Audax: Free controls

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smutchin

Cat 6 Racer
Location
The Red Enclave
Wouldn't any such info control be worthless now Street View and Streetside exists?

You've got to be pragmatic. It's really not worth making all the riders jump through hoops for the sake of preventing the one or two who might be inclined to take short cuts. The likely effect would be to put people off entering your rides in future (people such as @Dogtrousers, for example).
 
Wouldn't any such info control be worthless now Street View and Streetside exists?

All of the various proofs of passage, other than a manned control with a rubber stamp applied to your brevet card, are not exactly difficult to cheat on (including gpx tracks), but what's the point? The old axiom of 'you are only cheating yourself' is pretty applicable here.
 

iandg

Legendary Member
Make sure the receipt has the date, time and location on it. In the Gollden Road Standing Stones I have a control at Tarbert after 37miles. There's only 2 shops open at 8am, I visit them before hand and tell them cyclists will be asking for receipts,I also accept selfies next to the ferry terminal or the hardware store. At my last event someone handed me a receipt from the hotel hebrides and wrote on it 'full Scottish Breakfast' - I didn't think it was open to non residents that early and wasn't expecting that one - a demonstration of what's great about audax.
 
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mjr

Comfy armchair to one person & a plank to the next
You've got to be pragmatic. It's really not worth making all the riders jump through hoops for the sake of preventing the one or two who might be inclined to take short cuts. The likely effect would be to put people off entering your rides in future (people such as @Dogtrousers, for example).
But if you're going to be pragmatic, you'd just rely on the manned and free controls. Either it's worth putting a proper control there or it's not. Maybe Audax should have controls where a stamp is left on a monument like Norwich Alleycat IIRC.
 

mjr

Comfy armchair to one person & a plank to the next
All of the various proofs of passage, other than a manned control with a rubber stamp applied to your brevet card, are not exactly difficult to cheat on (including gpx tracks), but what's the point? The old axiom of 'you are only cheating yourself' is pretty applicable here.
I thought some audaxes qualified you to ride others, but I've not done many and don't really understand the point of it, so I could be wrong.
 

iandg

Legendary Member
Well, you don't know the questions until the start. So theoretically I suppose you could pick up your brevet card, ride off to a quiet place with your tablet, find the answers, and then get a lift to the first manned control to get your card stamped. Yes, you could do that. But if you're driving to the manned controls, then driving to the info controls (invisible on streetview and annoyingly invisible to riders too) wouldn't be much of a stretch.

So I wouldn't go as far as to say worthless.

Another thing I did in the GRSS is go to a village sign and wrap 2 bands of coloured insulation tape around a village sign post - the question 'what colour tape is wrapped around the Scadabay village sign' - not going to get that from Google Street View and I can put a different colour tape on each year.
 

mjr

Comfy armchair to one person & a plank to the next
What's not "proper" about a control that's clearly visible from the road?
Nothing is verified by it if you can fill out the box by looking it up on your phone.

Although the I've seen something like the idea you suggest used. The Ditchling Devil last year had banners at the tops of the Beacon and Devil's Dyke with codes written on them ("OYTT" and "GOTG" IIRC!)
Good to know. I'd not read of that before.
 

Vegan1

Guest
I thought some audaxes qualified you to ride others, but I've not done many and don't really understand the point of it, so I could be wrong.

The only objective for an someone doing an audax is to get round. You get no prize, monetary or otherwise so the whole argument regarding info controls, streetview and the like is pointless.
 

iandg

Legendary Member
...another benefit of open controls is that if a rider buys something from a local shop to get a receipt they are giving something to the businesses who are supporting your event. I've left stamps at shops and had riders just get a stamp and leave - make them get a receipt and the shop benefits from your event and is more willing to say 'yes' the following year.
 
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TheDoctor

Europe Endless
Moderator
Location
The TerrorVortex
The only objective for an someone doing an audax is to get round. You get no prize, monetary or otherwise so the whole argument regarding info controls, streetview and the like is pointless.
Erm...no. I'm not an audaxer, and even I know that's wrong.
PBP, frinstance, you need to have ridden qualifying Audaxes.
 
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