Audax rides

Blimey. Chapeau to all of them - but especially Tom and Mike for doing it on fixed. That takes grit, that does.

Joth and Emma aka Thing 1 & 2 did a fantastic ride on the tandem not only their first 600 but 30km over distance in attrocious weather and in 37h 44 mins ride of the day/days I think.

Has anyone done the Denmead 600? Just wondering what the route was like and where the controls lie.

Has anyone done the Denmead 600? Just wondering what the route was like and where the controls lie.

Never done it, but there's a bit of a write up here: http://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=6023.msg110448#msg110448

Can't find any routes on bikely or anything else.

Joth and Emma aka Thing 1 & 2 did a fantastic ride on the tandem not only their first 600 but 30km over distance in attrocious weather and in 37h 44 mins ride of the day/days I think.

I saw Joth last week for the first time in ages and he's very thin and has that weather burnt look. This explains it. :-)

Thanks,

Still undecided about that one and the South then North event from Derby. This one is at least closed but the route seems to change each year.

who won? are there winners in audaxes? is it more a philosophical question?

If you get round the course, you win, if you don't, you lose. Fortunately you only lose to yourself.

SK I rode the Denmead in 2003 I can dig out my route and see where it went, I am sure it hasn't changed much a first loop of 380 followed by a tough hillier 220, it was my first 600 on fixed that one.

Would be nice if you have it.

Would be nice if you have it.

Town = go towards
TOWN = Go through
Page one for stage one has gone but;
Stage one Denmead to Wilton approx 75km

stage two; Wilton, GREAT WISHFORD, Wyle, Longbridge Deverill, MAIDEN BRADLEY, Witham, Frome, [INFO at Nunney] MELLS, Buckland, Trowbridge to Bradford on Avon. 73km [total 149.7km]

Stage three; Bradford on Avon, Bath, Corsham, Chippenham, Biddestone, Nailsworth, Tetbury, CHERRINGTON, TARLTON, KEMBLE, EWEN, SIDINGTON, CIRENCESTER @ Greasy Joes cafe 83km [total 233km]

Stage four; Cirencester, Siddington, CERNEY WICK, Down Ampney, Swindon, Fairford, CASTLE EATON, HANNINGTON, HIGHWORTH, SHRIVENHAM, LAMBOURN< newbury, HUNGERFORD, Marlborough, Salisbury, Andover, LONGPARISH, Barton Stacey, SUTTON SCOTNEY services. 102km, [total 334.4km]

Stage five; Sutton Scotney services, South Wonston, Winchester, Kingsworthy, ARELSFORD, CHERITON, KILMESTON, Swanmore, Soberton, Waterlloville, DENMEAD, 45km, [total, 380km] at a Hall sleep available.

stage six; Denmead, Waterlooville, Droxford, ALRESFORD, Abbottstone, East Stratton, WEST STRATTON, Micheldelver, Kingsclere, Headley, THATCHAM 78km, [total 458km]

Stage seven; Thatcham, Hermitage, Chievley, BEEDON, STANMORE, EAST ILLSLEY,COMPTON, ASHAMPSTEAD, Theale, SULHAMPSTEAD, BURGHFIELD, MORTIMER, BEECH HILL, Heckfield, Hook, HARTLEY WINTNEY. 64km, [total, 522.3km]

Stage eight, Hartley Wintney, DOGMERSFIELD, CRONDAL, Farnham, Well, BENTLEY, Binstead, DOCKENFIELD, HEADLEY, LIPHOOK, Midhurst, MILLAND, PETERSFIELD, Portsmouth, Buriton, East Meon, CLANFIELD, Lovedean, DENMEAD. 78km [600km]

If you look on the AUK calendar I am sure Pam and Dave Pilbeam run the Denmead as permanent rides as well.

In a fit of madness, I have decided to enter the South Then North 600k ut of Derby. Now I just need to decide how to go about it.

In a fit of madness, I have decided to enter the South Then North 600k ut of Derby. Now I just need to decide how to go about it.

Ride to 1st control. Eat beans on toast and cake.
Ride to next control. Eat more food and more cake.
Ride to next control. Eat more food and more cake.
...
Have some cake. Have a few hours nap on a village hall floor. Have some breakast.
Ride to next control. Eat more food and more cake.
...
Ride to finish. Hand in Brevet card. Plan on giving bike away to next person you see.
Get home, find that 2 more ministers have resigned and that Real Madrid have bought Eto'o, Henry, Rooney, Torres and Drogba.
Wait for the Audax MIB to come round and erase the bad memories.
Bask in the glory of an SR.

600s are easier than 400s. Allegedly.

Midland Super Grimpeur 300.

http://www.bikely.com/maps/bike-path/317461

Sutton Coldfield
Ashbourne
Edale
Holmfirth
Pym Chair (near Kettleshulme)
Longnor
Uttoxeter
Sutton Coldfield

316km. 5390m climbing. Miller's Dale, Mam Tor, Mam Nick, Jenkins Chapel, Goyt Valley, Axe Edge moor, Strines Moor, Holme Moss.

Took gears and finished with just 10 minutes to spare (21 hour time limit). The leg from Holmfirth to Longnor was utterly bonkers. Well recommended. It's going to be an Audax classic, all it needs is lots more people to do it.

Hardest ride I've done. Even harder than doing the Elenith 300 and Bryan Chapman 600 on fixed.

Bloody hell, that's a tough route. [st]Chapeau[/st] Flat Cap!

Dorking, Hackney, Sudbury, Dunwich, Sudbury, Dunmow, Putney as DIY 400 riding the Dun Run.

Hopefully it will be validated as I never got an absolute OK on the control towns (due to my laziness). The time on the Dunwich cafe debit/credit card receipt being exactly 3 hours out isn't going to help.

Have put in entry for Ide Hill Grimpeur on the weekend before LEL. Was considering doing it on fixed (46x19 for 63" loveliness) but may chicken out and take the Wilier. More than likely I just won't be able to ride it.

That leaves LEL as the biggy. Only 3 weeks to go. Blimey!(Oh,this is LFGSS isn't it) Fuck!

600k is now done. 363 miles in total and I am now suffering the consequences. Nothing monumental to report about the ride save the epic downpour overnight and the last 100k being into headwind up a series of long slow climbs. 37 hours total.

Food eaten in order of appearance: 3 oat and raisin cookies, coffee, tea, coffee, apricot danish, twix, banana, powerade, chicken pasta salad, banana, snickers, sausage roll, coffee, pork pie, powerade, flapjack, coke, pasta bake, squash, pasta bake, apple pie and custard, banana, juice, flapjack, birthday cake, coffee, flapjack, snickers, powerade, banana, flapjeck, cheese & pickle sandwich, Lucozade hydration drink, 2 egg + beans on toast, coffee, shortbread, flapjack, juice, 1/2 pack dextrose tablets, flapjack, 2/3 bag of nuts. All washed down with an estimated 2 gallons of water.

Well done, you mentalists!

Good work. Now bask in the glory of the SR.

Then get to work on a fixed SR for next year.

Starting to pack my drop bags for next weekend and working out where I'll need stuff.

Suddenly seems very very real.

1401km. Crikey. On fixed too.

Starting to pack my drop bags for next weekend and working out where I'll need stuff.

Suddenly seems very very real.

1401km. Crikey. On fixed too.

You'll love it :) The steep cobbled climb south out of Alston is the steepest, I got as far as the pub about twenty feet from the end of the cobbles and had to climb off and walk.
Good luck.

Huge respect to everyone who's on for LEL. My mate Ian's doing it, so you may bump into him. Also Daniel, the guy we started riding out of Dunwich with on the way back and with whom unfortunately I had to stop riding in Finchingfield.

I'm planning to do it in 2013 ... lots of time to learn, practise and do loads of loooong rides.

Have a superb ride, Alex!

Paris-Brest-Paris 1200km in 2011

There's also plenty of other quadrennial Audaxes:-

BMB 1200 = Boston-Montreal-Boston
MGM 1200 = Madrid-Gijon-Madrid
Rocky Mountain 1200 = Pat Hurt did it last year on fixed. Nutter.
VanIsle 1200 (Canada)
GSR 1200 = Great Southern Randonnee in Australia starting near Melbourne
Sydney - Melbourne 1200
Perth - Albany - Perth 1200 in October 2010.
Sofia - Varna - Sofia 1200 in Bulgaria
Super Brevet Scandanavia 1200km (Denmark, Norway, Sweden)

I'm sure there was a Russian one going from Vologda. Ah, Vologda - Onega - Ladoga 1200km.

And what about Hamburg-Berlin-Cologne-Hamburg 1500km Audax?[I][/I]

I don't really know all that much about audax's, but i assume that there are no sleep stops in any of them? is the idea just to keep riding apart from your refueling stops?

I don't really know all that much about audax's, but i assume that there are no sleep stops in any of them? is the idea just to keep riding apart from your refueling stops?

Rides of 600km or more will usually have sleep stops, but these can be nothing more than a wooden floor in a village hall. It's rare that they'll ever be proper beds. Many riders look for nearby accomodation (i.e. Travelodges) to grab a few hours sleep and maybe a shower before carrying on.

On the Bryan Chapman 600 I had 20 minutes sleep sitting down with my head on a table in a church hall in Menai. I didn't bother sleeping at the Youth Hostel stop in Dolgellau as I didn't feel tired, just had some food and a chat and carried on.

On the Severn Across 400 I had 15 minutes sleep on the floor of the cafe upstairs in Membury Services on the M4. Probably wasn't enough as I had an attack of the dozies at 5am coming in to Henley, cured by a stop at a petrol station that did coffee.

There are 10 controls on LEL (Cheshunt YH, Gamlingay village hall, Thurlby village hall, Washingborough community centre, Thorne Rugby Club, Coxwold village hall, Middleton Tyas school hall, Alston Outdoor Centre, Eskdalemuir village hall, (Gordon Arms Inn sleep stop in Traquair), Dalkeith Rugby Club, and the same on the way back).

You can stop/sleep at any of them and some, obviously, will be better than others for sleeping. As I'll be near the back of the field I'd expect all of the beds and good sleeping spots to be taken by the time I get there.

For LEL I'm planning on at least 4 or 5 hours sleep a night, 15 hours riding a day and 4 or 5 hours faffing at controls, eating, washing, fettling, etc. First night sleep at the control at Thorne rugby club (possibly camp beds, but I've put an inflatable air bed in my drop bag), second night on a floor at the Eskdalemuir control or, if I'm lucky, in a bed at the Gordon Arms Inn up the road in Traquair, third night at the Alston control which is an outdoor centre (camp beds but most likely floor again), fourth night at the Washingborough control which is a community centre (most likely sleep on a carpeted floor). I'm just carrying a silk sleeping bag liner to sleep in and assume the controls will be warm enough (they usually are), if not I'll just sleep in cycling stuff, leg/arm warmers and extra jersey.