Will Audax as we know it recover from this?

[Redlight]

I have always had a desire to do this ride across Wales and will now be looking to ride it as a permanent at some point and will look at other suitable accommodation along the way. This for me (permanents) is my way forward.

The Premier Inn in Bangor is just off the route, so you could avoid both the slog up to Kings on the way out and the annoying 7 mile diversion to revisit it on the way back.

[Pingu]

The clover leaf format of the Mille Alba worked very well. Each loop took you into different classic Scottish audax terrain 

One word missing in title. EST, no West Coast, SW or the North of Scotland 👿

I didn't say it was all of Scotland's classic audax terrain. That would be a bit difficult to do in a cloverleaf 1000km event.

Maybe some experienced, genuine Scottish audaxer based in the west could organise something?

[Tommyp27]

I'm one of the new starters, although at late 30s am hardly the new youth.

I've come to it having had some experience of racing track and mountain bikes, spending 7 years as a Cycle Courier (in the Distant Past) and basically roughly knowing what I'm getting myself into.

I guess some of the more social elements I imagined of Audax won't be around for a good few years (i.e large controls). But I can't be one of the only people starting to take an interest and I'll be trying to persuade a few people I know to get involved as well.

I'm something of a retrogrouch in someway (he says via his smartphone), although I might invest in a GPS for route marking if I have to (i.e. to prove I did the route)?

But I Audax will survive as will many of the elements that trace back to its origins.

[Geriatricdolan]

I have always had a desire to do this ride across Wales and will now be looking to ride it as a permanent at some point and will look at other suitable accommodation along the way. This for me (permanents) is my way forward.

The Premier Inn in Bangor is just off the route, so you could avoid both the slog up to Kings on the way out and the annoying 7 mile diversion to revisit it on the way back.

Yes, although if you want a decent night sleep, you need to leave Chepstow a bit later than 6 AM... 9 or 10 AM might work out OK

[LittleWheelsandBig]

I will continue to prioritise riding partially/ fully supported long brevets over X-rated long calendar or perms, with little regard to the entry fee. The rest of you can do whatever you like.

I think a big part of why audaxing in Oz has stagnated (despite an overall increase in cycling) is because of their trend towards unsupported brevets. I found that entries were higher on my brevets when they were supported because tentative folk were comforted by the attention and tended to return with their friends. Without support, only the hardcore types turned out. With marginal entry volumes, withdrawing support was a bit of a vicious circle.

[John Stonebridge]

The clover leaf format of the Mille Alba worked very well. Each loop took you into different classic Scottish audax terrain 

One word missing in title. EST, no West Coast, SW or the North of Scotland 👿

I didn't say it was all of Scotland's classic audax terrain. That would be a bit difficult to do in a cloverleaf 1000km event.

Maybe some experienced, genuine Scottish audaxer based in the west could organise something?

Id offer to do it but Ive been decreed a faker by virtue of never having ridden Ower the Edge.

 

[salar55]

Apart from PBP qualifier years Ower the Edge had a poor turnout, i wonder why😂. His route or no points. Mudguards or no points. My hero.

[jsabine]

The clover leaf format of the Mille Alba worked very well. Each loop took you into different classic Scottish audax terrain 

One word missing in title. EST, no West Coast, SW or the North of Scotland 👿

I didn't say it was all of Scotland's classic audax terrain. That would be a bit difficult to do in a cloverleaf 1000km event.

Maybe some experienced, genuine Scottish audaxer based in the west could organise something?

Id offer to do it but Ive been decreed a faker by virtue of never having ridden Ower the Edge.

You're not based in the West anyway.

[Ajax Bay]

I have always had a desire to do this ride across Wales and will now be looking to ride it as a permanent at some point and will look at other suitable accommodation along the way. This for me (permanents) is my way forward.

The Premier Inn in Bangor is just off the route, so you could avoid both the slog up to Kings on the way out and the annoying 7 mile diversion to revisit it on the way back.

Wales end-to-end (corner-to-corner) and back is a cracking ride.
There are plenty of overnight options on a calendar BCM starting at 6am (and indeed @Blacksheep's permanent), most obviously finding a bed between Beddgelert and Penrhyndreudraeth, or at Dolgellau. For all of those you can check in when you pass in the afternoon at a civilised hour and slip in late at night coming south for all the hours of wonderful sleep that your speed allows. Bangor is far too short to stop: it leaves you with 300k to do.

[mattc]

Audax has changed and will continue to change. So the answer to the question is "No". Because Audax will not be as we 'knew' it.

Like it is no longer like it was pre-GPS. Or pre internet.

Yeah, I'll go along with that.

(I was around for the GPS transition, and I have my Dad to refer to for 1980s tales!)

Re: Clover Leaf routes
I suspect these normally come about due to logistics reasons. Having ridden a few of them, and seen behind the scenes at LEL, it's pretty clear which is simpler!
And I'd query whether DNF rates are everything? I quite like the security blanket thing; and although I generally finish the long rides (somehow), I don't regard quitting as the end of the world. It's not the Olympics and - to quote Mr Hall - we're not f***ing curing cancer.

[Whitedown Man]

I have always had a desire to do this ride across Wales and will now be looking to ride it as a permanent at some point and will look at other suitable accommodation along the way. This for me (permanents) is my way forward.

The Premier Inn in Bangor is just off the route, so you could avoid both the slog up to Kings on the way out and the annoying 7 mile diversion to revisit it on the way back.

Wales end-to-end (corner-to-corner) and back is a cracking ride.
There are plenty of overnight options on a calendar BCM starting at 6am (and indeed @Blacksheep's permanent), most obviously finding a bed between Beddgelert and Penrhyndreudraeth, or at Dolgellau. For all of those you can check in when you pass in the afternoon at a civilised hour and slip in late at night coming south for all the hours of wonderful sleep that your speed allows. Bangor is far too short to stop: it leaves you with 300k to do.

During my one and only BCM I slept under a parked caravan on a garage forecourt somewhere a few miles south of Pen y Pass ... but you try and tell the young people today that and they won’t believe ya’

[Jaded]

That’s nothing, on an X-rated DIY to Lands End and back I slept under a moving caravan on the A303.

[Geriatricdolan]

That’s nothing, on an X-rated DIY to Lands End and back I slept under a moving caravan on the A303.

That's nothing, during a Cambrian perm a friend of mine died... then he finished with 2 minutes to spare! 

[Redlight]

That's nothing, during a Cambrian perm a friend of mine died... then he finished with 2 minutes to spare! 

That's nothing, a friend a mine arrived at the start of PBP and realised that he had left his bike at home so walked the route. He still finished in fewer than 80 hours.

[Jaded]

 

[Ajax Bay]

During my one and only BCM I slept under a parked caravan on a garage forecourt somewhere a few miles south of Pen y Pass ... but you try and tell the young people today that and they won’t believe ya’

Assuming garage forecourt after dark, young people today wouldn't believe anyone could cycle that slowly and complete a Wales End-to-end-to-end 600.

[Lightning Phil]

That's nothing, during a Cambrian perm a friend of mine died... then he finished with 2 minutes to spare! 

That's nothing, a friend a mine arrived at the start of PBP and realised that he had left his bike at home so walked the route. He still finished in fewer than 80 hours.

And slept 8 hours a night in a bed, after a 3 hour evening meal each day.

[Ian H]

That's nothing, during a Cambrian perm a friend of mine died... then he finished with 2 minutes to spare! 

That's nothing, a friend a mine arrived at the start of PBP and realised that he had left his bike at home so walked the route. He still finished in fewer than 80 hours.

There was an eminent auk who got so tired & disorientated that he decided it was imperative to hide his barrow in a field.  He came to his senses an hour or two along the road.  It took awhile to find the trike again, he finished on time.

[citoyen]

I vaguely recall tales of an AUK who combined taking on PBP with pursuing a career in local politics. What ever became of him?

[Tommyp27]

I vaguely recall tales of an AUK who combined taking on PBP with pursuing a career in local politics. What ever became of him?

Didn't he take his family on a DIY 800km to Barnard Castle? I heard his eyesight went a bit funny at some point?

[Ian H]

I vaguely recall tales of an AUK who combined taking on PBP with pursuing a career in local politics. What ever became of him?

You mean local French politics of course.

[citoyen]

I vaguely recall tales of an AUK who combined taking on PBP with pursuing a career in local politics. What ever became of him?

You mean local French politics of course.

Of course! Even more impressive since it's not his native language.

[Whitedown Man]

During my one and only BCM I slept under a parked caravan on a garage forecourt somewhere a few miles south of Pen y Pass ... but you try and tell the young people today that and they won’t believe ya’

Assuming garage forecourt after dark, young people today wouldn't believe anyone could cycle that slowly and complete a Wales End-to-end-to-end 600.

I was as close to “full value” as it’s possible to be and still earn my 6 points, but earn them I did.

[salar55]

It seems to me that the Audax as Salar55 k ew is never really existed and as LWaB knew it only exists in his part of the world.

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Thats correct the fictitious audaxs were mini sportives with a regroup at the cafe control. Then it all started again, was good training,. No wonder all the ancient audaxers could give the wimps a doing👿.Now lets have a list of all the rule changes 🤔

[FifeingEejit]

When was free route introduced?
When did distances actually start getting checked? So many classic routes turnout to be massively under distance when people go and make them DIYs

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