Audax rides

This was explained to me in a thread on YACF but I now can't find it. Maybe it was the Wessex thread, hang on.

Could be wrong, but pretty sure it depends on the DIY organiser for the South East. Probably best to email Paul Stewart (paudax@gmail.com) @greenbank can help better than I can, I'm sure.

Thank you - I'm pretty sure it'll be explained somewhere on yacf, but there's a lot there... was hoping to avoid bothering anyone directly until sure whether it was somewhere online already.

and well done anyone who did the Shark or that Welsh one with the snow, looked really tough. I was briefly annoyed I wasn't free to do the Shark when I woke up & then looked out the window and wasn't annoyed after that...

wilkyboy and hippy discuss ECEs...

"I live in Cambridge and my shortest Google-walking distance to Tom's starts is 50.8km. I literally just put my address in as the ECE start/finish, submit a link to the Google-walking map and it really doesn't matter what route I ride, because (in theory at least) it's guaranteed to be at least 101.6km, so an extra point. I rode the exact shortest distance on Saturday, although I was helping so I only registered one leg for the 50km badge. For the Horsepower helpers' ride ECE two weeks ago I added on about 120km to make it 200 miles, my first of the season, but I still only had to give my home for the start and end controls — I made the route up as I rode home to bring the overall distance up to 323km/200mi.

The only time you need intermediate controls is when the minimum Google-walks distance to the start is less than 50km — the accepted best-practice for most riders is to ride the short leg to the start, ride the event, and then ride the remainder of the ECE, i.e. the longer leg, to get home again at your leisure. If you ride the long leg to the start then you can end up riding the whole day on your own, because everyone else is fresh and you're already 60-70km into your ride, so they drop you from the off, DAMHIKT :facepalm:

You can do it by GPS or by brevet — if you have GPS then it's MUCH easier because you can put your controls anywhere on the map, but you must remember to start your GPS to record your progress and keep it charged up during the day. With paper brevet ECE then you have to collect receipts, which can be tricky at midnight-o'clock when you live in a sleepy village. Whichever you choose, just remember to pass through all your nominated control points — if you have lots of intermediate controls, it really does pay to print out the virtual brevet and take it with you to remind yourself — tired and confused in the cold and dark on the way home and it's surprising how easy it is to forget where your controls are ... ::-)"

"Ahh... that makes it way easier. I thought there was faffage required - planning the extra bit, adding controls, etc.

I'm not bothered about short (50k) rides to the start, I'm thinking more about my longer rides where I'm tacking a whole audax onto a calendar event, it seems like I should get some points for my club from it.

I rode the whole lot on my own anyway on Saturday since I was maybe 1hr / 20-30k behind the only two guys I knew I was never likely to catch them unless they had issues. Obviously I tried though :)

I only ever ride with GPS, not route sheets so the Garmin is always recording (when it's not crashing, losing routes, etc).

So, say I want to ride 180k to the start of an event, ride the event and then ride 180k back from the event. Do I need to do anything other than submit start/end points? Will I need to invent some controls or is having a GPS track of the 180k to the start enough?"

"The trick is to use Google Maps to give you directions from your home to the start of the ride, then click on the navigation by Walking, and set the units (in Options) to kilometres — that is the basic minimum requirement for a route to qualify for AUK validation. IF the minimum distance is already above your desired whole-100km target then you don't need any extra intermediate points.

For example, you've said you'd ride 180km to the start and 180km home — that's 360km, so effectively just 300km for points. If your home is at least 150km from the start by Google-walking then you don't need to add any intermediate points because no matter what route you actually ride, it will be at least 300km and so will qualify. HOWEVER, if you want the extra point for extending the ride by 400km then you would need at least one intermediate control point on one or other or both of the legs — you can make the route as complicated as you wish, within reason (one control per 50km or so, roughly), but you're going to have to ride it, so simplicity is usually best.

The exact route you ride on the day doesn't matter — ECEs don't yet qualify for mandatory routing. Your ECE will be validated so long as you pass through all your nominated control points in order — and can prove it — and the ridden distance is at least the nominal minimum you've selected (300km or 400km or whatever), as sometimes if Google distance is close to the limit then you can find the on-road route is slightly under — a couple of minor detours down side streets or round-about lanes can add on the necessary extra kilometre or two to roll it over.

Once you've done a couple, all this detail is simply detail and it will take you just a couple of minutes to work out what each ECE is going to be like and to book it.

If you're not after the points then of course ECEs are moot and you should probably just enjoy the ride ;)"

https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=95545.msg2003517#msg2003517

@ad441

At least I had mudguards though, because it rained quite relentlessly for at least the first couple of hours. There were 8 of us at the beginning. 2 dropped at Tunbridge Wells (hypothermia set in cause they were underdressed).

What was their (and yours) kit choice? Bizarrely at 10-ish degrees last week I got soaked and was 4 times as cold with wet clothing and wind!

Superb, thanks very much. So as I understand it, Meopham is 40k from home on the walking directions thing, so I just need to find an intermediate point to add in that will take it up to 50k each way and then make sure I ride that way. And submit the GPS track afterwards.

Yeah, so it's only if the walking distance is shorter than a whole 50k number and you want to round up to that 50k number, that you need to add in points.

The Shark was a really good route I thought, mostly either going up or coming down. None of the climbing bothered me too much, which is probably a result of weight loss and doing so much riding so far this year, took my time going round however, spent an enjoyable day riding with @arup

Feeling slightly more confident about BCM now, as I am tackling hills better than I ever have previously, I'm not built to be a climber. I have done a 200k, 300k and 400k in the last three weekends, I should probably do a 600 this weekend to get my SR in 4 weeks but will be taking a weekend off instead!

I have entered Oasts and Coasts, but I have other commitments on the Friday (leaving drinks) and Sunday (watching marathon) which are making getting to the ride and back (plus riding it) logistically unappealing. My plan now is to ride the Shark again instead as a DIY as it starts 2 minutes from home, so I can leave at 9:00am rather than 4:00am, and be home early evening rather than 2:00am.

Is anyone doing Green and Yellow Fields on the 29th?

Nice @mustardbeak - I didn't realise you were with Arup. I was the guy on the orange cross check that you may have seen.

Yes, a couple of colleagues and I are doing Green and Yellow Fields. Not sure what time but we're going to ride out to round it up a bit. Might get the train outside the M25 then go from there and maybe do the same on the way back in.

Paul isn't getting his email at the moment so you would probably need to try one of the other DIY organisers. Any of them will do in Paul's absence.

So as I understand it, Meopham is 40k from home on the walking directions thing, so I just need to find an intermediate point to add in that will take it up to 50k each way and then make sure I ride that way. And submit the GPS track afterwards.

If it were me, rather than 50/50 I'd make it 60k on the way there and 40k (i.e. direct) on the way back. I find extra extra miles after a ride much harder mentally than before the ride.

I can see the sense in that. On the other hand it makes for a less early start splitting it equally and I suspect the less sleep deprived I am at the start, the better.
Finding the flattest, most easy to follow route is probably the most sensible thing. Unfortunately the route I know to Meopham involves a fair bit of climbing (though does come in at almost exactly 50k).

Of course I really need to be toughening myself up for BCM, so I probably shouldn't be trying to make it too easy for myself in terms of sleep, distance or climbing...

The Shark was ace...

In my memory. I'm not so sure I enjoyed it as I was riding the first half in the rain.

I certainly did enjoy nipping up Toys Hill and having a pint of shandy at the top in the sunshine before carrying on.

There was basically every kind of kit on the shark from summer to artic.

I went with winter jersey/wool base layer and shorts. Odd but it worked perfectly.

Yr Eleyndd - Part 1

In short Yr Elenydd @ 30 was fantastic. It's the first 300 I've ridden and I don't think I could have picked a better organised or more interesting route, I can see why it's run for 30 years! Incredible and varied scenery throughout, really helped keep the kms ticking away all day.

Arrived about 10pm on Friday, chatted with a few people in the village hall, seemed like most people were down the pub. Opted to get the tent pitched as it had started to drizzle and crawled into my sleeping bag as the rain came in. About half 3 when the sky cleared and the temp dropped rapidly below freezing, woke up shivering about 4:45, pulled some extra layers on and thought about trying to squeeze 15 minutes of sleep in before the alarm went off but quickly sat that off and set about getting some food and packing things up for the day.

Must have been close to 100 riders at the start. Plenty of chat from those who'd seen the most recent weather forecasts mixed in with talk of great climbs, winding descents and magical tailwinds in previous years, a few people even discussing strategies for the Tregaron mountain road (bringing mtb shoes to walk the first set of switchbacks!). We were set off in waves, I was faffing a bit and I missed these completely, but wasn't quite the last person to leave.

The controls are well spaced on this ride, dividing it up into 6 fairly even chunks. The first section to Shobden airfield was easy going, relatively flat and the sun was shining. Chatted with several riders including Paul from Audax Club Hackney. The airfield was pretty cool and was well timed for a second breakfast. Paul and others set off while I made use of the facilities and had a quick look at some of the planes...

The weather began to turn on the next section, drizzle at first, some heavy showers and a few glimmers of sunshine. Passed a few riders and eventually ended up in Bulith Wells for the free control. Pleased with my pace at this point, 5 1/2 hours in, 100km down and 1/4 of the climbing done, keeping things nice and steady before the mountain roads...

Somewhere along the A483 Paul caught up (having stopped for more coffee) and just as we turned off the main road, I met a couple of riders I recognised from the Radway 150 earlier in the year. The climbing started through the woods and along the edge of the valley towards the control in Abergwesyn was where I'd say the ride really gets going, unfortunately it was also when the weather started to come in and we descended to the control in a hailstorm. As we waited for brews to cool and one slightly underdressed rider lined their helmet with a spare brevet card bag the hail thankfully turned to snow. A quick bike check as I got ready to set off prompted by passing several riders fixing p*nctures and two with snapped gear cables I realised I'd gone “full scoble” with my tyre pressure (<35psi) and topped them up a little.

The mountain road to Tregaron was breathtaking (literally from the effort taken to get up it and figuratively from the views and quality of riding!). Reduced visibility from the snow hid the Devil's Staircase and it's 25% switchbacks until I crossed the Irfon. Glad to have my 30x28 gear I managed to grind my way up and was greeted by clear skies at the first summit. There were several fire roads leading off either side and it was tempting to deviate from the route, maybe on a drier day... Descending into the next valley required concentration, 25% gradients on a damp and shaded road, the new Compass tyres gripped well, their price almost justified on that stretch of road alone.

The next two climbs were equally steep but with the sun ahead and the roads drying fast, felt a little easier. Stopped part way up to take jacket off and took a couple of photos (and an accidental selfie as my phone objected to being used with soggy gloves)

Desolate is probably the only way to describe the surroundings at Nantymaen and token photo of Wales most remote public telephone

The final climb of this section was a freshly surfaced strip of tarmac followed by a 13km descent into Tregaron, arriving at the control just as a huge hailstorm pulled in.

Staff at the bowling club were incredibly friendly and in great spirits, with food being forced on me before I even made it to the hatch to order! I took my time to eat as gloves dried on the radiator and everyone was peering out the windows hoping for a glimpse of blue sky on the horizon. The hail eventually died off, but not before a dozen riders dragged themselves in looking thoroughly beat up.

Set off from Tregaron still in good spirits, 9 hours in, 150km and the steepest climbs out of the way, mostly dried out, a gentle tailwind and one hilly section to go...

Good effort! Haven't weighed the Straggler in a while, just try not to think about it while riding :)

There were some very underdressed riders in Wales, 4 guys shot past early on in short sleeves and shorts, no luggage, no mudguards and not much in jersey pockets - don't know how they coped with the hail and snow, hoping they made it back before dark and it dropped below 0...

Will do pt 2 of the above tomorrow, before that a quick thanks to @Greenbank and @fussballclub for the positive thoughts on Yr Elenydd last week. Really glad I entered at the last minute :)

Great pictures, and looks like a super day. It's a wonderful ride.
I signed a petition a few months ago to try to persuade BT not to take that phone box away. Glad to see it's still there.

I did the Shark, or the first half at least. Really enjoyed it - lots of new lanes and villages.

Made a silly error at the start as it was raining when I rode over but stopped when I got to Greenwich, so I took my waterproof off and got completely soaked.

Climbs felt pretty good, but my knee was starting to play up approaching half way, so I decided to obey my physio's instructions and call it a day at Seaford. Shame as I was going well and looking forward to the ride back. And as soon as I got on the train, the sun came out.

Have entered the Oasts & Coasts, which I did last year and really enjoyed. And may do the GYF as well.

Nice write up @andy_k - good effort on your part too! Really upset I couldn't make it. Oh well, I'm sure BCM will make up for it :-)

Yr Elenydd Part Deux!

Will try and keep this fairly brief...

Leaving Tregaron the roads were covered in slush from the hail and snow, again the sun graced us with an appearance and we rolled along steaming roads towards Ysbyty Ystwyth. The next section was easily the high point of the ride, following the River Ystwyth in glorious sunshine we climbed through Hafod Forest and flew down the lanes towards Cwmystwth. At some point my jacket flew out of the elastic on my saddlebag, thankfully retrieved and returned by a rider from Saddleworth Clarion when I realised and stopped in the village.

Continuing to follow the river we rode along the edge of the valley, past the abandoned mining remains, before reaching the Elan valley and starting a series of stunning climbs.

Two riders had stopped for a picnic under Glan Fedwen, then sun was shining bright up the valley at this point and if I'd had more food I'd have probably joined them!

The road levels out until it crosses Monk's Trod and meets the hairpins featured in the scenic BCM. Dry roads meant a fast descent into Rhaydar and the 4th control. 12 hours down, 200km ridden, most of the climbing now out of the way. Several riders had opted for full meals, I didn't feel too hungry and a lack of cheese-free veggie options saw me getting toasted teacakes and a brew. The picnic-ing riders arrived as I finished eating and promptly order double Jamersons, leaving several riders pondering why they hadn't thought of that too!

As I went to refill bottles I saw Paul again and we went on to ride the remaining 100km together. The remainder of the ride was pretty straight forward, with easy navigation and gradual climbs to the penultimate control - Old Wheelwrights cafe. Opening late especially they served a choice of stews, pudding, hot drinks or cans of coke. The room itself was a little surreal, the lights dimmed as the kettle went on, they'd put dust covers on everything and had a stand full of wedding cakes on display...

Getting back on the bikes, the temperature had dropped to 0. Primaloft gloves went on and after an half an hour or so we started the final climb up Long Mynd. This helped generate a little heat, but didn't do much to help the final descent into Shrewsbury. I could feel the heat being sucked out of my feet as cleats started to freeze.

Rolled back into the village hall at 11:30pm. 17 1/2 hours out, just over 3 hours of that spent at the various controls. Handing cards in we received commemorative mugs, I promptly filled mine with hot Ribena! Several riders were sat with beers and tucking into plates of cottage pie or apple crumble, after a bit of a chat I ambled down to the tent, clambered into my sleeping bag and was asleep shortly after.

Woke early on Sunday and spent an hour or so wriggling around in my sleeping bag trying to muster the energy to get moving. The field had frosted over and there was a fair bit of ice on the tent outer,. Thankfully the sun was out early and this started to thaw. I was glad to have taken the tent rather than a bivvy. It kept me warm enough, despite the optimistic choice of sleeping bag, and dry. I packed my stuff back into the front panniers, had a quick chat with a few people loitering in the village hall (some tucking into leftover cottage pie for breakfast...) and eventually set off. I'd hurriedly plotted a route back to my parents on Friday, ~100km or so and relatively flat. Legs were a little grumpy to start with but soon got into the swing of it. My route back was pretty crap. The first chunk was on busy A-roads, a start contrast to Saturday's ride... despite the sunshine I began to lose interest in riding the whole way back, diverted to Crewe and hopped on a train. Still an extra 60km in the legs with some extra weight on the bike. Just short of 380km over the weekend in total.

You are welcome. Your writing should be straight on here for this year.

http://cyclingukshropshire.club/?event=yr-elenydd

Definitely Arrivée as well.

Very cool write-up and chapeau for the ride!

Top work.

The Elenydd/Elenith isn't the Elenydd/Elenith without some random snow and hail. In 2008 or so I remember getting hailed on from clear blue skies at the top of the Elan Valley. Then a mini blizzard going over Clows Top (when the start/finish was in Wolverley).

Fixed next time though.

I Remember the bike, you passed us a few times earlier in the day. Will say hello next time, I was on a grey/green Planet X with discs. Arup was riding an orange Racer Rosa.

I am going to get a train out to green and yellow, not doing the curry bot sure how anyone could before a 300!

Come on Porkers. Even so it means missing the Yaxham Water breakfast.