AAA RTY

[oldbatonabike]

My December ride for AAA points is blogged here:

http://oldbatonabike.wordpress.com/2013/12/08/aaarty/

[Martin]

Chapeau OB 

[tonyh]

Excellent Blog OBOAB, packed with interesting stuff, always a good read with good pictures, thanks!

By the way, although we are Long Distance cyclists, it is possible to get AAA points for rides of less than 100km! To see it in writing from the AAA Man, consult his wealth of advice at

http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/audaxaltitudeaward/aaaevents.html

(also reachable from the AUK site, from "results and awards")

[oldbatonabike]

Thanks Tony.
The shortest DIY distance is 100k which in December was the only event I could do for the AAA points. Probably the same in January too.
For February there is the Primrose Path and for March Coast and Quantocks.
I'm in denial about 12th and 13th April!

http://www.wessexsr.talktalk.net/

[Reg.T]

You can do a DIY 50. If it has over 750m climbing, it should also qualify for AAA points (or fractions).

[tonyh]

(Beaten to it by Reg)

DIY 50s can be entered with any of the DIY organisers. Then as long as you're using GPS, and you manage to fit in at least 15m ascent for every km actually ridden, the AAA Man will award your AAAs.
(You don't declare your climbing in advance; only your control locations, as usual).

And there are non-DIY 50 km perms with AAAs too - see

http://www.aukweb.net/perms/

For example, look at Steve Poulton's "Stroud 5 Valleys".

(OBOAB: you're plenty strong enough to have a good go at 12-13 April!)

[Ningishzidda]

See http://www.ocd.org.uk/

[Arry-R]

oldbatonabike
The photoes and reports are excellent.
Enjoy the whole season and hope you achive you plans for the year
Plan your rides and ride your plan and all that!
Do post some more photoes when time permits

Arry

[jcbike]

Just completed one of these for the first time, it escaped my attention for several years!! Along with much else, It gives me something achieviable as I slow down, big thanks to the AAA guru for all his hard work.

[pedalsheep]

big thanks to the AAA guru for all his hard work

+1
I've also just completed my first AAARTY, its a target that's achievable without too much travelling from the Isle of Wight!

[jamesld8]

Looks very interesting---can fairly easily plot (riidng may be different matter   ) 50k + 750m climb routes for winter DIY around here !!!  so if they`re eligible I`ll give it a shot to add to already planned CE AAA in spring / summer

[CountrySickness]

After doing one year of AAARTY followed by 2 years of RRTY, I came to realise that AAARTY is a great deal more fun in winter (more hills in less time + less frostbite) particularly those us lucky enough to be living west of the Tees-Ex line with the corresponding fine choice of hills.

Do remember that a 50k is anything up to 99k, and 80k at 1.25 is a whopping 0.5 more AAA than a standard AAA 50k, probably more time on the bike and do you know what points mean?

[jamesld8]

Do remember that a 50k is anything up to 99k, and 80k at 1.25 is a whopping 0.5 more AAA than a standard AAA 50k, probably more time on the bike and do you know what points mean?

points meanz prizes  --but yes have vague grasp points system--reckon more difficult thing is devising `valid` routes ensuring no shortcuts could be found

[Reg.T]

I think that is an advantage of the DIY by GPS system - AIUI so long as your control points have a minimum distance of 50km, the AAA points are calculated based on what you actually ride (as evidenced by the GPX file), not the shortest route. Time limit calculated on minimum distance though.

[hillbilly]

I think it is slightly more convoluted than that Reg.  You can get AaA for standalone 50km events.  But sections within longer rides need to be 100km.

[Reg.T]

Yes, maybe, but the thread seems to be about 50km events, so I thought it relevant.

Was going to add that one rider OTP has been known to use 'time in hand' on a 50km (<100km) DIY to do hill repeats in order to get more AAA points from the ride. This was not universally viewed as being in the spirit of Audax though.

[jamesld8]

OK points---just did `test ride` today 50.3 km with 915 m climbing; how many AAA does that get? Is it worth going for 1000m with an extra few km?

[hillbilly]

If the AAA Man agrees your climb figure then  that's 1 point.  The AAA Man may not agree with your climb figure though, depending on whether your GPS track looks sensible (by whatever alchemy he uses to sniff out bogus climb figures).  I think you can safely say, however, that it will get some AAA points as it is 50km and easily more than 750m (your GPS unit would have to be 20% out, which is not unknown but would be a "high" variance). 

Personally, I'd double check you are comfortable the 50.3km is going to pass muster with the DIY organiser (which is a separate question).  It is very close to the minimum qualifying distance of 50km.  DIY by GPS is based on the shortest distance between controls (or at least shortest by whatever algorithm Google Maps uses) not what you actually ride.  No doubt you knew this already and that 50.3km is the shortest...

[jamesld8]

thanks all this---point about 50.3 noted and can easily add in an extra few km and probably---legs permitting ---another 100m nasty Welsh climb !!! There`s nowt flat around here

[tonyh]

can easily add in an extra few km

Just in case anyone has any remaining doubt after Hillbilly's important reminder (his second paragraph):

You can't do it just by riding a bit further, you have to increase your shortest-distance-between-controls (measured by Googlemaps set on "Walking")(and pushed back onto roads if it goes off them).

Easy to do, with GPS.

[jamesld8]

can easily add in an extra few km

Just in case anyone has any remaining doubt after Hillbilly's important reminder (his second paragraph):

You can't do it just by riding a bit further, you have to increase your shortest-distance-between-controls (measured by Googlemaps set on "Walking")(and pushed back onto roads if it goes off them).

Easy to do, with GPS.

No I meant extend one of the triangle corners out further---where would have an `info control`---one issue here is lack of shops etc to get stamps validation--BUT does submitting the .gpx file remove need to do info controls as DIY organiser can validate from my .gpx? Sorry if going over old questions here !!

This  http://connect.garmin.com/activity/416986574 is the 50.3 k trial AAA route I rode--if for `real` I`d extend east corner out by 4-5 km to Stansbatch which I presume would make  it fully valid---whilst this current 50.3 route may be short cuttable

[tonyh]

Excellent route!

The link doesn't say where your controls are, so it's impossible to say what the counting distance is.
When you put control locations into Googlemaps, you can find what the shortest distance between them is, and adjust the locations accordingly.
DIYs don't have info controls - all your controls need proof of passage by receipts OR from your gpx.
Your gpx, though, just gives evidence that you went through the controls - it's the same system as if you were having to collect receipts, with the huge advantage that you don't need receipts and can place controls wherever you like!

The distance recorded by your GPS is not the distance that counts.

You're welcome to submit a trial entry, on the online entry form, to me or to one of the other DIY organisers. If possible, provide a Googlemaps link to your control locations - this saves work for us both! (eg no need to give grid refs, and exact locations are clear from the map).

http://www.aukweb.net/diy/gps/

Tony Hull

[hillbilly]

To be very clear, James.

DIY via a brevet card (so-called "Traditional DIY") is not eligible for AAA points.  If you want AAA points, you will need to ride the event as a "DIY by GPS".

This is stated on the AAA website: http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/audaxaltitudeaward/typesofevents.html

[jamesld8]

Can continental routes count as diy GPS AAA too ? eg rides in Dolomites with 4000m over 100km ish ?

[Manotea]

You bet.