Audax rides

@hippy I wouldn't call the buzzard a fun little tour.

'fun little tour' is my code for...
"I'm too fucked to ride this route any faster" aka...
"More fucking hills?! Where's the next services?!"

Will have to do my first proper but of night audaxing this weekend.

Aside from the obvious lights, a headtorch to read the routesheet/GPS, and a high-vis gilet, any other gear I should bring that I wouldn't usually?

Who made you do it?

Spare batteries and warmer kit?

Yup, spare batteries a must. Your GPS will use more battery with the backlight on and the headtorch is also good for any mechanicals (saves having to hold a bike light in one hand).

For the evening/night chill I'll have an extra base layer (but mostly I'll just put my rain jacket on) and I'll have a pair of cheap cotton inner gloves that I put on over my mitts. A buff is also good for keeping the chill off neck/mouth/nose/ears.

Stockport, Colchester or DIY?

rode the buzzard in 2013 and DNF'd.

TBH it was brutally hot that day, but the route itself I found to be more of a miles-for-miles sake type Audax than a see-the-sights audax.
Lots of busy straight roads and nothing really romantic.

I concluded that I wasnt having any fun and chucked it.

Riding it in winter is going to be even more 'miles of nothing'. Nothing but darkness. Best thing about 600s... when you're done.

Cheers @hippy and @Greenbank. It's Stockport.

@fussballclub I'm doing it for the good of my health. Although I'm actually not looking forward to doing it on my own as I will inevitably have a bad mental bonk in the 3rd quarter around the less familiar part of the course. I'm debating teaming up with a waif/stray at the lunch control to get me through it.

Anyone done the Stonehenge 200? May do it on Xmas eve, not as a perm or anything. Just the route. I've heard the A338 is pretty shit.

It is pretty crap. I would be hesitant to do an audax on Christmas Eve. The exodus traffic is likely to be shit with a high risk of drink/over fed drivers later on in the day. Might be OK, might be tremendously shit.

Svae yourself for the Poor Student #ludwig

Okay, thanks! Will think of something else. I definitely need to finish F500 this year and I can't really ride on Xmas day or boxing day, so need to get big mileage in on the first day.

Are you doing it? I am quite tempted... but 6.09 train from Paddington can >>>>

I'm planning a 100 mile + ride Christmas eve and that starts close to me... What time would you think of starting?

Ride out :)

Did the Stonehenge 200 many years ago with one of my brothers (blimey, AUK results say it was 2007). Can't remember much about it but I don't think it went along the A338 at all, only crossed it by Porton.

This looks more like the route I took:-

http://www.bikely.com/maps/bike-path/Stonehenge-207km-Audax-Route

The Friar Tuck (or Friar Muck as it is known in AUK circles) in Amesbury is proper heart attack all-day breakfast. Couldn't be arsed to nip up to see Stonehenge itself. Nice start/finish through the trees though.

I'll be starting in Camberley from my mum's. Early. Probably aim to be at the start in Elstead by 7.30 latest.

Lol. Na.

Looks like we did about 1km along A338 in 2014. I can not remember it being a big deal. I do remember it being a flipping lovely ride with lots of very pretty little villages, thatched cottages and shit. All good.

https://www.strava.com/activities/142836996

You can now enter both of the Islington CC Audaxs for 2016 at Audax UK:

The Great Escape
The Italian Job

I'm heading out on Jan 3rd to do the Lutudarum just as a casual ride.

http://www.aukweb.net/events/detail/14-975/

If anyone fancies tagging along I'll be leaving Hassop Station for a clockwise loop at about 8am. It's a bit off-road/trail, technically doable on a road bike but I'll be on either a CX bike or a 29er.

The organiser isn't going to be running the event this year due to other audaxy commitments but I might run it as a slightly more off-road version with a view to seeing if there is interest in some more off-road audax rides.

Just replied on YACF (andytk), interested if I can get myself over to Hassop on time.

I replied there

Winter Solstice done. I was going to write a full report but here's the TL;DR version.

• Stockport-Middlewwch was fun because the twons are so closely spaced that you tick them off very fast and I knew where I was going without a routesheet
  
• Nantwich-Market Drayton was SHIT into a headwind with fuck all to see. Also bonked a bit because I forgot to eat - AGAIN.
  
• Market Drayton-Tarporley was similarly mentally tiring, plus I was physically knackered at having ridden into a headwind in what was in hindisght to big a gear.
  
• Tarporley-Stockport in the dark was a lot more fun as I latched onto a bunch and got back to ticking off towns that I knew. The absolute highlight was overtaking the bloke I only knew off a YouTube video as the organiser of the Pendle 600
  . Probably my favourite YT video ever.
  
  

Why don't these 200s get any easier? This is my 4th one and I've never felt I could go on to do a 300.