England : Leicestershire Heart of the Shires Audax June 4th

[rugby bloke]

Thanks to the gentle encouragement I was given when I was looking for ideas for longer rides I have taken a look at the Audax UK Website and found the perfect 100 km ride, starting and finishing in the village where my sister lives, so making logistics easier. The downside is that it means riding in the heathen county of Leicestershire but at least some of the time I will be in Northants !

Looking forward to my first Audax, any tips would be welcome. If any one else is planning to do the ride and does not mind a newbie tagging along then even better.

 

[jefmcg]

http://www.aukweb.net/events/detail/16-294/

Have you read the route sheet? 2 cafe stops, so bring some money. You'll either have to get a receipt at both, or there will be someone there to stamp your card - or possibly a sheet of stickers. There's 2 info controls. That will be something like "what time is the saturday collection from the letter box?" to prove you got to that point. Bring a pen!!

Print out the route sheet. fold it in half, then laminate it or put it in a plastic bag. Make sure you understand it. My first few audaxes I follow the route on google maps, using street view to see the signs etc. That made the navigation easy on the ride.

(note that the route sheet may be revised again before the ride, so check that you have the latest version before you head off)

 

[DCLane]

+1 to laminating the route sheet; I've an A6 clipboard zip-tied on and fit mine to that, with a keyring and plastic bands. Done everything from 100-600km events that way.

+1 again to the GPS system and street-view for major junctions. You can then annotate the route-sheet before laminating.

Small bag for your brevet card and pencil/small pen.

Oh, and enjoy. I prefer audaxes to sportives as they're friendlier and have less of the 'Sky-wannabe' in who complain when I leave them behind on my home-built wreck of a bike.

 

[Dogtrousers]

At the information controls (eg "what is the name of the pub on the left") Don't get clever and try to memorise the question. Otherwise you will leave with an intimate knowledge of the wrong thing, (in my case yesterday, the name of the pub on the right).

 

[Donger]

I rode my first few audaxes with friends, which made it a little easier following the routesheets .... which can seem so alien at first that they appear to be written in heiroglyphics. After a few years of audaxing, I have now settled into a routine that makes following the route much easier.

Basically, the idea is to make sure you start at the very front of the pack and go at a comfortable pace. You will have a steady stream of people passing you for the first leg, leaving a nice line of cyclists on the horizon ahead, showing you the way. Then grab some food at the first check-in, but take a minimal break, thereby overtaking 20-30 of the people who have passed you on the first leg. This should ensure a continued trail of people passing you and showing the way, well into the second leg and maybe up to the half way point. By the three-quarter mark you always seem to be on your own and you will think you must have taken a wrong turn ... but if you have conserved enough energy, you can take your chances when they come along and latch onto anyone who you do see, and don't let them out of your sight. (Works for me!).

 

[rugby bloke]

Thanks for the tip, sounds like an excellent plan.

 

[crazyjoe101]

For very similar reasons I've entered the 210km route and will be riding it with a couple of club mates, I've done some distance riding but this will be my first audax. If you've not ridden this far before, just ease off on the pace especially up hills. Make sure you drink a lot of your prefered beverage and snack the whole way round and you'll be fine.

 

[rugby bloke]

Unfortunately I won't be able to make it now as it clashes with a commitment I have at my rugby club. Going to have to wait a while before I make my Audax debut.