Audax rides

iser that had a large spanner thrown into the works so if it ends up paying for some peeps beers at the finish instead of mine, so be it.

Yeah same, I'd actually forgotten I'd paid for this to be honest!

Yeah same, I'd actually forgotten I'd paid for this to be honest!

Same here. At first I was annoyed I missed signing up for the luxuries at the controls, but now I imagine that it'll most likely just be unsupported.

Looks amazing!

Thanks! I'm planning a 'Heart of the Cairngorms' 300. So a full day of roads and views like this. Worth the sleeper train up from the South for it!

I'd actually forgotten I'd paid for this to be honest!

same!

Sounds great. Im in Sweden though :-/ so sleeper train is not for me I’m afraid.

I feel the covid-19 situation is not going to make travel to such an event easy, but this 1600km in France next June looks great.

La Reconsiliation
https://www.cyclo-club-montebourg-saint-germain-de-tournebut.com/longue-distance/2021/la-reconciliation/

https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer?mid=1QcJBKzFbbbrorBtcLbwMs8IJfTvg1cSD&ll=48.88435026534114%2C3.0240855000000266&z=7

If the route was the reverse I'd probably consider that

The last stretch through the Vosges will be sure to break your legs if the 1300km or so before hasn't

that looks like a nice run...

I've got this one saved in my 'possibles' though it clashes with BOB, some of the cols look fun though.

https://sites.google.com/site/le1000dusud/parcours-route-2019

https://www.openrunner.com/r/10302386

I need to renew AUK membership. #csb

Am I going to ride more audax though? Hmm. Probably maybe.

English version:
https://sites.google.com/site/le1000dusud/parcours-route-2019/english-version-2020

Maybe stuff like this will be where I aim? I've grown pretty tired of the UK rides. There's not much I want to still do other than the big, silly ones like Crackpot and if I'm racing less I'll have more time for international audax.

Yeah I hear that.

I'd love another crack at the Pendle 600 as the last edition was such a horror show weather-wise (and the edition before that, and the one before that... ), and I'm yet to ride a Scottish audax - but when stuff like this is almost as accessible as trying to get to Scotland / 'the North', I wonder if it's better to aim for the ride with the likelihood of much more agreeable weather...

Oh yeah, I had entered that 1000k Scottish thing but it didn't happen either. Highland Fling 1000. Pendle was another one on my todo list but everything happens in the short space of time that is summer in the UK so events are always fighting for time, unless I do them DIY which takes a bit of the fun out of them and I'm less interested in banging out winter 600s than I was a few years ago.

The Agnel can be rather unagreeable.

https://covadonga.de/etappe3.php?k=0&s=0&id=978-3-95726-019-2

Last weekend I rode 'Into the Lions' Den' which is a 200km loop around Wiltshire and Hampshire. It starts in Winchester, but I joined in Amesbury which is close to where I live/work. It is a really great route, all tarmac and mainly quiet ways, small scenic thatched cottages throughout, llamas and cows etc. It has an awesome descent into Longleat and some sections through the forest in Cranborne Chase.

I don't have any photos because my phone is already full of Wiltshire lanes, but it is one of the best designed Audaxes that I have done this year compared to Watership Down (100km) and A Catholic Education (when I was in London).

Next up on my list will probably be An Anorak's Delight or Taste of the Test. Overall I really like riding around here, it is much quieter and there isn't the faff of getting out of London. Coffee stops are almost all closed, but other than that, I would recommend coming down to ride.

The photo is from a random 150km Salisbury loop that I found in rwgps a few weeks ago.

1 Attachment

Looks nice. Quiet lanes make a helluva difference to ride enjoyment (as does the obviously photoshopped blue sky ;))

Interested to know what Anorak’s delight is like, was looking at that myself as it’s pretty close to me.

Grand National park 2 park was pretty good when I last rode it, and sounds like the route might pass close to you https://audax.uk/event-details?eventId=7184

Thanks for Grand National, do you have a rwgps link for it? I will let you know how Anorak's delight is, although it might be next year now. Where are you based?

I’ve copied the route from the ride, so no cue sheet, but here it is: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/34734287

I’m near Farnham, on the Hants border. So tend to do the ones starting nr Reading, Winchester etc

Awesome thanks for that. I will add it to my list, it comes close enough to me for me to jump on near Stockbridge. It looks like it creeps into the new forest which will I love riding in. I did the Isle of Wight loop a few weeks ago and we started early at my friend's place near Hythe so had mystical and pitch black ride through the forest on the way to the ferry terminal. IOW loop is another route that near you that I would recommend if you haven't done it, predominantly low traffic, long sweeping descents, great views all round and occasionally you get to see an tanker getting stormed by the SBS in 9 minutes.

I'm not connected with this guy in any way, but stumbled across his work and it's the closest to an 'audax artist' I've seen.

I mean I'm still 20 years off from being a 'trikie' but I dig the vibe here

https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/Artfromthebikeshed?ref=hdr_shop_menu

1 Attachment

He did limited linocuts for PBP or LEL which were really good from memory

Nice, he captures that 'riding past an old red phone box in a cute village at 4am' thing quite nicely too.