Thought I'd revisit this thread following a superb Denmead 400 a few days ago.
Who would have thought, just 4 years ago I'd be finishing work on a Friday evening and cycling 20 miles to meet 2 friends. 20 miles is far enough on a Friday evening after work right?
Anyway, the actual purpose was to ride 250 miles after work on a friday evening, to Weston Super Mare and then back, leaving my 2 friends and riding 20 miles back home.
We got to ride down Cheddar Gorge at 3am, in total dark and silence, the gorge belonged to us.
We got to Weston at 5am and had the town to ourselves (OK, it would have been better if a cafe was open) and then we got to ride back home, past Glastonbury and some stunning scenery in beautiful sunshine. Back home at 5pm on Saturday.
I hadn't missed much, apart from shopping and a bit of DIY, but I'd managed an overnight 250 mile adventure with good friends.
Superb.
Audax makes that possible.
You see I have a "base distance" (everyone has one). It's the distance you can cycle without major preparation and worry.
For most British Humans I reckon it's about 10 miles. Ask someone who doesn't cycle to go on a ride of 11 miles and they may start to get a bit edgy. They'll start getting concerned about saddle comfort, asking "why do we need to cycle so far?" and "what's the point?" , "we'll fall off the edge" and so on.
5 years ago my base distance was 100km. If someone had asked me, on a Sunday morning, to go for 100km ride then I'd have been OK, but a 200km? no way, that was a serious undertaking.
Audax has given me the ability to ride "forever". My base distance is now quite easily 300km and, if you discount the impact to family life, 400 or maybe 600. Yes, I think that I could now enter a "normal" (non Wessex) 600 without any real worries now. I'd be sore at the end but I'd be confident about getting around in time.
So Audax makes me feel like a pretty damned accomplished cyclist, that I could set off on a 400 mile weekend ride with just a saddlebag of sandwiches and some baselayers, with just a few hours notice.
Lance Armstrong, over the last 5 years has become a worse and worse cyclist. I, at 45, got better and better. Thanks Audax.
Note. Lance is probably still slighty better than me (but not as much as he was 5 years ago)