Ultracycling

Just an idea: we book a 3 bed cabin, split the cost of the 3rd bed and use it to put our boxed bikes on. That would be €175pp. Could be a stupid idea, my main concern would be an overzealous conductor not letting us on.

I also looked at a single person cabin (€169) but it looks very cramped. Might not be able to pivot a bike in there.

Hmmm, not a bad idea. The whole point of the train was not having to box my bike is the only thing.

If I'm having to box up my bike I would probably end up flying out there on the outward leg, just to get it over with.

Two Volcano Sprint entries open today.
https://www.twovolcanosprint.com/#registration

Tempting, but not sure it would work as my wife might be busy then.

I don’t get this, kinda bugs me too. Surely it’s an Audax or a race?

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"GranGuanche Audax Gravel is a self-supported, single-stage, fixed-route, ultra-cycling event across the Canary Islands. It’s a collective adventure and a challenge to finish the route. It’s a personal race against the clock, not against other riders."

I guess that's one way to get around the insurance requirements for a race. It's not unprecedented to have finish times and "winners" of an audax (I'm looking at you PBP) but it does feel a bit funny when they're penalising shortcutting riders for the rankings.

You can draft too

I don't have a problem with people using different formulations for the rules as long as they are not either stupid, dangerous or unfair. I don't see audax as anything sacred, it's just an off-the-shelf set of rules and a marketing channel, which an organiser can use if it works for them.

I'd love to do it - spctacular riding out there. I saw Nic Roberts the other week and she said she was doing it. I hadn't noticed it was an audax when I looked at their site a few weeks ago.

Having looked at it again, it looks like they are only using 'Audax' to indicate approx average speed. It doesn't look like it is anything to do with ACP or UAF, or any accreditation body.

I guess people can use the word audax if they like, it's not copyrighted, but I agree - confusing!

It’s obviously not copyrighted but Audax means something and is established, there is no need to use the term.
The “problem” as I see it is that this loop hole is becoming ever more encompassing. Which ultimately will be challenged at some point. It seems somewhat short sighted.

Id put this in a group with Italy divide, and others. A fun run, and not a serious competition. Just do that then it makes sense.

self-supported...audax... gravel...ultra cycling... seems like someone in marketing got over excited.

Sure, there's a million of these events now and they need marketing and there's gravel bikes to sell, but given there's no recognition by any official body why not call it what it is. Audax is something else, it's not this.

Remember when websites used to have "xxx porn hot sex" repeated over and over at the bottom of the page in order to game search engines? This.

AKA the golden age of SEO!

Then turn all the text white to blend in with the background, $Profit

In a podcast interviewing the Bikepacking Roots coordinator recently, she said she as bothered by how competitive and kind of exclusive bikepacking events tend to feel, compared to the thru hiking scene. Which is obvious when the events like Tour Divide are in fact races and participating in one but riding slowly is weird. And sharing exuipment and forming groups isn't allowed like it is in those hiking events. Social events like that could be popular if people find them. This isn't what you were talking about but I think it's an interesting aspect on how the events could develop to get more people in. And describing it as audax seems like an attempt to emphasize the camaraderie

Then why emphasise things like the finishing order, timing and penalising riders for shortcuts? Why not call it a ride and leave the competitive stuff out?

Because its simply a liability use of the word. Its a race.

I know, that's what I said earlier.

What I want to know is - does it have to be a race to attract entries? If this thru hiking stuff is popular without being a race, does the same apply to long-distance cycling? I wonder if Adrian's entries fell when he changed from being a race to a ride?

I guess audax already exists and is done by people not looking for bragging rights so much as just doing some long rides. Creating something that's a race in everything but name is what attracts the slightly different crowd, the Insta lot that wouldn't be seen dead in a cake-filled village hall.

The DFL Baja Divide seemed to be somewhat successful as a community thing and at gathering different kinds of people, many with instagram accounts, even though it was kind of grassroots type of thing.
https://theradavist.com/2017/01/dfl-the-baja-divide-spencer-harding/

On the other hand Ruska has all the strict rules as TCR except that it's really intended to not be a race. Though you do get a numbered cap after the finish but results are in alphabetical order and the organizer makes it clear he doesn't want it to be a race and you might as well spend the whole time given. Like this, there's usually almost only locals riding. It's kind of like a solo audax. I do like the event a lot as a challenge and the checkpoints are always good, but the concept is kind of a strange combination.

Yeah this.

The perceived *'I am going to be RACING an ULTRA' *punches chest** bragging rights vs 'I'll be trundling 1500km around the Highlands in a non-competitive way, on the Tartan, Tatties and Tablet perm'

if I make it round Fast Times and have enough in the tank to lift my arm, I will try to punch my chest

You also get lots of people who enter ultras but don't really race - just look to get round for the party, or whatever. And you get people who organise events, call them races and don't enforce their own rules!

Hartfields in Uckfield at 140km does a millionaire's shortbread that's so calorific you'll be punching your chest for hours afterwards : )

Yeah I feel like I'm in this camp. I'm on the start line for a 'race' but continually think
'why do I care that there are other riders, given you're not supposed to interact with them in any meaningful way until you're having a beer at the end'

so calorific you'll be punching your chest for hours afterwards

enters immediately

https://youtu.be/AfZpEe7KIJ8?t=95

(Very short) survey being done by Chris Bennet, a TCR/IndyPac/NCT veteran

Hi. I'm doing a survey on the 'grit' of ultraendurance cyclists for an article I'm working on. It's based on Angela Duckworth's book 'Grit'. There are 10 questions which give you a 'grit' score. My theory is that ultraendurance cyclists are at the extreme end of the grit scale and I'd like to verify this, hopefully for a future article (or at least blog post). If you have a few minutes and could complete the survey I'd be grateful. The link is:

https://forms.gle/D9zgS2cjMFMh4sHh6

Thanks!