Audax rides

Yes, sure. Ultimately how hard you pedal and how hard the event is are the big factors which dictate what kind of shape you end up in, however long it is. And not that many people plan other goals in the season after the TCR (although I am hoping to test this this year by doing two events).

I was thinking that, if you look at drop out rates from the TCR, most are early on. If you can get through day 3, adapt to the achilles pain or whatever issues get thrown up, you're pretty likely to finish. There's more of an element of just adding extra days, and getting into the right head space to keep repeating it.

Yeah, agree the first few days are where the biggest stoppers are likely to crop up.
I think when you're moving you're probably golden. Your head wants to get this thing done and so you will chug along until you finish. But the recovery needed once you stop is pretty huge. Mentally and physically if you're pushing hard due to time limits or whatever.

I started doing these events with a lot of experience so probably had less impact on my body and probably explains why I could do so many. But I'm beginning to think that mentally I might've introduced some kind of PTSD from pushing through all those nights and basically treating myself like shit for weeks at a time. There's definitely an anxiety these days when the prospect of a failed hotel booking is on the cards and a forced overnighter might be required. Maybe it's because I ride a lot with my missus now and I'm concerned for her as well as me. Not sure but I definitely go into events with a better plan than winging it like I used to. So yeah, I wonder if I've caused some issues or if it's just a case of getting older, wiser and not really feeling the need to push so hard? Hard to say.

Interesting. I get anxiety about where I'm going to sleep if I don't have a plan. Having made some shit choices about bivvy sites in the past makes it worse.

From last year's tcr there was the park in the village in Czech Republic next to house with barking dog and where I got a tick in my neck, and the bench in Romania where I got woken up by the police.

I've fled some places pretty quick for "reasons" but often it's just because I'm freezing. Packing light has a price!

I've had some pretty luxurious bivvy spots too. But often the problem has been because I've booked a hotel at 5pm and I way underestimated ETA so I'm forced to push on way later and arrive at 7am or some dumb shit. That's the advantage of a good bivvy setup - you should be able to sleep about anywhere. I just never took one.

I've had some good ones too, but the shit ones haunt me. They can really cost lots of time because, when I don't sleep, I make bad decisions.

I don't do that timing error, I'm usually pretty good in estimating where I'll get to. Also I aim to sleep early / start early nowadays, which gives me more of a buffer if it takes a bit longer than expected to get to the hotel.

I just stop somewhere, unpack, lie down, and realise that there is something that I didn't spot. Then I don't want to start riding again, as I've wasted half an hour and its getting late, but I should keep moving as I'll get bugger all sleep!

The longer events I ride, the more I think I should be riding for a nice afternoon like normal people and putting the bike away in daylight. :)

Brimstone 600k this weekend though. :D

I was going to look at getting a 46T onto the bike. More for gravel riding but I've got a Wolftooth on the Mason so it seems sensible to test it on that first.

Or a 51T! Unlikely, right...
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/134549510507?chn=ps&mkevt=1&mkcid=28

Scraped round the Old 240 at the weekend, first audax for a long time and longest ride in some years. Felt good in parts but between Alston and Scotch Corner there were a lot of dark thoughts. Picked up a few things to improve in future and a few questions for people that have ridden more of the things:

• is wrist/hand pain inevitable after 200 miles or can things still be improved?
  
• how to make sure you have enough warm clothes? I could have worn full winter gear over night but had packed layers more suitable for cold spring day. Fortunately another rider leant me an extra layer, I might not have made it otherwise.
  
• replace tyres before it's too late, got lucky buying a spare in Appleby.
  
  

And a few snaps:

5 Attachments

is wrist/hand pain inevitable after 200 miles or can things still be improved?

No, yes (aerobars is the obvious answer, changing hand position often the next).

how to make sure you have enough warm clothes?

Check the forecast and then take off at least another 5C if you're in the UK. Then think about what it will be like if you're damp and need to stand still fixing a flat in that temp for a while. Now you know roughly what to pack. It's always more than you think.

replace tyres before it's too late, got lucky buying a spare in Appleby.

Regularly inspect your tyres. Another thing mudguards ruin about life is making tyres harder to eyeball quickly.

I'd also echo @hippy point on aerobars. I damaged my ulnar nerve while riding from London to Edinburgh a few years back and lost the feeling in my two smaller fingers for over 6 months. Never had any hand issues since putting some on.

I'd get some fitted asap if you've got other big stuff planned.

Yeah, the position that works for a ~6h ride (with hands on tops) is probably a smidge too low for 12h-15h a day for Audax. If you hand position is too low and you're putting too much weight on the hands it will just lead to pain in the hands/wrists.

Like others I solved this with aerobars, but I rarely actually use them properly (i.e. with my elbows on the pads) but often ride along holding the pads lightly with my hands, that helps raise my hands up an inch or two so I don't put as much weight on them.

That's definitely a good shout with removing another 5 degrees from the forecasted temperature - means carrying more than I would like but probably unavoidable. Maybe worth taking a down jacket and hiking style waterproof rather than cycling specific stuff? Shakedry jacket seems pocketable but not as warm as other waterproofs.

I've got aero bars on but they don't quite sit in the right place, and being basic ones they don't have stack or reach adjustment. I have looked at other options but they seem pricey. Is there a recommended option? Other things that might work would be raising the handlebars a bit on the steerer, I think I have 5 or 10mm to play with, and maybe trying a shorter stem?

Tyres was just bad judgement really. I've got some of the new Specialized endurance tyres on the way now which I'm keen to try out.

I normally carry a down jacket even though 95% of the time it's too warm. I'm actually looking to get a thinner synth down jacket or perhaps gilet as an alternative. But if I broke down to the point I couldn't move forward and it's 0C then I'd at least have my down jacket to put on, some leg warmers usually and a rain jacket always. Merino cap in lower temps or normal cap in warmer weather.

I use Zipp Vukas. You might simply benefit from raising your bars. My missus doesn't have aerobars and she doesn't have any hand troubles even though she rides the same stuff I do. You want to be able to use all the positions the drop bars offer without straining to do so. If your bars are so low you're never using the drops then they could go up. Closer is another option. Depends on stem length.

Good advice above. It can get cold at night in May, especially if the skies clear. And it can keep getting colder for a good while after sunrise, which people who haven't been out all night don't generally realise.

I got really cold on the Severn Across about 10 years ago and am never making that mistake again!

I've done two overnight audaxes in the last month. For both the minimum forecast temp as 6-7 degrees. On the first one it got down to 1.4, with swirling mist and was 2-3 all night. We saw guys riding in shorts, and one poor fucker in fingerless gloves!

On the second it looked like it was getting cold again but clouded over about midnight when it had dropped to about 3. It then went back up to forecast temp.

Last weekend I was camping and the skies were clear both nights. It was cold, probably 1-2 again, vs forecast of 6-7.

Basically, if the skies get clear this time of year, it is likely to be pretty cold! If it that happens after rain, then it will feel even colder. Taking 5 degrees off the forecast is definitely wise.

one poor fucker in fingerless gloves!

This is me, always.

Taking 5 degrees off the forecast is definitely wise.

You heard it here first folks!

the Old 240

Just spotted from strava that you are the same ilb as the other one!

Guilty!

.

Brimstone 600k done. Was hard.

Train down was predictably shit - no wonder I and everyone else in the UK drives most of the time.

Bon Jovi cover band improved mood on arrival.

Ride itself not helped by Di2 problem that had me singlespeeding for the first and easiest 150km (along with a couple of punctures it meant there was no banking a time buffer here).
Luckily Kate was about with a charger at the Mere control and that got me shifting again (I pulled the FD cable out suspecting it or the battery cable was damaged - no proper battery mount from a previous drama) so I was stuck in the little ring for the rest of the ride. No biggie though. Enough climbing you don't really need a big ring. One of the hills/walls up to the Priddy control I looked at and just decided it easier to take my shoes off and hang them over the aerobars and walk up rather than struggle pushing the pedals.

Dunno why but I had a lot of beans on the second day, my partner was quite tired (unsurprising given we had no sleep just a couple of 20min lie downs) so appeared to be struggling a lot but at the same time was hanging on to our little group (Pete the org, Jess, myself and my missus) and we finished together with maybe an hour to spare, having left most of the controls almost out of time or over time.

While we were chomping down some chilli con carne, the last rider made it in with 2min to spare!

5 Attachments

What's the bike with the orange guards?

I would like to know this ^ More specifically who made the front bag.

It's a Rourke: https://www.instagram.com/p/ChVNlWvMyAF/

Bag looks a lot like Swift but 🤷.

Figured it must be, but could't see the logo - maybe some limited thing.

Great, thanks!

singlespeeding

This strikes me as suboptimal for Brimstone