Audax rides

Posted my entry for the Cheese Toastie 100 this morning. Might be a little late but hoping I snuck in under the radar. Worried I might not have enough time to grow a beard. Does anyone have a false one I can borrow?

Race-ist^

I might be in skulls

Skully/smiff, I've already lined up the Winter Warmer as my first Audax of the year. Woo!

Spybot is up for it too. 6.32 train from Victoria to Billingshurst will do the business.

If you're in smiff we can groupsave and go for £10.50 each return instead of £21.

OK I'm in, got to get a cheque(!) sorted by a week today. Joe get it sorted!!

Fuckity fuck why do all these old farts insist on you having a printer?? I don't mess with paper! I'm well 21st century.

On Feb 18th I'm doing a 200k out of Rochdale - The Northwest Passage. It's a bit main roadish but should make for a reliable pass for my my RRtY attempt. In theory it's doable on fixed but I haven't decided if I'll do that as I'd probably need to drop my gear for it.

...RRtY...

I just looked that up. Nice thing to aim for.

I just looked that up. Nice thing to aim for.

I've got one previously but missed out for a couple of years owing to other commitments and some genuinely unrideable (for audax needs) weather. Got off to a good start with a tough December ride and an easyish run at January. Looks pretty likely that I'll manage the Feb ride and then it should be plain sailing until November to finish/start the next one. I'm tempted to go for the elusive 5x. Might also be ambitious and go for a double SR but I am getting married this year so that may not be a feasiblility.

I did the Windrush Winter Warm-up organised by Corinium CC in Wilts today. It was my first Audax and I loved it!

Sod Sportives!

Fuckity fuck why do all these old farts insist on you having a printer?? I don't mess with paper! I'm well 21st century.

They all insist on you having a chequebook as well. Wtf? I had to go to the bank and ask them to send me one and they were like "a what?" all baffled-like. Then they sent me two paying-in books instead.

Will not be entering anything until the bank remember what a chequebook is and send me one :/

question: what's the minimum distance an event must cover to declare itself an audax? I can't help but think a 100km ride isn't particularly 'daring' as the (wiki based) translation proclaims.

@bothwell, there are quite a few rides, mine included, that now accept paypal entry. The alternative, and I've never know any organiser to turn down, is cold, hard cash. All of the listed events should have a telephone number or an email address for the organiser, contact them and ask them what they prefer. However, the common way forward is to stick coins between two pieces of card and tape it up (this can mean slightly extra postage). I do know that some organisers will accept an entry on the line or simply the promise of cash on the day. I certainly would and just not mark up the brevet card until you handed over the moolah.

@benjam I'm not sure if there's any official regulation, but the shortest distance that is currently organised as an audax ride is 50k and at this time of year there are quite a few at either 50, 100, 150 and 165 (an imperial century). After April the balance of rides tends to get longer until August when they slip quickly back to 200k and below. 100k isn't particularly daring for some, but for others it does represent a decent callange, particularly if it also includes 1500m+ of climbing and happens in the dead of winter. The most common distance is 200k and that, I think, represents a decent day out. Although Audax does take it's name from being audacious, it's now much more about offering people the opportunity to go out and ride a significant distance, unsupported, at their own pace.

I tend to limit myself to 200k these days. For me it is a decent day out, especially when you factor in bean stops after 50k, 100k and a pub stop at 150k followed by a good feed at the finish (or nearby pub).

This is on the cards for March, doable fixed, very pleasant geared, no rush, regular train service or a good pub crawl back to London. http://aukweb.net/events/detail/12-113/

^really like the look of that, have pencilled it in

I feel the need now Ramaye, to tell you about my 'bean stop' after 50K..

I rode from Crystal Palace to Shere for the Audax 50K Tour of the Hills (Box Hill, Leith Hill etc), cycled back, stopping at a corner shop in Sutton for a tin of beans, got home and found there was only one bean in the tin! Could there have been anyone less deserving of that tin of bean than me on that day? Did my knee in as well. I had to just have toast..

The Old Squit looks like a good day out; 200km around Norfolks famous Norfolk http://aukweb.net/events/detail/12-42/#more

Tempted to give it a go myself about 6 weeks away, wonder if I can get fit enough for that again in that short time?

@bothwell, there are quite a few rides, mine included, that now accept paypal entry. The alternative, and I've never know any organiser to turn down, is cold, hard cash. All of the listed events should have a telephone number or an email address for the organiser, contact them and ask them what they prefer. However, the common way forward is to stick coins between two pieces of card and tape it up (this can mean slightly extra postage). I do know that some organisers will accept an entry on the line or simply the promise of cash on the day. I certainly would and just not mark up the brevet card until you handed over the moolah.

Ooh. This is good to know. I will send some emails, thank you!

question: what's the minimum distance an event must cover to declare itself an audax? I can't help but think a 100km ride isn't particularly 'daring' as the (wiki based) translation proclaims.

From what little I know of audax, 100k are not really an audax 'discipline', but more like a practice, qualification sort of thing for bigger rides. They're called Brevets Populaires.

I'd suggest you're being a bit snobby about distance. I'm feeling old, seem to be suffering in my joints, love beer and dumplings too much and really like riding what feels comfortable. 100k may seem like a piece of piss to you, but it aint for me. I'm pretty certain I can ride 200 again sometime, but more doesn't beckon just yet. For many, riding a bicycle just half an hour to work, cinema or shopping is 'daring'. It's a matter of perception.

Oh yeah, and bump for anyone wanting to come on Worthing Winter Warmer: deadline looms.

2012 Handbook is out: I am a Randonneur 500, a Brevet 1000 and last in the Fixed Wheel Challenge :)

It's like another language! Please explain, NorthernGraeme, for the uninitiated... what is a brevet 1000 and a randonneur 500, please?

A Brevet 500 has ridden 5x 100 and/or 150km events in one season. (Note, you cannot substitute rides for longer events). Despite doing a lot of audaxing over the past few years, I still haven't managed this as I have only done one ride under 200km.

A Brevet 1,000 has ridden 5x 200km events in one season or, 10x 100km events.
NB it is also possible to gain Brevet 1,000 by riding 10x 100km over a longer period. Had this a couple of times but not in recent years due to chasing longer distances.

Ta!

2012 Handbook is out: I am a Randonneur 500, a Brevet 1000 and last in the Fixed Wheel Challenge :)

Good work! I got a few mentions: FWC, Super Fixed Wheel (it helps that I did Paris-Brest-Paris on fixed). Speaking of which, spot the LFGSS cap on page 39 of Arrivée.

spot the LFGSS cap on page 39 of Arrivée.

Legendary! Got my new copy of Arivée last night.

PBP fixed sounds like hard work

^ I'll say! Chapeau for the Super Fixed Wheel Greenbank, that's bloody impressive.

I'm half tempted to do one of these rides to see what I'm made of.

I've just signed up for a year's membership. I may regret this later.............