Audax rides

Anyone done this?

https://www.pedalution.co.uk/events/moonrakers-sunseekers-300/

Has good reviews - Will has put the feelers out. Quite tempted.

Yeah.

I generally email the org, partly out of courtesy but also because they often have useful info and might send you their latest files or let you know that its been run as a DIY before so give you the DIY code, etc.

I've done it. I mailed the organiser first and they had no problem with it.

Yeah.

Thoughts?

I went looking for notes and it appears I didn't make any comments about it. Very odd.

I rode it on my Tarmac and took maybe 14h40m. I vaguely remember it raining down south and I had a sore back on some of the hills in the morning (probably not used to the Tarmac as I don't ride it very often, odd that I was on it to be honest). I don't really remember a great deal. I think that was the one with the "interesting" train journey from London after work.

Did it last year on a whim (someone posted that there were open spots two days prior). Full on "this is a stupid idea" kind of feeling as you take the train for Bristol on Friday evening with the intention of riding all night and the better part of the following day.

It's a bit hilly (not too much) getting out of Bristol, then you get to the Moonraker pub (that stays open late for you, they even served me a pint and wouldn't take my money for it) and it's very flat / slightly downhill across the Salisbury Plains to the sea. There's a bit on a coastal path that gets a bit tedious (is seemingly never-ending, windy and sandy in places). The second half starts hillier and prettier (and it's daylight again) though there are plenty of flat bits afterwards eg around Glastonbury. There's a stretch on the Strawberry Line towards the end that I found very tedious (decommissioned railway line, very flat, tunnel of vegetation kind of thing, and soggy too at that).

This ride is also notable because it doesn't make use of the Bristol-to-Bath bike path, which is something quite unusual and refreshing.

I was on the Stayer fixed gear and found it not overly difficult, though I was glad it was over in the end.

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Did it last year. Signed up again this year but me and my mate are going to ECE it to 600k because we haven’t had the opportunity to stretch our legs this year.

I'm also tempted but I looked at the route and was slightly out off by what appeared to be quite a few main(ish) roads, though I suppose starting in the evening you'd ride them at okay times.

I don’t recall any obnoxious traffic, but I’d probably try and roue around the strawberry line if I was doing it again.

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Thanks all, will shoot off some courtesy emails to the organisers

thanks for that nice review. Think i'll give it amiss.

I often forget to, but honestly if you forget it's no biggie.

Anyone going for a Covid SR?

I have a 400 left to do before end of Oct, but with work and family stuff there's realistically about two or three days where I can realistically fit it in, so we'll see.

Found a couple of pics. I think it must've been pretty wet (and dark) because I'd normally take more.

1. I'd done TABR and TCR so I was probably pretty cream crackered (and drinking at normal levels again) by November
   

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Yes, only got a 600 to go, did the others in early/mid-Oct.

Will do the 600 when the weather settles down a bit. Don't mind dark or rain or cold, but not all three at once!

The Strawberry line is the best bit!

Any good recommendations for good value/light/effective mudguards? Planning a winter ride or two and should probably think about buying some after a couple years of not bothering on (mostly) fair weather audaxes

SKS longboards?

nice, thanks!

Nice. Off on the 400 tonight, let's see how we go.
Looks like I'm in for 'dark and cold', I'll take it.

It's mildly better than dark, wet and cold.

Saying that, I was stood in a rainstorm yesterday despite my weather app insisting it wasn't.

Love a bit of bonus rain.

I've abandoned my SR plans. Had scheduled a DIY 600 to Lincoln and back last Friday / Saturday but CBA to do it so decided not to bother a few days beforehand.

But I'm doing a calendar event on Saturday. First this year, actually my first since the end of May last year.

It's only a 100, from Ruislip to Quainton and back but, to make it more interesting, I'm doing it on a tandem with a friend who lost his eyesight a couple of years ago.