Race regulations

Rules and regulations

Last updated: 28/06/2024

The rules are available as a PDF version so that you can print and sign them. To be submitted with your registration file.

1. THE EVENT

The Raid Trans Mauritania is organized by the Anjou Authentique Aventure association, 12 rue Jean Lefrançois, 49770 La Membrolle-sur-Longuenée, France. It is a technical and wild multi-stage Fatbike adventure taking place in the Mauritanian desert.

2. THE RAID

The route is completed as a non-competitive ride at a free pace. It may be undertaken by teams of 2 or solo, with the obligation to always ride with at least 2 people from the start to the finish of each stage.

3. CONDITIONS OF PARTICIPATION

The raid is open to everyone, whether licensed or not. You must provide a medical certificate stating that there are no contraindications to mountain biking in competition, or provide proof of a valid competitive sports license covering the dates of the event, even for the non-competitive ride format. The raid is not open to minors, except in exceptional cases.

4. REGISTRATION

Registration for the events is done exclusively on the raid-transmauritania.com website, with payment in several installments possible by bank transfer or cheque.

Prices are available on the raid website: raid-transmauritania.com.

Registration may be completed with or without a plane ticket. Each participant may be accompanied by one support person; the specific rate is available on the website.

For safety and organizational reasons, the number of participants is limited to 40.

The team name is free and may be the name of a sponsor, brand, etc.

For logistical reasons, the number of accompanying persons / assistants may not exceed 1 per rider, except in exceptional cases.

All entries are personal, firm and final. No registration transfer is authorized without the agreement of the organizers. Any person transferring their race number to a third party without prior agreement will be held responsible in the event of an accident occurring to or caused by that third party during the event. The organization declines all responsibility in the event of an accident in such circumstances. Registration implies full acceptance of these rules. They may be supplemented during pre-race briefings in the event of exceptional or unforeseen circumstances.

By signing these rules, participants agree to respect the principles of sporting ethics.

The organization has taken out organizer’s civil liability insurance.

It is mandatory to have repatriation insurance, or to take one out before the start of the Raid if necessary. This point is very important: despite the presence of a medical team throughout the event, local healthcare conditions may require medical repatriation depending on the severity of the injuries.

5. RACE NUMBER COLLECTION

Race numbers must be collected at the Azalaye inn, where you will be transferred upon leaving the airport. The race plate must be attached to the handlebars of the bike.

For those who have chosen the full package including the plane ticket, reception will be provided at Paris Roissy-Charles de Gaulle Airport.

6. ROUTE

6.1 Access to the start

Access to the start before each stage must be carried out in accordance with the instructions given during the briefings. For safety reasons, participants must report for sign-in before the start in order to be registered as starters.

6.2 Stage finish

All participants must imperatively pass through the finish line in order to be registered as having arrived. Any failure to check in may trigger search operations with the emergency services. Any unjustified costs will be fully charged to the raiders.

6.3 Marking and tracks

The route is not marked. You will need to navigate by following the GPS track for each stage. Checkpoints (CPs) to be passed along the route will be indicated and recorded on the GPS.

Navigation will be important: you will need to look up to find and follow the correct route while always remaining as close as possible to the GPS track.

The organization provides a map with a roadbook indicating the main directions, refreshment points and certain checkpoints. GPS tracks will be available for download before the event via email. GPS is mandatory for all teams.

For safety reasons, it is strictly discouraged to move away from the GPS track, even though your exact lines are free.

We remind you that the entire route is open to traffic and other forms of movement, so it is essential to remain vigilant. You may encounter animals, pedestrians and 4×4 vehicles.

The route may be modified at any time if the organization considers that certain conditions are affecting the original route. Any modification will be announced during a briefing if it occurs before the race, or during the stage if an event takes place on the same day, such as a sandstorm.

6.4 Respect for the environment

It is strictly forbidden to leave waste on the route. Bins will be available at refreshment points, finish areas and bivouac zones. The raid crosses sensitive natural sites, and it is essential that every participant respects the places and people encountered. The long-term future of the raid depends on your behavior.

7. THE RIDE

7.1 Format

Teams will start fairly early each morning. At each refreshment point — 1 per stage — every team registered in the Ride format may decide to stop; the organization will then bring them back to the bivouac by 4×4. Each rider must start the morning with a minimum of 3 liters of liquid and solid food supplies.

The 2 team partners must remain together, within sight of each other, from the start to the finish of each stage. All forms of mutual assistance and towing are authorized between the 2 teammates. They must be used with caution and under the participants’ own responsibility.

7.2 Withdrawals

In all cases, you must come to the finish line to report your temporary or definitive withdrawal. For any withdrawal during the event, unless it takes place at a refreshment point, you must notify the race director so that we can come and collect you by 4×4.

7.3 Mandatory equipment during the stages

WARNING: you will be moving through hot desert conditions, so be extremely careful with your equipment list.

• Fatbike equipped with mandatory tubeless tires

• Mandatory helmet

• Sunglasses

• Short or long gloves

• Survival blanket

• 1 mobile phone, minimum 1 per team

• 1 complete repair kit — remember that you will be alone in the desert!

• Lightweight long clothing, in case of severe sunburn

• 1 mandatory first-aid kit: 1 self-adhesive bandage, saline solution pods, compresses, 1 disinfectant, 1 eye wash, 1 adhesive plaster, blister dressings, simple painkillers such as paracetamol / ibuprofen, Smecta

• A water bladder and/or bottles with a total minimum capacity of 3 liters

• Solid food supplies

You must plan generous quantities of both liquid and solid supplies. You must be prepared for any eventuality in the event of an incident on the route, should you need to wait for assistance from the organization.

• A GPS navigation system with the latest available tracks

• Sunscreen

All participants must carry the equipment provided by the organization: MTB race plate and GPS tracker.

Participants are semi-autonomous on each stage. Depending on the length of the section, 1 to 2 refreshment points are planned.

8. LOGISTICS

8.1 Luggage

1 bag per teammate.

Luggage will be transferred by the organization to the stage finish. Each bag must be identifiable with the first and last name of each person. We will also provide colored tags identifying the bag drop-off areas and your tent area.

8.2 Bivouac area

By bivouac, we mean the provision of a location either in an inn or in the desert camp.

After each stage, the team may go to a participants’ tent according to its color and set up their Fatbikes nearby in the designated area.

8.3 Catering

1 refreshment point per day will be available on each stage. They will be supplied with local products: water, syrup, dates, peanuts, fruit, etc. There are no “real meals” at lunchtime at the end of the stages, but a generous post-race snack — raw vegetables, fruit, yogurts, biscuits and drinks — will still be available. Evening meals will be taken together on mats outdoors or under one of the large Khaïmas. For breakfast during the stay, you will have coffee, milk, tea, bread with jam and honey. If you wish to supplement the refreshment points, lunchtime snacks or breakfasts, you may bring your own specific personal products; however, alcohol is prohibited in the country.

8.4 Fatbike repair and maintenance

Mechanical assistance may be provided if needed by Cédric from Cyclexperts Lyon. If necessary, you will find some spare parts there — payable separately — as well as a mechanical service for repairing or adjusting your Fatbike.

8.5 Accompanying person

The accompanying-person package includes the same services as for participants for breakfasts, lunchtime snacks and evening meals. Accompanying persons will also be accommodated at the bivouacs in individual or shared tents. During the day, they will travel by 4×4 from one bivouac to another and, if they wish, may go trekking with a guide to remarkable sites: gueltas, rock paintings, walks in the dunes, visits to palm groves, etc.

8.6 Safety

The organization will have a 4×4 and a medical team following each stage and also available in the evening at the bivouac.

In the event of a serious problem, it is essential to notify the organization as quickly as possible using the phone number that will be provided to you and the GPS tracker. Nevertheless, we recommend that you exercise extreme caution on every stage. Emergency services are not very operational in Mauritania. In the event of a serious injury, repatriation will probably need to be considered, and your evacuation may take a long time due to the country’s travel conditions.

Any participant calling on a doctor or first-aider automatically places themselves under their authority and agrees to fully accept their decisions.

Any person who has undergone medical or surgical treatment during the months preceding the departure must inform the organization in writing. In the absence of such declaration, the organization cannot be held responsible in the event of a major incident.

9. CANCELLATION AND REFUND POLICY

In the event of withdrawal, the deposit, which allows us to commit you with service providers such as airlines and inns, cannot under any circumstances be refunded, unlike the remainder of the registration fee.

10. IMAGE RIGHTS

By participating in the raid, participants authorize the organizer and its rights holders to use and reproduce their name, image and voice in connection with the raid, for use on communication and promotional materials, worldwide and by all means known to date.

In accordance with the French Data Protection Act of January 6, 1978, you have the right to access and rectify personal data concerning you. Through us, you may receive offers from other companies or associations. If you do not wish this, simply write to us, indicating your surname, first name and address.

Registration for the raid necessarily implies that the participant agrees to receive electronic newsletters concerning elements and content related to the race for which they are registered.

In accordance with the new provisions relating to respect for privacy, anyone who does not wish to appear in the official results or on the list of registered participants must inform us in writing.

11. DISPUTES AND CLAIMS

Any request may be sent by email to contact@raid-transmauritania.com or by post to Anjou Authentique Aventure, 12 rue Jean Lefrançois, 49770 La Membrolle-sur-Longuenée, France.

During the event, the reference person will be the race director.

Any claim received 1 month after the end date of the raid will be considered null and void.