What audaxes U doing in 2009

Crapaud

So far I've pencilled in:

25 Apr

Pitlochry 150 150 km
26 Apr Glen Isla 100
02 May Port Navigation Light 200 km
03 May Ardnamurchan Quarter 150 km
24 May Kingdom of Fife 200 km
16 Aug Pitlochry 200 200 km
29 Aug Dulsie Dipper 200 km
04 Sep Midnight Madness 200 kmI'd have liked to do The Half Light and/or The Snow Roads 300km, but I don't think that I'll be fit enough.

The 2nd and 3rd of May I'm going to make a long weekend of. I plan to cycle to and from Oban. If the weather's good I might extend it to a week.

The Midnight Madness because I've never cycled in the countryside at night before.

What have you guys got planned?

mercurykev

This is my provisional list for this season::

15 Feb Tour of East Lothian, Musselburgh – 100km
01 Mar Dave Harris Memorial, Rosewell – 200km
05 Apr Affywyndie-Lyne, Peebles – 200km
25 Apr Pitlochry 150, Forfar – 150km
02 May Port Navigation Light, Ballachulish – 200km
03 May The Half Light, Ballachulish – 300km
17 May Deeside Loop, Forfar – 200km
06 Jun The Snow Roads, Kirriemuir – 300km
29 Aug Dulsie Dipper, Newtonmore – 200km
30 Aug Strathspey Treasure Hunt, Newtonmore – 82km
04 Sep Midnight Madness, Biggar,Lanarkshire – 200km
20 Sep Three Glens Explorer, Dalmeny, nr Edinburgh – 160km

Word is that there will be a number of other rides (100km, 50km & 200km) out of Kirriemuir to coincide with the Snow Roads. The idea is to allow people to make a weekend of it. A few of us did a trial run of the Midnight Madness in September and it is a good route for a night ride. Very little navigation, no major climbs and 24 hour garages for controls. You also get to climb the Devil's beeftub at dawn, on the way back from England.

I'm also planning to slot in a 400 and 600 perm to get my SR. Probably the Kingdom Come 400 and the Twighlight 600.

Crapaud

mercurykev wrote:

... Word is that there will be a number of other rides (100km, 50km & 200km) out of Kirriemuir to coincide with the Snow Roads. The idea is to allow people to make a weekend of it. ...

That'd be good. I don't have anything for June. I was trying to arrange 1 a month.

mercurykev wrote:

... A few of us did a trial run of the Midnight Madness in September and it is a good route for a night ride. Very little navigation, no major climbs and 24 hour garages for controls. You also get to climb the Devil's beeftub at dawn, on the way back from England. ...

I didn't realise that it made a sortie into Englandland - couldn't find the route on Bikely - I'd better look out my passport.

I'm going to leave an SR 'till 2010. Next year's a getting-back-to-fitness year, hence all the 200s. Depending how it goes I may attempt a 300, but I'm not counting my chickens.

mercurykev

This is the route for the Midnight Madness:

http://www.bikely.com/maps/bike-path/down-to-longtown

It's basically Biggar to Longtown and back again.

If you manage the early 200, don't discount fitting in a 300 before the end of the season. This year I managed my first 200, 300, 400 & 600, when I was only planning on bagging the 300. Strangely my favourite ride of the year was the 400 - I think that it's the first distance that truely feels like you're an audaxer. Probably caused by the fact that you start in the morning and have to ride through the night. Even the 600 felt like a bit of a cheat, due the the 3 hours sleep in the middle :-)

Crapaud

Thanks for the route, MK. I had a look at the map last night and couldn't work out how a loop could get onto foreign soil. Following the M74 is probably best done in darkness.

A couple of years ago I worked my way up to 200km by doing 70, 100, 150s and each one was a struggle towards the end. It left me with the impression that cycling distance is a miserable, masochistic pastime. I know that this isn't true, so my goal for 2009 is to get comfortable, again, at 200km (my longest ride to date is just over 200). As long as I can see improvement over the year I'll be happy.

Experience with pace, routesheets and equipment are another factor. 200 should be 'easy' by the time of the Midnight Madness and the night-riding experience is perfectly placed to launch me into the longer distances in 2010.

At least that's the plan.

Le Commentateur

Only one definite: the Kent Invicta Grimpeur, as a warm up for the Flanders sportive a few weeks later. Riding to/from the audax will make it a 160 km ride, so a reasonable distance as well as all the climbing.

vermooten

So far only A Mere Century and Gospel Pass if it's actually on this year. Wouldn't mind Spring Into The Dales too.

ColinJ

vermooten wrote:

So far only A Mere Century and Gospel Pass if it's actually on this year. Wouldn't mind Spring Into The Dales too.

If you like SITD, you'd love Chris Crossland's sister event from Hebden Bridge in October - Season of Mists. Even hillier - 2555 m of climbing in 100 km, some of it at > 20%!

zoomcp

Willy Warmer
El Supremo's 1066 DIY'd into a 200
El Supremo's Uppertea 200
El Supremo's 300
Severn Across

and a few more including the usual Grimpeurs du Sud www.egcc.net/audax

Noodley

mercurykev wrote:

Word is that there will be a number of other rides (100km, 50km & 200km) out of Kirriemuir to coincide with the Snow Roads.

Yep, 3 other events on the same weekend as the Snow Roads. A 100 miler on the Saturday and a 100km and 200km on the Sunday. I shall be riding the shorter distances both days.

mercurykev

Noodley wrote:

mercurykev wrote:

Word is that there will be a number of other rides (100km, 50km & 200km) out of Kirriemuir to coincide with the Snow Roads.

Yep, 3 other events on the same weekend as the Snow Roads. A 100 miler on the Saturday and a 100km and 200km on the Sunday. I shall be riding the shorter distances both days.

If you're riding the short one on Saturday, who am I going to have to chum me to Braemar? You can't have got bored of the Snow Roads already!

Noodley

mercurykev wrote:

Noodley wrote:

mercurykev wrote:

If you're riding the short one on Saturday, who am I going to have to chum me to Braemar? You can't have got bored of the Snow Roads already!

I am being one of eck's not so little helpers this year and shall be riding the 300 and 200 the week before.

I am sure you will find someone faster than me to get you along to Braemar...

fluff.

This year I am mostly going to try Audaxes for the first time. Sportives seem to be getting racier and hillier every year and that really isn't my thing. I figured start at 100 and work up to 200 by August and do : Wem, we get there. Tamworth 208 km (I could even ride home from this one too).

Greenbank

Crapaud wrote:

What have you guys got planned?

31-JAN Willy Warmer 200
28-FEB Brazier's Run 100 (made into a DIY 200 by cycling there from SW London)
22-MAR Out of Hibernation 200
29-MAR The Dean 300, DIY 100 the next day to get home from Oxford
25-APR Elenith 300
16-MAY Bryan Chapman Memorial 600
26-MAY DIY 400 London to Padstow via Dartmoor (will take the geared bike for this one)
6-JUN DIY 200 somewhere
27-JUN Midland Super Grimpeur 300 (geared bike again)
4-JUL DIY 400 Dun Run and back home to SW London
26-JUL LEL 1400
??-AUG Cheddar Gorge 300 Perm
??-SEP Possible DIY 600: Cambridge - Builth Wells - Cambridge, but I might be fed up with the bike by this time
Oct/Nov/Dev will just be relatively local 200s

monstadog

I've got these planned , plus probably one or two more


11 Jan Goodbye Christmas Yorkshire Pudding
21 Feb North-West Passage
14 Mar Three Fields
29 Mar Fountains Monk'y-business
18 Apr Roses to Wrags
02 May Wiggy 300
09 May Everybody Rides to Skeggy!
17 May East Riding 200
30 may diy 600
13 Jun Moors and Wolds 400
28 Jun Mother Shipton 100
04 Jul Humber Bridge 400
june/ july 3 bridges
20 Sep Fen and Wold
11 Oct Gerry's Autumn Brevet
October colours of clumber x 2

Crapaud

Greenbank wrote:

... 26-JUL LEL 1400 ...

I'd half forgotten that it's LEL year. I'll need to remember to check over by to see if they're doing the 'live' reports like PBP a couple of years ago. It was the most gripping thread that I've ever read in the interweb. Someday I'll get round to doing it.

Good luck Greenbank. I hope you get better weather that the PBPers.

Greenbank

Crapaud wrote:

Greenbank wrote:

... 26-JUL LEL 1400 ...

I'd half forgotten that it's LEL year. I'll need to remember to check over by to see if they're doing the 'live' reports like PBP a couple of years ago. It was the most gripping thread that I've ever read in the interweb. Someday I'll get round to doing it.

Good luck Greenbank. I hope you get better weather that the PBPers.

Someone else will have to write the automatic tracker thingamibob since I'll be on my bike.