# Your experience of doing audax events



## Anonymous1502 (18 Aug 2020)

What was it like doing an audax event? What distance did you do? How long did you train for it? What bike did you use? How long and how did you train for the event? Any advice for someone wanting to do an audax event?


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## alicat (18 Aug 2020)

What was it like doing an audax event? Depended on the distance, terrain, weather, my fitness, organisation.

What distance did you do? Various
How long did you train for it? Six months for the first one. None after that.
What bike did you use? One of mine.
How long and how did you train for the event? See answer to your second question.
Any advice for someone wanting to do an audax event? Give us a bit more info to help you, rather than just firing random questions at us.


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## DCLane (18 Aug 2020)

It depends on the event; for a 100-300km there's no training and I tend to use my normal road bike.

For Paris-Brest-Paris, London-Edinburgh-London and 400km+ events I'll use a Ridgeback Platinum audax bike I've built and a bit more kit. 

Start with a short event and build up. My first event went badly because I'd not read the instructions and guessed my way round. Knowing how to navigate (with a gpx file it's _so_ much easier), read instructions and know what you're doing helps.

My suggestion is to do your first event with someone who knows what they're doing. Speed isn't an issue; following a major mechanical where I needed a wheel replacement I rolled past a rider who aims to be 2 minutes inside the time limit, riding at 10mph average.


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## Ming the Merciless (18 Aug 2020)

First one was 100km and very local.

I didn’t do any training, as I had a 5 day a week 40km (round trip) commute. So was plenty fit enough. It was a friendly affair and the controls / checkpoints were run by volunteers and Women’s Institute with cakes, sandwiches, and drink available. I can’t recall the time it took but there are generous time limits and so take advantage of that to have a nice sociable ride with others of a similar pace. The routes aren’t signed so you’ll need to be able to navigate or have a mentor to ride round with you.


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## Anonymous1502 (18 Aug 2020)

alicat said:


> What was it like doing an audax event? Depended on the distance, terrain, weather, my fitness, organisation.
> 
> What distance did you do? Various
> How long did you train for it? Six months for the first one. None after that.
> ...


I'm new to cycling. The most I've done in a day is 75km so far, but with only 2 short breaks but think I can manage 100km(Im doing a 100km bike ride in 2-3 weeks for a fundraiser, which I think I can manage)I want to be able to do 200km audax events eventually, perhaps the longer ones if I'm capable. I have a trek domane AL2 bike. I'm 19, good fitness. I want to know how I can train for those long audax events.


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## Anonymous1502 (18 Aug 2020)

DCLane said:


> It depends on the event; for a 100-300km there's no training and I tend to use my normal road bike.
> 
> For Paris-Brest-Paris, London-Edinburgh-London and 400km+ events I'll use a Ridgeback Platinum audax bike I've built and a bit more kit.
> 
> ...


How did you train for it and for how long? How did you get good enough be able to do 400km+ events, doing 200km sounds amazing, let alone 400km!!! How do those long events work-e.g. London to Edinburgh - with sleep, eating- since you can't do the distance in one day? So do you just get a gps file and you have to follow it or how does the navigation work?


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## Anonymous1502 (18 Aug 2020)

YukonBoy said:


> First one was 100km and very local.
> 
> I didn’t do any training, as I had a 5 day a week 40km (round trip) commute. So was plenty fit enough. It was a friendly affair and the controls / checkpoints were run by volunteers and Women’s Institute with cakes, sandwiches, and drink available. I can’t recall the time it took but there are generous time limits and so take advantage of that to have a nice sociable ride with others of a similar pace. The routes aren’t signed so you’ll need to be able to navigate or have a mentor to ride round with you.


How does it work with the navigation and the checkpoints? So did you just use kamoot or something like that?


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## Ming the Merciless (18 Aug 2020)

What tends to happen for those with good fitness is that they ride at a good pace then pass a certain distance then they fall off a cliff. So training really is about working out what a sustainable pace (for you) is over 100km, 200km. It’s also about working out what works for you food and drink wise. What works over shorter distances doesn’t always translate as the distances go up. In terms of physical training it’s a mix of increasing the distances at an easy pace mixed with shorter rides at a faster pace. Then combinIng the two for an audax.

It’s also about finding out what discomfort issues you get as the distance increases and finding solutions.


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## Ming the Merciless (18 Aug 2020)

See https://audax.uk/about-audax/new-to-audax/


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## alicat (18 Aug 2020)

Anonymous1502 said:


> I'm new to cycling. The most I've done in a day is 75km so far, but with only 2 short breaks but think I can manage 100km(Im doing a 100km bike ride in 2-3 weeks for a fundraiser, which I think I can manage)I want to be able to do 200km audax events eventually, perhaps the longer ones if I'm capable. I have a trek domane AL2 bike. I'm 19, good fitness. I want to know how I can train for those long audax events.



Thanks for the background info. Just start with a short one and work your way up to longer ones. Use them as your training. 

The last one I did they supplied a digital link (GPX?) as well as a route sheet with directions. Mostly I just follow the paper route instructions. It doesn't break and it gives me something to do to stave off boredom.


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## Solocle (18 Aug 2020)

Anonymous1502 said:


> How did you train for it and for how long? How did you get good enough be able to do 400km+ events, doing 200km sounds amazing, let alone 400km!!! How do those long events work-e.g. London to Edinburgh - with sleep, eating- since you can't do the distance in one day? So do you just get a gps file and you have to follow it or how does the navigation work?


I started cycling again at 19, on going to uni. After riding 12-13 km around town for shopping trips, I built up to 100km in about 1 month. That was an out-and-back to Swindon, stopping for lunch at Nando's.

Then it was off to Yorkshire, and I didn't really do anything longer - 50 miles in the Yorkshire Dales, climbing Fleet Moss, twice! Once each side... that was tough. Or the 60 mile loop out from Leeds up to Skipton, and back via Bradford...

That was in July 2018, and I didn't do my first century until February 2019. I did do a 70 mile sportive in September, then an 85 mile club reliability ride in November. Then, my century was a cycle home from uni, at a relaxed pace. Extremely tiring by the end, but I definitely could have done it at an earlier point.

July 2019 was a sub-6 hour century on a sportive (in the Mendips, so hilly, too!).

My first audax was at the start of November. 200 km (well, 220), around Oxfordshire.
That wasn't a _huge _step up from a century, but those extra miles did really sting, and I found myself diving into a motorway services for an extra (sugary) drink...









I probably went too hard for that one, but it was also sodding wet. I was getting carpal tunnel symptoms at the end...

Two weeks later, I did a 300 km audax.




Actually over 200 miles, I detoured via home, and my Wahoo ran out of charge for the last bit!









200 km isn't so far removed from a century sportive. Sure, you might get some night riding to do...
300 km felt totally different (especially with a 10 pm start!). 100 miles done _at night_, on main roads, which were super quiet at that time.

I also couldn't sit on the saddle after that ride. It was standing on the pedals on the ride back from the station...

So, when I did it again, in December, I paced myself better, and invested in some chamois cream.








I completely bonked at the end (the plan was 500km) - not enough food taken in during the ride.

But, in terms of training: I jumped from 200 km to 300 km without any. The 200 km was pretty decent training, but then, it's really a question off refining your technique over time.

Getting to 200 took a while, although I could have done it sooner (I probably couldn't have done 300, though!)


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## DCLane (18 Aug 2020)

Anonymous1502 said:


> How did you train for it and for how long? How did you get good enough be able to do 400km+ events, doing 200km sounds amazing, let alone 400km!!! How do those long events work-e.g. London to Edinburgh - with sleep, eating- since you can't do the distance in one day? So do you just get a gps file and you have to follow it or how does the navigation work?



I didn't train for anything up to 300km, just started at a 120km event and worked up. For the bigger events I completed a shorter one and then moved to a longer event. My move from 200km to the 1200km Paris-Brest-Paris was in a 6 month period. Personally I'd not advise that approach 

400km and above means sleeping comes into play. Some riders sleep at controls, with 600km+ often having beds, others don't. I _tend_ to grab an hour or so but also just keep going. Often controls are at a cafe, or based around somewhere you can get food.

Most events have both written instructions and a gpx file, although a few old-school ones just have written instructions. Riders can then create and/or share a gpx file. I've learnt to go through this and check major junctions so I'm aware of what's likely to come. That helps with things like eating and knowing where could be an issue.

Once you get to any real distance it's worth considering carrying extra clothing / food / spares. Everyone's different at that though - from 400km upwards I've got my 'full' audax kit just in case whereas others make do with a lightweight bike, a tube and CO2 canister only.


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## Aravis (18 Aug 2020)

The OP will be talking about calendar events. One bit of advice is to be patient. I understand that it's hoped to restart calendar events next month on a trial basis, and it could be a while before there's anything like a normal schedule. They'll probably feel quite different for a while as well.

When I was restarting cycling in 2015 I rode a couple of 100km Audaxes, and they were an invaluable part of the process. So in a way, the Audaxes were the training rather than being something I trained for.

Those events also showed me some things I don't like about Audax. You ride someone else's idea of a good route from a starting point you have to get yourself to at a time not of your choosing. For these to be worthwhile sacrifices there need to be things you value about the event itself, and for many people, clearly there are. From my somewhat jaundiced perspective, if you just go for a ride of similar distance, you'll be doing it on your own. On an Audax, much of the time it's little different.

There's also the excellent concept of DiY by GPS, which enables you to register a ride of your own as a points-scoring Audax. Essentially the process is threefold: say what you're going to do before you start; do it; demonstrate that you've done it. It works for me, but others don't find the same fulfilment.

The longest Audax I've done is 200km, so no real distances yet.


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## Nick Saddlesore (18 Aug 2020)

https://www.centrallondonctc.org.uk/whatisaudax
When / if life gets back to normal there are some Calendar Events particularly suitable for newcomers, e.g. The Stevenage Start and End of Summertime rides, and the ACME winter series from Witham. These are accessible by train from London. I'm sure there are similar events elsewhere.
100km is a pleasant day ride. 200km is just doing the same again. 300km is a long day with quite a bit of night. 400km was my max, I got bored and just wanted to go home.


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## ianrauk (19 Aug 2020)

Nick Saddlesore said:


> 300km is a long day with quite a bit of night.



300's are the furthest Audax I sign up for.
A: I like my bed.
B: Like you, I start to get bored.


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## DCLane (19 Aug 2020)

@Dogtrousers and @ianrauk - in contrast I'm rarely bored beyond 400km. I don't sleep on these long distance events and enjoy riding through the night seeing things I wouldn't normally during daytime. Stopping for 10 minutes rest in a bus stop (padded preferably), field, bench is OK.

On reflection, maybe it's hallucinations


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## bitsandbobs (19 Aug 2020)

Dogtrousers said:


> Sarky answer: Wait til they start running them again. They're currently suspended due to Covid.



They're running in BE and NL. I'm riding a 300 on Saturday.


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## matticus (19 Aug 2020)

bitsandbobs said:


> They're running in BE and NL. I'm riding a 300 on Saturday.


Sadly our gov* considers you too infectious for us to come over and ride 
One day ...
(I've only ridden Low Countries events over 1000km+ - I would like to try a shorter one!)


*Meanwhile, it's ironic that AUK consider the *UK* to be unsafe for 300km events currently ...


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## Ajax Bay (19 Aug 2020)

Anonymous1502 said:


> What was it like doing an audax event? What distance did you do? How long did you train for it? What bike did you use? How long and how did you train for the event? Any advice for someone wanting to do an audax event?


Met someone whom I knew (who lived hours away) on his bike at our local garage.
Decision: Decided I'd give it a go.
Previous: Little riding. But had ridden end-to-end previous year with a bit of riding in the run-up (eg 200km per month in the spring/summer).
First year: Rode fortnightly 100+s from January onwards. Rode my first audax 200 in March (well 239 actually (made a 25km error at the 100k point)), the Dorset Coast 200 in April, the Brevet Cymru (400) in May and the Kernow and SW (600) in June. And a 300 in July (after DNFing a 1000 (MP1K)). Five years on: a 300 DIY yesterday .
Bike: Dawes Giro Audax 600 (steel 531 with 9sp drivetrain) - bought to ride end-to-end - with saddle bag; now replaced with framebag when additional capacity needed. Still riding it 5 years later, though N+1 frameset in sideroom waiting to be built up - with new-fangled disc brakes.
Advice:
1) Consider joining one of the CycleChat Monthly Challenges.
2) Consider what might stop you completing the ride (and indeed your upcoming 'challenge' one) and mitigate the risk of failure in each and every category: contact points, nutrition, clothing, mechanical, lights, navigation.
3) Try to find someone else to ride with - at least the first calendar one - even someone who is new to it too.
4) Look carefully at the route beforehand and follow it round on a map. A search on RidewithGPS will nearly always find the route (or at least last year's). Sort out how you're going to navigate, and practise doing so on a ride. Do not assume other riders will get it right and you can merely follow.
5) Get lights sorted. And spares. You may not finish a 200 before an equinox sunset.
6) Have a hearty breakfast and get to the start with 30 minutes to spare. Do not assume you will be able to leave anything there.
7) Have a plan for feeding and drinking - don't forget that you're eating not for now but for a few hours time. Don't add 'new' 'special' stuff to drinks unless you have ridden a few hours and tried it out.
8) Put phone on Airplane Mode. Playing with / 'Using' it during ride (ie at stops) is a time sink.
9) Turn the cranks. There will be riders going at your speed - start conservatively. Suck wheels (remembering that this is far more attractive if the guy in front has considerately fitted mudguards). Have a beer (other beverages are available, maybe) at the end.


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## DCLane (19 Aug 2020)

Ajax Bay said:


> 4) Look carefully at the route beforehand and follow it round on a map. ... Do not assume other riders will get it right and you can merely follow.



This happened on LEL in 2017. Due to injury I was taking a flatter but longer route from near Horncastle to Thirsk both ways, bypassing any hill but stopping at the controls to protect a damaged right Achilles along with other injuries - I had a major operation pending and had been advised not to ride.

Heading south from Louth at about 9.30pm I looked behind to see four riders. They'd just followed me thinking I knew the route. And presumably I'd give them all a tow. I knew _my_ route but was off the main course.

I had them behind me for an hour from Louth-Horncastle, and had to go slower because they were holding me up. They had no instructions or any navigation and were riding as a group, simply finding someone to follow. Once dropped they stopped and waited and, as a result, were going to be out of time having set off in an early 100 hour group.

They'd have been fine in 2021/2's LEL as it's a fixed route, as is PBP with the signs. I'm presuming they thought there would be signage - which there was between Barton-on-Humber and Louth (major thanks to whoever did that).


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## Aravis (19 Aug 2020)

One issue with traditional calendar Audaxes is that visits to controls are frequently "to and back". These ugly appendages ruin the artistic integrity of your uploaded outline.

This afternoon I sketched out a possible DiY 300, pencilled in for the beginning of September if I feel up to it. As a general point to assist the OP, for these big efforts it's almost inevitable that I'll feel I need just one more prep ride. In the end I just have to trust it will be OK:







A snail climbing uphill. If that turns out to be my one and only 300, what could be more apposite?


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## Twilkes (22 Aug 2020)

Solocle said:


> I started cycling again at 19, on going to uni. After riding 12-13 km around town for shopping trips, I built up to 100km in about 1 month. That was an out-and-back to Swindon, stopping for lunch at Nando's.
> 
> Then it was off to Yorkshire, and I didn't really do anything longer - 50 miles in the Yorkshire Dales, climbing Fleet Moss, twice! Once each side... that was tough. Or the 60 mile loop out from Leeds up to Skipton, and back via Bradford...
> 
> ...



Slightly OT but how did you get Strava to display elapsed time for the Bristol ride, rather than moving time?


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## Fab Foodie (22 Aug 2020)

DCLane said:


> This happened on LEL in 2017. Due to injury I was taking a flatter but longer route from near Horncastle to Thirsk both ways, bypassing any hill but stopping at the controls to protect a damaged right Achilles along with other injuries - I had a major operation pending and had been advised not to ride.
> 
> Heading south from Louth at about 9.30pm I looked behind to see four riders. They'd just followed me thinking I knew the route. And presumably I'd give them all a tow. I knew _my_ route but was off the main course.
> 
> ...


That reminds me of my first Audax, The Barbury Bash 200. A mixture of an overlong stop (longer story), a mechanical and in particular a lack of attention to our own navigation (and hence reliance on others) caused us to miss the final time cut. Still a good day out, lots of lessons learned.

Many years later I did another 200, I had gps by then, rode with @Salty seadog paid attention and got around in time. Another good day out though wasn’t as fit as I could have been.

My longest ride of 350k consisted of a FNRttC leaving London at midnight for Bognor, having brekkie and a couple of pints and then riding all the way-along the coast back home to Deal. In total 27 hours on the bike. Slow of course partly due to the pace of the Friday’s night run and midway stop. Slow because by plotting a route using cycle-paths etc on rwgps there were a lot of crap paths and stop starting when had I known the area a little better I could have made quicker and easier progress on the roads - Audax at least has reasonable routage sorted.
The route along the SE coast Is also very lumpy!
Despite the distance and time I felt pretty OK at the end and would not baulk at riding the same or greater again. But would I do say a 400K. Audax? Or even another 200? I’m not sure. The difference with my semi-solo 350 was having no time constraint. I could stop as it suited (hate passing a good looking pub on an Audax with no time to stop!), had time to admire views, take in the scenery and take time over food stops. I could choose my pace and didn’t have to keep mentally calculating time and progress to ensure I was on track.

There are other ways to enjoy long-distance riding....


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## Solocle (22 Aug 2020)

Twilkes said:


> Slightly OT but how did you get Strava to display elapsed time for the Bristol ride, rather than moving time?


I marked it as a race - I use that both for races and major rides.


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## Twilkes (22 Aug 2020)

Solocle said:


> I marked it as a race - I use that both for races and major rides.
> View attachment 543023
> 
> View attachment 543024
> ...



Never knew that, thank you.


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## Ming the Merciless (22 Aug 2020)

ianrauk said:


> 300's are the furthest Audax I sign up for.
> A: I like my bed.
> B: Like you, I start to get bored.



I think 400s and above very much depends on whether you like night riding. Unless you are at the pointy end and getting 8 hours each night.


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## Ming the Merciless (22 Aug 2020)

Solocle said:


> I marked it as a race - I use that both for races and major rides.
> View attachment 543023
> 
> View attachment 543024
> ...



When are you Everesting?


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## Solocle (22 Aug 2020)

YukonBoy said:


> When are you Everesting?


It was a vEverest of Alpe du Zwift on the 9th... I'd put the tiredness afterwards as similar to a 300 km, with more pain in the knees and feet!









It's 9154m, because, having made it to 29,029 ft, I decided I'd make it a nice round 30,000... I contemplated a 10km, but 850m more would just drag on.


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## ianrauk (22 Aug 2020)

YukonBoy said:


> I think 400s and above very much depends on whether you like night riding. Unless you are at the pointy end and getting 8 hours each night.


Oh I like night riding. Being a member of the Fridays an all and have done more night rides than I can ever remember. I'm just not one for shacking down on a audax hotel for a couple of hours then getting bw l on the bike to get going again.


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## si_c (23 Aug 2020)

ianrauk said:


> Oh I like night riding. Being a member of the Fridays an all and have done more night rides than I can ever remember. I'm just not one for shacking down on a audax hotel for a couple of hours then getting bw l on the bike to get going again.



Night riding is some of the best. I don't think you can commute through winter without loving it either.


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