Audax rides

I finished in the pub in Melton, my first audax was a complete failure.

Doesn't sound like a complete failure if you ended up in a pub.

Hey, glad you guys enjoyed it and great to meet you too.

Such hard work in the wind, luckily the rain held off until the last couple of hours. Was definitely in thousand yard stare territory when I finished.

When you'd got to Chepstow you'd definitely done the harder part! When I rode back to Oxford I spun out on a few long downhills and was zipping along with the wind on the flat sections.
I had been looking forward to that flat section to Newent to practice riding into the wind on aerobars, then it would have been fun sailing back downwind. But when I realised that it was too gusty to use aerobars it lost its appeal very quickly! I saw enough of that section to appreciate how horrible it would be.
I expect much of the second half of the ride would have been quick. In 2015 when it was windy, people got to Chepstow about an hour later than normal but made up the time on the way back.

Will done on getting round, as well as sore limbs you'll have the warm glow of success to bask in today!
the bit I really didn't fancy was coming down off Lambourne Downs with gusty gales and rain in the dark; hope that bit was OK.

Rough Diamond was fun too. First 30km done in am hour, then 7 hours for the next 130. 7 hours of rain and borderline hypothermia at the final control. Took me an hour and a half to warm up before before the last stretch.

Well @Cycliste and I enjoyed our first Audax enough that we've already entered our second, 300km next time for the Capitals of East Anglia ride. I suspect @Cycliste will find the next one rather easier despite the extra distance - she did run her first ever marathon last weekend after all...

Moved to 1-1 in terms of completed/ entered. Gently Bentley was windy we also had some shit hail!!
All in all a good day. Didn’t hang around and kept faffing to a minimum and made bath time which helped on the domestic front.
Guessing the stealth Isen is on here but didn’t ask your name sorry!

Bed then holiday tomorrow. Phase one of training complete :-)

First audax today with Gently Bentley, felt quite tough with the wind and changing weather! Enjoyed the experience though and will definitely do more.

It was tough. My slowest ever 200 for some bizarre reason, possibly because I'd not worn the right clothes for cold wind? I felt so achey any time I stopped.

Thanks! All in all a good experience - still achy though...
Yeah, Lambourne Downs in the dark was tense. (Must remember to get better lights.)

Some of the descending was quite hairy, even with both dynamo and battery lights!

Up here in Scotland we had the choice of two BRM 200s on Saturday to kick off the Scotish PBP qualifiers. There will be two SR series run, one in the Highlands and one in the Borders. There will also be a couple one off events too such as the Auld Alliance.

Late last week the Borders 200 from Selkirk was cancelled due to the heavy snow forecast, leaving only the Monster Munch 200 from Duffus near Elgin. For this area no two forecasts were in agreement, but all were forecasting precipitation in one form or another. Friday afternoon Mark, the organiser, sent a final update confirming the ride would go ahead.

I dressed expecting snowfall, and hoped that we'd not encounter too much settling, i.e. not putting on the studded tyres that made a 200km perm in February take 13.5 hours.

At the Village Hall 50 or so cards were laid out, but come 8.00 there were only 16 or so starters. As soon as we left Duffus heading SW a light rain started and the temperature hovered around zero. Throughout the ride the intensity of the precipitation continued to increase.

6km was our first info control as a group of 6 of us worked our way at a good pace towards Dava Moor. As we climed over the Moor the rain turned to snow and it was starting to accumulate on the road. Thankfully there was still some black tar showing through and we kept in these tracks for some semblance of safety. Switching tracks to avoid oncoming cars on the decent into Carrbridge was interesting.

The first cafe control in Carrbridge was lovely and a log burner was utilised for trying to dry out as much kit as possible as by this point 66km in every later was saturated. At this point one rider (whose first audax this was) dropped out fedup of numb feet and won over by the fire.

As we cracked on along the old A9 road to the summit of Slochd at 400m the snow was a few inches deep over the road. After 5km of this the road merged with the new A9 near the summit. The bike path continued down the old road bed but was deep in snow and I didn't fancy a quick decent without seeing the surface underneath. As we were in a group we decided to take the dual carriageway down to Tomatin where at the lower elevation the snow wasn't settling.

An info control just past Farr and I fell off the back of the group. At The Dores Inn pub control at on Loch Ness I met the others, now 125km in Sadly no roaring fire, just a poxy space heater and cold drafty bar. Attempts to dry kit were futile while we tried to warm up with the spicy tomato soup.
The others set off while I was changing gloves. I thought myself lucky to have a pair of dry merino liners and Rapha taped Lobster-style overmits. Either I didn't wear them right with my other layers or waterproof claims were unfounded as slowly moisture and cold settled in. The rigid lobster style glove made di2 shifting a bit of a craps shoot on which way the mechs would move.

30km later instead of going to the Culloden Moor visitor center for the free control I went to the Culloden Moor Inn public bar. This place had a lot of character. Walking in like a drowned rat I was asked if I was there for the Darts Tournament. 8 dart boards lined the walls of the bar and purple Strongbow swilling crowd looked on in bemusement. Thankfully a quick pint of coke and bag of Golden Wonders helped my energy and I looked forward to the remaining 56km of downhill and then flat riding to the Arrivee. I could see the lead group a kilometer or so ahead on the straight sections but never managed to reel them in.

At the finish I realised my hands were in a really bad way. I couldn't take off my gloves with my hands and resorted to my teeth for the liners. Accidentally biting into my pinky finger and feeling nothing was disturbing, yet thankfully didn't break the skin. After handing in my card the idea of kitting up again and cycling 12km in the 45 mins I had until my train wasn't appealing and instead waited for a friend who was behind in the ride to finish who'd offered a lift back to Aberdeen as an insurance option for the train if things had taken longer than usual.
Lovely potato soup and sandwiches were on offer, but sadly a missed opportunity to provide finishers with a bag of the ride's titular Monster Munch themselves. I happily decompressed reflecting on the ride before daring to take a warm shower. Was this my hardest 200, probably not, but definitely the one in which I suffered the most.

For another perspective on the ride and photos , you can read my friend's report here he rode pretty much solo.

Ps first ride report I’ve written so sorry if it is a bit rubbish

5 Attachments

Well done, looks and sounds like a tough day of bike

Okay, great to hear it wasn't the easiest ... The way back into London from around Guildford felt like it took forever and we got caught in that rain in the dark, was glad to get home when I did last night. Can't start thinking about how hard my 400km will be based on yesterday ...

Great write up, makes the Pork Pie struggle sound like a walk in the park.

Many heading to Bristol in a fortnight for Bill's Easton connection? Looks nice and lumpy.
https://audax.uk/event-details?eventId=6700

Would be nice in the summer, think a few on here did a similar ride last November Moonrakers & Sunseekers

Reading these tales makes me realise what an easy time we had on the Carmarthenshire Stopper Audax yesterday! 100km with 5300ft of climbing, so a tough route, but great fun and a smashing old community pub for lunch, prepared by the local ladies.

1 Attachment

I'm doing it

Yeah that and currently the 160k one on Sunday.

Anyone Man of Kenting on Sunday?

I might, I don't care about points (I am out of the game this year) and the event is full so might just rebel ride it, I love the route

outrageous!

yeah it's such a good route

I didn't get my entry in for the Ball buster on time. I'm on the back up list so fingers crossed.

So am I but there was a list of like 25 people in front of me so I'm not expecting to ride the 200.
The missus and I entered the 160 as a backup. I've done feck all this year so riding a 300 and 160 is still hefty mileage for poor little old me.