Audax rides

I generally ride through as it's crap sleep, or just do an hour in a bus stop.

If I were DIYing a 400 then I quite like starting at 10pm as it means there's a good chance of finishing with a victory pint the night after, plus if I end up napping it'll be in daylight rather than shivering in a lane somewhere.

Yeah, I've never stopped in the middle. But I'm coming back from collarbone surgery, having done fuck all since June, so I'm trying to make it as easy as possible to get the 400k done and two loops from home (or a basecamp hotel) seems like the best way to do a 400k with the least damage / most sleep. I have zero interest in riding through the night.

Ahhh fair enough. I rarely do them but when I have it's usually been mid summer.

Reckon that setup probably looks ok then, I probably wouldn't want to stop any longer then 4 hours though.

Maybe I should break out the Shiv and 'buy' another few hours sleep :)

If you want validation your 29 hours runs out at noon on day two.

Que? I thought it was a plain ol' time limit I need to worry about, ie. 29hrs after I started?

Have I just done something stupid with da maffs

Ah, yeah, I just did average speed for the second chunk, forgetting I've lost the sleep chunk. Idiot.

Oh well, maybe I'll just pick a flat 400k route, start at 5am or something and smash it through. Pack extra painkillers.

I've always been wary of painkillers because of the risk of unknowingly doing permanent damage. Is that really true or something I've made up?

Depends on the painkillers. There's risks with every drug.

There's some evidence that higher-doses of NSAIDs are linked to heart issues in endurance atheletes (as well as the more common gastro issues) and you can do shit like OD on paracetamol (death is pretty permanent damage).

https://www.gov.uk/drug-safety-update/high-dose-ibuprofen-2400mg-day-small-increase-in-cardiovascular-risk

https://theconversation.com/running-ibuprofen-use-is-common-but-many-athletes-are-unaware-of-the-risks-141634

Then there's the simple risk of overuse injury because you'd removed an idicator of pain that would've otherwise made you stop sooner. It can be hard to tell without a lot of experience (of going too far) where the line is for overuse injuries.

I remember caning ibuprofen in TransAm and getting massive cankles due to fluid retention but by the time I was doing later TCRs I was riding 4000k without taking anything.

Ride Report - Thanet Platinum 200

@youramericanlover , @jmg412 and I rode this one on Saturday. In my infinite wisdom, I decided to ride this one fixed. I hadn’t ridden a significant distance fixed for quite some time so in the lead up to this I rode Tuesday Hills fixed, if I could do that then surely I could do a 200, right? Well, we set off from Goody Ales in Herne Common under skies and through thick, almost tropical jungle levels of humidity, really quite difficult to get any air in. Rolling easy through fairly quirt lanes we whistled past the first info control at 15km and were quickly into the Kent Downs and a few little climbs, all good apart from having left waaaaay too much slack on my chain, inertia getting the best of me so I just continued with a gappy pedal stroke.

Over the M20 and into lanes around Charing, Little Chart and towards Biddenden that certainly felt familiar; having left it so long since riding fixed I wasn’t super confident descending and wasn’t really ‘letting go’, thankful that for once the canti brakes were (shock horror!) actually providing some stopping power… who’d have thunk it! Into the High Weald and before long we were at first proper control at 70km, Hawkhurst. Waitrose meal deal of sushi duck rolls, crisps and a smoothie. A brief shower was actually welcome, what wasn’t was the sharp descent into Salehurst that almost saw the duck rolls make an unwelcome second appearance. We continued through rolling hills past Dallington and out of the High Weald to the halfway control at Pevensey Services. Falafel wrap, pineapple, chocolate milk and blue Powerade. The pineapple and leftover crisps from the previous stop worked in perfect synchronicity to cut my mouth up, inspired choice that. I pocketed the chocolate milk, took up some of the slack on my chain and we made our way across the Pevensey Levels towards the sea.

We expected a headwind for the return leg but it was a very, very light breeze which we were pleasantly surprised with. Past Normans Bay and Bexhill-on-Sea through a brief section of shared paths and then onto Hastings, which as a bit grim. Loads of traffic on the seafront and the promenade was also very busy. Stiff climb out of Hastings on Old London Road was grim, the climb was testing off but that road is just shit and was busy as when we hit it. Turning off towards Fiarlight improved things a bit and we continued to Winchelsea, through Rye and the Military Road which just seemed to go on, and on…

We were rolling well though but as we came back over the M20 I was starting to feel it, neck was quite stiff and I had a concerning twinge on the back of my left knee, probably those sharp descents and my lack of souplesse. We made it to Brabourne Lees control at 173km, a Premier with a couple of kids milling around outside and an Audi with a skittish alarm and two dogs in the boot parked up. I was not in a good place so it was time for drastic measures, a second blue Powerade. Shortly after rolling out we hit a climb up Weeks Lane and just as it kicked up a notch near the top I decided discretion was the better part of valour and walked the last bit. I hung on to Dan’s wheel most of the way back until the blue Powerade kicked in and I decided to give the last couple of lumps full gas, not wise in the slightest but it was fun.

Made it back to Goody Ales at 6pm for a very nice pork pie that was included in the entry fee. Excellent day out and a nice route, but one that could certainly be improved in a few places.

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Was a very fun day out, thanks for the pics elgonzo! Great riding by both. It was substantially hillier than I thought it would be. I got quite annoyed by my staircase on Sunday.

Some really nice lanes, especially on the way out. Some very bad and busy ones on the way back that, which I understand that sometimes it's the way, but in this instance they were avoidable. Going to email the organise with plenty of thanks and compliments as well as a suggested route for next time.

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why are there loads of cyclist wearing nice but pricey lycra stuff and riding expensive looking bikes into ross on wye today ? anyone know what event it is ?

Today, Monday? Is there one of those corporate LEJOGs going through or something?

today yes, saw about 50 bikes this morning, seemed to have official race numbers on the fronts of their bikes
could very well be corporate judging by the bikes and clothes and helmets and sunglasses definitely no cut off jeans and band t-shirts nor single speeds / fixed racers from what i saw

There is some 'ride across Britain' event at the moment, where you do stages and other people carry all your luggage.

https://www.rideacrossbritain.com/

"Is there one of those corporate LEJOGs going through or something?"

that looks like it. stage 3 pings ross on wye

Now I've got FOMO of a fucking corporate sportive. Shittingballs.

.

Surely not? I know someone doing it and it looks like all the worst aspects of cycling from the photos imo.

(Other than the route, scenery looks lovely ofc).

I've ridden once since June so I'd definitely swap sitting in front of this shitbox for corporate LEJOG. Carry my bags mofos! Yes, I will have a second helping of lunch and then sit in the sag wagon for a nap while digesting it. Please do rub my sore legs and buggered neck muscles... ahhh this is the life :D

I really dislike 400 calendar events as I’m not very good with sleep deprivation and I find myself constantly battling the urge to fall asleep on the bike.

I did a DIY 400 recently starting at 4am and was done by 11pm. The timing worked out great and now I’ll probably never do another through-the-night ride unless I do PBP again.

Nice write up.

That Mash is incredible and I’m a little bit envious that it’s still shorts and short sleeve weather down south.

I used to ride to the start, bust them out and ride home before the sun came up. Ahh, the good old days. The hillier ones we started doing together (Porkers is 5000-5500m, Cambrian one was 7500m) though mean they started taking close to 24hr so yeah a full night ride.

I was just thinking about the least damaging way to get one done. I guess if I just picked a flat one I could still probably hammer it out and be done in say 20hrs and get some sleep.

I was thinking of a modified Jelly Fish Legs but that's closer to 420km and 3500m of climb.

Asparagus & Strawberries 400k 2021
416.5 km
2,950 m

Could audax Cycling UK - Wolf Way 400k
403.7 km
2,168 m

Dauntsey Dawdle 400k
407 km
3,280 m

York Arrow Route6 Combined V5 ( @Ecobeard Arrow Route)
425 km
2,608 m

Orobus - London-Bath-London 400k
395.7 km
2,426 m

I'd rather have to wear a long sleeve jersey than deal with the humidity we had if I'm being honest! Geo on the Mash is very unforgiving for Audax though :/

Jelly Fish Legs and Dauntsey Dawdle are both nice, but I'd say they both came out closer to 4,000m.

I preferred a midday start for a 400; got a full night's sleep, hammered it and finished around 6am in time to get the first train home before the dozies set it. Didn't even need a 2am Pro Plus!