This is Audax

Commuting, Day rides, Audax, Incidents, etc.
PH
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Re: This is Audax

Post by PH »

horizon wrote:I do struggle a bit with the camping (which is a shame) because the bike that you want to carry your gear on might not be the bike you want to cycle 300 km on. But in the summer and on the shorter rides that I might do, it could be a winner. I nearly managed it this year, I'll probably try it again.

I ride Audax at touring speed, I ride everywhere at touring speed, so really any bike you're comfortable on is fine. For a night or two camping on an Audax weekend, I'll just carry the essentials, tent, mat, quilt, jetboil and coffee, washkit, I haven't weighed it but including panniers it'll be no more than 5kg extra compared a Travelodge weekend. Even when I had a dedicated Audax bike of the traditional sort, it coped with it fine.
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Si
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Re: This is Audax

Post by Si »

I'm still scratching my head over the bureaucracy comment. Of all the different organised cycling events I've done I believe that audaxing is right down at the low end of the bureaucracy scale. Walk up to the table, tell them your name, pick up a card, have a nice chat, quick cuppa, off you go.....not the most taxing experience in life. At the stops you just get a stamp on the card...which takes a few seconds. Info controls I tend to just ignore. At the end you just hand in your card while having a chat with the organiser about how much you enjoyed it. I've done weekly community cycle club rides that have more bureaucracy than that!

If I was to look for anything in that video that might be a negative about audax it would be the lack of diversity in terms of lots of white, male, middle class (assumed by the fact that many had very nice bikes), middle aged (ish), people. But that's much of cycling anyway, and I would look to the big boys such at BC, CUK, Sustrans, etc as well as the cycling press, to be addressing this issue before laying it on a small budget, specialist interest club like audax uk.

I do agree with the issue raised about drive-biking through. In the case of many 'serious' audaxers that I know this is often off-set: they use the commute to work as training so the car stays on the drive all week and just comes out for the audax...if they didn't do the audaxing they would drive more. But the events also attract many who might only do a few audax a year and thus the event doesn't give them much incentive to cycle rather than drive at other times. And, of course, the ideal time for an audax in terms of enjoying traffic free roads is early on a Sunday morning, when it's much harder to use a train. Likewise, most the ones I've done have started out in the countryside, some distance from a rail station. This is one of the reasons that I stopped audaxing.
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mjr
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Re: This is Audax

Post by mjr »

Si wrote:I'm still scratching my head over the bureaucracy comment. Of all the different organised cycling events I've done I believe that audaxing is right down at the low end of the bureaucracy scale. Walk up to the table, tell them your name, pick up a card, have a nice chat, quick cuppa, off you go.....not the most taxing experience in life. At the stops you just get a stamp on the card...which takes a few seconds. Info controls I tend to just ignore. At the end you just hand in your card while having a chat with the organiser about how much you enjoyed it. I've done weekly community cycle club rides that have more bureaucracy than that!

1. I've had registration problems at every Audax. Registration not recieved (thankfully I had the Paypal receipt on my phone) or name misspelt (how? I typed it correctly and it was correct on the confirmation).

2. The stamp takes a few seconds. Queuing to get to the stamper takes a few minutes.

3. Doesn't ignoring the info controls get you disqualified?

4. I much prefer cycling events like the Reach Ride: go to the start, have a coffee if you want, listen to the greeting, ride. I see the need to carry a control card on something like La Savoreuse because they need to make sure you've paid and only take one of each course (but I took a second ice cream when invited because they had spares - I guess some must have either DNS or DNF). Most of the time, cards or numbers seems like a waste of paper or plastic. I'm not looking to qualify for PBP or anything so let's save some tree!

5. Those weekly cycle club rides sound bureaucratic to me too. I fill out enough forms at work without doing it for a hobby. YMMV
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TrevA
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Re: This is Audax

Post by TrevA »

Most of my audax rides start from Alfreton, about a mile from Alfreton Railway station. They are mostly on a Saturday, they mostly start at 9am (longer ones do start earlier to make the most of the daylight). I’m a member of AUK, so I get a pre-filled entry form with my name and address, which gets sent electronically to the organiser, I pay on my credit card or via PayPal - the process of entering the event takes about 2 mins. I’ve never had any registration problems in over 50 events entered.

On the day, you just collect your card, have quick cuppa and off you go. Up to you if you want to ride with a group or on your own. You only have to queue at controls if you arrive with a large group. The biggest queue I’ve ever been in has been 3 people. Info controls can be read on the move mostly and you note down the detail at the next stop or at the end, or get your phone out and take a photo of the info control if you can’t remember it. At the end, you just sign your card and hand it in, have another cuppa and possibly a sandwich or cake (with free seconds if you want). And all for around a fiver. The free food at the start and end is usually worth at least that.

You can follow the route sheet, but these days almost all organisers supply a GPX file for your phone or Garmin.
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PH
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Re: This is Audax

Post by PH »

TrevA wrote:I’ve never had any registration problems in over 50 events entered.

I've also sat on the other side of the table a few times, so along with my own that's a sample size of several hundred, not one single person mentioned they thought it bureaucratic, one one single problem with cards or registration. I think the Audax world is obsessed with getting it wrong just for mjr.
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Si
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Re: This is Audax

Post by Si »

Curious, I've never been in a queue for a stamp, cake -yes, but a stamp - no. Perhaps they've just decided they don't like you Mjr ;-)

As for my missingg info's - yes, it means you don't get your brevet completed, but I'm more interested in enjoying the ride than being able to prove I've done it as I didn't do enough audaxes to make it worth collecting points.
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horizon
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Re: This is Audax

Post by horizon »

Si wrote:Curious, I've never been in a queue for a stamp, cake -yes, but a stamp - no. Perhaps they've just decided they don't like you Mjr ;-)



I think that's unfair. Going on an Audax means foregoing that sense of freedom and setting out knowing the day and the ride is yours. There is a box to be ticked and even if simple, it can loom larger in the mind.

OTOH, you get a challenge and a route and someone checking that you are actually doing it. That means a bit of faff but with a big pay-off. It really is horses for courses - I can understand how mjr feels (how a lot of people might feel) but you get what you pay for.
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djrikki
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Re: This is Audax

Post by djrikki »

Thank you for all the comments, it's nice to see a debate Audax on the forum. The intention of this video, and to confirm there will be more over time, is to show the broad spectrum of audax through the rides I have personally experienced over the course of time. I am no Damon Peacock so it is unlikely that you will see a polished documentary-style video from me any time soon. There are indeed many other videos and resources out there for anyone if they wish to find out about the more finer points of long-distance riding.

Si wrote:I do agree with the issue raised about drive-biking through. In the case of many 'serious' audaxers that I know this is often off-set: they use the commute to work as training so the car stays on the drive all week and just comes out for the audax...if they didn't do the audaxing they would drive more.


This is me, in recent months I started a new job were the drive to work is just under 10 miles each way, the car literally stays put on the drive (or will) most of the year except during bad weather or other occasions. I went to the effort of buying a new bike, a hybrid, specifically to reduce my carbon footprint by equipping it with a rear rack and panniers to enable me to not only go to work, but to do shopping as well. I went to the Netherlands this Summer and was inspired by the Dutch to change an unhealthy habit of car-dependancy.

It is true I have personally been to audax events further afield in order to enjoy a plethora of new experiences. However, with regional events I have also made the effort to extend some events by 'commuting' to and from an event; receiving recognition by way of accruing audax points. I have even part-driven to a couple of audax and sportive events this year too to again extend them to either 200km or 300km.

I can sympathise with the notation of events are few and far between and often start from countryside locations; this situation can improve with an increase in membership.
mattheus
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Re: This is Audax

Post by mattheus »

Audax? Car-centric?

have you observed many other types of cycling events?? (-:
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Re: This is Audax

Post by mattheus »

horizon wrote:
PH wrote:I'm sure we've done this one before. It isn't an Audax thing IMO, people drive for their leisure activities, it's hardly surprising they do for Audax, it'd be a bit odd if they didn't.


I think the idea of driving a long way for a cycling event is to me faintly ridiculous and in any case maybe it's time everyone slightly adjusted their leisure horizons! However, I totally agree that:

1. Staying overnight the night before and even afterwards is part of the deal (and maybe even enhance it). I'm up for that. Airbnb makes this cheap enough and helps the local economy.
2. That also makes train travel possible (and maybe cheap off peak fares). Bike booking, advance fare, ride to accommodation, short ride to venue - all possible. Zero extra carbon on half empty trains.
3. It's a good idea to make it part of another trip (e.g. to long lost relations). That might also solve the accommodation issue. :wink:

I do struggle a bit with the camping (which is a shame) because the bike that you want to carry your gear on might not be the bike you want to cycle 300 km on. But in the summer and on the shorter rides that I might do, it could be a winner. I nearly managed it this year, I'll probably try it again.

BTW, I posted originally because the OP invited feedback to the video and the problem of travel is to me a big issue; I think it's almost endemic to Audax and IMV needed to be mentioned. But I don't think it's unsolvable. Indeed your post and Paulatic's have served to inspire me to try again (but it was nice to know from mjr that I'm not the only one :) ).


Good luck with your travels!

If you're in Cornwall, can I suggest looking at the Bristol events? They are multiplying like rabbits at the moment; Brizzle is on numerous main-lines, and the events (that I've done!) seem to start in urban locations.

The YHA is pretty good value for such a central location, and has a reassuring cycle store.
geocycle
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Re: This is Audax

Post by geocycle »

Thanks for the videos djrikki. I like to follow your adventures and get ideas for rides. For me the videos are professional enough to be watchable but also make it seem accessible as you appear to be primarily just a chap on a bike who rides audax and makes films. Some cycling videos are overly slick and lose the essence of just riding. That said, I’m seriously impressed at some of the routes and your ability to film them!
steady eddy
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Re: This is Audax

Post by steady eddy »

We (a loose group of cycling companions sometimes known as Broadland Clarion, depending upon who is riding) love Audaxing - and have done all 4 of John Thompson's great 100k events in Norfolk and Suffolk this year - no bureaucracy,grab your card and go on the off. Lots of camaraderie, lots of cake and toast and we have made good friends on the way. These events have, for the most part covered roads we know, but the added dimension of controls, finding your way and time limits makes this different from a normal ride out. Next year we think we might venture south to ACME (Audax Club Mid Essex)territory for a change of scene and perhaps up the distance.
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TrevA
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Re: This is Audax

Post by TrevA »

I never feel under a time-constraint when riding an audax. The time limits really are generous and even with 2 cafe stops I’m usually an hour or more inside the time limit. I dont rush around either. Probably averaging 12-14mph for the actual riding bits, slower if it’s a hilly one.

In one audax, I collided with a fallen rider just after the first cafe stop, had time to make sure he was OK, rang and waited for an ambulance to arrive, mended the puncture caused by hitting his chainring, set off again, had a 2nd cafe stop, mended another puncture, and still finished within the time limit.
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st599_uk
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Re: This is Audax

Post by st599_uk »

What's the atmosphere like?

Following a serious illness, I'm using my bike to regain strength and conditioning. I'm never going to be super-fit but on my good days can ride at a reasonable speed, but do need to take breaks every 90-120 mins

I'd quite like to do some next year, probably starting at 50 and building up to 100, but had a bad experience with a Sportive where there seemed to be a lot of sneering about someone riding on a comfortable hybrid.

Can anyone just turn up? And does one need to buy a brevet card beforehand?
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mattheus
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Re: This is Audax

Post by mattheus »

Anyone can enter. On any type/shape of cycle. You might get a quiet bunch who don't talk to you, but that's just folk that are loners/shy; or you might meet someone super chatty and friendly, it's the luck of the draw!

It's easier for the organisers if you pre-enter (50 -200k are mainly in the £2-£8 range, so it's not a big outlay). A FEW require it - and some events sell out; a FEW quite like doing on-the-day entries. You can always ask (I can say from experience that pre-entries make it easier to organize an event).

I've been brief - hope I've covered the main points!
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