 1 November counts toward the new season.

This has practical consequences worth understanding:

• A 200 km BRM ridden on 25 October and a 300 km BRM ridden on 5 November belong to different seasons, even though they are only 11 days apart
• If you are chasing RRTY, your first qualifying month is November. Missing November means you cannot complete RRTY that season, no matter how many rides you do in the remaining 11 months
• Late-season rides (September and October) are your last chance to finish awards like Super Randonneur or 4 Provinces. If you still need a 600 km BRM in October, check the calendar early because options are limited that late in the year
• Brevet 2000 and Brevet 5000 are end-of-season awards. After 31 October, the tracker records the highest applicable tier automatically once the final distance total for the season is known

How the Season Affects Awards

The season boundary directly affects how awards are calculated. Season-based awards must be completed entirely within a single season. Your progress toward these awards resets on 1 November each year. The following awards are season-based:

• Super Randonneur requires all four BRM distances (200, 300, 400, 600 km) within the same season. You cannot carry a 200 km from last season and combine it with a 300 km from this season.
• 4 Nations SR spans four international Randonneur seasons, giving you more time than a single-season award but still bounded by season dates.
• Brevet 2000 / 5000 accumulates distance within the season. Your total resets to zero on 1 November.
• 4 Provinces requires rides in all four Irish provinces within the same season. Province coverage does not carry over.
• RRTY / RRTY 100 requires a qualifying ride in every month from November through October. The streak must be unbroken within the season.

Rolling Multi-Year Windows

Not all awards reset each season. The ACP distance awards use rolling multi-year windows that span several consecutive seasons, allowing you to accumulate distance and complete requirements over a longer period.

• ACP Randonneur 5000 uses a 4-year rolling window. You need to accumulate 5,000 km of qualifying rides, a complete distance series, PBP, and a Flèche within any consecutive 4-year period.
• ACP Randonneur 10000 uses a 6-year rolling window. You need 10,000 km, two complete distance series, and several special event requirements within any consecutive 6-year period.

Rolling windows are calculated from the current date looking backward. As time moves forward, older rides gradually fall outside the window and stop counting. This means your progress can decrease if you stop riding. A ride from five years ago that currently counts toward ACP 5000 will drop out of the 4-year window next year.

The International Super Randonneur and SR600 have no time limit at all. Rides from any date count toward these awards, regardless of which season they were completed in.

The Audax Calendar Through the Year

The rhythm of the Audax calendar follows a predictable pattern each season. Understanding this helps you plan which awards to target and when to schedule your key rides.

• November to February: The quiet months. Fewer calendar events, shorter days, and colder weather. This is when permanents become essential for RRTY riders who need a qualifying ride every month. Most events in this period are shorter distances (200 km), ideal for building early-season fitness.
• March to May: The season ramps up. The main BRM calendar begins with 200 and 300 km events. This is when most riders start their Super Randonneur series. The Easter Flèche falls in this period, which is both a qualifying event for several awards and valuable preparation for longer rides.
• June to August: Peak season. The longest events (600 km, 1000 km) are concentrated in summer when daylight hours are longest. In PBP years, this is when PBP itself takes place (August). This is also the best time for international events if you are building toward ISR or 4 Nations SR.
• September to October: The final push. Last chance to complete season-based awards. If you still need a specific distance or province for an award, these are your remaining opportunities. The calendar thins out in October, so do not leave critical rides too late.

Planning Around the Season

Practical tips for working with the season calendar:

• Start planning in October, before the new season begins. Look at the upcoming calendar and identify which events you need for your target awards. Popular events fill up quickly, especially the 400 and 600 km rides.
• If you are targeting RRTY, secure a plan for November and December first. These are the months most likely to trip you up. Having a permanent route you can ride in bad weather gives you a reliable fallback.
• For Super Randonneur, complete your 200 km early so you have flexibility for the longer distances later. If your 600 km is in June and you DNF, is there another 600 on the calendar before the season ends?
• For rolling-window awards like ACP 5000, keep an eye on which older rides are about to fall outside the window. The tracker shows your current window dates on the Progress page.
• Remember that a single ride can count toward multiple awards. A 300 km BRM in Connacht in March could contribute to Super Randonneur, Brevet 2000, 4 Provinces, and RRTY all at once. Plan rides that maximise award overlap.