Rules

• No e-bikes, gas powered bikes or motor scooters – pedal powered only.
• All ammo must be carried but firearm must remain unloaded for safety reasons.
• Firearms should be zeroed and functioning prior to competition – There will be no practice rounds/groups.
• Options of alternative routes are up to the competitor – if you have a route that gets you there faster, that is an option as long as the same bicycle is ridden/walked/carried.
• All traffic laws will be in effect as normal and courteous riding is up to the rider. Pacelines/Drafting is allowed/encouraged.
• Time spent getting range/lane will not be counted as long as it is reasonable short bathroom/water break and to get a lane/targets.
• Time will be stopped/noted when destination range is reached (bikes are parked)

Divisions

• RoadBike/BullseyePistol – Typical run will be road/light gravel and be focused on speed/total time. Generally these runs will be 10-20 miles one way and will be out and back.
• Mountianbike/Shotgun – will follow same rules but with use of shotguns and mountianbikes. Slugs will be used for indoor ranges and clay stations for shotshell courses.
• Gravel/Rifle – Gravel bike and Rifle. Rifle has options of shooting 100 yd range. Outdoor events may allow longer yardage rifle courses.
• Multi-gun: Competitors may choose to pack and run a pistol and rifle at the range. Either gun can be shot first, all other rules are as normal.
• 3Gun Run – Elite competition that combines Roadbike, Mountainlike and Gravle bike as well as Pistol, Rifle and Shotgun. Competitors will have a base that they can stage and transition from each run to the range. Competitors will choose bike and gun for first run as a normal competition. Upon returning, ditch that set of gear, present targets and transition to the next phase and repeat until all 3 bikes and guns are completed. Competitors may choose any combination of bike and gun for any round. After the third round is completed, all scores will be added for the master 3-Gun Run Total.

Scoring

• Each competitor will shoot 5 paper targets at 25yds. Each Target should have a group of 10 rounds. Each target will be initialed with time and round # once it is retrieved/finished. Each target group will be measured and multiplied by 10.0 and then added to the travel time.
• Example: travel time is 52:00 on the first leg and 58:00 on the return leg. 5 groups were shot.
  • Group 1: group size is 5″ – score = 5 * 10 = 50 (lower is better)
  • Group 2: group size is 6″ – score = 6 * 10 = 60
  • Group 3: group size is 7″ – score = 7 * 10 = 70
  • Group 4: group size is 8″ – score = 8 * 10 = 80
  • Group 5: group size is 9″ – score = 9 * 10 = 90
  • Group total: 50 + 60 + 70 + 80 + 90 = 350
• Total Score: 52.0 + 58.0 + 350 = 460
• Targets will be shot at 25yds indoor range
• All rounds must hit paper target or DNF on the shooting portion
• If a rider fails to make it back to the start/finish line, they will receive DNF for the ride portion but can still be scored for the shooting portion. Ride DNFs are more critical than the range DNF – competitors that finish the ride will be ranked above competitors that have a DNF for the shooting portion and any completed ride-time/total score.

I stumbled upon the Bersaglieri by accident while looking up the history of Bianchi, which is no only the first real road bike but also the oldest bicycle company in the world. Bianchi made the first known full suspension bikes for the Bersagleri in the early 1900s.

The Bersaglieri were formed in 1836 to be high mobility light infantry. They were primarily used as skirmishers and shock troops to guard the flanks and harass the flanks of opposing armies. The kingdom of Sardinia could not afford a lot of calvary so they trained these troops to high physical and marksmanship standards to round out their forces.

At one time there were up to 12 battalions of cyclist troops in service. Present day Bersaglieri have other preferred methods of transportation but it is great to look back in history. Click here for Wikipedia information on this historic Italian troop class.