Touring vs Ultra Distance

A way I've found to keep up my interest in something is to find different ways of enjoying it. For cycling this has seen me dabbling in track, alley cats, longer rides, gravel and of late touring has been my sweet spot.

Seeing coverage of ultra distance events has got me intrigued but interested in hearing people's thoughts on ultra distance vs touring

I'm not a fan of slow cycling but I definitely like the opportunity to stop to take a 📸 or take my time at a good bakery (service station food doesn't quite cut the mustard in my corner).

Now I know there's a lot to be said for the camarederie of races and pushing yourself beyond your comfort zone but I'm not particularly competitive (board games aren't my idea of a fun time) and not sure how important taking on these rides collectively has over just following my own gpx route

Plan on taking on some audaxes as a means of testing the water but keen to hear people's own opinions on what they see as the pros and cons of fast touring vs ultra distance?

Touring every time, Jobst Brandt put it better than any of us plebs ever could

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The hazards and trickery are better than any art

@JB is a wise one.

If you're curious then it can't hurt to try both of them out and see. There's also no reason why you have to just do one rather than the other. You're probably going to have to experiment and see what you like regardless as even under these two banners there's a whole wealth of different things. Do you want to road ride 20 hours a day with a bunch of divorced mechanical engineers who are 'into photography'? Do you want to shit yourself alone in Kyrgystan? Do you want to cruise 20km a day around Holland with 40kg of gear with your best pal? Maybe you'll like all 3. These are all questions you will have to answer for yourself and the answers will likely change as time goes by. Just remember, that the idea that it's one or the other is a false dichotomy and anyone who asks you to pledge allegiance to either flag is probably witless.

I’d definitely try both for sure.

Much bigger highs and much lower lows on ‘ultradistance’ I’d say.

Nothing beats finishing riding at 5pm during a tour and deciding to have a pint and dinner at a place you like the look of, but then again a can of supermarket beer and a slice of pizza in a mountain layby for 10 strictly-timed minutes on an ‘ultra’ event can sometimes be just as good.

Ultras/audaxes can just be treated like a fast tour anyway, unless you think you might finish in the top 3.

Worst bits of 'ultras' can be riding in a place you've always wanted to ride but timings mean you end up there at night, eg climbing the Galibier at 3am. I do like meeting people on the way round, chatting shit for a while and then sometimes never seeing those people again and wondering if I just hallucinated their existence.

Just try everything as has been mentioned.

Audax might be your sweet spot though based the criteria of your likes.

+1 to try both
People ask me why I don't just nab a free .gpx and do a route for free
There's a lot to be gained from the race vibes, in particular the community, and being able to push yourself into the unknown and out of your comfort zone, seeing where it takes you
Not to mention, a lot of the race routes wouldn't usually be toured, they're in gorgeous areas but out of the way with a lot of climbing/harsh resupply - sometimes that gives you into a lens places you would otherwise never see

skinny and samuli on here have a great approach to racing I think and you won't get faster than them. Maybe have a dig into their previous comments.

touring isn’t so much about bicycle riding, it’s about being able to stuff your face with whatever you like after spending the day digesting and burning off (and pooping out) the previous evening’s cornucopia and that morning’s double breakfast

and if you block a toilet it’s someone else’s problem as you scedaddle to the next place.

I respect ultras a lot, but I'm not sure if it'd be worth the faff for me. Back when I wanted to get into them, it was for ego reasons, and I've since lost the ambition. I'm pretty slow and uncompetititve, but like to stay on the bike all day, so audaxes are a nice sweet spot for me. That said, I've not had as much fun on audaxes in the UK compared to Croatia, where I'm from. People tend to be a bit more grim and serious about it here.

I love touring because it gives me a feeling of perpetuity and freedom. I like audaxes because it's a fun game for adults. Both yield good stories. The whole thing of eating on the bike, drinking too much coffee, riding in the dark until you're sleepy, and sleeping in bus shelters really does something for me.

I don't like the self-imposed pressure of doing more miles in a day, being fit, or riding through dodgy weather, etc. (although I do all of that when I tour). Not saying it's all about pleasure and having fun -- it'd be a waste of bike to only ride it when it's pleasant -- but the feeling of removedness and moving through the world is really beautiful, so I'm game for whatever gives me that.

I like both. I do both.

They both have advantages and disadvantages so if you're curious about either I'd suggest doing one and finding out for yourself. Brandt's opinion of pro racing hardly applies to a bunch of mostly amateurs grinding their way through some long-ass route.