Getting cold feet about tomorrow's audax

[oreo_muncher]

How come you were so late ? Misjudged the pace ?

I'd set myself little goals - go visit a castle or something 40 miles away or something. Research a decent cycling cafe and ride there.

You do need to be able to fix punctures. Look it up on YouTube and practice on your front wheel first.

Get that sorted and then you can practice on the rear wheel.

Of your bike is looked after and cleaned I reckon 95% of incidents are punctures.

I woke up shattered at 6:05am, I thought I'll be leaving by 6:30am but didn't leave till 7:10am and then I was so tired that cycling got a bit hard...I didn't get lost on the route or anything- to the event, I planned my routes in advance on strava to follow.

I tried practising before with a video tutorial- but couldn't fit the tyre around the rim well so it kept rubbing..so had to get the bike shop to fix it..

 

[cyberknight]

Only skimmed through the replies I have 3 mins of lunch time left 😱
Well done!!
You could mount another cage so the bottle is under the down tube below the other bottle just make sure your bottle has a cap to keep the road grime off!

My last 113 miler I had a cake stop then a proper stop later where I had a sandwich.on top of that I had 3 energy bars.water wise I had 2 bottles and topped one up to give me 3x750 ml and 2 coffees for the ride.if you want to carry more food besides pocket s what about s top tube bag?

 

[ianrauk]

I did let them know.

Good stuff...

 

[PMarkey]

Try not to confuse thirst with hunger , this was a problem I had when I first started audax and I was constantly stopping to eat as I felt generally weak and thought it was lack of food but after awhile I came to realise that I was actually thirsty and that after a few mouthfuls of water my pace would pick up again .

 

[cougie uk]

Oh and you should be able to fit a second bottle cage on the seat tube.

https://www.wiggle.co.uk/zefal-wiiz...6aROvMGtXJnGbtQ2jcdXSQhcDmbykOgBoCk34QAvD_BwE

You just pull the bottle out mostly sideways.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

Thanks for explaining, made lots of sense since I'm a science student So is the only thing I can do for now is just to spend more time in the saddle and wait for my body to adapt? I just can't help but snack quite frequently because I get tired.. I should eat more low glycemic index foods, think I ate majority high glycemic foods on that ride😅

Now you see one thing that can make you tired is having high blood sugar. You know diabetics can feel tired a lot? High blood sugar as they are not producing the insulin to clear it. So your constant snacking on the sweet stuff may be the cause of your tiredness.

You don’t have to wait for adaptions but you will need to ride slower initially on audaxes if you don’t want to have to eat a lot. If you’d arrive on time you’d find these old timers who aren’t that fast on the road, and you’ll likely pass them and think that’s the last you’ll see them. But after the next control or stop you’ll suddenly find them somehow ahead of you. This will happen several times and they may even beat you back to the finish. Your overall time is the sum of your moving time and stopped time. By riding slower you can significantly reduce the amount you need to eat, and can minimise stops. So overall your elapsed time is not longer.

As you adapt you’ll be able to ride faster and still not need to eat that much. You’ll only stop for water top ups or a social.

 

[oreo_muncher]

Now you see one thing that can make you tired is having high blood sugar. You know diabetics can feel tired a lot? High blood sugar as they are not producing the insulin to clear it. So your constant snacking on the sweet stuff may be the cause of your tiredness.

You don’t have to wait for adaptions but you will need to ride slower initially on audaxes if you don’t want to have to eat a lot. If you’d arrive on time you’d find these old timers who aren’t that fast on the road, and you’ll likely pass them and think that’s the last you’ll see them. But after the next control or stop you’ll suddenly find them somehow ahead of you. This will happen several times and they may even beat you back to the finish. Your overall time is the sum of your moving time and stopped time. By riding slower you can significantly reduce the amount you need to eat, and can minimise stops. So overall your elapsed time is not longer.

As you adapt you’ll be able to ride faster and still not need to eat that much. You’ll only stop for water top ups or a social.

Thank you. I'll try that, my sugar levels must have been sky high at one point! It's so hard to resist the urge though to just eat.

 

[ColinJ]

Which GPS devices would you recommend?

I still use a very simple old device which I bought in 2006 - a Garmin Etrex. It has been very reliable and I will probably continue to use it until it finally dies. You would probably want a much more modern device...

I like the Wahoo Elemnt Bolt. My cousin has one and I was impressed with it. It only has a monochrome screen, but it is very good in bright sunlight unlike some colour screens. A Garmin Edge 520 Plus appeals to me too. There are lots of videos on YouTube reviewing those and similar devices. They are currently available for about £185 if you shop around.

There are cheaper, older, less sophisticated devices. I suppose it depends on what features you want, and what your budget is. If you are only interested in basic data such as speed and distance, and reliable navigation, you ought to be able to pick up an older device on ebay for under £50.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

Well done! That's absolutely crazy you managed to go so far!

@PMarkey hasn’t told you quite how far the Wild Atlantic Way audax is 😀

 

[cyberknight]

I like me

I still use a very simple old device which I bought in 2006 - a Garmin Etrex. It has been very reliable and I will probably continue to use it until it finally dies. You would probably want a much more modern device...

I like the Wahoo Elemnt Bolt. My cousin has one and I was impressed with it. It only has a monochrome screen, but it is very good in bright sunlight unlike some colour screens. A Garmin Edge 520 Plus appeals to me too. There are lots of videos on YouTube reviewing those and similar devices. They are currently available for about £185 if you shop around.

There are cheaper, older, less sophisticated devices. I suppose it depends on what features you want, and what your budget is. If you are only interested in basic data such as speed and distance, and reliable navigation, you ought to be able to pick up an older device on ebay for under £50.
[/QUOTE
I like my edge 800 ,you can get a new battery and the tools to fit it for under £20 in fact just sold my 520 plus as it was to much tech forme

 

[ColinJ]

I like me

I like you too!

 

[Ming the Merciless]

I like you too!

I like them

 

[cyberknight]

I like you too!

haha i was trying do quote using my smartphone , although i like you too

 

[uphillstruggler]

Any tips for improving?I've only been cycling for 2 months,started on 24th of July, I'm a bit of a newbie

I don’t think that distance after a few months is a bad effort

the only advice I would give you is keep riding and don’t pressurise yourself too much, after all, Audax is a social event unlike sportives which tend to be a little competitive ime

I’m sure there’ll be better advice than mine by far more experienced riders.
Keep asking questions on here, people are friendly and usually happy to share their tips and experiences

as for additional bottle storage, you can get the ones that strap to your handle bar stem from Planet X for a tenner, multi use too. See the picture attached

 

[Soltydog]

Haha How are you training for the 200 miles? I have no idea how to train other than just riding my bike, but I probably need some other strategy! That is absolutely crazy, I don't know how your parents did not make you stay overnight! Haha I bet you raided your Mum' fridge the minute you got there! I don't what goals to set myself next,any idea-except for 200 miles. 11.5 hours is quite quick, considering you had to maintain a pace.
How is your average speed so high?

No real training plan for the 200 miles, I've just increased my distance cycling over the years & reckon 200 is certainly doable now, maybe 250. I do the odd training workout on zwift which does seeem to help out on the road. It appears the more I suffer on the turbo, the less i suffer on the road
I just ride at whatever pace feels comfortable, especially on long rides, I used to push hard & chase Strava segments, but it was spoiling my cycling & my enjoyment of rides. I ride just about every day, so don't push too hard as the legs really suffer. My wife has got the cycling bug this year so It's been great getting out with her at a slower pace than usual, keeps my pace down & enables more miles