Audax Questions :))

[Heather]

Hello

I have done quite a few sportives now, but am looking at doing my 1st audax at the weekend.

I am not brilliant with maps/directions so a little bit worried. You get a route sheet yes? Are they easy to follow? And a very stupid question, but how do u read the route sheet and ride at the same time?! Where do you put it...........

Any advice welcome

 

[Dave Davenport]

Route sheets are pretty easy to follow, just keep an eye on your milage and follow the instructions i.e @ 46.5k: turn right at T. If the sheets marked in km it's worth setting your computor to km's too.

As for where to put it; either bodge up a small holder on your bars or put it on the inside of your forearm with a couple of elastic bands.

 

[arallsopp]

Make sure your cycle computer is accurate (do a roll out test, if need be) and get used to resetting the trip computer function if it gets wayward. You often have instructions given with cumulative and interval distances, and once the cumulative begins to drift the mental arithmetic gets onerous.

The ideal routesheet holder will be waterproof, accessible, familiar and tested. Up an arm works. In (or on top of) a bar bag is good too.

 

[Glover Fan]

If you are a tight git like me, get a sealable plastic wallet about A5 size and cable tie it to your stem, worked a treat for me on Sunday.

 

[eck]

Heather - hopefully you should get the routesheet a few days before the start. or it may be online. If you can access it beforehand, have a look at it and get a feel for where it goes. Trying to follow each direction one-by-one can be quite stressful unless you know where you want to be heading. It will also help you to pace yourself if you have a clear idea how long each stage is and where the controls are.

Also, unless you are very familiar with the area the ride covers, take a map with you. The relevant page(s) torn from a cheapo petrol station road atlas is ideal. Why? Cos if you do accidentally go off route, it can be a nightmare trying to work out where you went wrong, and how to get back on course again. BTDTGTTS.

Finally, if you can, tag along with people who have done the route before: they (usually) don't get lost. Enjoy!

 

[Dave Davenport]

If you do end up riding with other people make sure you're still following the directions yourself in case you split up. Also, don't assume just 'cos you're in a group that it's going the right way!

 

[Greenbank]

Don't worry too much about this talk of cycle computers and distances on the routesheet.

I worried a little before my first Audax but it turned out to be fine. As others say, take a map (page ripped from road atlas) in case you do get lost.

Most routesheets don't require you to know how far you've cycled, and a good routesheet shouldn't need you to at all. Distances for each instruction can be a comfort but they can cause problems in themselves, especially if your cyclecomputer isn't calibrated the same as the organiser's (there's no guarantee theirs was exact!) or if you do some extra distance by missing a turn.

Routesheet instructions are of the form:-

1st L sp Wibbleton
Take the 1st left that is signposted Wibbleton.
If you come up to a possible left turn that isn't signposted "Wibbleton" then don't take it. Nor if there's a right turn signposted "Wibbleton".

L@T
This is pretty unambiguous. Turn left at the next T-Junction.
Remember that a T-junction is where you cede priority on the road (i.e. you have to cross dashed white lines).

SO @ Stgd X
Straight over at staggered crossroads. Usually means jinking left or right a bit on another road, but the other turn should be clearly in sight.
Sometimes appears as "R imm L" or "L imm R" on a routesheet.

"1st L"
If you are asked to turn left or right at a point where there are no signposts then the instruction should be unambiguous.
1st L would mean 1st left that isn't someone's driveway or a non-public road.

It's very rare that you get an instruction like:

"6th L no sp"
As that requires you to keep track of how many left turns you've passed.

More likely it'll be something like:-

"6th L no sp (just past Golden Lion pub)"

The routesheet should come with a key of what it all means. There are plenty of variations:-
$ instead of sp to mean signposted
exit 3 @ rab = exit 3 of roundabout
SO m-rab = Straight over mini-roundabout
L @ TL = left a traffic lights
R @ X = right at crossroads.
...etc...

Road names on instructions will usually only be given to help confirm you're on the correct road. They'll also only be given if the road name sign is visible (otherwise people spend ages trying to work out if they are on Wibble Lane or not).

Instructions are usually only given where you need to cede priority (i.e. cross a white line) or turn off the road you are going along.

Villages/Towns in CAPITALS mean you will also go into/through them (and sometimes it means you'll go through them next). So you could see:-
1st L Wibbleton
2nd R Somewhereton
L@T WIBBLETON
3rd R Elsewhereplace
..etc...

Enjoy.

 

[ColinJ]

Alternatively, spend £100 on a GPS unit (plus cables, rechargeable batteries and a bar mount) and use that to navigate with 100% accuracy!

 

[Scoosh]

As eck has said, you should get your routesheet a few days in advance.

Have a look at Googlemaps and I find it very useful to zoom right in to Street View to check what the junctions look like.

When you arrive at the start, tell the Organiser that you are an 'audax virgin'

and he/she'll very likely link you with someone who will make sure you get round OK.

Enjoy your ride and let us know how you get on !

 

[Scoosh]

Alternatively, spend £100 on a GPS unit (plus cables, rechargeable batteries and a bar mount) and use that to navigate with 100% accuracy!

... while using your routesheet to check that the gps is working ok

 

[yello]

Distances can be useful. The route sheet might say 1st left, or somesuch, but it's helpful knowing how far that 1st left might be. I'm sure most audaxers have drifted off at some point or other and are not entirely sure whether they've passed a turn during that 'time out'... or perhaps that's just me!

If you have an idea of the distance to the next turn then you can avoid having concerns about having missed it... but it doesn't need to be 1/10th of a mile/km accurate. There's very little chance that your mileage will agree exactly with the organisers anyway, and your computer could be 100% accurate.

 

[ColinJ]

... while using your routesheet to check that the gps is working ok

So far, it has been 100% reliable for 10,000+ km of audaxes and CycleChat forum rides!

Having said that, I used to carry paper maps and the route sheet for backup, just-in-case. I now use my digital camera to take snapshots of my PC screen displaying the route on my mapping software. If my GPS packed up, I could zoom in on the photo of the map and work out where I was.

 

[Fiona N]

Alternatively, spend £100 on a GPS unit (plus cables, rechargeable batteries and a bar mount) and use that to navigate with 100% accuracy!

And then be one of those who have to attach themselves leech-like to other riders when their GPS unit fails and they don't have the route sheet as backup

Twice now I've had to 'carry' a failed-GPS rider so I'm getting a bit fed-up with praise of these devices compared to getting a route sheet, running through it on Google maps (which also allows you to check any particularly tricky bits, like the back way in to motorway services - often not signposted) and calibrating your speedo.

 

[Fiona N]

Distances can be useful. The route sheet might say 1st left, or somesuch, but it's helpful knowing how far that 1st left might be. I'm sure most audaxers have drifted off at some point or other and are not entirely sure whether they've passed a turn during that 'time out'... or perhaps that's just me!

Totally agree - I'd hate to have to be counting for the 6th L turn with no idea how far away it was likely to be as you start to wonder what exactly constitutes a left turning. I find the route sheets which have both cumulative mileage and distance to the next instruction are the best.

 

[Banjo]

So far, it has been 100% reliable for 10,000+ km of audaxes and CycleChat forum rides!

Having said that, I used to carry paper maps and the route sheet for backup, just-in-case. I now use my digital camera to take snapshots of my PC screen displaying the route on my mapping software. If my GPS packed up, I could zoom in on the photo of the map and work out where I was.

Brilliant idea that Colin. Will give it a go.