Rules of the game
Only the original French version of the game rules serves as a reference.
Translations into other languages are provided for information purposes only.
Article 1
To join the Club des Cent Cols, you need to have cycled over at least one hundred different passes, including five passes over 2000m for every hundred on offer.
Article 2
The following are taken into account:
- the passes listed in the Club des Cent Cols catalogues on the date of their last update.
Mountains and peaks, gorges and valley bottoms are not counted.
Article 3
Candidates and registered members of the Club des Cent Cols do not have to provide proof of having crossed the passes. The Club relies on the sincerity of declarations.
Article 4
The Club reserves the right to reject a pass created (named) without historical authenticity with the aim of attracting cyclists, otherwise we could say that the "Game" would be distorted. On the other hand, research into the naming of passes in accordance with local custom and tradition, as evidenced by documents, is fully encouraged.
Article 5
Each year, a summer gathering is organised at the summit of a pass that the Club wishes to highlight.
Article 6
By sending in the first list, you agree to abide by these rules. The registration procedures are as follows:
First registration
Candidates for membership of the Club des Cent Cols can, at any time, send a list of the different cols they have climbed in their cycling career. A registration fee of €20 (updatable) entitles new members to receive :
- a numbered and personalised "Cent Cols" diploma
- the Club medal
- the Club's year in review
- the annual newsletter "Infos Cent Cols
Correspondence, pass lists and membership fees should be sent to the New Members Officer (inscriptions@centcols.net).
Membership renewal
Each year, between 1er October and 31 January, members send a list of the new passes they have climbed during the season to their national or territorial delegate accompanied by their membership fee. The minimum membership fee of €15 (which can be updated) entitles members to be listed on the roll of honour in the annual magazine, to take part in the life of the Club and to download all the catalogues in Excel format free of charge.
As an exception to the general rule, the ratio of 5 passes at +2000m per hundred is not applied to members aged 70 and over.
These lists are checked by regional or national delegates to ensure that they comply with the rules of the game.
The addresses of the New Members Officer and the national and regional delegates can be found in the pages of the annual magazine and on the club's website.
Appendix to the game rules
Article 1
Comments :
A bicycle is any device powered solely by muscular power, usually a two-wheeler, although tricycles are also permitted.
The use of mechanical (re-)climbing equipment is excluded.
A downhill pass may be counted.
Mule passes are admitted in the same way as road passes.
Passes that are difficult to approach can be partially negotiated on foot, with the bike being pushed (or even carried).
One hundred different passes: the same pass is only counted once, even if it has been crossed many times, and by different slopes.
There is no minimum altitude.
The passes can be crossed in any country in the world.
The table of honour in the annual review shows the total number of passes climbed by each member and the number of "+ 2000 m" passes.
Some passes can be crossed by two different routes, one being the geographical pass and the other being a tunnel. This is the same pass that can be crossed by two different crossings. Each pass has a unique code, but only one of the two should be declared, either the geographical pass or the tunnel, but not both.
Article 2
Comments :
Anyone wishing to propose a change to a collar already in the catalogues or the insertion of a new collar should write to cols@centcols.org, by attaching reliable reference sources as described above.
In French, the term "col" implicitly contains a topographical character. Because of the multitude of terrain configurations encountered, the minimum definition of the topographical nature of a pass adopted by the Club is as follows: a privileged point of passage, imposed by the relief, located on a watershed, and other than a summit. In the vast majority of cases, a pass is located on a depression in a ridge and facilitates passage from one valley to another.
Numerous titles are used instead of the word col: collet, pas, port, baisse, selle, brèche, hourquette, etc. The Cols de France catalogue lists all the names that can be used to designate a pass. Similarly, pass catalogues by country or region list the names used in local toponymy to designate a pass.
A name does not always designate a pass: for example, a "collet" in France, a "colle" in Italy, an "alto" in Spain, a "Höhe" in Germany/Austria, an "Egg" or "Eck(e)" in Switzerland may designate a summit or ridge rather than a pass. Similarly, a Germanic or British "pas" or "pass" may refer to a gorge or a particular passage in a river. In such cases, they are not included in the catalogues because they are not topographical enough (see the well-known example of Pas de la Case on the Andorran border).
"Col portant ce nom": a pass must be named on a reference source by a generic title as mentioned above, combined with a specific name. Example: Col du Tourmalet, Col de la Croix de Fer, Puerto de la Bonaigua, Passo dello Stelvio, Sustenpass, etc.
Occasionally, a pass is named by its name alone. Example: Le Collet (FR-04-0738) or Le Col (FR-26-0410).
On the other hand, a named place without a title evoking the notion of a mountain pass will not be considered, even if it corresponds to the topographical criterion. Example: "La Baraque" or "La Chapelle". Similarly, a topographical pass, indicated on a map by a symbol (e.g. >.<) but which does not have a generic name (title) and surname, will not be considered.
A place named and designated on a reference map or on another document such as a land register with a title evoking a mountain pass, provided that it can be located with sufficient precision, complies with the RDJ while respecting the topographical requirements mentioned elsewhere in this appendix to Article 2.
The appointment of a collar must be enshrined in usage and mentioned on reference sources deemed reliable by the Club. Reliable reference sources include :
- road or topographical maps produced either by official bodies or by private publishers of recognised competence.
- toponymic databases associated with digital mapping from the same bodies mentioned above.
- cadastres and old maps, whose scale and graphics make it possible to locate passes unambiguously on the ground.
- Summit or directional signs.
- maps or information boards produced either by official bodies or by competent mountain clubs.
- guides published by mountain clubs renowned for their reliability and knowledge of the terrain: French and Italian alpine clubs, Club Vosgien, etc.
The naming of the passes by oral tradition, or by mention in tourist guides, is considered to be an initial clue, which should prompt further research with a view to confirming this usage in one of the sources mentioned above.
The routes and leaflets of cycling tours and/or competitions are not recognised as a sufficient source of reference. The words "Col du Mont Ventoux" or "Col de l'Alpe d'Huez" appearing on such documents do not, however, make these summits or mountain resorts passes within the meaning of our Rules of the Game.
Neither collaborative Internet platforms (Open StreetMap, Wikipedia etc....) nor information integrators motivated primarily by commercial interests rather than the provision of verifiable data (Google, Bing, ViaMichelin, Tom-Tom, Garmin etc. ...) are considered sufficient sources. These sources may also encourage you to do further research for more convincing sources.
Article 3
Commentary:
In particular, no photos in front of the pass signs are required. Declarations of mountain passes crossed must be made on honour. Photos of passes and landscapes, accounts of mountain rides and meetings between cyclists are always appreciated for the annual magazine.
Article 4
Commentary:
Deleted
Article 5
Commentary:
This international summer gathering is organised by the Club, which offers its members the chance to get together and explore the passes in the area. Other regional meetings and gatherings are organised on the initiative of the regional organisers. Local events organised by Club members are also possible. The calendar, meeting places and brief programme of these gatherings are published in the annual magazine and on the Club's website.
Article 6
Commentary:
In particular, this commitment implies submitting lists of collars that comply with the reference catalogues and the definition of collars recognised by the Club. Sending the lists is an ideal opportunity to pass on to the new members manager or delegates any collar discoveries that could be added to the catalogues.
Article published in the 2016 magazine
Club des Cent Cols organisation chart
The Club des Cent Cols is an association under the law of 1901, managed by a Board of Directors with a minimum of 3 and a maximum of 11 members, elected for a period of 4 years by all paid-up members. The Club is affiliated to the FFCT under no. 6384, and as such can offer a federal licence with insurance to those of its members who request it.
The Club relies on a network of Territorial Delegates and National Delegates to support the Secretariat in its task of receiving and validating the annual lists of passes climbed by members. In the annual review, the "Tableau d'Honneur" summarises for each member the amount of the membership fee paid, the total number of passes climbed and the number of passes over 2000m.
Working Groups (WG), made up - in agreement with the Board - of volunteers with a good knowledge of languages and access to local cartography, draw up draft pass catalogues for each country, and update them periodically. Any publication of a catalogue or update renders previous publications null and void.
Regional or national coordinators are responsible for organising regional meetings to bring members together and welcome new members.