Arrivée est arrivé!

[jogler]

Well, I think it is an extraordinary magazine for a low budget organisation run by volunteers and it is produced 4 times a year!

Well said that man.

Worth remembering, also, that AUK was founded specifically to enable UK riders to enter PBP.

two comments that put a clear perspective on the magazine's contributions to long distance riding

[shyumu]

My wife joined AUK earlier this year and I look forward to reading Arrivée even though I have no plans to ride PBP.  She's just completed the survey and I stuck it in the postbox 15 minutes ago.

Arrivée is much more interesting to read than any of the commercial magazines out there, if articles like PBP were reserved to the AUK website I wouldn't see them.  It's picking up the magazine while relaxing over a coffee that gets me reading about it, and it usually takes a week to two to read the whole magazine over several cups of coffee and in short stints.

My favourite article so far in the spring edition is the 1000km east-to-west ride.  I love the easy carelessness with which the ride sounds so relaxing - despite sleeping in the open.  I have no desire to do the same thing - but what an excellent write up and a rivetting read.  I'm inspired to ride the same route - just not to the same schedule.

Keep the up good work Danial and team - great photos and great stories.
Thanks.

[Greenbank]

I'm being 'Devil's advocate' here because this large demograph of AUK membership don't know about this web forum

It's mentioned on the inside back cover of the Handbook on the 'AUK On-line' page.

[Jamiem]

Arrivée is much more interesting to read than any of the commercial magazines out there, if articles like PBP were reserved to the AUK website I wouldn't see them.  It's picking up the magazine while relaxing over a coffee that gets me reading about it, and it usually takes a week to two to read the whole magazine over several cups of coffee and in short stints.


Keep the up good work Danial and team - great photos and great stories.
Thanks.

Totally agree!

[Billy Weir]

The other point is that even if people are not interested in PBP this time, or maybe it's never occurred to them, the articles of ordinary people qualifying with excitement and getting round may inspire them for the future. 

It works.  I read the articles and found myself a little bit disappointed that I wasn't going to be experiencing PBP this year.  Still, 2016 is only 4 and a bit years away.  Something to look forward to.

[Wothill]

Arrivée is much more interesting to read than any of the commercial magazines out there,

Keep the up good work Danial and team - great photos and great stories.
Thanks.

Exactly right. Arrive is the only magazine which I always read from cover to cover. It's not only because the articles match my interests in cycling, it's also because it draws from a very knowledgeable pool of writers who are writing because they have something to say (be it amusing, enthralling, descriptive, informative, etc) rather than because they have to write 5 reviews a week and the next piece just perms the words they used for the last piece substituting appropriately for the new bit of gear being reviewed this time.

[Alouicious]

It costs £19 to become a member of AUK. I paid the five year 'Job lot' fee.

4200 members. How much is that as a membership fee income.

AUK make money on the cards they sell to organisers, together with a £10 reg fee for their event.

Organisers ( a lot of bike clubs ) know that the 100 km and 150 km events are very popular. They pay AUK for the cards and £10 fee, and then make money charging AUK members and allcomers £6 to enter.

AUK and the organiser are both making money.

I'm sorry again. 100 km and 150 km Calendar events is where the money is, not the smaller numbers of 400s and 600s.

I ask, where would AUK be now without the 100 and 150 km Calendar events organised year in, year out?
Why do you think the Brevet Series was devised? It was because there were so many members who didn't fancy riding 300, 400 and 600 for a SR.

I spent ten years with Audax before I got round to riding a 300. There are so many badges to collect by riding Pops alone.

The contributors on this web forum are a special breed. They, like me, are passionate about AUK and they progress rapidly because that's what they want to do.
The remaining 4000 AUK members who don't post on this forum, I can only think they make up the thousands of 100 km ( 9000 ish ) riders each year.

If anyone was to say "There will be no 100km rides as from 1/11/11", half the membership would disappear.


AUK have set themselves up to be the No. 1 Ultracycling club in this Nation.
What do they do next?
Come a hard line and only permit rides of 200km and longer, or promote more Populaires?

The questionaire is to looksee the intent of the membership.
If the majority of the membership show themselves to be 'dayride' entrants, AUK must bend with the wind and cater more for them.

[Manotea]

Looking at the spring 2010 edition which is to hand there were several reports from early season Pop events along with longer calendar and perm events, domestic & overseas. That the current edition allocated space to aticles on prepping for PBP is just topical reporting, ISTM.

As a prospective PBPer, articles that include the magic phrase 'by now you should have' have certainly given me cause for thought!

[Manotea]

If the majority of the membership show themselves to be 'dayride' entrants, AUK must bend with the wind and cater more for them.

but a 200km is a dayride...I wasn't aware that AUK & Organisers were in it for the money.

I believe one of the questionnaire questions is ' do you believe there are enough awards for shorter events. It's nice to know that at least one BPer feels they are fully catered for.

[CrinklyLion]

I must be one of the least serious audaxers possible.  I've done one 100, and one 50 (for which I took along a pannier full of cake and a tame 9 year old, and which I rode in jeans and NO LYCRA at all).  I don't feel in any way excluded or looked down on by the Scary_Mile_Munchers or the AAA addicts.  I do feel that my 19 quid membership fee, which I could have avoided because I have 3rd party insurance through the CTC and so could have ridden as a non-member, represents pretty good value and is money that I'm very happy to spend to support the organisation.  And I can't see how the org in Tamworth can have made much out of my £3.50 entry fee, given that it included my platform ticket at Shackerstone and a quid off my carvery.  I rather enjoy the RRs about the completely ridiculous Silly_Bike_Adventures that some audaxers undertake.  If you feel that there's a shortage of reports of shorter events, write some and see if they are up to scratch for inlusion.  

Maybe I should get the Cub to write up his next one and send it in

[Wobbly]

I put my vote firmly in the Arrivée-is-an-excellent-read camp. This is because, IMO, it covers the wide spectrum of Audax riders - from those for whom riding 100km (sorry, 65 miles)  is a long-distance ride up to PBP/LEL and longer.

As others have said, if you want to read about more BPs in Arrivée then get off your backside and write some. I did.

[Philip Whiteman]

I have read this thread with interest.  There are some interesting points on, 'why don't we have more of' and 'articles only represent those that are submitted to the magazine'.  

This is open question and a thought, if Arrivee included shorter articles, would more people be prepared to include articles?   At the moment many of the articles are fairly lengthy, sometimes contain many good photographs and indicate a great deal effort by the authors in writing essay length texts.  But does this deter people who may wish to write something snappier?    That could go someway towards encouraing authors to write about BPs, non LEL articles, etc.  

PS.  I still enjoy reading the magazine and in no way are my comments above a criticism of current authors, editors, etc. 
PPS. I also assume that there is no policy against short brief articles.

[Ray 6701]

Who's cycling to the start for PBP then ? and back again. I see Mr Steve Abraham is looking for some cycling nut jobs to take on his mad venture.

If I get around the Clawwd offa 600k & qualify I will be riding out & back as it will be the only way I can afford to do it.  400k over 3 days is not going to make a great deal of difference is it really.

[Martin]

Organisers ( a lot of bike clubs ) know that the 100 km and 150 km events are very popular. They pay AUK for the cards and £10 fee, and then make money charging AUK members and allcomers £6 to enter.

if you know anyone who does after paying all the upfront costs hall hire food and then taking the helpers out for a meal please let me know; I'd love to pick their brains 

[Manotea]

Some of the articles are rather long and can be a somewhat hard / repetitive read. I fear this is a consequence of narrative reports of long distance cycling. More photographs have certainly helped break things up. Maybe the answer is to encourage articles which focus on specific aspects/events/locations of the ride rather than a longform narrative.

Thinking back, for example, to an edition of the Elinith a few years back, I'm sure readers would be more interested in the Hen Party dressed as bunny girls circulating round the square then what I bought from the co-op for lunch!

[David Martin]

Well, we make a small profit on our club reliability ride.. which is cheaper and includes food etc. Obviously it isn't an Audax.

As to report lengths - maybe encourage a 'views from the saddle' which would be one or two paragraphs, maybe a photo. More of an Audax mosaic than a photograph of a single event.

I must admit to not having opened Arrivee yet.

..d

[hellymedic]

 

Worth remembering, also, that AUK was founded specifically to enable UK riders to enter PBP.

That is almost all. I first read about PBP in the International Cycling Guide in the early 1980s (article by Steve Nicholas, a founder of AUK).
 I found the story of such an epic ride inspirational even if I never thought I could ride such a thing.

[billplumtree]

Maybe I should get the Cub to write up his next one and send it in

Yes, do!  A short report from a 9-year old, full of "...and at the top we stopped and Mum got some more cake out...", would be just fantastic   

[Billy Weir]

PPS. I also assume that there is no policy against short brief articles.

Writing about underpants is discouraged, even if thonglike in description.

[Jaded]

More photographs have certainly helped break things up.

Yes, as do more headers and pull-quotes.

It puts more onus on the editors/typesetters though.

[MattH]

Maybe I should get the Cub to write up his next one and send it in

Yes, do!  A short report from a 9-year old, full of "...and at the top we stopped and Mum got some more cake out...", would be just fantastic   

+1! It's not too late to write up the last one, and you have the photos too. It needn't be thousands of words, I'm sure even a brief 1/4 page report would get in.

[hellymedic]

I still have yet to receive my Spring 2011 Arrivée.
 

[mattc]

Warning: Alouicious-related post:

(click to show/hide)

If anyone was to say "There will be no 100km rides as from 1/11/11", half the membership would disappear.

AUK have set themselves up to be the No. 1 Ultracycling club in this Nation.
What do they do next?
Come a hard line and only permit rides of 200km and longer, or promote more Populaires?

Stop being a dick - you've tried this line before. Noone is suggesting ditching <200km rides, and AUK have specifically created various awards for those events.

This despite the raison d'etre of AUK being PBP.

The questionaire is to looksee the intent of the membership.
If the majority of the membership show themselves to be 'dayride' entrants, AUK must bend with the wind and cater more for them.

What do you think needs to change? If people are riding lots of 100s, what's the problem? I'm sure the Q'aire will be useful, but we already know how many riders stick to 100ks - it's on the bloody website, which anyone in the world can read!

[Euan Uzami]

...
In my opinion, all this 'PBP stuff' could go on the website because its ONLY of interest to those members who are riding the PBP.
...

who ARE riding it or are thinking of it. Big difference. You could argue that it is (or should be) of more interest to the latter.

[Martin]

I found the content pretty PBP and "cycling to the moon and back" related this month; but to be expected at this time;

there's a very good way for members to be able to read more mundane 100km etc articles