Travelling for Audax?

[Nuncio]

Slightly OT, but is there any history of calendar events where there are more than one possible start points?

I live in Abergavenny and loads of events come through here but none start here, despite there being quite a big cycling community locally. I have often wondered whether it would be possible to have a start here, and use the Abergavenny control as an intermediate control for the riders who start in, say, Tewkesbury, Cardiff or Bristol, and vice versa. The start times could be the same or staggered. Probably undue complexity, but I was wondering if there have ever been events run this way?

One running of Dave Lewis' Land of my Father's (Cardiff/Fishguard/Cardiff) event had an optional start at Swansea, timed for when the Cardiff riders would be coming through. It worked well, but I found it hard to set off from the Tongwynlais hotel at 11pm into the cold and wet (in my memory at least) while the Cardiff finishers were relaxing with their beers and smugness.

[FifeingEejit]

The most local PERMs for the OP are the Snow Roads and Wildcat Grimpeur, starting at Futry.

EDIT: Fixed my confusion of Perm and DIY (I do that all the time)

BUT I've also remembered that Kingdom Come 400 goes that way too.
But it's a 400, and the other 2 tough days out.

[CrazyEnglishTriathlete]

Slightly OT, but is there any history of calendar events where there are more than one possible start points?

I live in Abergavenny and loads of events come through here but none start here, despite there being quite a big cycling community locally. I have often wondered whether it would be possible to have a start here, and use the Abergavenny control as an intermediate control for the riders who start in, say, Tewkesbury, Cardiff or Bristol, and vice versa. The start times could be the same or staggered. Probably undue complexity, but I was wondering if there have ever been events run this way?

One running of Dave Lewis' Land of my Father's (Cardiff/Fishguard/Cardiff) event had an optional start at Swansea, timed for when the Cardiff riders would be coming through. It worked well, but I found it hard to set off from the Tongwynlais hotel at 11pm into the cold and wet (in my memory at least) while the Cardiff finishers were relaxing with their beers and smugness.

Cambrian Series permanents can have any of the control points (or a point broadly on route between two control points) used as a Start/Finish.  That brings quite a few of those rides into the scope of an Abergavenny start/finish - 1g, 2A, 2B, and 3A have Abergavenny as a control point, and the 4B, 4D, and 10A have a Brecon to Monmouth leg which effectively goes through Abergavenny as does the Monmouth - Llandeilo link on the 6A - so that gives you a whole SR series on your doorstep.

[αdαmsκι]

Slightly OT, but is there any history of calendar events where there are more than one possible start points?

My Essex and Suffolk Borders 200 is an east - west loop from Manningtree to Buntingford and back. I also run Alternative E&SB 200 on the same day, which starts in buntingford & goes the opposite way round.

Tomsk runs Flatlands 600 from dunmow & there is a Lincolnshire start offered by someone else.

[Lightning Phil]

There’s this audax permanent up that way

https://www.audax.uk/event-details/537

That's just as much of a PITA as Galashiels. 

Why? It routes through the north east, so must cut down travel significantly.  You don’t have to start perms at the official start as I’m sure you know, nearest control or any location you can get receipt start / end. Otherwise if organiser does e-brevet or proof of passage via GPS it can all be sorted through that to start / finish anywhere you choose  on the route.

Now you can do e-brevet only perms I’ll be adding some new ones that didn’t work before, as no suitable place for receipts. The calendar versions using infos in those locations.

Tain is a vey very very very very very very very very very very long way from anywhere, even inverness which is a bloody long way from anywhere too.
The 126 miles between Inveralmond and Tore roundabouts is the longest non-motorway clearway in the UK.

Also, scottish geographical names are a bit like Englands definition of North.

The "North East" is Dundee to the Moray Coast but some would argue that it's actually the Highland part of that (north of the mounth) and south of that is just Angus
Ben Klibreck is in the "Far North" (Anywhere north of Inverness really)

Ah, I saw it goes through Helmsdale which is in the north and on the east coast, thus took that to be north east.

[Pingu]

There’s this audax permanent up that way

https://www.audax.uk/event-details/537

That's just as much of a PITA as Galashiels. 

Why? It routes through the north east, so must cut down travel significantly.  You don’t have to start perms at the official start as I’m sure you know, nearest control or any location you can get receipt start / end. Otherwise if organiser does e-brevet or proof of passage via GPS it can all be sorted through that to start / finish anywhere you choose  on the route.

Now you can do e-brevet only perms I’ll be adding some new ones that didn’t work before, as no suitable place for receipts. The calendar versions using infos in those locations.

Tain is a vey very very very very very very very very very very long way from anywhere, even inverness which is a bloody long way from anywhere too.
The 126 miles between Inveralmond and Tore roundabouts is the longest non-motorway clearway in the UK.

Also, scottish geographical names are a bit like Englands definition of North.

The "North East" is Dundee to the Moray Coast but some would argue that it's actually the Highland part of that (north of the mounth) and south of that is just Angus
Ben Klibreck is in the "Far North" (Anywhere north of Inverness really)

Ah, I saw it goes through Helmsdale which is in the north and on the east coast, thus took that to be north east.

Yes, North East Scotland often causes confusion 

[FifeingEejit]

I suppose it's kind of based on Linguistics

Far North - Almost Norse, areas are named based on the Jarl of Orkneys perceptive
West Highlands - Very definitely Gaelic based English - No yes/no questions - You'll have had your tea? - No I haven't
Highland - Gaelic but speak English like it's on the radio
North East - Scots pronouce Quh as F
Central Est Scotland - Scots pronounce Quh as Wh
South of Scotland - Scots pronounce Quh as W
West Central - Speak pure weird by ra way
Galloway - Strangers
Edinburgh -  Enigmas - You'll have had your tea! - Ok I'll go then

[ravenbait]

I suppose it's kind of based on Linguistics

Far North - Almost Norse, areas are named based on the Jarl of Orkneys perceptive
West Highlands - Very definitely Gaelic based English - No yes/no questions - You'll have had your tea? - No I haven't
Highland - Gaelic but speak English like it's on the radio
North East - Scots pronouce Quh as F
Central Est Scotland - Scots pronounce Quh as Wh
South of Scotland - Scots pronounce Quh as W
West Central - Speak pure weird by ra way
Galloway - Strangers
Edinburgh -  Enigmas - You'll have had your tea! - Ok I'll go then

Pure dead brilliant 

Sam

[ravenbait]

It's easy to underestimate how large Scotland is.  I took CET junior on a hiking trip based in Inchnadamph north of Ullapool (from sunny Basingstoke) and Gretna Green was the half-way point of the journey.

People also underestimate how wide the south of England is - its the same distance from Dover to St Austell as it is from Basingstoke to Gretna Green.  Hence the challenges that riders in Kent and Cornwall can face in getting to events.

Even when you are more centrally situated, there can still be challenges with finding the right event at the right time (fitting around family and other commitments).  I will travel 100km+ to most of my events this year - but fortunately do have a train network (although Cross Country trains north are suspended - that's a very ironic word - for two months because of a sinking bridge).

I lived in Exeter for a while, so I know it's a fair trek, but I travelled east to that London for the Dun Run for about 5 years in a row. Direct train and everything. From here I have to change twice just to get to Edinburgh, and it's no fun waiting at Montrose for an hour at 5am.

But thanks. I just wanted to know if it's The Done Thing to travel, and it seems that it is.

Sam

[valkyrie]

@ravenbait  - I think you're just unlucky looking for shorter audaxes at this point in a PBP year. All the events up until June are geared towards PBP qualifiers as that's what a lot of riders are looking for. I'm based near Elgin and lucky to have Andy Uttley's brilliant rides starting from Nairn (or a bit further away for the longer ones). It's been a while since I've organised any audaxes myself but I'll probably put one or two on next year with Elgin starts. There's a few Aberdeen and Stonehaven riders audaxing that it might be worth seeing if you can share petrol money with (guy I cycled with on the 200 from Garve last weekend came from Stoney).

My recommendation - book yourself on to the Forres Foray in August from Newtonmore. I know that's a pain to get to from the East coast but it's a lovely 200 for somebody looking to get back up to the distance. There's campsites at Newtonmore so you could travel the day before and make a wee holiday of it. If you do decide to do that, book your camping soon as "Thunder In the Glens" is the same weekend so everywhere is rammed with Harley riders.

[ravenbait]

Thread necromancy (it's only a tad whiffy).

I've entered the Fox Hat 200 in August, as I was surprised to find there is actually a train that would get me to the start in time. I really like the look of the Elgin ones, but there is no way to get there on public transport for the start. Earliest train would get me there at after 2 in the afternoon, unless I go up the previous night, and there wouldn't be one home again afterwards.

I've found myself perusing 2nd hand C-max on FB, then feeling guilty about even considering buying a car to go on a bike ride.

Jury is still out on my knee, and I had a really serious chest infection in the latter part of last year, so I don't know if signing up for FNRttB as my first proper audax is really the best plan. But I might! I miss my overnight century rides, and was thinking about resurrecting the Dumb Run.

Ride the North has moved to Arbroath, also in August, so I'm in for that.

Sam