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LeetleGreyCells

Un rouleur infatigable
All events on Audax UK website have been locked. I saw the following on Facebook, but it's not yet available on the website. I imagine it will appear later today. Check yourselves before cancelling anything.

"AUDAX UK - ANNOUNCEMENT- 16 March 2020

COVID-19 PANDEMIC: ALL AUDAX UK EVENTS, COMPETITIONS AND AWARDS SUSPENDED

Following today’s updated guidance from the government, the Audax UK Board has taken the difficult decision to suspend recognition of all calendar, permanent and DIY events, with immediate effect, until further notice.

This means that AUK will not validate any rides undertaken from midnight tonight, 16th March, until the decision is taken to lift the suspension. Anyone undertaking such rides will not be allocated AUK points or AAA points, their rides will not be counted towards Mileater or Randonneur Round the Year awards, and they will not be covered by AUK’s insurance policy while riding.

We appreciate that many members will be working towards our various points-based championships. Given the suspension of events, the points-based championships will be suspended for this season. The Mileater Awards will be frozen at their current state and, while annual totals will be recorded, the mileater championships will be suspended for this year. To ensure that the progress of riders towards The Randonneur Round the Year Award is recognised, validation of qualifying rides for it will be suspended immediately and will restart on the same date as calendar events, perms, and DIYs. RRtY riders who have already ridden their March events will be given due credit; those who have not yet completed a March event will be allowed to, in effect, have their suspension backdated to the end of February so that they are not penalised.

More information for members and specifically for event organisers will follow during the next few days.

We will keep the position under review and inform members of any changes as appropriate.

I would like to thank all the Board members who have contributed to these difficult decisions, and hope that Audax UK, all our members, all our event organisers, and all our supporters are able to return to our normal activities at some point in the future when the outlook for everybody is much better.

Chris Crossland
Chair, Audax UK"
 
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ianrauk

Tattooed Beat Messiah
Location
Rides Ti2
Its the right decision.
 

Fiona R

Formerly known as Cranky Knee Girl
Location
N Somerset
Mad March completed over Exmoor and the Quantocks. Wet (raining more than half the time; glasses off type of rain), cold after the first 30 minutes till late lunchtime, breezy rather than windy, but a little warmer at the end. Pub controls pleased to see us. The route included a flooded road (the River Clyst) with 3km to go, at dusk. I had ridden through there at night when similarly flooded (and spent the next fortnight drying out the bike and servicing the hubs) so about-turned and went the (not very) long way round. Other rode through and some waded through (thigh deep) carrying their bikes. Today (Monday) would have been a brilliant day for the ride: sunny, light winds, flooding cleared (probably).
Efengyl 200 similar weather on Saturday (but no significant fords/floods), we all knew it was going to be the last calendar for us for a while, but it makes sense for AUK to cover itself (insurance etc) and not condone DIYs and Perms as some may then ride as larger groups.
 

Ajax Bay

Guru
Location
East Devon
DIY version of 'Shore to Moor' calendar event (Up the Exe, across to the far side of Dartmoor, over it to the Teign, down to its mouth, and then up the coast and the Exe estuary), starting at a sensible hour, in a small group - of not more than 6 ;)
Boudicca would no doubt increase her chances of achieving revenge by being ready to attack the Romans at dawn.
 

Twilkes

Guru
This seems to be the most active thread here - could a few people link to Strava rides from 500l or 600k Audaxes, so I can get an idea of how people pace them and what breaks are taken? Doesn't matter if you're a plodder or a racer. Cheers,
 

Ming the Merciless

There is no mercy
Location
Inside my skull
My last 600 is last year due to Covid and Strava’s interface is too crap to look that far back and make it public. Some rough stats from my last 600.

Time moving 23.5 hours.
Elapsed 32 hours

Average moving 25/26 km/h
Overall average 19/20 km/h

Stops tend to be controls only unless I’ve run out of water. Stops to top up water take as long is it takes to go in shop get water, top up water bottles and get going again. That translates to stopping roughly every 3 hours, and stops of 30-45 mins duration. That works out at roughly 5 hours for stopping at controls, leaving 3.5 hours for sleep in this case. I had 8 hours contingency in this case but sometimes I’m closer to the time limit of 40 hours. How long a sleep is depends on how comfortable I am and how cold it is. My last 600 was hot during day so I was keen to make progress overnight to minimise heat on the second day. I had two sleeps one in the cold overnight and a second one after breakfast on second day. So 2 hours overnight then a 1.5 hour top up once it’d warmed a little.

If a 600 is particularly hilly (around 8000m of climbing) then I will stop more frequently but for less time. My average speed will obviously be lower.

I try to reach and keep a buffer of at least 5 hours by the end of first day, giving enough time for sleep. I’m crap on the second day if I haven’t had a sleep.

I usually stay in a hotel or B&B after finishing and don’t drive till after a full nights sleep. If it’s local enough I may cycle to / from the event. So I’ll usually book the Monday off, if riding a 600 over the weekend.
 
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JonBuoy

Veteran
My 600k from last year: https://www.strava.com/activities/2475469508
It happened to pass a couple of miles from my house at about the 400k point so I 'cheated' and had a few hours in my own bed.
If you take a look at the Strava flybys you can easily pick out a fair number of other riders doing the same event and look at their rides.
 

Ajax Bay

Guru
Location
East Devon
an idea of how people pace them and what breaks are taken?
Bryan Chapman Memorial 600
600km (ish) + 8000m (ish - Audax UK calculated)
Start and finish: Chepstow, with controls at Bronllys (72), Llanidloes (138), Dolgellau (King's 203), Menai (292), Dolgellau (King's 374), Aberhafesp (439) and Llandrindod Wells (492), plus 3 information controls (Machynlleth (170), Harlech (231) and Pen-y-pas (267) - route: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/20922029?beta=false
6am start (mid May); 10 mins at Bronllys (shop or cafe), 20 mins at Llanidloes (shop or cafe), 35 mins (sit down to eat - kind volunteers at King's), 35 mins at Menai Bridge (kind volunteers in scout hut), leaving around 6:45pm, so about 300km in 13 hours. 65km back towards King's and B&B stop (so 16 hours on Day 1) stopping for 7 hours snack and chat, shower, 5 hours sleeping, breakfast (& chat), arrive 10pm, leave at dawn (5am). King's at 6:15am. Small second breakfast and leave before 7am. Steady ride back (excellent third breakfast around 9:30 at Aberhafesp - kind volunteers in community centre). Soup, roll and Ice cream at Llandrindod Wells, bit more food at Talgarth, and then steady back to Chepstow before 6pm (so second day 13 hours).
I slept at a local YH and left very early to get back in time for work. Driving any distance after a 600 is not recommended.
My firm recommendation for these long rides is to get in a group going at a sensible pace, but be prepared to drop or jump groups. Stops can (will) be a time sink, but they do offer the opportunity to be sociable: each individual needs to strike their own balance, influenced by their riding speed. Last May (2019) I enjoyed some good group riding (for maybe 1/4 the time, and in company for another 1/4 (maybe just one other)).
HTH
 
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Twilkes

Guru
That's great thanks.

Does anyone have similar for a 500k? I'm guessing there might be less sleep but otherwise similar pacing/breaks.
 
The 500k is a rare beast, but I heartily recommend it!
It is indeed almost identical to riding 600km; in pacing/breaks/eating terms.

Differences:
- you may start with more of a lie-in, which reduces sleep dep problems.
- if you're aiming for one big sleep break, it will work out 5/6ths as long as on a 600 if all other variables are the same :smile:
 

Ajax Bay

Guru
Location
East Devon
Very few calendar 500s. Audax Club Bristol ran one before Epiphany. Iirc that started late evening and you have 33/36 hours to complete.
Here's one organised for later this month which will not run because of COVID-19:
https://audax.uk/event-details?eventId=8568
Most people would ride through and have a snooze at one of the 'tlc' stops sometime around half way.
400s are more common and normally start at 6am. The fast boys (and girls) finish before midnight. Others stop for a time in the middle of the darkness and finish off at dawn.
 
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