bbc i player,scottish audax

[fretsaw]

playing now,on bbci player;the adventure show,series 5.
scottish long distance audax;well worth a watch;bon courage!

[yakdiver]

Thank you

[LollyKat]

viewtopic.php?f=9&t=92403

[maxcherry]

I enjoyed watching this. Lovely countryside and roads.

[SteveHunter]

Downloaded it to my tablet, will watch it on the train in the morning

[chocjohn9]

I enjoyed this but can not find a website that explains a 2015 entry to the event....I confess that I am tempted.
I do know that there was quite a bit of interest in this ride but only 30-odd folk turned up so there were rumblings of it not happening again...??

[beardy]

Here is the website that you would have to keep scouring.

http://www.aukweb.net/events/?From=15%2 ... a=&Region=

It may well not run next year as it is a PBP year and people tend to let that take over everything else.

That was just the Audax which made the TV, the others also have their charms even if they lack the celebrity status.

[LondonBikeCommuter]

Watched it on my phone this morning. Two things of note... 1. Proof that the sun does sometimes shine in Scotland
2. No women riders.

Would like to have seen a bit more of the mental side of doing long Audax's. Am thinking of doing a 100k when the weather improves and from there I'll see.

[beardy]

1) The organiser, Mark Rigby, does have a bit of a standing joke about guaranteeing the weather.
I have done at least one of his (shorter) rides through a rather flooded landscape but I dont think that it was actually raining on us at the time.

2) A taboo subject probably. There were women on that ride, you just were not looking closely enough and the film crew had selected others to concentrate on.
There were 29 riders but only 24 finished*. It appears from the names of the finishers that none were women.

I know plenty of women riders who are more capable than me at Audax but I know a lot more men who are. I know a few women who are capable of doing that Audax but I know a substantially larger number of men who are.

There are two aspects to doing an Audax, you have to capable of doing it but you also have to want to do it. That "want to do it" involves things like transport, childcare, time off work, pre and post ride accommodation. The "want to" also involves the attractiveness of facilities provided on the ride, this was an X rated event, these are the toughest where basically you have almost nothing provided for you by the organiser.

So it appears there were no women who were both willing to enter and able to finish. This isnt meant as a sexist criticism (but I am sure it will be taken as such by some) it was a high bar to reach and way beyond my wants or ability.

This event had lots of added difficulties even for an X rated (remote location, ferries to wreck timings, very long distances between supplies and possible accommodation, midges, heat) and doing any 1300k ride is a challenge to start with.

No film can ever give the Audax experience because films want to be quick and make an impact, Audax is about a long slow drawn out endurance, just keeping those pedals turning hour after hour, and on that ride day after day. Having to face yet another grinding climb on legs that were knackered a long, long time ago. It wouldnt make very good telly, you would soon start looking at the scenery instead.

*To finish you must be within the time and within the rules, some of them may have still ridden the distance but not technically "finished".

[Paulatic]

If you want a further, video, insight into Audax I can recommend Damon Peacock. Check out his channel on YouTube.
Don't know how far back in time they go as I've not sat through them all. I did feature in one of his early productions, which included "ower the edge", which was released on DVD.