DIY advice needed

[herd]

Hello all,

I am short of a 200 in April for my RRTY. I was thinking of doing a very simple out and back DIY to fill the gap, but...

On the DIYs I have done to date, I have ridden circular routes with plenty of controls. If I was to plan a DIY to 100km from my house (nearest cashpoint actually) and a cashpoint 100km away would it be OK to submit 3 controls: home cashpoint, away cashpoint, home cashpoint?

Just thought I would ask before hassling Andy Uttley.

[Lonewolff]

Assuming the shortest cycleable route between both cashpoints was 100km or more then yes.

If you have to detour to make it up to 200km then you would need controls to prove you actually did take the detour and covered the distance.

[mukkinese]

The distance needs to be worked out as the minimum distance between controls (not using motorways) - regardless of how long the ride is.

If you can find a cashpoint 100km away with no major shortcuts along dual carriageways then that's fantastic, otherwise you might want to add in a control on your path.

www.viamichelin.com and maps.google.co.uk can help with finding the minimum distance.

You might want to  check this with your local perm organiser, as well, as they will be stamping it.

[Greenbank]

You'll probably be asked to put in a mid-point control. Two 100km legs are just too long for a DIY200.

Andy wouldn't allow my DIY 200 up to Cambridge and back with just Putney and Cambridge controls (even when the specific controls I had in mind gave just over 100km), I had to put in Broxbourne (which was on the route anyway) both on the way out and back.

[EDIT] It's worth asking him though. That was what I was told when I first asked him about DIY rides. It may be that because I had done relatively few Audaxes I hadn't proved myself or earned their trust (I understand some people are trusted enough to be allowed to start their DIY rides from their own house and just writing the start time on the brevet card themselves).

As I understand it a DIY 200 should have at least 5 controls (i.e. roughly every 50km). DIY300 usually have at least 6 controls (every 60km). By 400km you can do about 75km between controls, etc.

[Andydauddwr]

I've stretched it as far as 80km between controls on a 200.  I think 100 is unlikely to be OKed.

AC

[mattc]

(I understand some people are trusted enough to be allowed to start their DIY rides from their own house and just writing the start time on the brevet card themselves).

I don't have a problem with that. I assume that from time-to-time a Secret Roving Marshall will drop in for tea-n-toast at the start of their ride.

[Martin]

the organiser's guidelines suggest controls every 50km up to 300 and every 80km above.

A simple cashpoint in a town selling food should be fine for the 50/150 controls (can be the same one). I presume it's part of AUK's Duty of Care to ensure riders are adequately rested and refreshed before sanctioning an event even if the rider doesn't think he /she needs it.

[border-rider]

[EDIT] It's worth asking him though. That was what I was told when I first asked him about DIY rides. It may be that because I had done relatively few Audaxes I hadn't proved myself or earned their trust (I understand some people are trusted enough to be allowed to start their DIY rides from their own house and just writing the start time on the brevet card themselves).

I've never tried that.  But then we have a cashpoint in the village so it's not a problem - usually, except on the great MV/FY/Manotea Wilts Cycleway 300 perm of 2006, when we lost one of our party - twice - and after much confusion finished at 2 am to find the cashpoint out of service. 

[mukkinese]

plenty of cashpoints in my neck of the woods - its the middling controls I have prombles with.

[herd]

Thanks for the advice. Looks like I will have to find an intermediate cashpoint/garage etc.

[Greenbank]

Another DIY question.

Can I get AAA points for a DIY ride that uses the whole of a Calendar event that has AAA points?

The DIY ride would be using the signed/completed Calendar event Brevet card as proof of that distance, so there'd be no doubt that I earned those AAA points.

The Calendar ride is the Hilly Chilters 100km 1AAA. I'd be looking to make it into a DIY 200 by riding 50km to the start and home again.

I'm guessing it can't, since I don't think there's a way to assign AAA points to a DIY ride, but someone might know different.

At worst I'll suffer the lack of AAA points as just need a hilly 200km ride in August for an SR on gears.

[frere yacker]

Greenbank.

No.

Hope that helps.

[mattc]

I have no "official" knowledge of this but here's my opinion:
No, you won't get any AAA points (cos it's a DIY).
Yes, you really OUGHT to, based on the spirit of all the AAA rules as I read them.

[frere yacker]

In an ideal world, I'm sure they would be allowed for.  But their general reliance on info controls and the limited time of DIY organisers means it is something I can't see happening.

PS: Personal hobby horse.  Riders should remember that DIYs are all very good, but if you have a good route (based on a calendar event or otherwise) it is good for AUK more generally if it is made into a full permanent or otherwise shared with AUKs (for example, using the tool on AUKs website).

[Ivo]

PS: Personal hobby horse.  Riders should remember that DIYs are all very good, but if you have a good route (based on a calendar event or otherwise) it is good for AUK more generally if it is made into a full permanent or otherwise shared with AUKs (for example, using the tool on AUKs website).

Problem point with my routes is that currently no overseas AUK's can organise a full permanent.

[MikeFromLFE]

In an ideal world, I'm sure they would be allowed for.  But their general reliance on info controls and the limited time of DIY organisers means it is something I can't see happening.

PS: Personal hobby horse.  Riders should remember that DIYs are all very good, but if you have a good route (based on a calendar event or otherwise) it is good for AUK more generally if it is made into a full permanent or otherwise shared with AUKs (for example, using the tool on AUKs website).

Alternative view: as DIYs are now well established why do we need 'full permanents' - why can' they all be DIYs?  - even if they use an established route?

[Greenbank]

Alternative view: as DIYs are now well established why do we need 'full permanents' - why can' they all be DIYs?  - even if they use an established route?

Because you can't use Info controls on DIYs, but you can on full Perms.
And you can't get AAA points for DIYs, but you can on full Perms.

Making DIY organisers handle both Info controls AAA point calculations is a bit too much.

[frere yacker]

Silly question - anyone know if/why DIY's are taking a wee while to be added into the AUK results?  I did a DIY (Southern region) in mid-March and it hasn't appeared in the list yet.

[Chris S]

Everything seems to have stopped - it may or may not be connected with the fact that one of the validation team had a serious off in March and was hospitalised for a while.

I'm being patient m'self - it'll all come right in the end.

[eck]

There was an update yesterday which included mine up to 16 March, but these are "Scotland & North" rides. Maybe yours will be along soon. They seem to get "saved up" then done in batches. Like Chris S says, be patient. 

[Greenbank]

Just sent off an email to check on 3 different routes:-

400: Putney -> Alton -> Salisbury -> Shaftesbury -> Crewkerne -> Exeter -> Tavistock -> St Merryn
100: Putney -> Royal Tunbridge Wells -> Ashford
600: Putney -> Broxbourne -> Cambridge -> Broxbourne -> Putney -> Royal Tunbridge Wells -> Bethersden -> Flattest Possible 300

Strangely my copy of Autoroute has magically found some new roads. It now puts my already approved DIY 200 to Cambridge and back as only 196km (it's approved at 202km and never been less than 206km on the road measured by computer and GPS). (Hopefully this'll be covered by the fact that the FP300 is actually 304km).

One question though, what do you do if you can't get a receipt the appropriate details on somewhere? If the place I've named only has a shop and a petrol station, and both of those receipts were duff (no location, incorrect time/date) then I could be stuffed. Do I just correct them and submit a little note of explanation? Can I go a bit further down the road and get a receipt from somewhere else?

St Merryn should be ok, there are a fair few other places to get receipts and it will be somewhere near midday when I get there. The rest are big enough places to have ATMs or 24 hours petrol stations.

[Plodder]

One question though, what do you do if you can't get a receipt the appropriate details on somewhere? If the place I've named only has a shop and a petrol station, and both of those receipts were duff (no location, incorrect time/date) then I could be stuffed. Do I just correct them and submit a little note of explanation? Can I go a bit further down the road and get a receipt from somewhere else?

When I did my first DIY, which was an out-and-back type route, I got caught out at the turn. The village on the map had an umanned railway station, a derelict pub and a cafe. No ATM, no garage, no shops! I thought that I'd buy a roll in the cafe and use the receipt. No till, just a hand-written receipt! Bu**er!!. I e-mailed Andy Uttley and explained my situation. He accepted it, but advised that I try to find somewhere where I know I can get a receipt. Not always easy if you're looking for somewhere new to ride. If it happens again, I think I'll get something nearby if I can.

[Chris S]

I'd imagine you'd get reasonable sympathy if you had good Brevedence from your other controls, and a GPS tracklog that corroborates both them, and the missing control.

[Martin]

There's now a mesh section on the AUK website where you can submit your own routes between mesh points and read other peoples', it says where you can get a control at each point.

[Greenbank]

I'm pretty confident about St Merryn. The alternative is finishing at Padstow (there's a big Tesco on the outskirts of the town that will save me from going too far down hill!).

I certainly don't want to have to end in Newquay and have to go through Mawgan Porth! (Only because I'm lazy!).