Audax rides

Oh I thought you meant the race blades which didn't actually cover! Now gone as you can see.
Hopefully I won't break these.

Not sure these will be flood proof in over three foot of water either. Hopefully I won't find out...

Entry in for Heart of England. Will look a travel options for Hebrides.

Entry in for Heart of England. Will look a travel options for Hebrides.

I flew to Stornoway a couple of years ago and the tiny plane from Glasgow to Stornaway was great, there were only six passengers on that day so everyone got a window seat for the views.

The local car hire company were ruthlessly efficient though. Our hire car was left unlocked in the carpark with the keys in for us to pick up! Returning at the end of the week was the same arrangement.

Any tips for building up mileage in a structured way?

Last year I went from 0 to 200 in the first 6 months of the year by just riding longer and longer distances but sporadically and with no real plan.

I'm more accustomed to running training where you build up by doing long weekend runs with small midweek fillers.

I've been off the bike for ages now with an injury but I'm looking to get back into it after March with a view to doing a 200 by the end of the year. Right now all I do is commute 7 miles each way but in London traffic. I'm not sure where to start really, how often I should be training etc...

With long distance riding I prefer to concentrate on time rather than distance.

I do ride specific distances periodically as a benchmark, but usually I am more concerned with how long I can remain in the saddle, than how far I go.

If you're coming back from an injury, I think this approach would be sensible, at least initially, to avoid over-doing it.

Cheers. Do you have any ideas what kind of times, progressions and how often?

Sorry I'm asking for so much but googling basically says "you'll be fine". My fitness is good but my bike miles are bobbins. I know what doing 200k feels like but I'd like to do it...better.

You have to emphasised what you meant by better, as in more comfort? faster? perform a louder roar than you usually do?

Probably more comfort and faster, if they're not mutually exclusive. Less pain? I value comfort over speed.

I found this http://audaxriders.blogspot.co.uk/2010/01/audax-ride-training-schedule.html

Seems like a LONG AS FECK schedule. You can go from 0 to 20 miles running in 2 months.

More comfort = more speed in my opinion.

I would focus more on the former, the more comfortable you are, the easiest it is to concentrate on the ride and enjoy yourself.

Personally, I think training and audax do not mix, just ride hella more often.

Probably more comfort and faster, if they're not mutually exclusive. Less pain? I value comfort over speed.

I found this http://audaxriders.blogspot.co.uk/2010/01/audax-ride-training-schedule.html

Seems like a LONG AS FECK schedule. You can go from 0 to 20 miles running in 2 months.

Seems like a very, uh, serious training programme. Given the amount of time you spend in that with your legs going round (much of it in 'spinning classes') you could surely just as easily get the hours in commuting, with maybe some longer stuff, or uphill stuff, at weekends?

Right now but I ride 5 times a week (yeah, in London traffic) so...ride a longer ride (30+ miles) weekly and that'll see me right I reckon.

The Audax handbook suggests that 10-14 hours in the saddle weekly will get you through 'most events', which seems reasonable and proportionate.

I found this http://audaxriders.blogspot.co.uk/2010/01/audax-ride-training-schedule.html

If you told me that these were for someone who is doing a sportive, I would believe you.

Audax handbook is spot on, 10-14 hours a week, which is basically your usual commute.

Or as that presumes at least two hours of commuting a day, it isn't at all.

an hour each way surely?

Yes, as I just said, two hours a day.

Which is far longer than most people's commutes.

I would say (I am not a Dr) that the injury you're recovering from should be the determining factor: your body will tell you "how much" and "how often".

If you're regularly riding seven miles twice a day without noticeable discomfort from your injury, then an hour's training ride seems a reasonable starting point.

I'd get comfortable with a duration, then increase the frequency of rides at the same duration; then I would increase the duration *and *revert to a lower frequency.

Periodically (at the end of each cycle perhaps), ride for a specific distance that is *less *than what you estimate you ride in your timed runs.

Whatever else you do, don't over-do it: make a plan and stick to it, no matter how good you feel. Coming back from an injury, enthusiasm can easily get the better of good sense, which risks undoing all your hard work and sending you back to "square one".

Audax is an endurance sport, if sport is the right word for it. A few things have really helped me when working back up to distance after taking time off.

1) Get out in the saddle for the time. Somewhere between 10 and 11 hours is about normal on a flattish 200k for the bulk of riders. Get out and ride for the day, even if it's just for a slow run at short distances.
2) Sort out your eating and drinking. Make sure you're getting the right food and hydration that works for you. Everyone is different so tips are a good place to start but you'll find it infinitely easier if you can get the right fuel in you when you need it. Learning when a bonk is coming is handy to. Helps you avoid the downward spirals that can make the end of a ride a bit miserable.
3) Speed sessions. Doing short distances at speed, such as your commute, will help build your general speed making the distance more comfortable.
4) Economy of motion. Group riding, as well as distracting you from some of the task at hand, reduces the effort needed. Does help if you can remember not to decide you can ride a bit harder and disappear off the front only to be shelled by the peleton a short while later as you're fading. Learning to descend well and properly exploit descents will save some energy for later on in the ride.

That remind me of the most important lesson I've learnt in audax is pacing.

If you can't keep up with a group, don't.

If you're feeling tired, take a break, even a nap.

Don't push yourself, even if you're feeling at the top of your games (echoing Scilly).

Etc.

My only 400km was unplanned. Still have not ridden further then 250km planned.

LOTS of good info there. Thanks everyone.

I aspire to the 10 - 14 hours recommended in the audax handbook but realistically I manage more like 8 - 10 hours. My training, if you can call it that is to have one long ride, one hilly ride and one fast ride a week. The fast ride ride could be just a short series of sprints for half an hour even. Interval -ish. The hilly ride again not too structured but just going up and down nearby hills over and over again till I get fed up. The long ride outside of audax could be just a 30 mile loop so I get used to riding non-stop for a couple of hours. So not that long at all compared to audax distances. That kind of works for me in terms of training.

This year my plan was to ride two big ones each month but have been scuppered due to injury. But slowly regaining fitness. Good luck.

Anyone else thinking of riding Yr Elenydd? I'm umming and ahhing about it.

Anyone else thinking of riding the Dean and want to split costs on a Travelodge room the night before? Already booked, so under fifteen quid each

The Elenith (as it was until a few years ago) is a top top ride. Possibly my favourite 300 ever (with The Dean coming a close second). Have done each of them twice.

http://www.greenbank.org/audax/elenith_2009/

(The ones marked Elan Valley are actually the tin mines near Cwmystwyth I think.)