Audax rides

You could always try and do an Ultra RRtY over a year or two?

That's too samey. Obviously I can ride 200s and I've done a RRTY so my brain shows little interest in riding 10x of them. I'm more likely to do something like an SR series "around the year" but these things just get in the way of other events.

I can save all this stuff for retirement.

LOL at still being alive when I am at retirement age.

I could do them over time but that's a bit dull, I'd rather do them at once but I also don't like the idea of having 5x RRTY stacked up and then blowing the lot because I get hit by a car or some shit. It is another badge though (I don't get badges)

This is slightly clearer now:

A Super Randonnée (not to be confused with the Super Randonneur events series) is a permanent event organised within the auspices of Audax Club Parisien (ACP), who verify and validate completed rides. There are Super Randonnée event routes in many countries including those organised by AUK, on behalf of ACP, in Britain. There are Randonneur and Tourist versions of each of these events.

Super Randonnées are located in mountainous (or, in Britain, at least hilly!).areas. They are about 600 km (373 miles) long and require climbing to be over 10,000 m (32,800 feet).

https://www.audax.uk/choose-a-ride/acp-sr-events/

A little out of date. SR600s were validated by ACP for several years but Sophie and ACP had a parting of the ways and ACP have washed their hands of them. Sophie’s organisation (Provence Randonneurs?) still keeps track of SR600s.

I call them SR600s to differentiate Super Randonnee (SR600) from Super Randonneur (SR). ACP has a serious lack of imagination for names.

Yeah, I read as much in her description of SR600s on her site. I'd heard talk of this previously when we did MdS but didn't quite understand what it was about. I'll try and use the same naming convention - SR600s. There's quite a lot. It could be fun to try and knock all these off :)

Trying to plan out a few audax rides from west London or maybe south london this year. I gather they'd all be pretty busy and fill up quickly. I've signed up to Amesbury amble and will probably try and do a few KWCC audaxes as start is close by. Any nice rides to be recommended to try and pencil in? Signed up to auk last year but never submitted any diy or managed to actually make any events.

KWCC, Willesden, Audax Club Hackney and some others run events. Also have a look at ACME (Essex events that can be ridden to start of).

I generally just look at a date and then pick stuff that's nearby using the calendar search or the Perm map: https://www.audax.uk/choose-a-ride/

Oh that looks good.
Also: For comfort, a telescopic fork and straight handlebars may be beneficial; but once again, it all depends on your sporting profile and your desires.

Cheers. Just a slight change of topic from "legs havent fallen off yet, advice required"

Fast Times In The High Weald starts in south London. CC @honk

The GWR Paddington Express is a good one, I think that's in April. Bristol and back, essentially, with lots of Brunel along the way.

ACH's White Hart is also April.

There's the London Circuit 400 which is fun if you want to draw a giant circle on Strava, though that clashes with...

Fast Times in the High Weald 200 which is in May on coronation day and is filling up nicely - it's hilly for our part of the world but very scenic... : )

I also DIYed Paragon's Oh! To Be In Kent last year and that's another nice route.

Signed up for Fast Times. To continue my royal riding as I was out for big days for prince Philips and the queen's funerals.

Will have a look at white hart as may try and tip someone else into audax as well, as they want me to do chase the sun with them this year.

If you did paddington express l-b-l would you do it as calendar or would be diy? I'd probably start really early and do it in the day.

Nice! See you there.

Paddington Express I've DIYed a few times in the past. I'd do the calendar if you've not done a 400 before, just for moral support / riding buddies etc, plus the calendar sounds fun.

Otherwise yes I recommend starting at like 3am near midsummer if you're able - it's nothing stunning until Wiltshire imo anyway. Plus I just prefer finishing 400s at a time I can celebrate with a beer after.

I just prefer finishing 400s at a time I can celebrate with a beer after.

Breakfast beer is definitely a thing...

My kids stumbling across me in full cycling kit drinking beer in the kitchen at 7am is another thing ... not again dad, etc

Paddington Express I've DIYed a few times in the past.

Did you start from Paddington? Just thinking I could do that route from Paddington and back for a change of 400s if I find a spare weekend.

Kids, no vices!

Nope, that's not it.

No kids, lots of vices!

I found the Paddington express on fixed a bit of a pain. It’s all flat so you can’t change seatings and rest your arse out the saddle up hills. Also when you’re in London it’s a lot of stop and starting at lights.

Top tip, don’t leave your bike rested against a pillar that has a square base at Paddington. It is liable to dent your 2 month old custom frame and you have to cry the 200k back to Bristol.

As I live in SE London I tweaked the start a bit to omit actually going into Paddington - I think I picked the route up in Hounslow.

I live in the tw postcodes, so I would probably alter it to avoid paddington at the worst times, as the a4 or Uxbridge Road don't massively appeal, especially if busy.

I've worked jobs with some sort of night shifts for basically my whole working life. So I'm well accustomed to a breakfast beer and I'm training my toddler in bar tending.

I suppose if I'm following the route I may catch into some of the groups and or stops depending on start times and conditions.

try

Rheingold and SauBerland Achterbahn, you are welcome to camp in my garden and ride to the start if I'm not at home.

Yeah, I'm further west so I could do the same. Depends how much I care about staying true to the route I guess. I'm more interested in getting the fuck away from London so I could also train further west and extend it elsewhere.

Danke

First 200 of the year done; a Forth Classico followed by some East Lothian lanes.

Unseasonably warm weather in Edinburgh meant I only needed a wee dram of whisky with my Christmas cake near the end.

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Well in! That christmas cake looks great.