Audax rides

This years current plan are the Kennet Valley Run (200k) on Feb 27th followed by The Dean (300k) on Mar 27th, the Heart of England (300k) on Apr 10th (this is a very good ride and doable on fixed of people fancy it), Severn Across (400k) on Apr 24th and the Bryan Chapman memorial (600k) on May 15th.

On an audax style scale I'm also planning on the Exmouth Exodus, the Dorset Dash, possibly a new version of the Solstice ride ending in Avebury and my own brand new overnighter from Birmingham to Skegness (possibly forming the Mignighter Club if anyone else fancies joining me on some of these). Not that interested in doing the DD again given that it is now very big.

Wouldn't have minded joining people for the Poor Student as I've done it before and it's a good ride but alas I'm going to be pit crew in Birmingham for the cyclocross National Championships.

Good choices. Dean 300, SA 400 and BCM 600 are lovely rides on fixed. ;)

I'll be doing shorter Audaxes this year, if at all, as baby GB is only 2 weeks old. I might try and squeeze in a 400 to keep PBP2011 options open although I'm not that worried as I've got plenty of years left in my legs (I hope).

Severn Across in April (ask Greenbank for tips)

http://willesdencc.blogspot.com/2010/01/audax-400-km-severn-across.html

http://www.bikely.com/maps/bike-path/Severn-Across-Audax-2009

"2-3 May: 'Severn Across' 407 km Audax
The next hurdle: my first '400'. Arguably the most difficult distance because the time limit of 27 hours and the usual 6am start does not really allow for a proper rest. Off to a good start as I rode the first three hours in a nice bunch at a faster average than usual - about 27kph to the first control at Woodstock. Then it was through the Cotswolds to Tewkesbury for lunch, before tackling the climbs of the Forest of Dean. Turnaround at Chepstow to cross the Severn for a night ride back to Chalfont St Peter. Benign weather conditions, and a slightly flatter profile than the similar course on 'The Dean' meant I was through 300 km in 15 hours which was pleasing. The last section was more of a struggle as I made few tactical errors, including stopping for too long at the Membury Services control and going off course in the dark lanes approaching Henley. Arrived back at first light in Chalfont St Peter, where I was amazed to find that while 20 riders finished ahead of me, there were another 14 behind. Two hours kip on the floor of the community centre, and then the first train back to London - exhausted but elated."
http://www.cyclingcouncillor.com/index.asp?PageID=159

Anyone fancy a 2200k audax?

http://www.total-cycling.tk2u.co.uk/resource/rides/ride_010.html

McNasty is a truly bonkers man.

You could also look at doing:-

http://www.aukweb.net/cal/perms/calsolo.php?Ride=SJ02 - 3100km Trafalgar - Trafalgar

http://www.aukweb.net/cal/perms/calsolo.php?Ride=SJ01 - 4014km Orient Express Audax

Ross BD also does a Peneperipherique: http://www.bentley-davies.co.uk/Permanents/Peneperipheral.pdf - 5100km if you do the job lot.

Or, with a spare 34 days (maximum time):-

http://www.aukweb.net/cal/perms/calsolo.php?Ride=THO01 - 6800km Transamerica Trail

Severn Across in April (ask Greenbank for tips)

http://willesdencc.blogspot.com/2010/01/audax-400-km-severn-across.html

http://www.bikely.com/maps/bike-path/Severn-Across-Audax-2009

The next hurdle: my first '400'. 9

Hippy my Kent Invicta 400km from Chiddingstone Causeway is run on the 15th/16th May weekend, it is a figure of eight route with 185km first lap followed by a 230km second lap.
It has just under 4000m of climbing and is doable on fixed if you get the urge

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

The 600km is 5th/6th of June from Otford [might change start this year]
Here is a route on Bikely. the over distance bit will be sorted this year.
[ame]http://www.bikely.com/maps/bike-path/2009-Invicta-600[/ame

Ha! Cruel. I'd stop after the first lap. :)

And so it begins. The Paris-Brest-Paris season starts now.

Anyone else planning on having a go at this?

And so it begins. The Paris-Brest-Paris season starts now.

Anyone else planning on having a go at this?

Oh Yes.

Fixed naturally. 46x17 (71.4") with a bailout of 46x18 (67") if I get tired. There's nothing really steep at all.

The longer ride you can do this year the earlier you can pre-register (you still need to do a full SR in 2011 to qualify). I'm looking to do a 400 this year, possibly a 600 if I can convince Mrs GB.

I'm planning to do the required BRM 400 this year and then an SR series next year, then PBP. Longer-term, I'm also hoping to do LEL in 2013.

I'm aiming for a full SR in BRM this year and then start an SR on fixed. the LEL is a goal as well but just wondering about the Lowlands 1200. Not this year but one to do one fixed with a silly gear, maybe about an 82 or something, should allow for a entertainingly quick pace.

I've been lurking on this thread for a while, reading and re-reading the tales of insanity with morbid curiosity. I just moved from London to Paris, and have a bit of spare time on my hands.

I really fancy giving this a go. My long-distance cycling experience is pretty minimal, however. I don't mind training hard (marathons and whatnot), and I ride a bit of enduro MTB, so a base fitness of sorts is there...just not quite on the same scale.

I'd also need a bike -- the tifosi audax effort on wiggle looks like good value, albeit I can get my training started on the fixed for now.

Am I being a total dick, trying to do PBP with 18 months training, or would it be possible? I was thinking of daily rides and long weekend jaunts, plus the qualifying series of course.

All advice / abuse welcome!

It's not out of the question but a lot of people crash at the middle hurdle when trying to do something like this. For instance in my first SR (Series Randonneur meaning a 200k, 300k, 400k and a 600k ride all in the same year) attempt I failed at the 400k stage by falling asleep at 6am/350k and suffering from The Fear. There's no shame in it, this isn't easy stuff.

If you want to give it a go, start now. Absolutely now. Do not hesitate. Join one of the French Audax clubs and get riding. This alone will never be a regretable move. Your first goal is the 200k ride. It's more acheivable than you think but the first time round is a bit of a shocker. After that it come pretty easy up to 400k and then 600k seems like a doddle.

Daily rides are good, try and get a minimum of ten miles of commuting a day and a season of time trials in. Long weekend jaunts aren't enough. Better to aim for a RRtY (Randonneur Round the Year meaning one 200k+ ride a month for 12 consecutive months). That sort of experience will do a lot for you.

Audax badged bikes can be a bit of a con. They're usually designed as being a bit more forgiving than a race bike, have more padding in the saddle, a bit more reach on the handlebars and a wider profile to ease arm strain etc. To be fair, most of the bikes I see out there are either general racing bikes (I'm on a Giant OCR3 from way back) or steel framed touring bikes, neither of which charge a premium for being badged up for audaxing.

Best thing to do right now is to pray for rain this weekend. If it rains, pack more stuff than you really need and go out on a nice big loop that's guaranteed to leave you feeling well exerted. Whilst doing this, talk to a really boring guy called Derrick for two hours and eat a massive pie. When you get home, stand outside your house in the most exposed place, look longingly through the window at a nice big mug of tea, a slice of your favourite cake and a pint of your favourite beer. Flip through the numbers in your phone and imagine how nice it would be to sit in a taxi and get warm. Then jump on your bike and ride up the closest really hard hill and back again in twilight. If this part of the ride is anything better than doable and you're glad you made the extra effort, you're made of audax material.

Also, read this: http://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=19051.0. Read it again in December and see if you understand.

Other training reccomendations.

You need to be able to deal with a unique blend of loneliness and OCD.

Tell all of your friends to act as if you've been an utter tool and refuse to speak to your for five days. Wait until it gets dark and then tie a little bell to one of your spokes. Go riding and wonder what that noise is for an hour. Stop and check the whole bike over whilst ignoring the bell. Once assured there is nothing wrong, start riding and flip between panic over time loss and confusion that the noise is still there. Do a couple of sprints to make up time and then slow down because you're knackered. Repeat at least three times. If anyone offers assistance give them short shrift and insist you're fine just short of shouting. If anyone points out the bell, assure them that it's fine and it's supposed to be like that. When you get home, wonder how a bell got tied to your spokes. Feel stupid and guilty.

Cheers for the advice, I will start training now and figure out the bike details as I go along. I'll train on the fixed for now. I'll make sure my weekly mileage is as high as possible. Other than distance, do people do much interval work etc?

I'll work out a loop near my house, and give it a go tomorrow, just to see how many kilometres I can do before everything starts hurting. Then I'll know how much work is needed, and I'll dig my trainers out and start running, instead!

The ribble winter bike has a pretty good reputation from what I've googled. Anyone got any experience of it?

Heh, the OCD thing is me all over, bike noises will result in complete rebuilds, if necessary. Obviously something to avoid in a 200k ride. My running is going to take second place, I think...

Time to put some pedals back on the fixie and take it for a spin.

Oh Yes.

Fixed naturally. 46x17 (71.4") with a bailout of 46x18 (67") if I get tired. There's nothing really steep at all.

The longer ride you can do this year the earlier you can pre-register (you still need to do a full SR in 2011 to qualify). I'm looking to do a 400 this year, possibly a 600 if I can convince Mrs GB.

I've just seen this (dunno how I missed it).

I'd like to nominate you for a crazy mo'fo award of some sort. Chapeau, in any event. I will try and get a long ride in to at least get some sort of early pre-registration, that's a good idea. For me it might not be a 600 though! Depends on how the training's going, I guess.

I'd just like to point out that Mr. Greenbank has already completed the longer and much harder London-Edinburgh-London on fixed. Not only that but he even did the biblical edition. PBP shouldn't be too much of a stretch for him.

Just heard about this yesterday--will be in its second edition this year. 1,500km.

http://www.audaxclub-schleswig-holstein.de/files/Super-Brevet_Englisch.pdf

A friend of mine is doing it.

Re: Mr Greenbank's LEL fixed: Wow. I'm stuck with the fixed for the time being for financial reasons, so I'll see how I do with longer distances. 1200km is a hell of a long way. Re-chapeau. There can't be a huge number of cyclists able to do that sort of ride fixed?

For the "shorter" rides, what sort of kit list am I looking at? For a 100 or 200km effort, for example. Probably try it on my own to start with, plot a route out and back, vaguely near the train line, just in case, mobile phone fully charged. I was thinking:

• fully charged phone
  
• route card and map / shell out for etrex+batteries
  
• spare tube x 2
  
• spare tyre x 1
  
• multi tool (including 15mm for wheel nuts)
  
• puncture kit / levers just in case I need to patch a tube after two punctures!
  
• waterproof jacket
  
• front and back flashing LED lights (at least the 100km should be all daylight, right?)
  
• snacks (restaurant at 1/2 way or something)
  
• cash and cards
  
• cycle computer
  
  

I'd be wearing leggings and a short sleeved top, probably not even with armwarmers (get v hot generally, so little needed)

spds, helmet, (chamois cream?)

spare brake blocks / chain / zip ties / electrical tape -- I've never needed any of this in thousands of miles of commuting, where I've only punctured twice. On a 100k or 200k ride is all this necessary?

My Brooks fell apart this evening, so I've got to repair it tomorrow before I go riding, but I'm going to do a gentle 70km just to see if I can, take 4 hours and go quite gently, see what starts hurting first.

I really appreciate the wealth of knowledge you experienced folk are sharing, by the way, lfgss ftw!

I am no expert but I've done quite a few 200 km rides now. I think you're over the top on spares.

Two tubes
some zip ties
ducktape round a pen
bit of plastic milk carton (with ducktape makes good tyre boot)
puncture repair kit
pen knife
usual allen keys and spanners screwdrive as required.
chain tool + one or two links, not an entire chain.
maybe small pot of oil

sudocream

You'll get colder on a long ride than you will on a short ride due to fatigue, plus if you need to stop for repairs you'll want to be warm while you fettle.

Take food but buy along the way to save weight. Have stash of emergency food like a mars bar / dried fruit.

Fair play, cheers TheBrick(Tommy). I rarely puncture, and puncturing twice in 200k has never happened, and I've never managed to destroy a tyre, but sod's law being what it is...

How likely is a chain issue? I have never broken a chain in 20 years of having road bikes, dirt bikes, bmxs, mountain bikes, and a fixed.

What are the zipties for? Especially on fixed... Likewise the duct tape? I know it's useful stuff, but I can't think of anything on my bike that I could fix with it. Tyres, maybe?

Good call on the clothing front, getting cold at a lunch / toilet break is not fun. Good idea to buy food, too. Time to start looking for routes with shops on them, and decent restaurant at half way.

Duck tape + bit of milk carton = tyre boot, I've had that happen before.
puncture repair kit + 2 tube is because when tired you make mistakes, more likely to rip valve off, not check tyre properly e.t.c.
I have had a snapped chain before, all be it on a BMX, that is probably over caution on my part.
Zip ties + duck tape, for the things that brake that you never think will brake. You saddle bag breaks, you drop your bike and snap a mudgaurd and need to tie the stay back, problem with bottle cage, your light mount goes funny, computer mount goes funny. (all these have happened to me). Light but very useful.

It's always a personally choice but these are my justifications and I have used all of these items on rides other that the spare link and chain tool, but I have minimised my chain tool so it is light and it could help avoid a long walk to a station, I don't have the money to jump in a taxi if something goes wrong so I'm a bit more self sufficient.

Ahhh I see.

Good idea. Now I can see the point of zipties and tape, I'll convince myself about the chain in due course, no doubt. Better to carry a few extra grams and be sure you'll get there than save a tiny bit of weight and risk a long walk / massive taxi fare / bollocking from the wife who has to drive 90 miles to find you in the pissing rain and dark. Right, the rain's eased off, I'm going out on the bike.