Doing an audax
Discussion
At the risk of teaching grandma new tricks (PBP veterans, stand up now), I figured some people on here might be interested in how to go about entering an audax. I am doing my first event on Saturday. It may end in disaster.
Having done a couple of 200km audax routes off the back of gpx files I found online, I decided to enter one. First step was to check the calendar on the Audax UK website:
http://www.aukweb.net/cal/index.htm
Having taken my longest day from 50km to 240km in the last month or so, I decided a 300km would be a challenge, so I entered the Mildenhall 300
http://www.aukweb.net/cal/calsolo.php?Ride=10-361
I printed off the form, completed it and sent off a cheque for £7 and two SAEs. I am not an AUK member, so that included £2 insurance. A couple of weeks before the start date, I got through a route sheet. It tells you the places you have to got to get proof of passage from (usually getting a card stamped by helps at those points, or a receipt from a local shop, or a piece of information from a roadsign that's not visible on streetview), and a suggested route between those places. The suggested route was easy enough to follow on bikehike, but somewhat parsimonious with respect to instructions. I've spent the last few nights with Mapsource open, putting in waypoints and routes on top of the track I made in bikehike. I couldn't have turned up on the day and hoped to get around with just the routesheet, but suspect those who are handy with maps would have been fine.
My interpretation of the route comes in at 328kms (others are saying 319 and my route is the same as theirs so it's the software, I suspect).
The start is at 4am on Saturday. The CTC section in Suffolk is organising it, and they are using their stand at the Mildenhall Cycle Rally as the base. At the start I'll pick up my card to get stamped. My guess is there will around 50 people there (but that's just a guess). The route goes down to Quy, back up to Cromer, then back down to Mildenhall. You have until 12.30am on Sunday morning to finish and hand back your completed card, but I am hoping to be done around 10.30pm on Saturday night. I suspect it will require a lot of eating on the go.
As I mentioned before, It was only a couple of months ago that I did my first ride over 40 miles, so I am slightly nervous. I'll add to this when I've done it.
Having done a couple of 200km audax routes off the back of gpx files I found online, I decided to enter one. First step was to check the calendar on the Audax UK website:
http://www.aukweb.net/cal/index.htm
Having taken my longest day from 50km to 240km in the last month or so, I decided a 300km would be a challenge, so I entered the Mildenhall 300
http://www.aukweb.net/cal/calsolo.php?Ride=10-361
I printed off the form, completed it and sent off a cheque for £7 and two SAEs. I am not an AUK member, so that included £2 insurance. A couple of weeks before the start date, I got through a route sheet. It tells you the places you have to got to get proof of passage from (usually getting a card stamped by helps at those points, or a receipt from a local shop, or a piece of information from a roadsign that's not visible on streetview), and a suggested route between those places. The suggested route was easy enough to follow on bikehike, but somewhat parsimonious with respect to instructions. I've spent the last few nights with Mapsource open, putting in waypoints and routes on top of the track I made in bikehike. I couldn't have turned up on the day and hoped to get around with just the routesheet, but suspect those who are handy with maps would have been fine.
My interpretation of the route comes in at 328kms (others are saying 319 and my route is the same as theirs so it's the software, I suspect).
The start is at 4am on Saturday. The CTC section in Suffolk is organising it, and they are using their stand at the Mildenhall Cycle Rally as the base. At the start I'll pick up my card to get stamped. My guess is there will around 50 people there (but that's just a guess). The route goes down to Quy, back up to Cromer, then back down to Mildenhall. You have until 12.30am on Sunday morning to finish and hand back your completed card, but I am hoping to be done around 10.30pm on Saturday night. I suspect it will require a lot of eating on the go.
As I mentioned before, It was only a couple of months ago that I did my first ride over 40 miles, so I am slightly nervous. I'll add to this when I've done it.
Edited by DrMekon on Wednesday 25th August 07:41
Ended up doing 322km in 14hrs and 52mins including stops. Not that it counts for anything in audax, but I was surprised to find I Was fifth home out of a field of about 50. This was thanks to getting in with the leading pack out of desperation to get away from people with flashing rear lights - really, 4am group rides don't need multiple superflashes going off like photon cannons. Ended up sticking with a chap on a carbon Condor Squadra (I was the only one in the front group not on a race bike) for the rest of the ride, which worked out great as he was set for getting round in 15 hours, and was happy to work for it - I definitely didn't do my fair share into the wind. Great company, good route on the way out, and a brilliant ride overall.
I felt spent at the end, and although I felt great the next day, a short loop revealed that my legs didn't have much in them. Still felt weak today. Can't see myself immediately making the leap to 400km. I am going to investigate some hillier 200 and 300s next.
All the guys I rode with in the front group were club riders who did sportives, so if people are put off audax by the thought it's all beard and tourers, they are mistaken. It was all carbon and no mudguards at the sharp end. God knows what they made of me giving it my best to hang on to them on my tourer with Schwalbe Marathons, a heavy dduty steel expedition rack and full mudguards. I certainly came away harbouring thoughts about getting something considerably quicker.
I felt spent at the end, and although I felt great the next day, a short loop revealed that my legs didn't have much in them. Still felt weak today. Can't see myself immediately making the leap to 400km. I am going to investigate some hillier 200 and 300s next.
All the guys I rode with in the front group were club riders who did sportives, so if people are put off audax by the thought it's all beard and tourers, they are mistaken. It was all carbon and no mudguards at the sharp end. God knows what they made of me giving it my best to hang on to them on my tourer with Schwalbe Marathons, a heavy dduty steel expedition rack and full mudguards. I certainly came away harbouring thoughts about getting something considerably quicker.
Edited by DrMekon on Monday 30th August 23:10
The steel framed tourer I was on certainly looked out of place up the sharp end. It's got clearance for 42mm tires with mudguards.
Current wish list is...
Condor Fratello
Van Nicholas Yukon
Dave Yates Super Randonneur
The reality is more likely to be Ribble Winter Trainer, but I keep telling myself that an off the peg bike is going to be too small (I am tall, and the 57.2cm top tube on my bike is much too short for me), and it's helping keep the Dave Yates dream alive.
The two ride this month have done wonders for this month's mileage - a smidge over 1100 miles (1770.44km) since August 1st.
Current wish list is...
Condor Fratello
Van Nicholas Yukon
Dave Yates Super Randonneur
The reality is more likely to be Ribble Winter Trainer, but I keep telling myself that an off the peg bike is going to be too small (I am tall, and the 57.2cm top tube on my bike is much too short for me), and it's helping keep the Dave Yates dream alive.
The two ride this month have done wonders for this month's mileage - a smidge over 1100 miles (1770.44km) since August 1st.
Well done DrMekon, when you step up to 400km you won't notice the 300km point and the same when you step up to 600kmetc.
When you ride Audax's it's best to just ride to the next control to break it in to stages, it is 60% in your mind completing long distance so break it in to bite size chunks, hell I've even broken it down to riding to the next instruction when really suffering
I am sure that when you know you are 10 km from the finish your mind starts getting ready to shut the body down for a rest that's where the psychological bit comes in and you think you can't go any further.
Are you thinking of qualifying for PBP next year?
When you ride Audax's it's best to just ride to the next control to break it in to stages, it is 60% in your mind completing long distance so break it in to bite size chunks, hell I've even broken it down to riding to the next instruction when really suffering
I am sure that when you know you are 10 km from the finish your mind starts getting ready to shut the body down for a rest that's where the psychological bit comes in and you think you can't go any further.
Are you thinking of qualifying for PBP next year?
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