AudaxUK

[Manx Cat]

I see that the season for Audax UK ended on 30 September this year.

Am I being particularly stupid or has this date been changed? Im sure that for the past few years of my membership the season was from the 1st Nov to the 31st Oct or have I simply 'been elsewhere' and not noticed the proper calendar for Audax?


Its not been a problem as my rides are logged from Nov to Oct anyway, but for the first time, I have spotted an official 'end' of the season on their webpage.


I ended up with 77 AAA points for this year! And a double AAARtY award. My personal best. Not riding next year as I am taking a year out, so enjoy your Audaxing those of you who love it as much as I do. Gonna miss it, but Ill be back!

M

[meic]

Yes, last year was a special short 11 month year.

As in a previous year February was part of January. Otherwise some people would have failed to reach their January targets.

[meic]

Not riding next year as I am taking a year out,

You mean you are not going to ride even one local teeny-weeny, itsy-bitsy Audax next year?

I have relaxed from doing DIYs and driving to distant events, RRTYs and longer Audaxes but I still love riding the remaining local 100 and 200s plus cycling to the odd distant 100k as an excuse for a tour.

[Manx Cat]

LOL.... Ok one or twooooo....

I was really hoping for my first attempt at a RRtY Award, but I can only do this up to March. SOOoooo I might see if I can 200km a month until then. So no... not an entire year off, but no challenges

Are you having a go at LEL by any chance?

Im doing a bit of control volunteering for that, and I cant wait! All the fun, none of the pain.

Thanks all for the explanation about the missing month! I was unaware of this, was it weather controlled by any chance? Does it make this next coming year a 13 month one?

[meic]

Sorry, the bit about January and February was a few years ago and nothing to do with this short year.
I dont know why the 11 month year happened.

I think that the year will remain Oct to Oct.

I will not be doing LEL, I can only take so many weeks off from life's commitments.

Before anybody suggests this is a way to screw more membership fees out of people, I really doubt that.
They have always given you months membership of the present year for free if you joined from Sept onwards.

[Manx Cat]

Personally speaking, I find the entire Audax way of cycling and keeping fit, doing my own thing, the cheapest membership out there.

£2.00 for a DIY GPS event!

OK, its a bit more if I do an organised event, but so it should be. There is a huge difference to going alone to someone sorting a route out, finding suitable controls, perhaps even manning these controls, some of course might also provide a hall or school to kip in too. I have been to organised Audax rides that even provide free food and tea there is no way anyone profits from the events. Its all for the cycling and the riders who cycle great stuff. (IMO).

Na, it will be a very long while before i ever complain about prices from Audax. This year alone, I have ridden 3 x sportive events each were priced in the region of £40+ each, and there were no medals from any of them!

And I LOVE Arrivee too, a great solid, inspiring read each season.

[Grandad]

I think the date change was to give more time between establishing the various trophy winners at the end of the season and the awards presentation, creating mote time to get the engraving done.

[delilah]

^
That's what I understand as well.

[eileithyia]

Have I missed something here I thought the points season always ended at end of Sept, can't comment on the membership as always do 5 years commuted membership and it is not up for renewel yet.

Yes there was an alteration to the RRTY one year it was 2010 / 2011 season. Mike who administers it also runs a calendar winter solstice 200... as I was doing RRTY that season and was off duty that weekend it seemed like a good idea to ride a local calendar event with company rather than my usual fit in diy around shifts...... the weather forecast was awful for that weekend and I believe 2 riders actually dared venture out... Mike said anyone wishing to avoid the bad weather could ride it when they could as a perm... which I did. Little did we know how the weather would continue to be lousy. I did manage to get it completed before end of Dec with some navigating around iced up roads, taking a tumble on one and had an icey rain shower toward the finish.

Because the atrocious icy weather continued into January Mike said he did not want anyone risking themselves and so relaxed the rules, in that you had to complete 2 x 200 audax by the end of February in order to qualify.....
I recall there was some stick on here from some who felt this was 'unfair'

Glad to hear you are still riding so much Mary... I did volunteer for the last LEL, but there were some complications of communication I believe and never got included in the volunteer, along with many others, by which time had got fed up with trying to offer my services and booked for New Forest week instead.

[meic]

Have I missed something here I thought the points season always ended at end of Sept, can't comment on the membership as always do 5 years commuted membership and it is not up for renewel yet.

Yes there was an alteration to the RRTY one year it was 2010 / 2011 season. Mike who administers it also runs a calendar winter solstice 200... as I was doing RRTY that season and was off duty that weekend it seemed like a good idea to ride a local calendar event with company rather than my usual fit in diy around shifts...... the weather forecast was awful for that weekend and I believe 2 riders actually dared venture out... Mike said anyone wishing to avoid the bad weather could ride it when they could as a perm... which I did. Little did we know how the weather would continue to be lousy. I did manage to get it completed before end of Dec with some navigating around iced up roads, taking a tumble on one and had an icey rain shower toward the finish.

Because the atrocious icy weather continued into January Mike said he did not want anyone risking themselves and so relaxed the rules, in that you had to complete 2 x 200 audax by the end of February in order to qualify.....
I recall there was some stick on here from some who felt this was 'unfair'

Glad to hear you are still riding so much Mary... I did volunteer for the last LEL, but there were some complications of communication I believe and never got included in the volunteer, along with many others, by which time had got fed up with trying to offer my services and booked for New Forest week instead.

Yes, living out in hilly Wales we have certain setbacks due to lack of rides and those we have being rather hilly. We just live with that as being how things are and the rules. The one time things swung in our favour (a torrential downpour melting the ice for a day) they changed the rules.
The Scottish have winter every year and live with it.

[eileithyia]

Have I missed something here I thought the points season always ended at end of Sept, can't comment on the membership as always do 5 years commuted membership and it is not up for renewel yet.

Yes there was an alteration to the RRTY one year it was 2010 / 2011 season. Mike who administers it also runs a calendar winter solstice 200... as I was doing RRTY that season and was off duty that weekend it seemed like a good idea to ride a local calendar event with company rather than my usual fit in diy around shifts...... the weather forecast was awful for that weekend and I believe 2 riders actually dared venture out... Mike said anyone wishing to avoid the bad weather could ride it when they could as a perm... which I did. Little did we know how the weather would continue to be lousy. I did manage to get it completed before end of Dec with some navigating around iced up roads, taking a tumble on one and had an icey rain shower toward the finish.

Because the atrocious icy weather continued into January Mike said he did not want anyone risking themselves and so relaxed the rules, in that you had to complete 2 x 200 audax by the end of February in order to qualify.....
I recall there was some stick on here from some who felt this was 'unfair'

Glad to hear you are still riding so much Mary... I did volunteer for the last LEL, but there were some complications of communication I believe and never got included in the volunteer, along with many others, by which time had got fed up with trying to offer my services and booked for New Forest week instead.

Yes, living out in hilly Wales we have certain setbacks due to lack of rides and those we have being rather hilly. We just live with that as being how things are and the rules. The one time things swung in our favour (a torrential downpour melting the ice for a day) they changed the rules.
The Scottish have winter every year and live with it.

I don't think it was you, meic but there was certainly someone who implied those us who did 'miss' a ride but put an extra one in were less worthy... well fine but getting up at silly o'clock on a freezing winters morning, battling ice, snow, 200k of riding in sub zero temps, a cafe control that was not open, a snow storm.. all while doing the ride as a solo perm..... I think I, and anyone else who completed RRTY that year, earned our stripes. lol