[Closed] Audax'ing

a new randonneur ... chapeau that man !
i find audaxes much more enjoyable than sportives these days, better
feed stops and company 😉

Ive done similar distances before (C2C in a day) but this was my first as an official member of AUK 😀 a really well planned route & loads of food & cake at the end all for a fiver!

*not that I ate any of the lovely food, as I can't seem to eat immediately after exercise.

Did you enjoy it though?

Brilliant stuff, glad to hear you got out and that average is pretty good all things considered. So not shabby at all, should be very pleased with that.

Genuine question.. Ask only because I see Audax as a long ride with nowhere particular to go, just round B roads and such. I've been asked on many occasions to enter/tag along but have never been tempted. Quite happy to do 150k on my own as part of a "tour" (like the Tour of Yorkshire I did) but to just poodle around local area for no other reason that "because" just seems like a, well forgive me, a bit of a waste.
Local to me is a club that runs this sort of thing, I know a couple of blokes who plan them and take great pride in route planning and such, but you see their longest, 200k's too, is a bounce around the Hampshire hills... Just going around in circles..

Seems odd.

Anyways, we need more route info and what you saw on the way, and cake pics.

😀

Can't post pics due to not taking any - and it defeats me anyway!

It was the Red Rose Ride out of Halifax to Glasson Dock nr Lancaster then back, a figure of 8 loop really. A mixture of A roads & back lanes through lovely scenery including a hoick up the Eastern (steep) side of the trough of Bowland before hitting the flat coastal plain.
I hit a wall around 80 miles because we set off from the halfway café too fast, trying to hang on to a group moving too fast for us & I started to feel a bit 'odd'. At the 100 mile mark I started to feel better & got some power back, unfortunately my friend was fading a little by then so I kept dropping him & had to remember to reign it back in. Worst bit was heading through Todmorden & knowing if I turned right I would soon be home, but the route was left towards Halifax!

Yes, I enjoyed it overall, the route was well planned & the scenery is gorgeous around there. TBH its all reasonably local to me so I've ridden a fair chunk of the region before but never that particular route.

You don't need any other destination than a café or fish & chip shop really, the rides the thing not the destination!

This was the route, if the link works :-

https://www.mioshare.com/recording/detail/2889910

a long ride with nowhere particular to go, just round B roads and such

that and cake sounds perfect

Thats sounds like a great route, why include A roads, just a question. It's all that figure of 8 stuff and the fact that you can just turn left and be home in 10mins that makes me realise why I don't do them 😆

Never ridden up that way, great route so I'll nick that and modify it 8)

Not a great deal of A roads, just a couple of short sections to link up the rest. Some of what are classed as A roads up here are pretty quiet - especially on Sundays, its local knowledge that goes into planning a good route.
The final return leg from Burnley to Halifax is on an A road, but its very familiar to me & doesn't worry me in the slightest - although rush hour on Monday mornings may be different!
There is also the point that - at this time of year - the final leg needs to be on well lit roads, the cut off time yesterday was around 3hrs after sunset, factor in the steep, dark valleys here and you need streetlights quite early on - even with lights on your bike.

I rode alot of Audax events in the late 80's and early 90's.

A had some good rides at all the distances up to and including 600k.

In the end, I just got a little fed up of traveling to start points to ride my bike.

I prefer to explore the area I live in more and just travel a short(ish) distance to do more exploring now.

But, I did have a good time, just sort of got tired of the same sort of formula of the rides in the end.

Met some nice folk though.

I love audax rides. The best road riding I ever do.
I think I get what bikebouy is saying but I think it's a 'perspective' way of approaching it that makes it for me.
My road and mountain bike rides were previously very targeted on getting to point B from point A and back again as quickly as possible. I had no interest in stopping and talking with people I was riding with to the point I would avoid riding with others.
Now, I focus on 'completing' a route that somebody else has set. Not doing it too quickly is part of the challenge although for me, this only needs thinking about on the shorter, flatter routes. Certainly not something of an issue on the longer rides. I'm not mad keen on riding with others during audax events which I suppose goes against the ethos of them a little. I speed up or slow down to regain my solitude if I need to and others seem happy to do the same.
I hate sportives though.

monksie - meant to drop you a note, did that seatpost ever show up ?

ta

Sadly not Iain. I wonder what happens to items that don't get to where they're supposed to go?

I rode alot of Audax events in the late 80's and early 90's.

A had some good rides at all the distances up to and including 600k.

In the end, I just got a little fed up of traveling to start points to ride my bike.

I prefer to explore the area I live in more and just travel a short(ish) distance to do more exploring now.

But, I did have a good time, just sort of got tired of the same sort of formula of the rides in the end.

Met some nice folk though.

You can ECE and do your own DIY routes now straight from the door. Either solo (my own preferred method) or with other audaxers. No need to drive to the start then 🙂

I'm lucky that a fair few events go out within an hour's drive from home but on the whole I prefer solo DIY GPS audaxes as I can make them as savage and remote as I like without worrying about places which will offer proof of passage. With GPS control points you can stick them anywhere - like the top of the nasty climbs 😉

monksie - Member
Sadly not Iain. I wonder what happens to items that don't get to where they're supposed to go?

Posted 45 minutes ago # Report-Post

Took 10 hours to do my first (flat) 200k audax last year. Haven't ridden much for this year and destroyed myself following a local 100k route a few weeks ago.

I've pencilled a few events in for this year, would like to get at least one 200k in this year. 300 may have to wait till next year now.

8hrs 52 minutes was 'time in the saddle'. I don't count café stops etc personally, although AUK do.
As long as I get back before the cutoff point (or a personal time point) I'm happy enough.
Washed out now though, why do my shoulders hurt so much?

Still pretty good for a hilly route. Think our flat route was 8.5 hours riding, but we opted for a third unscheduled cafe stop, and then got lost 10 miles from the end. 🙄

That's ok, we got lost half a bloody mile away from the end!
Heads down following Garmin & for some reason we ended up on a flyover in the middle of Halifax!

My mate has a 300km event in Dorset (Poole) in 2 weeks - he can do that one solo!

Bloody good effort and all that Guys.

Caps off to you for cracking on with them... but 300k? and 300k in Dorset?

He does know it's bumpy down this way yeah ? 😆

I've been a member of Audax UK for several years, and I still haven't done an audax ride, although I do home brew type rides usually on something inappropriate for the job, eg a rod brake roadster on a 120 mile loop in the Highlands.

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Must get my bum into gear and do an actual audax. 🙂

^^
You
Are
Mad

😆

Genuine question.. Ask only because I see Audax as a long ride with nowhere particular to go, just round B roads and such. I've been asked on many occasions to enter/tag along but have never been tempted. Quite happy to do 150k on my own as part of a "tour" (like the Tour of Yorkshire I did) but to just poodle around local area for no other reason that "because" just seems like a, well forgive me, a bit of a waste.

Local to me is a club that runs this sort of thing, I know a couple of blokes who plan them and take great pride in route planning and such, but you see their longest, 200k's too, is a bounce around the Hampshire hills... Just going around in circles..

It's just a ride like any other. Sometimes a big loop. Sometimes a figure of 8. Sometimes straight out and back. I'm yet to see one that goes round in circles. I suppose the main difference between an Audax and say, a Sportive, is that the former may well be organised by some eccentric old guy with a map and felt tip pen, so the type of routes could vary a lot from place to place.

...why include A roads, just a question.

Because Audax is focused on long distance, there'll often be a conscious effort to minimise climbing, which can often mean some major roads being included. Also GPS is still a bit black magic in the world of Audax, so I suppose navigation is a factor too.

i did one on Saturday, Yellowbelly Tour 200km, rode out to the start, and home, did 328km in total, 11:57 moving time, 12:57 elapsed, mainly because i wanted to crack 200 mile, and to see if i could ride for 12 hours, really, for entering 12/24 mtb events was only 6 quid as well, that wouldn't get you half a sportive entrance, and the spread at the end looked decent but i had to rush off

Yeah, he knows Dorset & he's ridden it before.
Starts at some silly time like 2am!
He's training for Paris-Brest-Paris in August, so has to log up 200/300/400/600km rides to qualify.

Blimey, theres a whole world of long distance rollouts going on here.

I like, I like a lot.

Would my Manchester to London (Rapha challenge in Sept) count ? It's P2P so maybe not 😆

And a No to Sportives for me. I've never done one and don't intend too either.. (ok I have but they're CX'er events.. sooooo... erm 😐 )

Did my first Audax many years ago as recovery from skin cancer treatment and plastic surgery.

Was brutal (and snowing). But it was good to be out. Must do more..

As far as I'm aware, certain AUK recognised events are designated P-B-P qualifying rides so you get a certain number of options around the country leading up to Paris in August.

a long ride with nowhere particular to go, just round B roads and such

Did a local 100 on Saturday. Made it 170 by riding out and back.

Dorset 200 in 2 weeks time.

The real challenge isn't the 300 on the Saturday; it's doing the 200 sunday as well! 😯

Epicyclo - the National 400 is up your way this year. Seems like the perfect first Audax.

A sportive is a group of middle aged men in lycra pretending to be racing.

An audax is a group of slightly older men in Ron Hills pretending they are not racing.

A sportive is a group of middle aged men in lycra pretending to be racing.

An audax is a group of slightly older men in Ron Hills pretending they are not racing.

You've butchered that one.

A sportive is for people who are pretending that are racing and an Audax if for people who pretend that they aren't.

wanmankylung - Member
Epicyclo - the National 400 is up your way this year. Seems like the perfect first Audax.

I'm getting a bit old and frail now - do you think I should stick a 3 speed hub on the roadster for that distance?

sturmey 3 speed fixed ?

I'm getting a bit old and frail now - do you think I should stick a 3 speed hub on the roadster for that distance?

Might as well.

Here is the link to enter.

http://aukweb.net/events/detail/15-2/

Did 200/300/400 and 600's last year. Like the 300's the most, but my solo 400 was the best one off.

Article on road.cc today - not sure AUK could cope if it went mainstream!

MCTD - you got a link to that article?

[url= http://road.cc/content/blog/145727-sr-series-14 ]the forum search is your friend[/url]

Ah Cheers, but if it's not an Audax Ecosse event it's not worth doing (allegedly). 😉

wanmankylung - Member
Epicyclo - the National 400 is up your way this year. Seems like the perfect first Audax.

I hope you realise it is unkind to dangle such bait in front of a weak minded fool.

I've entered.

Now I must go and burnish the brake rods on the mighty roadster, and rake through my collection of Sturmey-Archer hubs for one with 40 holes.

Did the Audax Ecosse 'Rivers, Lochs and Glens' 200km last spring in strong winds and pissing rain. Twelve and three quarter hours of fun fun fun. Brutal introduction to Audaxing but strangely 'moreish' once done. Doing 'More Passes than Mastermind' later this month with the same idiot that talked me into the last one. My longest ride so far this year is 41 miles, pain is a given, finishing isn't.

I've done a few long rides (e.g. 200km/9hr tour including California and Moscow and a 400km/26hr overnighter along the Solway Coast) so the principle of riding that long isn't an issue. It's all a bit "clubby" though. As a bit of a loner, what would regular Audaxers say is the benefit of doing a formal Audax?

Easy to ride on your own in an Audax .It`s no more clubby than anything else organized and easy to be lonely compared with a sportive where there are thousands paying a fortune to ride

As a bit of a loner, what would regular Audaxers say is the benefit of doing a formal Audax?

That's the wonderful thing about audaxes - you kind of drift between group riding and riding on your own. If you want to ride alone you either drift off the back, or have another scone at the cafe.

Doing 'More Passes than Mastermind' later this month with the same idiot that talked me into the last one.

I'm doing the organiser's ride for that on Sunday this week. It's a cracking route.