Author Topic: What's to dislike about Audaxes.  (Read 40467 times)

What's to dislike about Audaxes.
« on: 06 April, 2011, 03:46:45 pm »
Stupid o'clock start times. So you end up staying a a B&B the night before and have to explain that you need breakfast at 5 am.  I have an irrational fear that I'll say yes to a continental breakfast, not specify the continent, and be faced with a whole roast guinea pig, or some wiggery grubs.

Re: What's to dislike about Audaxes.
« Reply #1 on: 06 April, 2011, 04:01:52 pm »
Fixing a puncture after flogging yourself inside out for 190k, only for someone at least twice your age on a bike 4 times heavier than yours to breeze past with a cheery hello.


Actually, I kinda like that about audax.
I like maps me

Martin

Re: What's to dislike about Audaxes.
« Reply #2 on: 06 April, 2011, 04:05:40 pm »
Sunday 200s near a station when no train driver gets out of bed (or else they haven't stopped ripping the track up from the night before if they were supposed to) until 0800.

events that go to stunningly beautiful locations where the cafes are full of grockles all queuing up for Full English

ones that don't take Paypal

Re: What's to dislike about Audaxes.
« Reply #3 on: 06 April, 2011, 04:12:37 pm »
Replacement bus services for the train you need home...

interzen

  • Venture Altruist
  • Agent Orange
    • interzen.homeunix.org
Re: What's to dislike about Audaxes.
« Reply #4 on: 06 April, 2011, 04:13:43 pm »
Wannabe racers (not to be confused with guys who are just genuinely quick)

mattc

  • n.b. have grown beard since photo taken
    • Didcot Audaxes
Re: What's to dislike about Audaxes.
« Reply #5 on: 06 April, 2011, 04:18:48 pm »
Too far.
Has never ridden RAAM
---------
No.11  Because of the great host of those who dislike the least appearance of "swank " when they travel the roads and lanes. - From Kuklos' 39 Articles

MercuryKev

  • Maxin' n Audaxin'
Re: What's to dislike about Audaxes.
« Reply #6 on: 06 April, 2011, 04:27:09 pm »
+1 for early starts.   I'd love a 200 that started at 10am or even noon in the summer.

Re: What's to dislike about Audaxes.
« Reply #7 on: 06 April, 2011, 04:29:01 pm »
+1 for early starts.   I'd love a 200 that started at 10am or even noon in the summer.

10 am start is great. Had one years ago in St. Petersburg. Especially during the white nights you don't need an early start.

dasmoth

  • Techno-optimist
Re: What's to dislike about Audaxes.
« Reply #8 on: 06 April, 2011, 04:49:55 pm »
ones that don't take Paypal

+1

On the other hand, the early starts don't bother me.  They don't exactly come naturally, but it is quite satisfying to know you're using all the daylight.  Even in summer, it's nice to get some miles in before the sun really hits.  If I were a little faster, I could imagine trying to plan a siesta into a midsummer 200.
Half term's when the traffic becomes mysteriously less bad for a week.

Karla

  • car(e) free
    • Lost Byway - around the world by bike
Re: What's to dislike about Audaxes.
« Reply #9 on: 06 April, 2011, 04:57:10 pm »
Riding with audaxers who can't interact with cars because they hardly ride in town, but who aren't club riders either so so they can't interact with bikes. 

Manotea

  • Where there is doubt...
Re: What's to dislike about Audaxes.
« Reply #10 on: 06 April, 2011, 05:14:09 pm »
Lack of information about routes. Much less of a problem then it was.

Actually I used to find it quite exciting turning up and having no real idea of what the day was to bring.

jogler

  • mojo operandi
Re: What's to dislike about Audaxes.
« Reply #11 on: 06 April, 2011, 05:17:02 pm »
Early starts on a Sunday :(
Early starts on a Saturday are  :thumbsup:

it's a mind-games thing

Jaded

  • The Codfather
  • Formerly known as Jaded
Re: What's to dislike about Audaxes.
« Reply #12 on: 06 April, 2011, 05:22:23 pm »
Tower of Babel Routesheets.
It is simpler than it looks.

jimbhoy

Re: What's to dislike about Audaxes.
« Reply #13 on: 06 April, 2011, 05:23:24 pm »
Getting to the start itself, not having a car and with most events based in the east or the borders, it's very difficult for me even getting there.

Bairn Again

Re: What's to dislike about Audaxes.
« Reply #14 on: 06 April, 2011, 05:25:14 pm »
Two obvious ones for me are -

1.  Always being in a cold draught in cafes.
 
2.  That sinking feeling about 9pm on a 400k when you realise youve still got sooooo many hours on the bike and almost all of them will be in the dark.      

Rig of Jarkness

  • An Englishman abroad
Re: What's to dislike about Audaxes.
« Reply #15 on: 06 April, 2011, 05:30:44 pm »
The bit that I used to hate were the times I was sat sweaty and shivering in a control, feeling sick and achy, force feeding myself yet another portion of pasta/rice pudding  :(
Aero but not dynamic

Billy Weir

Re: What's to dislike about Audaxes.
« Reply #16 on: 06 April, 2011, 05:46:27 pm »
"Enclose 2xSAE"

Manotea

  • Where there is doubt...
Re: What's to dislike about Audaxes.
« Reply #17 on: 06 April, 2011, 05:49:11 pm »
Walking out of a nice warm control on a cold winters night and getting the shivery shakes until I warm up.

mattc

  • n.b. have grown beard since photo taken
    • Didcot Audaxes
Re: What's to dislike about Audaxes.
« Reply #18 on: 06 April, 2011, 05:50:18 pm »
Riding with audaxers who can't interact with cars because they hardly ride in town, but who aren't club riders either so so they can't interact with bikes. 
Hold your horses! This isn't "What's to dislike about Audaxers". (That would be 5 times the length ... )

(nevertheless, I would agree with your whinge).
Has never ridden RAAM
---------
No.11  Because of the great host of those who dislike the least appearance of "swank " when they travel the roads and lanes. - From Kuklos' 39 Articles

Manotea

  • Where there is doubt...
Re: What's to dislike about Audaxes.
« Reply #19 on: 06 April, 2011, 06:02:40 pm »
Riding with audaxers who can't interact with cars because they hardly ride in town, but who aren't club riders either so so they can't interact with bikes.  
Hold your horses! This isn't "What's to dislike about Audaxers". (That would be 5 times the length ... )

(nevertheless, I would agree with your whinge).


Is there time to complain about riders with flashing rear lights before the thread goes back on topic?

Billy Weir

Re: What's to dislike about Audaxes.
« Reply #20 on: 06 April, 2011, 06:05:05 pm »
1. The "sting in the tail"
2. Sunday shop hours
3. Drunks
4. Clothing for visibility, not looks or comfort
5. Small time hinderances feel like impending doom
6. Distance remaining divided by speed plus current time versus Distance divided by minimum speed plus start time is a mensa-like problem at 3am
7. Road signs in miles, route sheet in kilometres
8. Monday morning at work after a 600km
9. Canteen not opening until 12am on Monday
10. Speed x Darkness = constant
11. "L no sp" in the dark

Re: What's to dislike about Audaxes.
« Reply #21 on: 06 April, 2011, 06:41:56 pm »
Fixing a puncture after flogging yourself inside out for 190k, only for someone at least twice your age on a bike 4 times heavier than yours to breeze past with a cheery hello.


Actually, I kinda like that about audax.

Lack of information about routes. Much less of a problem then it was.

Actually I used to find it quite exciting turning up and having no real idea of what the day was to bring.

Decisive cyclists.

Re: What's to dislike about Audaxes.
« Reply #22 on: 06 April, 2011, 06:45:13 pm »
Day 2 glove smell.

Panoramix

  • .--. .- -. --- .-. .- -- .. -..-
  • Suus cuique crepitus bene olet
    • Some routes
Re: What's to dislike about Audaxes.
« Reply #23 on: 06 April, 2011, 06:47:07 pm »
Realising that during the last 200km you were slow eating your time buffer and now you need to pedal non stop for 12 hours through the night to finish in time.

Remebering at 1am that it is a BRM and as such overdistance means time wrap in the vectorial space of control closures.

Actually if it was a vectorial space, it would be linear. A sadistic polish mathematician must have invented clever maths to solve this in a one liner.

Reverting to sums and multiplications, how can clever Maths resurface in my mind since I have long forgotten my uni maths?

Spending one hour trying to estimate what average speed you need to resolve ACP introduced time-space ripples.

Wondering why even after you left France, French administrative quirks follow you in the middle of the night on a Welsh hill rollercoaster.

Deciding that the best option is to pedal as hard as possible until a round number of reminding kilometers is reached to facilitate the maths a 8 year old would manage.

And no, these white lines are still, you are not being attacked!
Chief cat entertainer.

Alouicious

Re: What's to dislike about Audaxes.
« Reply #24 on: 06 April, 2011, 06:49:52 pm »
I've sat here for over fifteen minutes trying to remember an Audax that was unpleasureable.

Maybe getting a phonecall in Matlock my Mom's gone into hospital, and having to get myself on the train pronto.

I only go on rides that I am confident I will have a fun time.
All these comments about nausea, shivvering, weakness, falling asleep, loss of mental agility etc etc;

That's "Self Inflicted Injury".