Beginners Audaxes in and around London/SE

menthel

Hi all. Just a quick query to ask as to what is around for beginners in the way of 100-200km Audaxes in and around London (West and south preferred)? I am relatively new to cycling but love riding on my own or with one or two others and like the quiet lanes and byways that seem to be relatively undiscovered just inside and outside of the M25. I have family commitments etc so can't go mega distances for an but am really interested by the audax concept!

apreading

You might want this: http://www.aukweb.net/events/map/?From= ... =southeast

Some from Hampton Hill coming up.

marcusjb

http://www.aukweb.net/events/detail/13-581/ - looks a great first Audax.

Slightly skewed season because it's a London-Edinburgh-London year, but you'll still find plenty in the calendar. Very few start within the M25 - but lots start just outside it. The Nyctophobe 100 or Anfractuous 200 in October are great rides (Anfractuous was my first ever 200).

http://aukweb.net/events/detail/13-886/

marcusjb

Just a quick note on the rides from Hampton Hill. The London Sightseer Audax are legendary and attract a big field, but they are very unusual. They take you around all the sites of London (hence the name), the navigation is quite challenging and the speed is very slow. They are a lot of fun - but very very different to almost every other Audax.

They are certainly not an escape into the countryside lanes!

menthel

marcusjb wrote:

Just a quick note on the rides from Hampton Hill. The London Sightseer Audax are legendary and attract a big field, but they are very unusual. They take you around all the sites of London (hence the name), the navigation is quite challenging and the speed is very slow. They are a lot of fun - but very very different to almost every other Audax.

They are certainly not an escape into the countryside lanes!

I see what you mean with regards route. As a cycling commuter I am not sure I want to go through London for fun!

Thanks for all the other suggestions. I will have to sit down with my diary and the AUK site and see what I could do.

marcusjb

It's massive fun and takes you to bits of London you may never have visited before - but it's not what you're looking for in terms of getting into the lanes etc.

With a bit of forward planning with trains etc., you can get out to many of the 100km rides a little out of London and really escape the grime.

Hope to see you on a ride sometime soon!

marcusjb

Oh - the London Sightseer is just about the slowest Audax on the calendar as well - I think it's bottom speed is 10kph, so you have 10 hours to get around. It is near impossible to get around quickly. I think we took 8.5 hours last year (I can ride a 200 in 8.5 hours on a good day!). Good fun though. I'm in the Pyrenees this year, so won't be riding it.

menthel

Thanks Marcus. I will sit down with the diary and then get my permission slip signed for what I am allowed to do!

kilo

The denmead 200 nr portsmouth will be good, done a few of theirs always well run and good courses, with the a3 tunnel open it's quite quick down there as well