I did this too, my very first go at an Audax and really enjoyed it. I'm not used to riding in groups, so the start was a little weird for me, but got used to it quickly and after a while people started to spread out a bit so I was mostly riding by myself. The route was fun and I'd agree with the previous post about the central start and finish - I live about ten minutes ride away so this definitely appealed to me as a first timer. There were a couple of people complaining about the lack of a route sheet (there was only a RWGPS print out) but the supplied GPX track worked well for me. The controls were all very pleasant and nicely spaced apart, and it seemed like a nice atmosphere (the amazing weather didn't hurt!). I can definitely see myself doing more of these in the future, big thanks to the organisers for putting it on!