Riders form teams. Each team nominates a captain, and creates a route to ride.
There are 2 to 6 bikes per team.
The route must include a minimum of 3 controls, spaced at least 50 km apart, not including the start and finish controls.
The route must be submitted to and approved by the organizer.
The team must produce control cards to be used by the team during the Trace, and have these approved. (The organizer may optionally agree to produce the cards.)
All team members ride the whole distance. (They don’t take turns.)
Teams choose their start place. Their finish place has to be the meeting place defined by the organizer.
Minimum distance ridden is 200 km, maximum distance 360 km.
Teams may start as early as midnight the day before the meeting date, as defined by the organizer.
There is no minimal duration between start and finish.
During the Trace, the duration of the rest stops is not limited.
Deadline (time of day) to arrive at the meeting is specified by each organizer.
Teams must show up at the meeting to hand their cards over to the organizer.
To be homologated, at least 2 bikes of the same team must finish.
A high-visibility vest must be worn at night or other low-light conditions.
Each rider receives a Trace card, and must carry it while riding, and have each control properly validated.
Rules for Organizers
The Trace must be held in conjunction with, and at the same time as, a Flèche organized by the same organizer.
Organizers must ensure that Rules for Riders are respected. At the finish of the event, they must make sure that the riders' cards are properly completed, and all controls validated.
After the event, organizers send their results to RUSA, using a spreadsheet provided by RUSA. Results include:
Name of the Trace event; Organizer (with ACP club code), Meeting place, Meeting date
For each team: Team name or number, Name of team captain, Start place, Start date and local time, Distance ridden (km)
For each rider: first and last name, gender, club (with ACP club code)
Notation of tandems and all special bikes
Homologations and Awards
The ACP issues 1 homologation number per rider, generated at the end of the year.
The ACP prints 1 certificate per rider, with homologation number, no later than early January of the following year. RUSA will send these to the Trace organizer along with the Flèche certificates, for distribution to the riders.
The Trace does not count as credit towards any other ACP or RUSA awards.
Trace results may not appear in Search for Results on the RUSA website.
