What's your next Audax?

[oreo_muncher]

They were my audaxes, I was the organiser. I wasn’t riding the event that day. Having said that LEL and PBP have been completed on Bromptons.

LEL and PBP on a Brompton!!!! That makes me feel out of shape lol. How do you even go about organising your own audax?

 

[Ming the Merciless]

LEL and PBP on a Brompton!!!! That makes me feel out of shape lol. How do you even go about organising your own audax?

First you ride a few to get familiar with audax. Then you have an idea for a nice route, no longer than the distances you have already ridden and are familiar with, starting near where you live, that other audaxes don’t already cover. You read about what being an organiser entails and decide to go for it, You find an audax organiser mentor, apply to be an organiser, and go from there. But the key before you apply is to have a first route / event in mind to organise.

 

[oreo_muncher]

I'll let you in on a secret: A Brompton is just a bike. It's a slightly heavy bike with interesting handling but it's not terribly different from other bikes. I often ride Friday Night Ride to the Coast on mine (about 100km) and I've covered 100 miles on it and I'm not particularly fit.

The great thing is that people can be really impressed but really ... it's just a bike.

(Edit LEL or PBP are insanely impressive, whatever machine is used. I didn't mean to imply they are easy. They are waaay out of my league)

It's just that the wheels are smaller-so do you not have to pedal way more to cover distances Or maybe I'm ignorant here. What's your longest distance that you done in a day on your bike?

 

[Ming the Merciless]

My next audax is a DIY 400km next weekend. Just finished fettling the route and identifying Chinese take away for a last big feed before the 10pm curfew.

 

[oreo_muncher]

My next audax is a DIY 400km next weekend. Just finished fettling the route and identifying Chinese take away for a last big feed before the 10pm curfew.

How long do you think it will take you to ride? What food are you taking with you? What is your go-to Chinese food order?

 

[Ming the Merciless]

How long do you think it will take you to ride? What food are you taking with you? What is your go-to Chinese food order?

With a 9am start I’ll aim for 22-24 hours, with about a 2 hour sleep around 3-4am. Don’t want to get back too early. For Chinese I usually have egg fried rice and something with plenty of liquid. Special fried noodles is also a good one. Food on the bike, oat bars, jam and banana sandwiches, banana cake. I’ll also take a flask which I can fill up with hot chocolate from a garage , before the 10pm curfew.

It’s a DIY so will start / finish at home. Once home I’ll shower, have some tea and a bit of breakfast, then go to bed. Another 4 hours sleep or so. Then I’ll be good for the rest of Sunday.

 

[oreo_muncher]

With a 9am start I’ll aim for 22-24 hours, with about a 2 hour sleep around 3-4am. Don’t want to get back too early. For Chinese I usually have egg fried rice and something with plenty of liquid. Special fried noodles is also a good one. Food on the bike, oat bars, jam and banana sandwiches, banana cake. I’ll also take a flask which I can fill up with hot chocolate from a garage , before the 10pm curfew.

It’s a DIY so will start / finish at home. Once home I’ll shower, have some tea and a bit of breakfast, then go to bed. Another 4 hours sleep or so. Then I’ll be good for the rest of Sunday.

How do you have the energy to ride that long and not fall asleep on your bike? So are you not packing anything savoury for the bike?

 

[Ming the Merciless]

How do you have the energy to ride that long and not fall asleep on your bike? So are you not packing anything savoury for the bike?

I will stop for hot savoury food during the ride.So something around 1pm, 5pm, and finally before the 10pm curfew, then a breakfast at 7am if I haven’t already finished.

The key with energy is to ride well within yourself so you aren’t burning quickly though your glycogen stores but instead mostly fat burning with glycogen perhaps making up 15-20% of your energy needs. Remember the aim is to get round comfortably within time limits not try and break any records.

If you get the dozies overnight then you just find shelter and get your head down for an hour or two. Church porches are rarely locked so make a good option for somewhere out of the weather. That’s enough to revive yourself and keep going to the finish. I carry a silver foil emergency bag and lightweight mat for the short sleeps.

 

[oreo_muncher]

I will stop for hot savoury food during the ride.So something around 1pm, 5pm, and finally before the 10pm curfew, then a breakfast at 7am if I haven’t already finished.

The key with energy is to ride well within yourself so you aren’t burning quickly though your glycogen stores but instead mostly fat burning with glycogen perhaps making up 15-20% of your energy needs. Remember the aim is to get round comfortably within time limits not try and break any records.

If you get the dozies overnight then you just find shelter and get your head down for an hour or two. Church porches are rarely locked so make a good option for somewhere out of the weather. That’s enough to revive yourself and keep going to the finish. I carry a silver foil emergency bag and lightweight mat for the short sleeps.

So where else do you stop to sleep except church porches. That seemed to be my problem last time that the place I was cycling in was very rural, just farm fields, no places to get food or water.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

So where else do you stop to sleep except church porches. That seemed to be my problem last time that the place I was cycling in was very rural, just farm fields, no places to get food or water.

Anything suitable. Bus shelters, a tunnel on a children’s playground, the overhang of a village hall, pub garden... If not wet then anywhere outdoors is fine, you just need somewhere discrete off the road. Rural Bus shelters can work. But generally you’ll look at the map in advance and work out roughly where the dozies might strike and what’s around on or just off the route.

As to water, two water bottles should see you 2 hours in really hot weather and anything up to 3-4 hours in cooler conditions. Even in the most rural places you will pass places to top up water, shops, churchyard or cemetery taps, public toilets, pubs etc..

 

[oreo_muncher]

Anything suitable. Bus shelters, a tunnel on a children’s playground, the overhang of a village hall, pub garden... If not wet then anywhere outdoors is fine, you just need somewhere discrete off the road. Rural Bus shelters can work. But generally you’ll look at the map in advance and work out roughly where the dozies might strike and what’s around on or just off the route.

As to water, two water bottles should see you 2 hours in really hot weather and anything up to 3-4 hours in cooler conditions. Even in the most rural places you will pass places to top up water, shops, churchyard or cemetery taps, public toilets, pubs etc..

That would scare me because I'm a female and would be worried about getting mugged, raped or etc. I don't know if I would be able to fall asleep like that.

What about when you're riding in the night- where would you get more water then?

 

[Ming the Merciless]

That would scare me because I'm a female and would be worried about getting mugged, raped or etc. I don't know if I would be able to fall asleep like that.

What about when you're riding in the night- where would you get more water then?

Churchyards or cemetery overnight. There really is no one out there overnight. As long as you are discrete you won’t be seen anyway. I wouldn’t worry about being discovered when sleeping in remote rural areas.

 

[oreo_muncher]

Churchyards or cemetery overnight. There really is no one out there overnight. As long as you are discrete you won’t be seen anyway. I wouldn’t worry about being discovered when sleeping in remote rural areas.

By the way just wanted to tell you I signed up for this audax: https://audax.uk/event-details?eventId=8130

If I don't manage to complete this one I think I might give up on cycling😭. I'm going to read over all of your advice from my previous forum about my failed audax.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

By the way just wanted to tell you I signed up for this audax: https://audax.uk/event-details?eventId=8130

If I don't manage to complete this one I think I might give up on cycling😭. I'm going to read over all of your advice from my previous forum about my failed audax.

I have ridden the 200 from there. Looks like you get 9 hours 22 mins to do it. So make use of the time to complete, don’t try for a fast time. Good luck, hope you get nice weather. Do you have lights with nights drawing in?

 

[oreo_muncher]

I have ridden the 200 from there. Looks like you get 9 hours 22 mins to do it. So make use of the time to complete, don’t try for a fast time. Good luck, hope you get nice weather. Do you have lights with nights drawing in?

I have a front light. I had a back light but I don't know if it fell off or someone stole it because it's not there anymore. It seems quite hilly-do you think that too? I'll try start on time this time and not be late like last time. I'll give myself 6 hours, so there should be light by then still