Audax rides

I wasn't going to do it. Then I qualified and thought, "why not?" I enjoyed it.

Yes. The wind forecast looks... interesting.

The big thing about it for me was that you are made to feel special for doing it. People in little Breton towns and villages clap and cheer you through at all times of the day and night. Truck drivers wait patiently behind while you crawl up hills. Afterwards the people in the bars around the finish are genuinely interested in what you have done.

Also it's got a bit of everything: time trialling, road racing in a high-speed peloton, some social riding / chatting and eating, and some slogging away on your own in the dark and wind and rain.

Downsides are

• the route is nothing special
  
• the controls use buildings with extremely limited toilet provision and tend to run out of food if you are on the 84 hour start
  
• dodgy group riding skills, mostly from the non-continental Europeans: AUKs, USAnians, Asians, etc.
  
• Brest.
  

Brest

Well at least it’s got a funny name.

A bit like all the signs pointing to Scunthorpe kept me entertained overnight during the arrow. I guess I’m easily amused after 300km...

I too was quite non-plussed by Brest, actually, when I rode around Brittany. But the coast that came afterwards (going counter clockwise) was lovely (in no small part because I was out of the town at last!)

I too was quite non-plussed by Brest, actually, when I rode around Brittany. But the coast that came afterwards (going counter clockwise) was lovely (in no small part because I was out of the town at last!)

Yes - I did a tour round the end of the Finisterre peninsula about 10 years ago. We felt the bit beyone Brest had a bit of an edge-of-the world feeling, weird in a good way! Pretty villages, coasts, etc - but some places with absolutely nowhere to eat for miles

I've never done it, can't be arsed to wait another 4 years until I'm 45 to work out if I might be up for doing it again, and I've not got anything else on that week in August.

I understand there's more exciting ways to spend 1200km but like you say, quite like the United Nations of audaxers aspect of it all.

Plus my dad's heard of it, so it makes explaining why I bothered to ride a bike in France for 84 hrs easier when we're all eating Christmas dinner later in the year.

MR09 is the one I dream bout doing. We had a go in 2016 but got hit by Storm something-or-other 350km in, the rain was ridiculous. Impossible to ride on.

https://maps.long-distance.rocks/audax-uk-permanents/MR09

#hardonforscotland

Would be ace, that. As with all Scot rides it looks like a total random chain of events that are out of your control that means it's either pleasant / very shit including midges, hail, hurricane force winds, fire, brimstone

Also a Scottish SR would be another thing I'd like to tick off at some point

https://audaxhighland.wordpress.com/

https://ridewithgps.com/routes/18649001

That was the route we were using for our attempt.

We started at 16:45 which meant we got the last Lochranza to Claonaig ferry of the day. All of the next 3 ferries were done the next day.

The final ferry was planned for 2 days, and 1000km later

Anyone riding The Capitals of East Anglia tomorrow? Contemplating bailing after seeing the forecast...

I bailed on my 400km from Cardiff due to the storm... Gutted but heavy rain and 50kph wind didn't tickle my fancy at 5 o clock and when I asked the organizer he hadn't seen anyone by 5.30

I'm going to bail on TINAT400

The logistics of it are a P.I.T. Fucking A.

I think I'll have to bail on it too. It looks like that week is going to be family holiday.
To be honest, I was getting a bit scared of the prospect.

There is a hilly 300 in Wales the following weekend which I might do instead.
http://www.aukweb.net/events/detail/19-660/

Edit - just seen it's a 4am start. Why do people do that?
I'd rather start at just about any other time in the day apart from maybe 1-3am.

I'm going to do the North Coast 500 instead.

Sleeper train up to Inverness on the Friday night, ride the 800k, then sleeper back on Monday night, straight into office Tuesday morning for a shower.

"That's how we roll.."

You wanna come?
We could use a fourth

I would love to ride that route but I've got the last of my 600s entered already on that weekend.

Do it as a perm? 600<800

Nah, then I'll never do it. The 600s need to be easy as possible as they're 4 weeks straight then I'm off to TransPyrenees. Just do TINAT and do NC500 some other time, ie. next year when I've acutally got time :)

London Wales London this weekend innit.

The last time I looked at the weather it looked hot, now not so. What gives? I'm fed up with cold wind audaxes ffs.

Yep, looking forward to it! Also checked yesterday and it was meant to be nice and sunny. Now looks like it'll be cloudy. No rain forecasts though (yet)

How did you get on? Managed to waste way too much time at controls / faffing with my front axle / dynamo and ended up bailing at Whitstable on realisation we wouldn't get to Meopham in time for the last train back to London.

Great route though, will be back next year to do it properly this time.

If you're keen for more folks I might be able to do this.

I've got a 600 PBP qualifier the weekend before and was going to do the Borderlands Explorer on the 15 June, however this might be more fun.

Alternatively Steve Abraham is organising a group diy of the NC500 on May 14th, not ideal as it is a Tuesday...