Your experience of doing audax events

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B

bitsandbobs

Über Member
Dogtrousers said:
Sarky answer: Wait til they start running them again. They're currently suspended due to Covid.
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They're running in BE and NL. I'm riding a 300 on Saturday.
 
Ajax Bay

Ajax Bay

Guru
Location
East Devon
Anonymous1502 said:
What was it like doing an audax event? What distance did you do? How long did you train for it? What bike did you use? How long and how did you train for the event? Any advice for someone wanting to do an audax event?
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Met someone whom I knew (who lived hours away) on his bike at our local garage.
Decision: Decided I'd give it a go.
Previous: Little riding. But had ridden end-to-end previous year with a bit of riding in the run-up (eg 200km per month in the spring/summer).
First year: Rode fortnightly 100+s from January onwards. Rode my first audax 200 in March (well 239 actually (made a 25km error at the 100k point)), the Dorset Coast 200 in April, the Brevet Cymru (400) in May and the Kernow and SW (600) in June. And a 300 in July (after DNFing a 1000 (MP1K)). Five years on: a 300 DIY yesterday :laugh:.
Bike: Dawes Giro Audax 600 (steel 531 with 9sp drivetrain) - bought to ride end-to-end - with saddle bag; now replaced with framebag when additional capacity needed. Still riding it 5 years later, though N+1 frameset in sideroom waiting to be built up - with new-fangled disc brakes.
Advice:
1) Consider joining one of the CycleChat Monthly Challenges.
2) Consider what might stop you completing the ride (and indeed your upcoming 'challenge' one) and mitigate the risk of failure in each and every category: contact points, nutrition, clothing, mechanical, lights, navigation.
3) Try to find someone else to ride with - at least the first calendar one - even someone who is new to it too.
4) Look carefully at the route beforehand and follow it round on a map. A search on RidewithGPS will nearly always find the route (or at least last year's). Sort out how you're going to navigate, and practise doing so on a ride. Do not assume other riders will get it right and you can merely follow.
5) Get lights sorted. And spares. You may not finish a 200 before an equinox sunset.
6) Have a hearty breakfast and get to the start with 30 minutes to spare. Do not assume you will be able to leave anything there.
7) Have a plan for feeding and drinking - don't forget that you're eating not for now but for a few hours time. Don't add 'new' 'special' stuff to drinks unless you have ridden a few hours and tried it out.
8) Put phone on Airplane Mode. Playing with / 'Using' it during ride (ie at stops) is a time sink.
9) Turn the cranks. There will be riders going at your speed - start conservatively. Suck wheels (remembering that this is far more attractive if the guy in front has considerately fitted mudguards). Have a beer (other beverages are available, maybe) at the end.
 
DCLane

DCLane

Found in the Yorkshire hills ...
Location
Dewsbury, West Yorkshire
Ajax Bay said:
4) Look carefully at the route beforehand and follow it round on a map. ... Do not assume other riders will get it right and you can merely follow.
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This happened on LEL in 2017. Due to injury I was taking a flatter but longer route from near Horncastle to Thirsk both ways, bypassing any hill but stopping at the controls to protect a damaged right Achilles along with other injuries - I had a major operation pending and had been advised not to ride.

Heading south from Louth at about 9.30pm I looked behind to see four riders. They'd just followed me thinking I knew the route. And presumably I'd give them all a tow. I knew my route but was off the main course.

I had them behind me for an hour from Louth-Horncastle, and had to go slower because they were holding me up. They had no instructions or any navigation and were riding as a group, simply finding someone to follow. Once dropped they stopped and waited and, as a result, were going to be out of time having set off in an early 100 hour group.

They'd have been fine in 2021/2's LEL as it's a fixed route, as is PBP with the signs. I'm presuming they thought there would be signage - which there was between Barton-on-Humber and Louth (major thanks to whoever did that).
 
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Aravis

Aravis

Putrid Donut
Location
Gloucester
One issue with traditional calendar Audaxes is that visits to controls are frequently "to and back". These ugly appendages ruin the artistic integrity of your uploaded outline.

This afternoon I sketched out a possible DiY 300, pencilled in for the beginning of September if I feel up to it. As a general point to assist the OP, for these big efforts it's almost inevitable that I'll feel I need just one more prep ride. In the end I just have to trust it will be OK:

542536


A snail climbing uphill. If that turns out to be my one and only 300, what could be more apposite?
 
Twilkes

Twilkes

Guru
Solocle said:
I started cycling again at 19, on going to uni. After riding 12-13 km around town for shopping trips, I built up to 100km in about 1 month. That was an out-and-back to Swindon, stopping for lunch at Nando's.

Then it was off to Yorkshire, and I didn't really do anything longer - 50 miles in the Yorkshire Dales, climbing Fleet Moss, twice! Once each side... that was tough. Or the 60 mile loop out from Leeds up to Skipton, and back via Bradford...

That was in July 2018, and I didn't do my first century until February 2019. I did do a 70 mile sportive in September, then an 85 mile club reliability ride in November. Then, my century was a cycle home from uni, at a relaxed pace. Extremely tiring by the end, but I definitely could have done it at an earlier point.

July 2019 was a sub-6 hour century on a sportive (in the Mendips, so hilly, too!).

My first audax was at the start of November. 200 km (well, 220), around Oxfordshire.
That wasn't a huge step up from a century, but those extra miles did really sting, and I found myself diving into a motorway services for an extra (sugary) drink...
View attachment 542354
View attachment 542350
I probably went too hard for that one, but it was also sodding wet. I was getting carpal tunnel symptoms at the end...

Two weeks later, I did a 300 km audax.
View attachment 542351
Actually over 200 miles, I detoured via home, and my Wahoo ran out of charge for the last bit!
View attachment 542353
View attachment 542352

200 km isn't so far removed from a century sportive. Sure, you might get some night riding to do...
300 km felt totally different (especially with a 10 pm start!). 100 miles done at night, on main roads, which were super quiet at that time.

I also couldn't sit on the saddle after that ride. It was standing on the pedals on the ride back from the station...

So, when I did it again, in December, I paced myself better, and invested in some chamois cream.
View attachment 542355
View attachment 542357
I completely bonked at the end (the plan was 500km) - not enough food taken in during the ride.

But, in terms of training: I jumped from 200 km to 300 km without any. The 200 km was pretty decent training, but then, it's really a question off refining your technique over time.

Getting to 200 took a while, although I could have done it sooner (I probably couldn't have done 300, though!)
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Slightly OT but how did you get Strava to display elapsed time for the Bristol ride, rather than moving time?
 
Fab Foodie

Fab Foodie

hanging-on in quiet desperation ...
Location
Kirton, Devon.
DCLane said:
This happened on LEL in 2017. Due to injury I was taking a flatter but longer route from near Horncastle to Thirsk both ways, bypassing any hill but stopping at the controls to protect a damaged right Achilles along with other injuries - I had a major operation pending and had been advised not to ride.

Heading south from Louth at about 9.30pm I looked behind to see four riders. They'd just followed me thinking I knew the route. And presumably I'd give them all a tow. I knew my route but was off the main course.

I had them behind me for an hour from Louth-Horncastle, and had to go slower because they were holding me up. They had no instructions or any navigation and were riding as a group, simply finding someone to follow. Once dropped they stopped and waited and, as a result, were going to be out of time having set off in an early 100 hour group.

They'd have been fine in 2021/2's LEL as it's a fixed route, as is PBP with the signs. I'm presuming they thought there would be signage - which there was between Barton-on-Humber and Louth (major thanks to whoever did that).
Click to expand...
That reminds me of my first Audax, The Barbury Bash 200. A mixture of an overlong stop (longer story), a mechanical and in particular a lack of attention to our own navigation (and hence reliance on others) caused us to miss the final time cut. Still a good day out, lots of lessons learned.

Many years later I did another 200, I had gps by then, rode with @Salty seadog paid attention and got around in time. Another good day out though wasn’t as fit as I could have been.

My longest ride of 350k consisted of a FNRttC leaving London at midnight for Bognor, having brekkie and a couple of pints and then riding all the way-along the coast back home to Deal. In total 27 hours on the bike. Slow of course partly due to the pace of the Friday’s night run and midway stop. Slow because by plotting a route using cycle-paths etc on rwgps there were a lot of crap paths and stop starting when had I known the area a little better I could have made quicker and easier progress on the roads - Audax at least has reasonable routage sorted.
The route along the SE coast Is also very lumpy!
Despite the distance and time I felt pretty OK at the end and would not baulk at riding the same or greater again. But would I do say a 400K. Audax? Or even another 200? I’m not sure. The difference with my semi-solo 350 was having no time constraint. I could stop as it suited (hate passing a good looking pub on an Audax with no time to stop!), had time to admire views, take in the scenery and take time over food stops. I could choose my pace and didn’t have to keep mentally calculating time and progress to ensure I was on track.

There are other ways to enjoy long-distance riding....
 
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Solocle

Solocle

Über Member
Location
Poole
Twilkes said:
Slightly OT but how did you get Strava to display elapsed time for the Bristol ride, rather than moving time?
Click to expand...
I marked it as a race - I use that both for races and major rides.
1598086861437.png

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Solocle

Solocle

Über Member
Location
Poole
YukonBoy said:
When are you Everesting?
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It was a vEverest of Alpe du Zwift on the 9th... I'd put the tiredness afterwards as similar to a 300 km, with more pain in the knees and feet!
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It's 9154m, because, having made it to 29,029 ft, I decided I'd make it a nice round 30,000... I contemplated a 10km, but 850m more would just drag on.
 
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ianrauk

ianrauk

Tattooed Beat Messiah
Location
Rides Ti2
YukonBoy said:
I think 400s and above very much depends on whether you like night riding. Unless you are at the pointy end and getting 8 hours each night.
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Oh I like night riding. Being a member of the Fridays an all and have done more night rides than I can ever remember. I'm just not one for shacking down on a audax hotel for a couple of hours then getting bw l on the bike to get going again.
 
si_c

si_c

Guru
Location
Wirral
ianrauk said:
Oh I like night riding. Being a member of the Fridays an all and have done more night rides than I can ever remember. I'm just not one for shacking down on a audax hotel for a couple of hours then getting bw l on the bike to get going again.
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Night riding is some of the best. I don't think you can commute through winter without loving it either.
 
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