The randonneur format is a “brevet”, “licence” or “patent” in French which, applied to cyclotourism, means that participants are awarded a “title” or “diploma” for completing a route that includes some compulsory control points in which a route card must be stamped.

Brevets are non-competitive long-distance stages (minimum of 200km) in which the participants are self-sufficient and which take place on roads open to traffic following a route with a roadbook or GPS track. The stages must be completed within a maximum predetermined time.

The distances to be covered in brevets are: 200, 300, 400, 600 and 1000km, and 1200km in the superbrevets.

The aim of these brevets is to finish a long-distance stage in order to be able to participate in any of the randonneurs that exist, such as the classic Paris-Brest-Paris (1200km), an event which attracts cyclists from all over the world and which does not involve a competition.