Audax rides

I am devastated about this

Did my first 200 on a tandem today (also my second ride ever on one).

Possibly made a poor route choice as, while not especially hilly, it was very undulating. Not really being able to stand up on the climbs takes its toll on your arse. But there’s nothing better than throwing yourself in at the deep end and we learnt a lot.

Weather was great and the riding was excellent. Bombing down the hills had me feeling like a kid riding a bike for the first time again. May try a 300 later in the year.

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This is not a race but you reckon it could still be counted as a 1000k DIY?

https://mittelgebirgeclassique.cc/

I've asked my DIY guy, so your opinions don't 'count' but I'm still curious

I don’t see why not. It’s fully self supported and no drafting is allowed.

I would definitely try and count that as a DIY, don't see why you couldn't.

Also, good luck!

Cheers, will see. It would help towards an SR series, of which I need 4 more to get that 10xSR award thing.

Nice, just 4 more years to go!

it could still be counted as a 1000k DIY

Yes, because it's not a race.
You should notify him on the entry form that it is an organised event.
Rules are here:
https://www.audax.uk/about-audax/event-types/do-it-yourself-diy-events/diy-faqs/

Other cycle events may be concurrently ridden as DIY events providing the normal AUK requirements for DIY events are met. Riders should submit a DIY Perm application to the DIY Organiser and subsequently submit ‘Proofs of Passage’ for validation as normal. Include details about the ‘other’ event in the additional information area of the DIY application form. Where the organising body ‘validates’ the riders participation in the event, such validation might, with the prior agreement of the AUK DIY organiser, be used as ‘Proof of Passage’ for the AUK brevet. Factors which need to be considered in assessing whether the external event is eligible for inclusion in an AUK brevet include:
Distance - the ride must conform to AUK regulations regarding controls, distance and the collection of appropriate ‘Proof of Passage’.
Support - this would follow the usual practice for audax events in each country. In the UK, personal support is not permitted outside of designated controls and riders travel to support, not support to the rider.
Competition - the event must be non-competitive, as required by AUK regulations and insurance.

Not really being able to stand up on the climbs takes its toll on your arse

It does! It's worth getting the hand of standing up. It took me a little while to get used to it but we got the hang of it last year, with practice. Before we did, my stoker would sneak little stands in on fast descents, and I would suddenly lose ability to steer the bike.

The easiest way to start is when you are freewheeling on the flat or a very gentle downhill. But once you have got the hang of that, standing for a short climb is not much harder, and is a great way to keep momentum on undulating roads.

What I'm still not comfortable with is standing for very steep climbs, basically in case my stoker collapses from exhaustion and stops pedalling! Also we don't stand on long climbs. This might work for some but when my stoker stands, he ups his effort a lot, then gets knackered after 30 seconds. If I let him sit down, we'd grind to a halt, but he can't sustain the effort, so I just don't go there.

The other thing is that the pilot has to call it, what you can't have is the pilot sitting and the stoker standing (other way round is fine).

Yeah, this award is annoying because only 1 SR per year counts and I missed a year or two because I didn't know about it. Obviously if I was allowed, I'd ride the 10 SRs in the one year to get it done :)

would you say it felt, energy-wise, like you'd done a century each?

No dice.

"I don’t think this event could be entered as an AUK DIY event because it is a competitive race. I realise they call it a challenge in places, but the rider manual also makes reference to the event being a race and therefore it doesn’t meet AUK’s requirements for a DIY."

Enter it as a DIY the day before with a different organiser and hope for the best? 🤷🏻‍♂️

Sort of. I was definitely less tired at the end compared to a comparatively paced ride on a regular bike.

It’s kinda funny saying “shift” every time I changed gears.

Sounds like great advice, thank you. We’re both keen to do more so will try this on the next ride.

We were managing to lift ourselves off the saddle on the descents which helped a bit with the sore arse. We had the tires pumped up to the moon so maybe letting out a little pressure would also help.

A bit of an extreme interpretation. I think a different organiser might get to a different conclusion / not give a fuck

That feels a bit too cheeky for my liking. I'm not super bothered and it's highly likely I'll ride something else that qualifies anyway, ie. I'm entered for SLS1200k and Mille Miglia 1600k this year too.

I might actually mention it to the Mittel orgs, since if they're not running it as a race, calling it a race in places might be awkward for their insurance or whatever and then see if my AUK guy will ok it or not. But, yeah, if I ride a Hastings 300k and get around the other two big audaxes I've entered this year I'm sorted anyway.

Yes, I thought of that too. I actually checked the German to see if it was a translation thing, but it says race there too.
I suspect it might be less of an issue in other countries whether it is or isn't a race - but they ought to be clear one way or the other!

It says this too

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LWL ride report
I doubt I could’ve been less prepared…. I’d returned from a week of burritos burgers and beer in Houston further complicated by jetlag and a broken rib.
I started building my bike late on Wed. night and a Fri. shakedown commute was my first ride in a fortnight so I was at the 0600 startline seriously sleep deprived and feeling torpid .

It wasn’t the usual crowd, barely a Carradice in sight and I was the only fixedwheel.
With such a strong Albionphotoshoot energy it was no great surprise to find ourselves in a bunch bowling through the Chilterns at 35kph. After being spat out of the back on the Longdown hill descent, Charlie and I reverted to party pace and reached Islip control (61km) by 0800

After a sausage bap, coffee and croissant, Xavier, Rich, Charlie and I set off through the Cotswolds toward Tewksbury. Xavier was on top form working hard at the front and Charlie was dropped by mutual agreement. My preparation regime was starting to kick-in and steep climbs around Stow-on-the-Wold were problematic on 68” fixed with a broken rib. (Some hills were walked).

We reached Tewksbury (145km) around 1145 and I took the opportunity to tweak my noisy mudguards and irritating charging cable. While tucking into my Greggs steak bake, cross-legged on the pavement, I was invited to “come and sit over here bab we don’t want you getting piles” so I finished my bake and caramel/custard donut in the company of a lovely old lady gassing away whilst chainsmoking superkings.

The leg to Chepstow was hell. My body had decided it was past my bedtime and my eyelids were heavy as lead. I ran out of water walked some of Yat rock and began to formulate plans to bail. I got dropped by Xavier and Rich and was super-close to snoozing when my Wahoo displayed a chequered flag to announce that I’d completed the route. Luckily i was able to pick up signs to Chepstow and thanks to the magic of WhatsApp location-share, reached the control (218 km) around 1545.

Over a truly superb chicken curry I considered the relative merits of riding to Temple Meads and getting the train home vs. a couple of hours kip on the churchall floor and riding the rest alone. I was erring toward the latter when I spied that the pudding options included ginger sponge with custard and from there on everything changed.

We set off at a decent pace enjoying the sunshine and mystical properties of spongy pudding, over the bridge, up and over the Somerset monument (more walking) we passed a lady walking a large cow down the middle of the road, and arrived in Malmesbury (270km) around 1830 for saddlebag snacks in the square (I commend to you the Pocket Coffee - a chocolate, filled with sugary espresso) On a nearby pub table I spotted Cavaliers and Puritans enjoying a pint together in the evening sun, great to see those guys have patched things up after all these years.

If the Tewksbury-Chepstow was Hell, Malmesbury-Lambourne was heaven. By this time we were a 4 (joined by Nicki) and by the enjoyed the most fabulous golden hour/sunset at a smooth and easy pace. With such crappy weather of late this was a complete joy and we arrived at the control just as it was getting dark (2045 - 316 km)

Lambourne control was as good as the others with superb (and plentiful) food and cheerful volunteers (including fellow fixedwheel fancier Bryn).
With the darkness came the cold and even indoors my teeth were chattering so I grabbed another helping of rice pudding and peaches and put on my raincoat and gloves.

We’d picked up an old friend Ray and his pal and our group of 6 made light work of the run through Great Shefford to join the A4 at Newbury. I love this bit when you switch into night-ride mode and concentrate on that hole in the darkness created by your headlamp. No bandwidth for fatigue or pain, just laser focus on staying 50cm away from the red light in front, following the curve of the road and avoiding potholes.
Shortly after we hit the A4 Rich’s front wheel clipped the kerb at full speed sending him and the bike over the safety bollards and into the road. It could have been a complete disaster but mercifully it was a load of gravel rash and puncture. The front wheel still ran in the fork and his brakes and shifters worked after being bashed back into shape so we were on the move again in less that 30min.
On the run into Reading I was really struggling to keep up with all the big-rings-and-tri-bars and my gear choice was feeling like an act of self-harm. Rich was suffering as the adrenaline wore off and we paired up. Nicki had also been dropped and waited up we worked together to catch the others at 0015 at Henley control (377 km).

Xavier had Di2 troubles and was stuck in small-to-small so the 4 of us regrouped for the final push on our regular weekend roads. I knew Nicki was hoping to stick to her 2am schedule so she and I cracked on, up out of Wooburn, witnessing a small kerfuffle on the A40 between a squad of coppers and a free-running horse (commonplace nowadays). i walked one last climb (Mumford Lane - insert banjo/vision of hell witticism here) and rolled into the Arrivee at 0210 (410 km).
Rich & Xavier arrived shortly after and we were all soon demolishing baked beans & sausages on toast, reliving the highs & lows and sharing tips to prevent gravel rash turning into flesh rot. So on that cheery note I’ll say it was well worth it and I’ll do my best to get a ticket to ride next year

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Bravo, excellent report. Pocket Coffee sounds incredible, but I'm hesitant to add it to my snacks list given how little I trust my guts :/

Cheers,
I'm told long-distance cycling's all about eating so getting it right is super important. Hero food for me on Saturday was the sponge and custard!

Entered LWL...first audax in over 10 years, with the first one being a rather modest 100k.

Like @Rik_Van_Looy, i found the outward stretch the hardest with thoughts of bailing but the homeward stretch was sweet with the hanging patches of mist making it feel like a scene from a schlock horror film at night (colder than expected).

Took a minor spill which i blame on new cleats and inability to get out of pedals.

What I found the most interesting revelation was how my stomach pushed back on being force fed food in an effort to keep the pedals turning...the food stops with their real food made for a welcome respite from energy bars and bananas

Found the