Audax. anyone ride em ?

[Bearbonesnorm]

I believe TINAT is potentially back next year. I think they're trying to gauge potential interest at present before confirming officially.

[atk]

I believe TINAT is potentially back next year. I think they're trying to gauge potential interest at present before confirming officially.

Yup: https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=124073.0

[Dyffers]

I believe TINAT is potentially back next year. I think they're trying to gauge potential interest at present before confirming officially.

Great ride, but mostly (vertical!) road.

[jameso]

I believe TINAT is potentially back next year. I think they're trying to gauge potential interest at present before confirming officially.

Uh oh / Oh good

On YACF

However, this route is likely harder than 2018 with a bit more climbing, and gravel during the last 200km.

More uh oh

[thenorthwind]

Shameless plug: if you want a blow by blow account of riding a 300, they printed an article I wrote in the latest Arrivée Magazine

[ton]

just joined again, so i will have a look when the mag lands.

first time i rode a 300km ride it was on a flat bar specialized sirrius. no ergo grips were fitted.
i couldnt feel the fingers on mt right hand for a month or so after.

so gonna fit my fargo up with a comfy as possible bar set up.

[thenorthwind]

I did a 400 in July and the outer two fingers on both hands were numb and tingly for weeks afterwards.

[Dyffers]

Interesting about numb fingers. I'm not fit this year but managed a 600km in May and fingers were fine, just my shoulders that ached a bit because I haven't done much long riding. I'm not sure what the secret is but I've had more angst getting a comfortable saddle setup than feet or hands over the years.

[thenorthwind]

I think it must be position thing (possibly too much weight on hands due to saddle too far forward - I won't derail this thread with it though) - I've been struggling with some shoulder pain on longer rides too recently. Have had my fair share of saddle trouble over the years too.

[Verena]

Thread resurrection time!!!

Well, last weekend I rode my second ever Audax, and my longest ride to date in one go - the Sunseekers and Moonrakers 300 Audax, one of the GWR Audax events, from Warmley Station near Bristol down to the south Coast and back up.

I really loved it, and am very taken with the whole audax thing, the cameraderie, the quirkiness of it all...

As in, right away from the start, how cute is this cafe on an old station with all the old carriages, cycle path on the old railway line, toilet was in a tardis phone box!
IMG_20230708_054514 by Verena Zimmer, on Flickr

IMG_20230708_055925 by Verena Zimmer, on Flickr

First control was at a farm shop, massive queue as you can see. It was here where I first bonded with a few other riders as we searched for the toilets out the back (as you do), then a couple of chaps decided to bypass the queue, grab the stamp from the till and ride on, which seemed like a great idea so I tagged along, and I ended up riding with David and TIm for the whole rest of the ride, as we seemed to be riding at a similar pace.
IMG_20230708_083220 by Verena Zimmer, on Flickr

Can't really see it that well, but down there are the massive tank ranges of some place or other that I can't recall....
IMG_20230708_131810 by Verena Zimmer, on Flickr

Corfe Castle
IMG_20230709_120645 by Verena Zimmer, on Flickr

Control at Lulworth Cove. Everyone laughed at me when they saw how much food and drink I was thinking of buying at the little shop....put half of it back, then still struggled to eat it all...but I was glad later for the Mars bar an bag of crisps in my back pocket as we were waiting for the ferry over to Poole.... it was gorgeous down there, like being on holiday! Oh yes, and we even had a bit of gravel on the ride, including a bit on Purbeck Island to the Sandbank ferry.
IMG_20230709_121002 by Verena Zimmer, on Flickr

IMG_20230709_120704 by Verena Zimmer, on Flickr

IMG_20230709_120745 by Verena Zimmer, on Flickr

IMG_20230708_143241 by Verena Zimmer, on Flickr

No more photos after this, as shortly after Poole the heavens opened with thunderstormy kind of squally rain, which lasted all afternoon and into the evening. Properly soaked through, thankfully warm. Some of the lanes were flooding, bit sketchy in a few places, with some skiddy descents and hidden pot holes....

Another cafe control about half past seven, lovely place where we had a decent warm meal. All of us rather bedraggled and soggy - they were handing us plastic sheets to please sit on.
I went to the loo and actually slid off the seat, being so soaked through

Pub stop in Devizes at the Moonrakers, all a bit bizarre to pop into a normal Saturday pub night with live music, for a pint of coke and a chocolate brownie, to fuel the last 30k to the finish.

Predictably where we were meant to get a printout from the ATM, which had run out of paper!

IMG_20230709_012230 by Verena Zimmer, on Flickr

So yes, thoroughly enjoyed that, great experience and good company, and yes of course , I know it doesn't count as it's on tarmac....(mostly)

IMG_20230709_115930 by Verena Zimmer, on Flickr

[dlovett]

You guys have inspired me with this thread. I'm not in to road cycling in any way, but this does sound fun. I'm going to sign up for the New Forest Onshore event in Sept as the first one that's local and on a day I am free. https://www.audax.uk/event-details/1037 ... st_onshore

[dlovett]

I've now gone crazy and entered 3, hope I like them!! Seriously though, it will help along with a KAW to keep the moment of the NYM300 going until the BB200.

Sun 06 Aug 2023 Tour of the Hills 100km (115km) 2150m 09:30 from Shere Village Hall, Guildford GU5 9HE Entered

Sun 03 Sep 2023 New Forest Onshore 100km (107km) N/A 10:00 from Lymington Entered

Sun 17 Sep 2023 CCP Time is Miles - Portsmouth CTC Downs & Coast Rides 100km (100km) 662m 09:00 from Denmead, Community Centre Entered

[Verena]

You guys have inspired me with this thread. I'm not in to road cycling in any way, but this does sound fun. I'm going to sign up for the New Forest

Ha ha, glad to hear you've been led astray

I think it's all really quite fluid anyway.... obviously limited experience here, but the ones I've done have been mostly on lovely small lanes and cycle paths.

And for what it's worth, what gave me the confidence mentally, and kept the "what if" thoughts at bay, was that I had my bivvy bag with me and a puffer jacket, so I knew that if it all went "wrong" somehow ( except crashing obvs), I would be fine as I could just find a hedge to dive behind to sleep and turn it into a bikepacking weekend...

[redefined_cycles]

I've now gone crazy and entered 3, hope I like them!! Seriously though, it will help along with a KAW to keep the moment of the NYM300 going until the BB200.

Sun 06 Aug 2023 Tour of the Hills 100km (115km) 2150m 09:30 from Shere Village Hall, Guildford GU5 9HE Entered

Sun 03 Sep 2023 New Forest Onshore 100km (107km) N/A 10:00 from Lymington Entered

Sun 17 Sep 2023 CCP Time is Miles - Portsmouth CTC Downs & Coast Rides 100km (100km) 662m 09:00 from Denmead, Community Centre Entered

Duncan, I reckon you'll really like them. Most of the audax lot I know of are a lovely and humble bunch. There's a guy called Adam on Youtube that shares his ride stories sometimes. Brilliant insights into the world of (happy versions of) audaxers.

[Tomwoodbury]

When AUK seemed to be struggling at the time of the first lockdown I signed up for a 5 year membership but still haven’t actually ridden one.

If anyone is based near the south coast and fancies some DIYs let me know as it’d be a good motivator for me!

[Tomwoodbury]

You guys have inspired me with this thread. I'm not in to road cycling in any way, but this does sound fun. I'm going to sign up for the New Forest Onshore event in Sept as the first one that's local and on a day I am free. https://www.audax.uk/event-details/1037 ... st_onshore

Will be checking family calendar to see if I can do this one! Cheers

[dlovett]

When AUK seemed to be struggling at the time of the first lockdown I signed up for a 5 year membership but still haven’t actually ridden one.

If anyone is based near the south coast and fancies some DIYs let me know as it’d be a good motivator for me!

Sounds a plan Tom, hopefully you can make the New forest one, if so we can chat then about it.

[GregMay]

Sounds great folks. Audax is great. Just enter and go, do loads, try different places, enjoy it.

As an aside - I pretty much always bounce the first control. Saves a lot of time over a longer event.

[jobro]

By the way Verena, the tank range is at Bovington/East Lulworth. I guess you took the picture from the top of Whiteways.

[Tomwoodbury]

When AUK seemed to be struggling at the time of the first lockdown I signed up for a 5 year membership but still haven’t actually ridden one.

If anyone is based near the south coast and fancies some DIYs let me know as it’d be a good motivator for me!

Sounds a plan Tom, hopefully you can make the New forest one, if so we can chat then about it.

[Verena]

By the way Verena, the tank range is at Bovington/East Lulworth. I guess you took the picture from the top of Whiteways.

That's the one, I knew that

[redefined_cycles]

By the way Verena, the tank range is at Bovington/East Lulworth. I guess you took the picture from the top of Whiteways.

That's the one, I knew that

Hi Verena... I saw you mention about the numb hands phenomena (I think in the running theead). I used to have that when I first attempted a 200 miler. In no particular order, but this is what helped me... Carbon bars, loosened grips, better grips (the Shimano/Pro gravel type bar tape I use now is excellent), wider tyres that are tubelessed (to reduce the air pressures but keep the volume feeling the same; and constant hand shuffling... loosening thw grip, bar tape and hand shuffling is probably what was cheapest but thankfully no more long term fuzzy hands (kindof).

Hope that helps.

[Lazarus]

Red ahift stem worked for me ( hardly a cheap solution)and the tape shaf mentioned ...there is a thread Instarted asking about sore palms somewhere on here.

[Retiredtester]

A set of cheap Tri bars have been a revelation for me. Obviously no good for group riding, but great for taking the pressure off the hands.

[Verena]

Thanks for that advice, will give that some thought.

Tbh they were still a bit numb from the four days gravel riding in Germany a couple weeks before, this just gave them a top up, now a week later they are virtually back to normal...

But all good advice if I'm going to do that sort of thing again...which I suspect I will....