Audax rides

Doing the same loops round the Chilterns is soul-destroying.

If you want to do a 1,000 how about this?
Pack your bivvy and a couple of layers.
Leave London one evening and ride down to Newhaven
Take overnight ferry to Dieppe
Get off at silly o'clock and ride south. It will be dark for the first four or five hours
Keep going until you get to Montpellier.
Fly home

London to Montpellier is more or less 1,000km of riding, plus 130km of ferry. Weather likely to be warmer than here and drivers and food much better (when open). I can give you my old route if you like!

This one has always stuck me a mad ride but I guess that would fairly hard to get to Ardnamurchan in first place.

Can I have a copy of this route?

That sounds fun. Problem is, it's a specific 1000k route I was going to do. Also the ferry and flying home thing is $$ and a hassle (though so are trains and hotels in England).

I probably should do a 1000k Perm/Cal so I can get that done for Brevet 25000 thing.
I wonder what the easiest 1000k is?

https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Ardnamurchan+Lighthouse,+Acharacle/Ness+Point,+Lowestoft+NR32+1UZ/@54.5605038,-4.4736123,7z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m14!4m13!1m5!1m1!1s0x488b8ad4bd56f4cb:0x55e7e0b76131fd85!2m2!1d-6.2259761!2d56.7271!1m5!1m1!1s0x47da1a8935b93541:0x5cb5fc0e69a4cc50!2m2!1d1.7627551!2d52.4811886!3e1

I guess most people would go from east to west and then ride back out to somewhere with a train station?

Hey @J_a_m_es how is the Brimstone 600? If I ditch the 1000k I could do Shaun's Perm 600 for some LOLs. How does it compare to the 400k? More of the same but longer I guess?

Can I have a copy of this route?

Yes, will need to find it and clean it up as I did it using paper maps, back in 2010. I did a GPS version afterwards so I have it somewhere

I really struggled for a number of reasons, but mostly because I was weak. I only finished with 30 mins to spare, and only had 30mins sleep at Membury services. I controlled at about 400km with 1min to spare!
Its more of the same, sharp hills all over. The approach to Exmouth, then all the way to the next control is a delight 😜, quiet quiet quiet roads though. There's a section over the somerset levels that is flat - I suspect you'll hit that sometime over night.

You'll breeze it I'm sure. Don't forget, I rode it on fixed, so gears will make it easy!

Top route though - I've got a perm card and I've entered next year's calendar edition too. My name is in bright green now. Despite being completely broken, walking into the pub after with a lot of people still there is my favourite Audax moment. You earn them 6pts that weekend.

Found it: on Map My Ride
https://www.mapmyride.com/fr/dieppe-haute-normandie/manche-to-med-dieppe-to-montpellier-route-17808936

Managed to extract and load to RWGPS
https://ridewithgps.com/routes/28801775

Thanks! Sounds perfect for next time the family goes away without me.

Sleep = head on table? Or you actually carried a bivvy or something and laid down there?

I was weak.
I rode it on fixed

You seem confused :)

I've already entered a new Ben Allen 600k in Wales that weekend but perhaps I should pull my entry and enter the Brimstone 600k instead, then I'll have done the 3-4-6ook. Or I just do it now and get it over and done with :)

Please don't confuse me with some peasant. Head on the table indeed. I 5*d it on a reclining massage chair in the entrance, just by the temporary portacabin toilets facility!

I suppose it is a slight contradiction of terms. I wonder how many of the 146 Wessex SRs rode it fixed? Can't be more than a dozen or so over the years.

You posh git! Did you have the massage function running? We need to know. :)
I'm not going to be riding anything fixed for quite some time, although I've literally just had a brain flash and now I want a fixed gear fatbike.

No, I'd spent all my spare change on service station coffee.
People moan about the price of petrol......

I've put my cog away in the drawer for now. Its all about coasting this season.

I heart cassettes

http://www.aukweb.net/events/detail/18-507/

Tempted by this, but struggle to do 500km in a week

I have entered my first audax. Nothing but 100km oned though locally. I must be growing up finally.

You've already done an audax! The 24 was the original UK audax

Yep, the points are automatically transferred from the 24hr and you can win a nice trophy if you do the furthest distance in it as an AUK member.

Finished my first RRtY yesterday. Pretty pleased.

What normally wins it?

No idea. I didn't even know the award existed until someone in the club offered to pick up my trophy for me. Do you fancy some new jewelry?

Well done. Scheduling nightmare doing RRtY!

Well done on RRTY, the one I found the hardest!

Funky map of Perms
https://maps.long-distance.rocks/audax-uk-permanents/