what's the current state of UK Audax ?

[Hot Flatus]

It's not an easy distinction to make if one has the attributes of a typical audaxers.

Long time (12 years) forum members will get this 

[AK]

As a newbie to audax but a fairly experienced club cyclist, I’ve been following this thread with interest. I think part of the audax mystique is working out what it actually is, and I guess it can be different things for different folks, and that’s surely a good thing? I’m lucky in that I have some good friends in my club who have ridden audax for years and I’ve been able to pick their brains and find out a bit more about it. My impression would be that someone who didn’t know what audax is May find it a bit confusing at first; a bit like timetrialling course codes, easy to understand once you’ve done one or two, but initially confusing.

My reasons for doing them this year were to give me some longer, base miles in preparation for a 12 hour tt. That said, 10 years a bashing up and down dual carriageways has begun to lose it’s appeal and audax was a way for me to try something else, and I have really enjoyed it and I can see myself doing more audax and less time trialling in the future.

If I’m honest, I am a bit of a sportive snob. Anything that gets people out of bikes and taking exercise is a good thing, but £80ish for a gpx route and some gels and flapjacks seems quite steep to me. I’m sure there are costs that I’m not aware of, but quite a few of them seem to be very steep for what they are. The standard of riding is very variable too, and I’d just rather not be near people who either don’t know how to ride in a group or worse, don’t care how to ride in a group. I have done two and can’t see myself riding any more.

I guess I may be perceived by some as a newbie ‘full kit w***er’. I  ended up riding the London-Wales-London relatively fast, but that wasn’t a conscious decision; I simply rode at a pace that was good for me, with others that were chugging along at a pace that was sustainable for me too. I have every respect for all the other riders that finished, no matter what time they finished and I really like the fact that in audax, time, for the most part, is irrelevant.

[Ivan]

Interesting point about PBP and maybe that's why I'm more drawn to ultracycling races for longer distances. In some ways TCR, TAW, etc. maintain the self-supported appeal of audaxing more than PBP or LEL. You get a brevet card and then just try and make it round the controls before the finishers' party - every event should always finish in a pub (ACH rule #5).

But this all helps UK Audax as well. I met quite a few first-timers on TINAT last weekend drawn in by Mike Hall's legacy, as well as TCR veterans on other events including my own, not least thanks to Mike's participation in BC, BCM, etc.

[citoyen]

Come off it - you do need to put some hours in on the bike separately from the actual events so that the longer rides aren't a torturous ordeal...

Yes and no... This time last week, I'd done a total of less than 800km cycling according to my Strava log. Then I went and did the 1000km Scottish ride.

I'll admit that it would definitely have been preferable to have got a few long rides in by way of warm-up, but I coped OK. I certainly wouldn't describe it as a torturous ordeal - well, except for a few moments towards the end of the first 456km leg to Oban...

[Manotea]

Interesting point about PBP and maybe that's why I'm more drawn to ultracycling races for longer distances. In some ways TCR, TAW, etc. maintain the self-supported appeal of audaxing more than PBP or LEL. You get a brevet card and then just try and make it round the controls before the finishers' party - every event should always finish in a pub (ACH rule #5).

But this all helps UK Audax as well. I met quite a few first-timers on TINAT last weekend drawn in by Mike Hall's legacy, as well as TCR veterans on other events including my own, not least thanks to Mike's participation in BC, BCM, etc.

Whilst I don' t have Ivan's ultra credentials (I still find 400km a long way, tbh) I'm in much the same place. It's about the route. I'm not especially interested in TLC though a bit of company at controls is very welcome, if only to reassure I'm still on track.

Shorter events with TLC (starting to hate that term... patronising/condescending... something else for those that will to be knobbish about... ) dedicated controls with refreshments do have their role though.

I get a lot of very positive feedback from Randonneurs (because they are now...) who say the London Ditchling Devil was their first Audax and they plan on doing more.

[Redlight]

I get a lot of very positive feedback from Randonneurs (because they are now...) who say the London Ditchling Devil was their first Audax and they plan on doing more.

I guess the question is: how do we convert them into also becoming members - or do we want to?

[mattc]

The 1st Audax weekend of June 2018 may go down as having the highest number of 1st timers* in history


*Might need to say 200km+ events only, and allow BPs

[Ivan]

And the number of DNFs by members since, er, the Easter Arrow?

[GrahamG]

Come off it - you do need to put some hours in on the bike separately from the actual events so that the longer rides aren't a torturous ordeal...

Yes and no... This time last week, I'd done a total of less than 800km cycling according to my Strava log. Then I went and did the 1000km Scottish ride.

I'll admit that it would definitely have been preferable to have got a few long rides in by way of warm-up, but I coped OK. I certainly wouldn't describe it as a torturous ordeal - well, except for a few moments towards the end of the first 456km leg to Oban...

I know there's workarounds, but for most it means a long ride (4 hours odd +) on a weekend day away from family once or twice a month. My alternative this year has been a basement turbo set up that's visited three or four times a week on my lunch break at work, but that's me being a little obsessive about not 'falling off the wagon' bike wise like I did with the first baby, most others prefer to actually get fresh air and daylight along with their exercise

[mattc]

And the number of DNFs by members since, er, the Easter Arrow?

Hehe! Indeedy.

(OK, so here's another made-up, possibly true stat; the welsh events  had the Highest Number of BP DNFs by AUK Members.

Unless there is some snowed off 100km from back in the day ... )

[Phil W]

Come off it - you do need to put some hours in on the bike separately from the actual events so that the longer rides aren't a torturous ordeal...

Yes and no... This time last week, I'd done a total of less than 800km cycling according to my Strava log. Then I went and did the 1000km Scottish ride.

I'll admit that it would definitely have been preferable to have got a few long rides in by way of warm-up, but I coped OK. I certainly wouldn't describe it as a torturous ordeal - well, except for a few moments towards the end of the first 456km leg to Oban...

I know there's workarounds, but for most it means a long ride (4 hours odd +) on a weekend day away from family once or twice a month. My alternative this year has been a basement turbo set up that's visited three or four times a week on my lunch break at work, but that's me being a little obsessive about not 'falling off the wagon' bike wise like I did with the first baby, most others prefer to actually get fresh air and daylight along with their exercise

If you cycle to work regularly then you can go straight into an SR series without any additional long rides to take up weekends.

[quixoticgeek]

If you cycle to work regularly then you can go straight into an SR series without any additional long rides to take up weekends.

Depends how far you cycle to work, and the terrain. My 15km round trip to work and back in Amsterdam is not enough training for a 200km BRM in the Ardennes.

J

[Phil W]

If you cycle to work regularly then you can go straight into an SR series without any additional long rides to take up weekends.

Depends how far you cycle to work, and the terrain. My 15km round trip to work and back in Amsterdam is not enough training for a 200km BRM in the Ardennes.

J

Ok, 20 miles and 400m ascent in total per day, five days a week  is enough to jump straight onto an SR series comfortably. 

[quixoticgeek]

Ok, 20 miles and 400m ascent in total per day, five days a week day  is enough to jump straight onto an SR series comfortably.

I'd have to do best part of 100k to get 400m of ascent in...

J

[Phil W]

Ok, 20 miles and 400m ascent in total per day, five days a week day  is enough to jump straight onto an SR series comfortably.

I'd have to do best part of 100k to get 400m of ascent in...

J

Or cycle faster to achieve the same effort. Point is, you do not have to commit, hours at a time, and many weekends in order to complete an SR series.

[Greenbank]

Ok, 20 miles and 400m ascent in total per day, five days a week  is enough to jump straight onto an SR series comfortably.

...if you've already done an SR series at some point before, yes. I've pushed through on some rides where I've been woefully prepared*.

I wouldn't say the same is as true if you've never cycled some of those distances ever before.

* I cycled further on a 24h TT in late July one year than I had cycled in the entire year up to that point (which included a 200km Audax).

[Phil W]

Ok, 20 miles and 400m ascent in total per day, five days a week  is enough to jump straight onto an SR series comfortably.

...if you've already done an SR series at some point before, yes. I've pushed through on some rides where I've been woefully prepared*.

I wouldn't say the same is as true if you've never cycled some of those distances ever before.

Nope that is what I was doing when I did my first SR series; so it applies to that equally as well.

[mattc]

It's lucky that all human cyclists are identical clones, so these statements of training requirements will be correct for anyone that joins AUK (of any age or gender).

(Incidentall, my bingo card won't be complete until we get the phrase; "If I can do it ... " )

[Ian H]

I only organise events under AUK for BRM status and insurance. 

I see no reason why AUK should see other organisations running long events as competition.  Its only essential role is in relation to ACP.

[postie]

If i can do it!!!!!  There you go matt. A full house.

[mattc]

If i can do it!!!!!  There you go matt. A full house.

Thanks 

[wilkyboy]

Ok, 20 miles and 400m ascent in total per day, five days a week day  is enough to jump straight onto an SR series comfortably.

I'd have to do best part of 100k to get 400m of ascent in...

J

I managed 92km and just 230m of ascent around Cambridge last month — The Netherlands aren't the only mind-numbingly boring flat part of the world 

[vorsprung]

Personally, I think there is way too much emphasis on PBP...The Audax world should not revolve around PBP and LEL... personally I have zero desire to do PBP

Yeah but it's a laugh.  And not terribly difficult

[Wycombewheeler]

Ok, 20 miles and 400m ascent in total per day, five days a week day  is enough to jump straight onto an SR series comfortably.

I'd have to do best part of 100k to get 400m of ascent in...

J

I though the Netherlands had secret tech for training for hill climbs   --- headwinds

[Exit Stage Left]

Anyone here ever do long rides without bothering about following a GPS trail, controls or validation - or does that put oneself on an AUK blacklist stripped of their 'randonneur' status?

Just asking for a friend.

Pretty much every Arrivée features a tour report from an AUK member. (Usually not done as a perm, I hasten to add.)

_{[it does make me smile that many of these authors think they are the only AUK ever to ride more than a 100 miles without it being an Audax, but if it makes them happy ... ]}

Articles in Arrivée were the main way that members expressed what they got out of Audax before the growth of new media. There are plenty of people whose motivations come entirely from within Audax, but others take inspiration from the broader cycling world.

I'm not going to ride around the world in a record time, I'm not going to participate in the Tour de France, and I'm not going to bikepack across continents.

But I'm going feel a lot closer to doing those things, if I raise the level of my game through structured increments, starting with distances similar to those which impress the casual fan of stage races.

The state of Audax is related to the state of the long-distance cycling that the public is exposed to, be that LEJOG, stage races, RAAM, TCR, 24 Hour TTs or sportives. I've also ridden with representatives of all those worlds on events. Audax isn't just a fantasy analogue, it's the real thing.

Arrivée and the website are the shop windows.