Audax rides

Ah, fair enough. I got to Eskdalemuir at about 2am on Tuesday, slept for a bit (on the floor) and left at 7am. Got back at 7.30pm (lounged around a bit too much in Traquair) and left into the maelstrom at 10pm making it to Alston for 6am with a dozie-enforced sleep stop in a church porch in Brampton along the way.

Not according to the calendar but maybe. Should I be doing as many BRM events as I can next year or do you reckon the 400 will suffice to demonstrate my worthiness.

No pressing need, but the more you can do the better suited to it you'll be. I found LEL (and the weather) relatively easy compared to some of the truly grim weather rides this year (Bryan Chapman for example). I doubt I would have had the mental toughness to complete PBP 2007 if I'd tried to do it in my first real year of Audaxing, I'm happy I held off and picked LEL2009 for my first big one.

Easing back into it.

Luton & Herts 150 on Sunday starting from Bushey.

Will be riding to/from the start to make it into a 200km ride.

Sep: Golden Tints 200 from Henham (was my first Audax 3 years ago).
Oct: Anfractuous 200 from Chalfont St Peter (inc Streatley Hill).
Nov: Upper Thames 200 from Sonning Common
Dec: South Bucks Winter Warmer 200 from Great Kingshill

Looking at riding Swindon to Chester (140+miles) as a perm.
Contemplating a 200k on fixed, any of those fairly flatish? I tried to get up Broad Town Hill on fixed and found it hard (42x16(70ishGI)). Coming down wasn't a barrel of laughs either. Clearly I need to Greenbank The Fuck Up.

Luton & Herts 150 (inc 50km to/form Putney): Should be rolling. No big hills. ~1700m climbing in 200km probably.

Golden Tints 200. Gently rolling Herts/Essex/Cambs. No big hills. ~1800m climbing in 200km probably. My first fixed 200, nice introduction. Won't be doing it this year as I'm busy that weekend. Will be doing Yeovil to Padstow DIY instead (with gears although I may take the fixed over Dartmoor for fun).

Anfractuous 200. Hilly, including some reasonable hills. 2400m climbing in 200km. Not an ideal first fixed ride unless you like grimping and shouting at things.

Upper Thames 200. Undulating. 1950m climbing. No big hills. Could be tougher because of possible weather in Nov but a possible first fixed ride.

SBWW 200. Undulating. 2000m climbing probably. Some average hills. Not ideal first fixed territory.

Hmm, may do the Upper Thames as it meanders into my territory. Shall have a crack at some long fixed rides before that though.

If you can mange as SR series a 200km fixed will be easy. Hell even I've done that with panniers.

Yeah, but my climbing is remarkably lame on fixed. Really, it makes grown men cry just watching it.

Yeah, but my climbing is remarkably lame on fixed. Really, it makes grown men cry just watching it.

http://www.bikely.com/maps/bike-path/Upper-Thames-200-unofficial

Remembered that it goes via Bix, and also Ashendon, but the climb up to Chipping Norton is pretty steady.

It was my second ever Audax and I was woefully unfit back then.

Yeah, but my climbing is remarkably lame on fixed. Really, it makes grown men cry just watching it.

Oh, that's nothing. My climbing is so bad that it makes me cry just to think about it. ;)

DIY 200 from Putney up to Cambridge and back tomorrow.

Upper Thames 200 from Sonning Common (nr Reading) on 7th November
South Bucks Winter Warmer 200 from Great Kingshill (nr High Wycombe) on 4th December

My mate Ian and I did this for a homebrew 200 the other week:

http://www.bikely.com/maps/bike-path/Manningtree-200k-circular

Lovely route, except for a horrible stretch along RAF Lakenheath. Very poor road surface. Not very hilly--we did a 17.5mph average.

Nice. Generally uninteresting ride up to Cambridge and back on Saturday. It was a bit blustery though.

Saw 2 fixeds (possibly 3) who had just climbed Essex Hill up into Elmdon as I was on my way back home, anyone here?

Will make the next DIY a bit more interesting. Thinking of this later on this month:-

Putney, Royal Tunbridge Wells, Hayward's Heath, Brigton, Horsham, Putney.

http://www.bikehike.co.uk/mapview.php?id=22287

[EDIT] And if my legs haven't deserted me by the time I get to Horsham I'll go North up the other side of the A24...Warnham, Walliswood, Abinger, Leith Hill, Abinger Common, White Down, Ranmore Common, Westhumble, Box Hill, Headley...

I'm doing the Dartmoor Devil...

http://www.ctcdevon.co.uk/devil99.htm

...this Sunday on my fixed Specialized Tricross. I'm running 42 16 at the moment, which is 70.2 gear inches, so I need a lower gear for the massive hills. Question is how low? I'm not sure whether to go for a 17t (66.1") or 18t (62.4") sprocket.

Can anyone who has either done the ride before or knows the area offer any advice?

No you don't. I did Dartmoor in the summer on 42 16. Grin and bear it. Immensely satisfying. Went from Axtown to Two Bridges to Buckfast, down to Ivy Bridge then right up across the moor to the north in Cheriton Bishop. I've never felt more manly at the end of it.

http://static.londonfgss.com/attachments/14046d1250951891-100_0957.jpg

yes agreed^^ the gear you run wont be the hardest thing, keeping it rolling on the loose trails will be a large part of the challenge.
youre comfort will be paramount, more big old low pressure and westerly winds will be your adversary,
good luck and go hard.

Looks fun, hope to take a ride out to Princetown on Sunday to have a look. The weather forecast not looking too bad but you never know with Dartmoor.

http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/weather/uk/sw/sw_forecast_weather.html

Belgian mix ftw

Mmm...Pot belge. The original sports drink! Lucozade is for pussies.

Oh, didnt realise it was on road, piece of piss in that case.

Bump to remind myself that I need to get my skates on planning my Audax programme for next year, and for everybody else to start planning theirs.

Some of us are thinking about the Poor Student on the 9th January:

http://www.londonfgss.com/thread35087.html

The weather forecast doesn't look amazing (very cold) but at least seems to be turning out dry, so if there isn't too much residual ice around, it should be possible. The colder, the slower, though.

Two of us are doing the Hopey New Year Ride on the 2nd for a bit of Peak District goodness.

http://www.aukweb.net/cal/index.htm

Will be first Audax for both of us. Managed a couple of training rides of near full distance but nothing anywhere near as hilly. Going to be cold, wet hell, but worthy, character-building hell at least.

Have fun, Hamatt!

Two of us are doing the Hopey New Year Ride on the 2nd for a bit of Peak District goodness.

Hope (!) that's not on fixed (unless you're running 50" or something)! I was looking at that, but its a massive amount of climbing.

Just to put your mind at rest, I can confirm we will not be fixed! Horses for courses and all that. Will be interesting, there's barely a flat stretch on the whole route.