Audax RRTY anyone else doing it ?

[Banjo]

RRTY for the benefit of non audaxers is "Randoneur round the year" which involves doing 200 km or longer Audax rides one per month for 12 consecutive months.

I did the Transporter 200 in November, not sure if I can fit in a calendar event or will do a DIY in december.

Are DIYs allowed for RRTY? if not I wont be able to do it as I work lots of weekends.

 

[ColinJ]

Are DIYs allowed for RRTY? if not I wont be able to do it as I work lots of weekends.

The answer is ... possibly!

When I was fitter and riding significant numbers of 200s, I thought about having a go. In winter 2006/2007, I rode 200s in November, January and February but didn't manage to do one in the December. I'd want to be a lot faster than I am now to minimise the time spent riding in the dark.

 

[Philip Whiteman]

Hi Banjo,

I am attempting RRTY yet again. Hopefully I won't be thwarted by the weather as in 2010 or 2011.

You mention December. There is always the Monmouthshire Meander which takes place down your way. It also happens to be my scheduled December RRTY attempt.

As for DIYs, the organiser of RRTY notes on the Peak Audax website: "What events can be counted for an RRTY? Well, any Calendar or Perm marked as 'BR' will count, and that includes DIY Perms of at least 200km completed at Randonneur pace. BRM events also count, and in fact I'll probably consider any validated ride of over 200km, but you will need to convince me that it was ridden at Randonneur pace".

DIYs or Perms are quite good, in that you can pick your preferred date based upon weather conditions or council gritted roads. I have a small stock just in case. A worthwhile perm in your direction includes the Cambrian Series 2b. It is lumpy but you can probably use gritted routes for the majority of the route aside from the part between Builth and Hay unless you are happy with the A470.

 

[PpPete]

I'm starting mine this month !
That way if the winter rides go pear-shaped due to "inclement" conditions I shan't have lost much.

TBH my first SR is more important to me for this coming year.

 

[Banjo]

Thanks for the replies . I hope to do the Mon Meander on Dec 3d but its not defo I can do it yet. Will enter soon anyway .

I have created a DIY route that stays close to the coast and I could divert onto major roads if lanes were icy without adding too many extra kms.

My plan is to use calendar events if possible as part of the fun of Audax to my mind is the banter in the cafes etc and a bit of company out on the road if you want it.

Will have a look at the Cambrian 2b as well. I only started audax this year,

Thanks for the link Colin. Lots to think about there.

 

[LouiseL]

Hi,

I've done 10 consecutive months to date but the worst is yet to come! I didn't start out aiming for RRTY it just happened naturally. Now I've realised there are 10 months in the bag it would be a shame not to carry on. Here's hoping the weather is good for 11 Dec (Mince pie & Stollen 100 ECE'd to 200) and the Poor Student in January. I need to order some more perm cards just in case.

Beware Banjo- there are some over in "the other place" who have been doing this silliness for years and years! It may become addictive

 

[Ian H]

I managed a couple of years - Not sure whether they were consecutive - but stuff got in the way. Anyway, there are only so many 200s youcan do before the urrge comes to go a bit further.

 

[martint235]

I didn't know about in time. I have done the required distances though but without them being formal audax though. Shame

 

[ColinJ]

I managed a couple of years - Not sure whether they were consecutive - but stuff got in the way. Anyway, there are only so many 200s youcan do before the urrge comes to go a bit further.

I found that I became more interested in riding faster. Mind you, if I got fast enough to ride a 300 in about 12 hours, I'd certainly have a go at one, and having achieved that, a double imperial century would beckon ...

 

[frank9755]

It's a decent challenge to aim at but I've not (yet) seen the attraction of it. I like doing some different things, tours, time trials, and even not cycling for a while if it is cold and icy. Doing one ride in each calendar month seems just a bit arbitrary to me.

But, if it gives others motivation and satisfaction, then great! Maybe I'll turn to it at some point in the future.

 

[ColinJ]

It's a decent challenge to aim at but I've not (yet) seen the attraction of it.

I don't really enjoy doing long rides in the winter. Riding on sunny winter days is lovely provided there isn't any ice around, but suffering freezing conditions and riding in poor light or even darkness - no thanks!

The thing is - I often lose a lot of fitness over the winter and gain weight, so forcing myself to do 200s in the winter months would probably do me a lot of good.

I think a good compromise would be to do an imperial century a month. The shortest day of the year is 7 hours 26 minutes from sunrise to sunset which is enough time to get 100 miles in.

 

[Nuncio]

Banjo, I'm not sure if you've noticed on the calendar, but some of Dai Harris' rides from Bynea have been 'saved' by Ian Sharpe. So far it's the Stopper 100 on March 4th and the Snapper 200 on April 1st. I hope you'll be able to continue with your RRTY with the Snapper - I seem to remember you did last year's event The website still shows just 800m of climbing but I think is likely to be changed to something more realistic, so at least people coming down from Cumbria to Carmarthenshire in the expectation of a flattish Welsh 200 will not be disappointed/dismayed.

In the meantime, happy RRTY'ing. I managed it once but some of those Winter ones were a bit touch-and-go. So no more Audaxes for me till the Stopper.

 

[Banjo]

Banjo, I'm not sure if you've noticed on the calendar, but some of Dai Harris' rides from Bynea have been 'saved' by Ian Sharpe. So far it's the Stopper 100 on March 4th and the Snapper 200 on April 1st. I hope you'll be able to continue with your RRTY with the Snapper - I seem to remember you did last year's event The website still shows just 800m of climbing but I think is likely to be changed to something more realistic, so at least people coming down from Cumbria to Carmarthenshire in the expectation of a flattish Welsh 200 will not be disappointed/dismayed.

In the meantime, happy RRTY'ing. I managed it once but some of those Winter ones were a bit touch-and-go. So no more Audaxes for me till the Stopper.

Thanks for that. Will defo try to do the Snapper again,great ride despite the dodgy climbing figures

If I can keep the chain of rides unbroken till then I will be well pleased,not risking any ice disasters though.Had my wake up call on ice last winter, very lucky ,needed clean pants.

 

[Philip Whiteman]

I done my November RRTY ride yesterday. Instead of choosing a nice easy route, I opted for the Montgomery Madness Perm with 3.5AAA included. Whilst winter riding can be hell, yesterday was sublime. Climbing the Long Mynd at dusk was peaceful and the scenary was outstanding. The next 2.5 hours was back to Bewdley in the pitch black with only the odd owl to keep me company. Totally sublime!

There again I have tried winter randonees in howling winds and pouring rain, where my attitude was less positive towards the experience.

 

[Philip Whiteman]

I done my November RRTY ride yesterday. Instead of choosing a nice easy route, I opted for the Montgomery Madness Perm with 3.5AAA included. Whilst winter riding can be hell, yesterday was sublime. Climbing the Long Mynd at dusk was peaceful and the scenary was outstanding. The next 2.5 hours was back to Bewdley in the pitch black with only the odd owl to keep me company. Totally sublime, although my legs are like lead this morning.

There again I have tried winter randonees in howling winds and pouring rain, where my attitude was less positive towards the experience.