Audax rides

'kin hell, Skully, I just tried to enter. A cheque? How retro. That'll be Mr Audax and Mr Clarion who want one. I'll look it out in a bit and get on with it.

@tonyme, of course, my main concern here is just how unfit I am / slowly I'll be riding. If you are mr quick, then I'll make my excuses and see you for tea afterwards.

Ha ,We can have a 'Slowness Contest'

So ,who is in then ?, got my start letter this morning>>>>>> we all gonna ride alone on this ?????

I fucked up, failed to enter.

Naughty, fail. but good you were honest and owned up straight away.....lol

I've just joined Audax UK in an attempt to make sure I get off my arse and actually ride some Audaxes.

Not sure what to start with but eyeing up the Tea & Biscuits 100 and the Cheese Toastie 100 in the New Year. And yes, I know they're not exactly far but I guess I need to start somewhere!

That's my plan too. Once I've got the AUK membership I'll start on a few smaller ones.

@upstart I was thinking of joining in the new year too. I like the fact that the tea and biscuits one is only a quid, I'd be up for that.

We did this one last year http://www.aukweb.net/events/detail/12-35/ and I think it is possibly the most scenic 60 miles I have ridden on a bicycle. I might start a thread for it next year but I'll definitely be doing it again if you're up for it. (The food and drink was also fantastic.)

I want to do some of the longer ones later in the year too, probably up to a 400, but I haven't really considered those yet.

^looks good! Would definitely be keen on that.

If you join now btw, your membership runs through to end 2012

Yeah, that was good spybot. Also the Watership Down was excellent.

Just joined AUK. Suddenly feel like the world is my oyster.

Also going to join. The organiser of 'The Willy Warmer' ride having the good sense to share my name demands it. Would like to stretch my legs more often next year.

Did you do it fixed spybot? I am yet to acquire a geared bicycle so all my audaxing in 2012 is likely to be fixed and slow.

Yeah, do them all fixed, it gives the old folk on gears something to talk about.

I've been called an east London hipster so many times this year I'm beginning to get used to it.

Good to hear of more people joining the Cult of Audax. By the end of the year you'll have aged ten more, put on a bit of weight and grown a beard.

But jesting aside, I've taken over the running of a 300k event from Oxford in March which a bit of a classic. If you fancy giving it a crack I may even make you a complimentary spokecard or something.

^ Spybot's already grown a beard. And got a map holder ;)

As I told him I'm up for doing some more Audax rides next year, but I struggle to understand the terminology and their website, probably because I'm incapable of growing a beard. I really enjoyed the The Shaftesbury Spring 100 back in March, it introduced me to one of my favourite lanes in Essex.

I also come fixed by default. I might join up now to force me to start planning what I want to do next year, and learn how to use that website. I definitely want to do a 400, as 200 isn't that far really, and if as Oliver Shick says the 600 is actually easier than the 400 I suppose it would make sense to do that, but I am somewhat intimidated by the idea of doing 372 miles, basically.

The National 400 has been recommended to me by a few people, apparently it is quite flat and a good first 400.

N00b question: Is there a way of seeing the route from a page like the one I just linked to? How can you tell how hilly it is? Am I being dim?

Good to hear of more people joining the Cult of Audax. By the end of the year you'll have aged ten more, put on a bit of weight and grown a beard.

But jesting aside, I've taken over the running of a 300k event from Oxford in March which a bit of a classic. If you fancy giving it a crack I may even make you a complimentary spokecard or something.

Would that be this perchance? http://www.aukweb.net/events/detail/12-504/

Already on the accelerated aging programme having just splashed on an expensive audax/sportive style frame instead of the lightest, fastest. MLC is here!

I live right near the National 400 so would love to enter that. After some smaller events of course!

I'll probably be riding with a garmin to be honest, saddle bag - 9-10 litres one of these - on It's way for Christmas!
I'm also building up my Ti Audax at the moment. I've had an Audax bike for the last 2 years and done a fair bit of touring on it but C2W scheme is coming up so I'm looking to get a Van Nicholas Yukon, move my 105 groupset over and fit mavic open pros to hope pro3 hubs, built on a 32 spoke which should be enough for audax.

I also come fixed by default. I might join up now to force me to start planning what I want to do next year, and learn how to use that website. I definitely want to do a 400, as 200 isn't that far really, and if as Oliver Shick says the 600 is actually easier than the 400 I suppose it would make sense to do that, but I am somewhat intimidated by the idea of doing 372 miles, basically.

Note: I haven't actually done either a 400 or a 600, it's just what everybody who has done one tells me.

If a beard is de-rigueur, then every ride I have already undertaken has unbeknownst to me been an Audax by default.

I plan to start small by doing nothing but the 100km jaunts first of all, then maybe build up to longer distances. Agree with Fox that some of the archaic terminology is hard to fathom on the site's ride calendar page. There seem to be lots of abbreviations which I can't find explained and it all seems a bit creakily mysterious, which I'm finding quite charming and intriguing already.

'Audax can mean daring in two senses: bold, courageous, spirited and foolhardy, presumptious, rash.'

List of those intending bold or rash events in 2012?

1. 1894mk2
   

1. Fox
   
   

I'm planning bold or rash events in 2011, never mind 2012! No Audax until next year though...

^^ I see what you mean, but the problem is that when you actually go on them seeing anyone under the age of 35 is highly unusual. I don't know if Audax rides are becoming more or less popular - I suspect more due to 'cycling being the new golf' (sic) but unless they get some new blood in the long term prognosis can't be good, surely?

We will funk up the grizzled old goats with some good old fashioned postmodern lingo and lashings of N-Dubz.

Doing an audax with a beat box strapped to your top tube playing hip hop would be hilarious :)

1. upstart
   
   

only it won't be awfully rash or bold with me as I won't be doing anything more than a 200 next year.

I've never done an Audax before but I'm genuinely excited at the prospect. There's lots of things I enjoy doing on the bike but a day in the lanes at a decent but not silly pace is my absolute ideal. Plus I have a bike that's lovely to ride a long way on and it deserves some miles.