Audax Dreams for the New Season

[Bobby]

My ‘season’ is all about the non-audax RATN in May. 

To keep Audax things ticking over I plan to do an ‘SR via ECE’ which I’ve been meaning to do for a few years now.  So far I have a 100+100 complete, really need to book the rest... 

Will see if I can be arsed to do RRTY, I’ve tried #4 a few times now, I make no promises to myself this year.

[CrazyEnglishTriathlete]

Like Bairn Again, will be aiming for SR #16, but it will have to feature the Crackpot.  Other rides on the shortlist are the Hellfire Corner - to get as far north as I am going to get this year, and the Oasts and Coasts which knocks off the south east corner by touring around Kent.  That gives me a 3, 4, and 10, so for the 2, starting to plan a midweek doubleheader of the Cambrian 2G and Cambrian 2J staying in Knighton.  That probably uses up my annual supply of Brownie points from Mrs CET, but will keep an open mind.

[lmm]

Going to finish off the RRtY and do at least a basic SR if not an SR2500. Tempted to try for one or other half of the Ride Across Japan but the logistics look "interesting".

[rob]

After SR number 24.   Time seems to dictate that getting anything more than 50 points is pretty difficult.   I'd like to do the ACME grand again and maybe travel a bit more than usual.

I'm entered for a couple of bikepacking races and need to improve my climbing so I suspect a few more AAA points this year.

[lmm]

Have concluded that Ride Across Japan halves are impractical. Will aim to work up to the Ride Around Lake Biwa 1000 in September.

[LittleWheelsandBig]

Some long brevets
PBP Audax 1200
A 1200 LRM, possibly in Oz
Possibly Deano’s 1000 or the ACME Grand

Some medium brevets
A French SR600
Bordeaux-Paris 600 UAF
An AUK 600 BRM, maybe the Buzzard

Some short brevets
Finish off RRtY10 with a January 200
Assorted 200-400 brevets that catch my attention, possibly some in foreign lands.

Some brevets on trike, tandem, Moulton or fixed, whatever takes my fancy.

[Altitude Accumulator]

Keeping Ian H company on fixed when ever possible on his return to fitness. Finally overcome demons on 600 but that might entail a job change so I  am not so knackered before the start! Looking forward to The Dean early season and all of the local classics and helping out at events putting something back in to the sport

[Phil W]

WAWA is on the horizon in 2020 but for now it's about regaining both fitness and endurance on my new recumbent.  I seem to fade / slow down after about 3 hours at the moment, which is no good at all.  So just need to keep putting the miles in, and working on strength and endurance, and building those glutes.

[LiamFitz]

Aiming for a SR - my first since 2011 and after having extensive new plumbing added to my heart in 2016. I'm going to be slow but I've got an excuse this time

[The Solo Socialist]

Aim to offer my services manning controls !
Complete an RRtY, on gears tho time.
Hopefully complete my first SR ( having failed last year WCW DNF )..
Not crash.
Stay healthy.
Lose some weight!

[Neil C]

This thread has been quiet for a couple of years. And I can't see any others so I'll start with my plans for 2022.

• Finish off my sixth RRTY in March.
• London-Wales-London in April. Just reminded myself of the 2019 ride here (https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=99473.msg2391154#msg2391154 ) and entered for 2022.
• Another Kingston Wheelers SR series.
• London-Edinburgh-London. In 2017 I managed London-Edinburgh but then stopped at Innerleithen. My only DNF so hoping for better luck this time.
• If all goes well I might push on for a 100 point season

[LittleWheelsandBig]

Some long brevets
PBP Audax 1200
1200 LRM EDIT or 1000 BRM, in Oz
Possibly Deano’s 1000 or the ACME Grand

Some medium brevets
A French SR600 EDIT maybe
Bordeaux-Paris 600 UAF
An AUK 600 BRM

Some short brevets
EDIT Finish off RRtY10 with a January 200 DONE IN 2020
Assorted 200-400 brevets that catch my attention, EDIT possibly some in foreign lands.

Some brevets on trike, tandem, Moulton or fixed, whatever takes my fancy.

My dream list for 2022 looks very familiar. All of this is subject to circumstances, as witnessed by having the exact same audax dreams for the past two years and failing to achieve virtually any of them.

[Ivo]

All subject to Corona rules

-Flèche Belge
-Rando Imperator
-1000 Chartres
-LEL

A Dutch RRtY already fell victim to the Corona rules (all december brevets cancelled due to the current lockdown), an AUK RRtY with one or more DIY's is stll possible.

[CrazyEnglishTriathlete]

I will do some rides.

[Ian H]

I'll try for a Simpson.

[D.A.L.E.]

I want to SR, PBP and win a couple along the way.

Still relevant. (But sub PBP for some other longish one that absolutely will not be LEL.)

[John Stonebridge]

I'll be delighted with an SR.  My last 600 was May 2019 so having done at least one ride that length every year from 2005 - 2019 means that its actually now been a fair old while and I'll not take it lightly (damn this pandemic).

It'll be nice to get round the Snow Roads again next year - unlike in 2018 I'll not try to ECE it into a 600 in the middle of a stonking heatwave.
 
Im also hoping for meaningful progress toward Randonneur 100,000. 

Ive also got a carried over entry to the Highland Fling which I'm trying not to think about.

[Pingu]

I might do an Audax. No promises thobut.

[Outtheback]

Well I am very new to cycling (apart from occasionally going to the shops on my hybrid) and also now 60 yrs old.  I started in March2020 (yes lockdown newbie).  Did my first 100km ride in Oct 2020.  This year I've managed 3 200km rides with one more planned for Dec.  So my realistic goal is regular 200s hopefully this would be RRTY but some months I have very few options for available weekends so I will probably need to get my head around DIYs to make this a reality.  I am a gravitationally challenged flatlander (i.e. fat bloke from Cambridgeshire) so additional challenge is for at least one of these to be > 2000m elevation.

If come spring this is going well then I will try to turn some of these into longer rides hopefully a 600 as a possible PBP pre-qualifier with 2023 in mind.

Two not strictly cycling barriers to this are getting my wife used to the thought of a) me riding several hours alone at night and b) what I will do about sleeping in a safe (i.e. not hedge or bus shelter) and covid secure way.  The Dec 200 which I will do with a couple of mates should go a bit of the way towards her confidence of night riding.

So the vague plan is Jan and Feb 200s
March - 200 with 2000m elevation
April depending on how the march ride went then a hillier 200 otherwise another 2000m one or maybe do a first flatish 300 (maybe ECE of the Easter tulip ride to get wife used to being woken up at "Audax o'clock")

 
Then hopefully set to go longer over the summer

[Wycombewheeler]

With LEJOJ and LEL both scheduled for next summer I had lofty aspirations of a 100 point season.

One month in I am already 2 point behind plan, with only two audaxes in November instead of 3. 

Lesson learned, if the weather is good do a 200, then if weekend 4 is also OK, go on the club run once points are in the bag.

[Wycombewheeler]

Well I am very new to cycling (apart from occasionally going to the shops on my hybrid) and also now 60 yrs old.  I started in March2020 (yes lockdown newbie).  Did my first 100km ride in Oct 2020.  This year I've managed 3 200km rides with one more planned for Dec.  So my realistic goal is regular 200s hopefully this would be RRTY but some months I have very few options for available weekends so I will probably need to get my head around DIYs to make this a reality.  I am a gravitationally challenged flatlander (i.e. fat bloke from Cambridgeshire) so additional challenge is for at least one of these to be > 2000m elevation.

If come spring this is going well then I will try to turn some of these into longer rides hopefully a 600 as a possible PBP pre-qualifier with 2023 in mind.

Two not strictly cycling barriers to this are getting my wife used to the thought of a) me riding several hours alone at night and b) what I will do about sleeping in a safe (i.e. not hedge or bus shelter) and covid secure way.  The Dec 200 which I will do with a couple of mates should go a bit of the way towards her confidence of night riding.

So the vague plan is Jan and Feb 200s
March - 200 with 2000m elevation
April depending on how the march ride went then a hillier 200 otherwise another 2000m one or maybe do a first flatish 300 (maybe ECE of the Easter tulip ride to get wife used to being woken up at "Audax o'clock")

 
Then hopefully set to go longer over the summer

Good luck, RRTY is a challenge, I've found February and July/August the months where it is most likely to fail.

I've found BnBs and travel lodges are fine for sleeping on 600s, perfectly safe and covid secure, but this is very pace dependent. if you can't get to 350km with 4 or 5 hours in hand it's hard to justify the cost. (360km gives you 24 hours at audax minimum, if you can average 20kmh including stops then you have 6 hours in hand.) Relentless forward progress is the key, rather than trying to ride at 28kmh to make up time. The trouble is it's so nice to sit and chat for a while with fellow audaxers

A DIY 600 would allow sleeping at home, but then it would be no use as a PBP pre qualifier.

[Ian H]

...sleeping in a safe (i.e. not hedge or bus shelter) and covid secure way...

A hedge or well-ventilated rural bus shelter are probably as covid-secure as you'll get.
Good luck with your season.

[Outtheback]

A hedge or well-ventilated rural bus shelter are probably as covid-secure as you'll get.
Good luck with your season.

I agree, but you are applying cyclists logic     

My wife's concerns are multiple - hedge/bus shelter would be considered unsafe regardless of pandemic,  hotels at the moment she would consider a covid risk.  If I described PBP to her now she would have approximately 1200 unanswerable questions and go into shock. But familiarity with these things through gradually pushing the envelope is the key.  For my first 200k I had warned her days ahead I was going on a very long ride and I think she was imagining something that might take 6 or 7 hours.  Then the day before I gave her a schedule scribbled on a piece of paper and she went into a panic and got very angry. (But that was better than the panic and anger 2 weeks before and 2 weeks of daily fretting and questions about it).  On the ride I sent her photos via whatsapp from the points on the schedule and that kept her happy.  Now 200s are accepted as achievable and not a cause of undue stress (but whatsapps still required) .  December ride will introduce the idea of leaving and returning in pitch blackness.  The overnight accommodation thing will be the big step for her if the whole covid thing has not improved by next summer.  I know many people are much more relaxed now about covid but not everyone.   

[Wycombewheeler]

My wife's concerns are multiple - hedge/bus shelter would be considered unsafe regardless of pandemic,  hotels at the moment she would consider a covid risk. 

Campsite and 1 person tent? Of course that still leaves toilet facilities, unless you can go 2 days on solids only

[Ian H]

A hedge or well-ventilated rural bus shelter are probably as covid-secure as you'll get.
Good luck with your season.

I agree, but you are applying cyclists logic     

My wife's concerns are multiple - hedge/bus shelter would be considered unsafe regardless of pandemic,  hotels at the moment she would consider a covid risk.  If I described PBP to her now she would have approximately 1200 unanswerable questions and go into shock. But familiarity with these things through gradually pushing the envelope is the key.  For my first 200k I had warned her days ahead I was going on a very long ride and I think she was imagining something that might take 6 or 7 hours.  Then the day before I gave her a schedule scribbled on a piece of paper and she went into a panic and got very angry. (But that was better than the panic and anger 2 weeks before and 2 weeks of daily fretting and questions about it).  On the ride I sent her photos via whatsapp from the points on the schedule and that kept her happy.  Now 200s are accepted as achievable and not a cause of undue stress (but whatsapps still required) .  December ride will introduce the idea of leaving and returning in pitch blackness.  The overnight accommodation thing will be the big step for her if the whole covid thing has not improved by next summer.  I know many people are much more relaxed now about covid but not everyone.   

You could tell her even OAPs go out on silly long rides in all seasons (don't ask me how I know this).