My first long(ish) Audax

[ZeroDarkBivi]

Unfamiliar with the ways of the committed audaxer, I though it was time to discover what the attraction of these long road rides is and entered the Avalon Sunrise 400km event, starting conveniently close to home, but much of it on roads I had never ridden. I probably wasn't the only rider in the line up feeling a bit weary at 2230 on a Friday evening after a week of the daily grind, but riding at night can be quite stimulating, not least of all staying oriented, not just geographically, but staying rubber side down. Sadly one of the fast starters had a nasty impact with the ground barely minutes after the start, on winding, narrow, hedge lined back-roads, that where very tricky in the dark, especially with the bar mounted rather than head mounted light I was employing (to reduce weight on the head and minimise the neck discomfort I get on long rides).

Going over Exmoor in the dark was rather pleasant and the company good, chatting to various people about the usual stuff - things only the cycling geek finds interesting! The experienced audaxers I met where generally a really nice bunch, but I got the impression they made a special effort to distinguish themselves from other roadies (and perhaps even the 21st century!). Of particular note was the massive saddle bags, often combined with other luggage - just what they where carrying for a 24 hour ride in an area that is neither remote or hostile, and with a good weather forecast, I have no idea. And why some people still use canvas bags mounted long axis perpendicular to the direction of travel (aka air brakes) is just beyond me. Must just be the accoutrements that identify them as part of the sub-culture.

My stomach wasn't feeling great, having forced myself to eat a large supper before the start, then following up with strong coffee (in a failed attempt to empty the bowels), chocolate coated coffee beans and caffeinated High 5 energy drink in my bottles. So I was sufficiently wired to get through the low point in my circadian arousal levels, but with some gastric woes...! It eventually got light enough to not require lights around 0400, just as we where passing Glastonbury and my Ay-Up was beginning to fade, but not bad for one battery. My hands had gone a bit numb overnight from a combination of bar buzz and cold, but as the sun appeared temperatures quickly rose and feeling returned. The old railway and canal path section was a highlight, from south of bath through much of Bristol, with some fabulously long tunnels requiring me to eek some more light out of the empty battery. Unfortunately this also meant my planned breakfast stop in Bath didn't happen as there where no cafes on route. On the outskirts of Bristol my intestine gave me notice it was ready to empty, just as I came across a public loo - what a relief! Sadly this was still locked so I had to disappear into the bushes and improvise with tree leaves - very sub-optimal...

The Ride over the Severn bridge was another nice touch, even if it was just for the sake of going to the Tesco in Chepstow then coming back across! By this point I was riding on my own and as temperatures rose, time was starting to drag. At the most northerly point, the charming village of Wooton-under-Edge (around 270km), I made the mistake of eating at the first place I came to then found that the high street was full of nicer looking cafes. I also realised how dehydrated I was, having only drank 1 litre of fluids in the previous 12 hours. It wasn't long after leaving here that my Garmin Edge 800 crashed for no apparent reason. It hasn't done this for a long time, but this was the first occasion I had used a power-bank to re-charge it on the go. This appeared to work fine, going from low (after 9 hours) to almost fully charged 2 hours later, when I unplugged the Anker - that was some time before it crashed. As one of my reasons for doing this event was to capture power data (for subsequent analysis) that would equate roughly to the effort of a MTB event like the BB200, losing this opportunity was somewhat vexing. I spent a lot of time trying to make it reset, without any joy, before resorting to the iphone in my back pocket. In an area I was not familiar with, this was a slow and frustrating way to make progress.

When I eventually reached the sanctuary of Bradford-upon-Avon, another pretty little town, I needed to have a break and used this time to not only lube the significantly chafed, sweaty parts, but also find someone with a computer who was happy to let me plug my Garmin in for a moment. Once it confirmed it was charging (85% full, so not a power issue), I unplugged and hey presto, it decided to play again. Bizzare, but, sadly, not unusual for Garmin. Having no idea of the distance travelled or how far to the next point of interest, I also suffered a dip in interest, in fact my motivation was rapidly evaporating during that last 100km. Suddenly I became overwhelmed with negativity, focussing on all the wrong things; my hands where uncomfortable again, my arse hurt - a proper sore, rather than just bruising - I had a painful Achilles, which has never happened before (I noticed my heel on that side was also significantly further outboard than the other side - odd), and I could feel my skin burning where I had failed to apply sufficient sun block. I also started to develop a paranoia about traffic approaching from the rear, convincing myself that this much exposure to road riding was just increasing the chances of me becoming a road kill statistic, and making me cringe every time I heard a vehicle behind, like some sort of Russian Roulette I had no control over. I also had a bad dehydration headache, but just didn't feel like drinking as much as I needed. In this black mind-state I couldn't produce even the most meagre propulsive force and a number of riders passed me at a pace I could not hold onto.

The last few hours where utterly tedious and time was really dragging. What I should have done was stop and sort myself out, and there was enough opportunities to do so, but all I wanted was for it to be over, so I plodded on, slowly, and eventually it all came to an end, safely, and I could take stock of how knackered I was! On reflection, it was an interesting experiment (even if I don't have the data I wanted!), and not entirely unenjoyable, but I wouldn't want to do another one, never mind something longer. Non-competitive rides over 16 hours definitely benefit from a bivi, not just because of the recovery it provides, but the camping is part of the fun. But my biggest take-away is a growing aversion to sharing the road with vehicles, most of which are driven with reasonable care, but a significant number are driven by morons whose actions kill more riders in this country then any 'acts of terror' that grab the headlines.

[Bearbonesnorm]

Bravo Craig ... don't most folk start their Audax career with something shorter than 400km? I find the thought of Audax very appealing but I know I wouldn't be so keen on the reality.

[DrMekon]

I was on the 3 coasts this weekend. I shared the inside out guts experience - albeit immodium blocked me up sufficiently to get through it without needing to use leaves.

Carradice - it was all there used to be. Like steel bikes, Brooks, Open Pros and Schwalbe Marathons. My audax bike has alpkit custom bags. If I am any sort of cyclist, I'm an audaxer first.

I nearly packed with 20km to go because of the guts issue. A coffee in The Old Co-Op in Tod (where Brant R appeared to be having lunch), combined with the kindness of the staff was a lifesaver. The person serving suggested I needed to drink a load of water and brought me a big bottle unprompted - that got me over Blackstone to finish.

PS. I've never been so bored of a descent as I was going down Cragg Vale.

[Bearbonesnorm]

The experienced audaxers I met where generally a really nice bunch, but I got the impression they made a special effort to distinguish themselves from other roadies (and perhaps even the 21st century!). Of particular note was the massive saddle bags, often combined with other luggage - just what they where carrying for a 24 hour ride in an area that is neither remote or hostile, and with a good weather forecast, I have no idea. And why some people still use canvas bags mounted long axis perpendicular to the direction of travel (aka air brakes) is just beyond me. Must just be the accoutrements that identify them as part of the sub-culture.

Cycling before we gave a f*ck ... is that not part of the charm and appeal of Audax?

[ZeroDarkBivi]

Cycling before we gave a f*ck ... is that not part of the charm and appeal of Audax?

I think these guys really do give a f*ck, in a very genuine and deliberate way... and it does give the audax thing a special charm. A checkpoint with Tea and biscuits in somebodies home Vs a gazebo with sub standard gels supplied by the cheapest provider - different values and expectations from the Strava obsessed sportive weekend warrior.

Just dawned on me I volunteered for another long charity road ride this Thursday - need to find my mojo...

[johnnystorm]

And why some people still use canvas bags mounted long axis perpendicular to the direction of travel (aka air brakes) is just beyond me. Must just be the accoutrements that identify them as part of the sub-culture.

I've just got myself a Bridgestreet saddlebag, only a medium mind you. It's so much less faff to get something out at a cafe stop, the whole thing pops off and there's zero sway. Horses for courses.

[sillybigfella]

They say a picture paints a thousand words and these pictures certainly do tell a story. Fascinating insight into the murky world of audax. The thread title alone deserves a prize.

https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=60861.0

[Cheeky Monkey]

They say a picture paints a thousand words and these pictures certainly do tell a story. Fascinating insight into the murky world of audax. The thread title alone deserves a prize.

https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=60861.0

Some of those genuinely made me laugh, probably because they're such honest pics, but the humour is also fairly dry

[jamiep]

Have you all read about McNasty, who typifies UK Audaxing ?
This page has some pics and a link to the original story
http://www.owenphilipson.com/blog/2010/ ... ken-frame/

I started doing them this year, which fits with my now roadie/CX tendencies rather than MTB

[Cheeky Monkey]

Loving the forum and posts. Very entertaining, down to earth stuff