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It's piss easy doing DIYs. I often do DIY by GPS. You buy some brevets off your DIY guy, pick Mandatory Route and then send your route file to the DIY guy. Ride it and then send your ride file back to them for validation.
I've ridden existing routes as DIYs as well as made completely personal routes (ie. one day of our recent Pyrenees trip I made into a 200k DIY)
Read this: https://www.audax.uk/choose-a-ride/do-it-yourself-diy-events/
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As Hippy said, it's pretty straight forward to use DIY's for RRtY. As long as you're not doing loops or using the same stretch of road over and over again, pretty much anything goes for a DIY. My winter route for RRtY is one big out and back (which happens to pass a Greggs 12 times).
Best thing to do is try and batter out your 200 for the month as soon as possible each month. Nothing is more stressful than trying to complete a 200 on the very last day of the month when you're 10 months in. Trust me, I've been there.
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Would it be easier to ride a current 200 as a DIY?
For example, the first year I did RRTY I used this Calendar/Perm Boat Trip 200k route for maybe half the months of the year. Simply because it was close, I didn't have to plan it and I was too busy racing and stuff to piss about with unknowns.
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Yep as others say DIY is super easy. It was how I did most of my Fixed RRTY as it was during heavier covid times where events were harder to find. 10 out of the 12 months in the end I think.
For most of them I did try to make it a new route for myself as riding the same one felt like it would have been a bit boring for me and I'd have probably given up if I knew what was coming that month for the ride. Think I did one route 3 times and the others were all new.
I quite enjoyed the route planning as I had to be quite creative due to covid restrictions, one was a Christmas Eve London Boroughs ride when the tiers were announced which then inspired me to see if it was possible to do an Audax without leaving Zone 3, it was and I wouldn't recommend it.
Seconding Hollow_Legs on trying to get it done as early into the month as possible as well, sucks when it ends up on the last weekend and the weather starts to look shit.
Also I'd say start as soon as you can, I started mine in an October which meant all the cold and dark ones were done and I got to enjoy the warmer longer day rides at the back end of the process which was much less grim and kept me going when it started to get a bit tiring. -
Oh also, the fixed wheel secretary takes it on word for points with the DIY rides. Think the abridged wording he said to me when I was asking if I need to run any additional proof was 'it's a niche section of a niche part of a niche activity so he's happy to trust people and liars generally find themselves getting caught out eventually'.
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hippy
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@Daithetooth
My plan in 2025 is a fixed Round the year series. I’ve already completed an SR and LEL fixed and so am moving on to the next challenge.
I have ear marked the first six months of audax between South Wales and Bristol already but wouldn’t mind a back up option.
Does anyone have experience of a DIY and what hoops / regulations/ people I need to jump through/ pass / contact to have an emergency route I can use if I can’t make an organised ride.
Would it be easier to ride a current 200 as a DIY?