Top Ten hardest Audaxes

[simonp]

I've done only about one 200k which had AAA points.  0.25 points, it was.  Rode on my own into a headwind for the first half, was just OOT on leaving two of the controls and finished with 2h to spare.  Might have been a lot easier had I not been delayed at the start and missed riding with the bunch.

So my list:

1.  PBP 1200
2.  Bryan Chapman 600 Scenic
3.  MSG 300
4.  Bryan Chapman 600 2004
5.  Border Raid 600 (character building weather, which was useful for the next ride in the list)
6.  LEL 1400
7.  Irish Mail 400
8.  The Dean 300 (only really this high up because of 2008's weather)
9.  Brevet Cymru 400
A.  Tan Hill Challenge 200

Something like that anyway.  As I've done very few hilly 200s they don't feature much in my list.

I'd put the Fred Whitton Challenge around 6-7 if I included it in this list.

[ludwig]

I'm just having my porrige before setting out fot Taith mynydd a mor a 200 which I always have found one of the toughest. This year peacocks and kites was a bugger for me. I told Dave Lewis not to expect me at the finish when we were half way but got back with about 20 mins left. Some very cold winter DIY 300s in 2007were tough on account of the weather . The rest are just a blurr.

[Hummers]

This is tricky but I will give it my best shot:

1. The one where I had got rat-arsed the night before
2. The one where I had thought I was OK because I had done PBP 12 weeks before and hadn't touched the bike since
3. The Grimpeur I didn't finish as I thought that 8 weeks off the bike wouldn't be a problem
4. The first 200 after going on hols and feasting on cream teas and beer
5. The first 200 after Christmas
6. The 100 the day after the Valley of The Rocks
7. The 600 when I have only had 2 hours sleep the night before, driven to the start the morning of the ride and started late
8. The one where I have foolishly tried to keep up with someone half my weight Scampi on the hills
9. The ones that take place in the pouring rain and howling winds
10. The ones that take place in Devon and C***wall

H

[citoyen]

And the Beast from the East 600.

I'm glad you said that. If you think it's hard...

I've not done enough different audaxes to be able to compile a meaningful list, but the BftE is by far the hardest I've attempted. I'm determined to do it again, though - and complete it next time.

Tbh, I didn't think the Anfractuous was all that tough, but then I did take the flatter alternative route near the end - not because I was a chicken but because I'd already had four p+nct+res and didn't want to risk another in the dark. Again, it's a ride I have unfinished business with - I'll do it again one day and take the proper route next time. It may not be the toughest route to a seasoned grimpeur, but it still has enough hard bits (Streatly Hill and Colstrope Lane, anyone?) to be a meaningful challenge to any rider (and an enjoyable one, cf Ian's comments).

The one I found tougher than the Anfractuous was the Poor Student, though the time of year is a large factor in making the PS as tough as it is - it would probably make a very pleasant summer ride. First time on the PS, I DNF. Second time, I got on quite well and had a second wind that meant I blasted the last 50-60k at almost racing speed. Until it started raining. Torrents of biblical proportions. Not nice at the best of times but particularly unpleasant at the start of January.

I also have a hankering to try the BCM. What is it about the Audaxing mentality that makes us actively seek out the toughest rides?

d.

[Martin]

+1 for the Poor Student; unremittingly bleak with some riding into freezing cold rain or sleet (like having someone fire lancets into your eyeballs) thrown in for free.
And that was without a January headwind for the first half.

[Manotea]

The Anfractous is a pussycat really, a nice 'ride round ride' through varied countryside with the odd climb to add a bit of interest.

I'd agree that whether rides are hard or not really does come down to personal fitness and the weather. If you're feeling fit and 'up for it' you can do most anything.

[Martin]

yes I'd certainly not add the Anfractuous to the list;

perhaps it's the fact that all the big climbs come right after lovely cossetty caffs that adds to the hardness

[Danu]

Bernies flat one is  a real challenge, but not because its hard.
How does the weather affect these ratings ?

[Ian H]

yes I'd certainly not add the Anfractuous to the list;

perhaps it's the fact that all the big climbs come right after lovely cossetty caffs that adds to the hardness

That depends on how much you unwisely stuff yourself at said caffs. Some difficulties are self-inflicted.

[Ian H]

Bernies flat one is  a real challenge, but not because its hard.
How does the weather affect these ratings ?

Well...the Hellfire 600 I did in 98 in stormy rain and floods was much harder than the same event last weekend in balmy weather chasing young master Hummers around the course.

[Martin]

yes I'd certainly not add the Anfractuous to the list;

perhaps it's the fact that all the big climbs come right after lovely cossetty caffs that adds to the hardness

That depends on how much you unwisely stuff yourself at said caffs. Some difficulties are self-inflicted.

(looks at change from £10 at LouLouBelle cafe for 2 teas and a sandwich on Thur)

not that much...

[Jon P]

Has anyone mentioned the Dales Grimpeur? - isn't that supposed to be a struggle to complete in time even for really seasoned audaxers?

[border-rider]

How does the weather affect these ratings ?

Must be a huge factor.  Salvatore already flagged the BCM2002 as being one of his top ten hardest, and I'd agree.  That one year it would rate as amongst the hardest rides I've ever done.  Doing it as a perm on a hot July weekend in 2006 with Vorsprung and Blah, it was just a lovely ride, and quite a different one

See also PBP2003 vs 2007 (the only ones I've done). I'd not rate either as astonishingly tough, but 07 was def. harder work than 03, when the conditions were close to perfect.

[Martin]

Has anyone mentioned the Dales Grimpeur? - isn't that supposed to be a struggle to complete in time even for really seasoned audaxers?

yes; hardest 200 in the book, even harder then La Marmotte; I finished with 20 min to spare.

[LEE]

1 - My first 200 (Denmead/Fort Purbrook)
2 - My first 600 (Midhurst)
3 - My first 300 (DIY 320km Andover - Stockport)

(I did my first 400 after my 600 so it felt relatively OK)


That's it really. It all came down to a significant increase in mileage each time.  I'm not, for example,  saying that the Denmead 200 is a tough ride, just that it was my first 200 and I still remember sagging into a chair at the finish control and not wanting to move.

Although I DNFd Bryan Chapman this year I can still say that the Midhurst 600 was tougher for me.  That's almost entirely down to being so thoroughly prepared for BCM and having so many miles in my legs compared to the Midhurst the year before.

Talking about preparation, I had one of my worst rides on the New Forest 200 last year.  It's a very easy 200 by anyone's standards.  Because of this I thought it was perfectly fine to get "bladdered" the night before.

So, for me, and my limited experience of Audaxes, it all comes down to expectation and preparation.

[Really Ancien]

The hardest of them all is the Mersey Roads 24 Hour. To set off knowing that it's up to you to put up a good showing, with no drafting, ample temptation to slack and the result published, makes it a uniquely hard way of gathering points. It also provides a measure of the hardest Audaxers, which is a possible cue for another list.

Damon.

[Martin]

The hardest of them all is the Mersey Roads 24 Hour

Bzzt! of course it's hard it's not an Audax it's a TT

[Really Ancien]

The hardest of them all is the Mersey Roads 24 Hour

Bzzt! of course it's hard it's not an Audax it's a TT

Here's the 2009 AUK results for the riders who did more than 600 km. You've not been paying attention have you?

600km,  07-25-     7 riders listed

               Evno   Memno  Name                 Club                 CTC                
Click on a Name for a certificate
               TT24-6  3756  Marina BLOOM         Rugby RCC            n                  
               TT24-6  2105  John CONNAGHAN       Audax Ecosse         Lothians DA        
               TT24-6  3732  Dr. Stephen DART     Mid Devon CC         n                  
               TT24-6  2294  Ian HENNESSEY        Exeter Whs           Devon DA            
               TT24-6  7468  Colin KNAPP          Middridge CRT        n                  
               TT24-6  4618  Peter TURNER         Derby Mercury        Derby DA            

               TT24-6        Ruth CROSSLEY                                                

Average age of finishers of this event - about 47

It is possible to get 7 points, now that is hard.

Damon.

[border-rider]

I suppose that a working definition for what's "an audax" might be compliance with Rule 4.

[Really Ancien]

So the Mersey Roads 24 as a 700km Audax has a minimum speed of 29.166 kph. The usual 30kph top limit still applies. Which is why it can never be an 800km. For which Gethin Butler would qualify.

Damon.

[simonp]

What about the unwritten rule about not riding multiple events at the same time?  Surely the Mersey Roads gives you a massive cop-out option not available with traditional Audax events; and you only need to do 360km in 24h to get your 3 points which isn't hard (relative to any other 24h+ Audax event).  I've done 400km in 19.5h on the BCM, then had to get up the next morning and ride another 225km.  That is harder than riding 360km in 24h.  If someone wishes to ride the Mersey roads and do 600km in 24h then good luck to them but they could try to do the same on the BCM and it wouldn't be any easier.

[border-rider]

There's a precedent: LEL 2005.  The 800 k Thorne-Dalkeith-Thorne option was, I believe, the only AUK event to have had more finishers than starters.

[Really Ancien]

What about the unwritten rule about not riding multiple events at the same time?  Surely the Mersey Roads gives you a massive cop-out option not available with traditional Audax events; and you only need to do 360km in 24h to get your 3 points which isn't hard (relative to any other 24h+ Audax event).  I've done 400km in 19.5h on the BCM, then had to get up the next morning and ride another 225km.  That is harder than riding 360km in 24h.  If someone wishes to ride the Mersey roads and do 600km in 24h then good luck to them but they could try to do the same on the BCM and it wouldn't be any easier.

That's a good point, if you had to declare the minimum distance you were going to do in the '24' before you set off, it would spice things up a bit. You'd have to be very brave to do the 700km option.

Damon.

[Really Ancien]

There's a precedent: LEL 2005.  The 800 k Thorne-Dalkeith-Thorne option was, I believe, the only AUK event to have had more finishers than starters.

That was 2001 I think.

Damon.

[border-rider]

There's a precedent: LEL 2005.  The 800 k Thorne-Dalkeith-Thorne option was, I believe, the only AUK event to have had more finishers than starters.

That was 2001 I think.

Damon.

Yes, sorry.  You're right.