First Audax

cld531c · July 2017

Hi
Doing my first Audax in September, only 137k but a fair few nasty hills.
Got myself a Garmin to download the route to as the printed instrustions may aswell have been in Russian for what sense they made to me. Will be keeping Cateye on incase of Garmin issues.
Any tips from experianced Audaxers?
Thanks

craigus89 · July 2017

Not sure how much experience you have riding generally but a few pointers.

Try to get a ride in fairly close (within a couple of weeks if possible) at at least 80% of the mileage you'll do on the day.

Keep eating and drinking, don't forget to do this when you're tired as it's common to forget when you start to fatigue.

Again, depending on how much riding you've done in the past, but I found on the first 165k Audax I did I tried to stick with a group who were too quick for me and at the first stop at 50k I was feeling wrecked and didn't enjoy the next 80k. Ride at your own pace.

Enjoy it, they're great fun and usually a good mob of people do them.

cld531c · July 2017

Cheers.
Getting the mileage in at the moment and hill training coming soon! Im pretty confident about completing it OK (despite the state I may be in afterwards) - my main concern is getting lost! Good tip re not going off too fast, will hopefully find a sedate group to ride with otherwise it couldbe a long day...

craker · July 2017

Which one is it? Some of the smaller ones might only have a few dozen riders in them and you could find yourself riding alone.

Following the route sheets seems to be a lost art, what with these new fangled gps things - *if* you can find a way to mount the directions on your bars, so you're aware of what the next instruction is and how far away it's going to be, they make much more sense once you're in the zone.

GPS does make life easy, providing it doesn't run out of battery or crash on you (and make sure the route is uploaded to it and working *before* you turn up at the start, been with plenty of folk who suddenly find out the transfer hasn't worked for some reason).

The guys over at yacf are quite into their audaxes, you may find some chat their more useful.

cld531c · July 2017

It's Mommas Mountain Views, 2 September.
I might get myself a map and see if i can decipher the instructions - I have old gears hence wires at the front so Im sure a laminator and a couple of pegs will do the trick (if I can work out what they mean).
Will have a look at yacf, thanks

craigus89 · July 2017

I laminate the route sheet and found I can slip it in between my bottle cage and frame rather than in a jersey pocket. My pockets are usually full of food and clothing as I don't have any other bags on my bike except a tiny saddle bag with tube and tool in it, so getting a sheet in and out was tricky. Obviously depends on your bottle cage design.

ugo.santalucia · July 2017

You'll be fine. GPX is all you need. I always print and laminate the instructions, but rarely use them, other than to check where the controls are.

On the Audax website there is a lowdown of what means what, like L@T means left at the T junction SO means straight over, SP is signposted and so on.

Remember it's not a sportive, you don't have to ride furiously to oblivion... you've got plenty of time to go around the route

cld531c · July 2017

ugo.santalucia wrote:

You'll be fine. GPX is all you need. I always print and laminate the instructions, but rarely use them, other than to check where the controls are.

On the Audax website there is a lowdown of what means what, like L@T means left at the T junction SO means straight over, SP is signposted and so on.

Remember it's not a sportive, you don't have to ride furiously to oblivion... you've got plenty of time to go around the route

Thanks - will look at the Audax site more closely - if I know the code will have a better chance of deciphering it

Looking forward to it as I have a suspicion that Audaxers (is that a word?) are my kind of people...

hugo15 · July 2017

Do a bit of prep by working through the route on Google Maps so you know roughly where it goes. Use Streetview to have a look at the junctions/turns to give you a preview of what to expect. For 137 kms you shouldn't have Garmin battery life issues so hopefully the route sheet won't be required. I'd stick it in my back pocket just in case.

Take a small pencil/pen like the ones you get from Ikea/Bookies to write the answer to any info controls.

Have fun!

ugo.santalucia · July 2017

cld531c wrote:

Looking forward to it as I have a suspicion that Audaxers (is that a word?) are my kind of people...

There are very nice people as well as truly awful people there too... what you won't probably find is the level of competititiveness that you find in sportives... nobody will try to murder you coming down a descent, these sort of things don't happen.

cld531c · July 2017

Thanks all

Ankles50 · July 2017

Make sure you've set your computers to Km

Small pen (borrowed from the local bookmakers) in the saddle bag

I write the check point distances in biro on the top of my wrist, so i don't have to keep fishing the brevet card out to remind myself when the next one is

wotnoshoeseh · July 2017

If you can get the route off RideWithGPS and download it to your Garmin you will have turn by turn directions. That's what I did for the first one I did.

wotnoshoeseh · July 2017

PS Good luck!!

cld531c · July 2017

Thanks all!

wotnoshoeseh · August 2017

I have now completed two audaxes, both 200 km routes.
So what did I find out....

The routes are available on ridewithGPS and can be downloaded onto GPS with turn by turn directions. You need to pace yourself - because you can do a club run of 40 miles at 19 mph doesn't mean you can do 200k @ similar speed. Don't attack things - aerobic workrate is key through the day. Similarly no calorie debt or hydration issues - eat and drink well. Lastly, you will find out stuff about yourself, and your ability to persevere and keep going (bleak moments are part of it!!).
Good luck

Brakeless · August 2017

Nice one. If you can do 200 you can do a 300 !

ugo.santalucia · August 2017

Brakeless wrote:

Nice one. If you can do 200 you can do a 400 !

FTFY

cld531c · August 2017

ugo.santalucia wrote:

Brakeless wrote:

Nice one. If you can do 200 you can do a 400 !

FTFY

First one (next week) is only 137km with 2000m of climbs but mentally planning to try and do a super randonneur at some point! Baby steps:-)
Will let you know how it went and thanks again all :-)

ugo.santalucia · August 2017

cld531c wrote:

ugo.santalucia wrote:

Brakeless wrote:

Nice one. If you can do 200 you can do a 400 !

FTFY

First one (next week) is only 137km with 2000m of climbs but mentally planning to try and do a super randonneur at some point! Baby steps:-)
Will let you know how it went and thanks again all :-)

The GPS has it at 130 km with 1600 mt of climbing... not to bad

https://ridewithgps.com/trips/17079471

courtmed · August 2017

Good luck! Something I'm interested in trying at some point, maybe next year. Let us know how it goes

cld531c · August 2017

ugo.santalucia wrote:

cld531c wrote:

ugo.santalucia wrote:

Brakeless wrote:

Nice one. If you can do 200 you can do a 400 !

FTFY

First one (next week) is only 137km with 2000m of climbs but mentally planning to try and do a super randonneur at some point! Baby steps:-)
Will let you know how it went and thanks again all :-)

The GPS has it at 130 km with 1600 mt of climbing... not to bad

https://ridewithgps.com/trips/17079471

Prefer that to the 2000 it says on the web :-)

ugo.santalucia · August 2017

cld531c wrote:

Prefer that to the 2000 it says on the web :-)

Some organisers over hype the climbing to attract those AUK members who collect AAA points. I have done AAA events that turned out to be fairly flat... this was one of them (stunning course though)

https://www.strava.com/activities/1074990618

cld531c · August 2017

ugo.santalucia wrote:

cld531c wrote:

Prefer that to the 2000 it says on the web :-)

Some organisers over hype the climbing to attract those AUK members who collect AAA points. I have done AAA events that turned out to be fairly flat... this was one of them (stunning course though)

https://www.strava.com/activities/1074990618

That looks a lovely route - maybe one for next year.
Glad to hear re the climbing - thought I had dropped a boo boo picking one with 2 AAA points rather than none!

Brakeless · August 2017

ugo.santalucia wrote:

cld531c wrote:

Prefer that to the 2000 it says on the web :-)

Some organisers over hype the climbing to attract those AUK members who collect AAA points.

If they did (they don't) they would be called out pretty quickly.

ugo.santalucia · August 2017

Brakeless wrote:

If they did (they don't) they would be called out pretty quickly.

It's the age old problem of how you measure it. I have found most GPX files suppied by the organisers to come short of elevation with both RidewithGPS and BIkehike. Then of course you ride them with a Garmin 800, plot them on Strava and come up even bigger than the organisers claim.

I am led to believe AUK have developed their own tool which are going to roll out for organisers. I submitted a GPX for a permanent to the AAA secretary and with the tool it came up 1.5 K... when Bikehike gave it at 1.7, so it might well be a few events will lose their AAA

Brakeless · August 2017

ugo.santalucia wrote:

Brakeless wrote:

If they did (they don't) they would be called out pretty quickly.

It's the age old problem of how you measure it. I have found most GPX files suppied by the organisers to come short of elevation with both RidewithGPS and BIkehike. Then of course you ride them with a Garmin 800, plot them on Strava and come up even bigger than the organisers claim.

I am led to believe AUK have developed their own tool which are going to roll out for organisers. I submitted a GPX for a permanent to the AAA secretary and with the tool it came up 1.5 K... when Bikehike gave it at 1.7, so it might well be a few events will lose their AAA

That's very different to organisers 'overhyping' thier events.

secretsam · August 2017

Stupid question: what sort of bikes are needed for these types of ride? Are there rules?

I'm quite keen to try one, but don't have GPX option and am also quite slow, so would need to build up to the mileage

cld531c · August 2017

SecretSam wrote:

Stupid question: what sort of bikes are needed for these types of ride? Are there rules?

I'm quite keen to try one, but don't have GPX option and am also quite slow, so would need to build up to the mileage

From Audax UK
"What kind of bike is best for Audax?
The truth is, anything will do. But make sure it is roadworthy, well maintained and checked over before the start of any long ride.
The most popular type of bike is something at the 'fast' end of 'touring', and many UK manufacturers now offer bikes badged as 'Audax' or 'Randonneur', which will have quite a lot in common with a lightweight steel-framed club racing bike while retaining the necessary clearances and brazings for mudguards and a luggage rack."

Im going to give Saturday a go without the rack and mudguards, need all the help I can get :-)

stevie63 · August 2017

SecretSam wrote:

Stupid question: what sort of bikes are needed for these types of ride? Are there rules?

I'm quite keen to try one, but don't have GPX option and am also quite slow, so would need to build up to the mileage

Literally anything will do. On a typical Audax you will see Fast aero carbon bikes, steel framed tourers, tandams, trikes, recumbents, maybe even Eliptigos. Some Organisers do insist on mudguards particularly in spring and autumn. The only rules are to do the event under your own steam (no electrical assist)

You will get a route sheet (you will need to print out your own) to follow if you're not high tech. With regards to Mileage, try out a 100k event first. They give you 8 hours to get round so you do not need to be fast.