# What is an audax and what to expect



## nxn2020 (4 Mar 2014)

Hi thinking of doing my first audax on 28 th March. It's Wormingford near Colchester 110k. Done a few sportives but never an audax, wondering what to expect..... Any takers?


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## tubbycyclist (4 Mar 2014)

nxn2020 said:


> Hi thinking of doing my first audax on 28 th March. It's Wormingford near Colchester 110k. Done a few sportives but never an audax, wondering what to expect..... Any takers?



Not your patch - but here is a "what is an audax" article from God's own county.


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## nxn2020 (4 Mar 2014)

Thanks for that. Are the speeds the same throughout the country?


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## mcshroom (4 Mar 2014)

Gives a decent summary. Basically you will see a wider range of bikes, there will be cafes rather than feed stops (remember to carry some cake money ) and there will not be direction signs/sag waggon. You will also see fewer people attack the event as a race than on a sportive.

Looking at your description I think you are describing the Wormingford Wyrm - http://www.aukweb.net/events/detail/14-583/
It says there are two info controls. These will be things like "What year was the Post Office in X built", basically something you need to fill in on your card to show you went out to that point and didn't cut the corner. Carry a pen/pencil or think about photographing the answers for writing down when you get back if you are worried about forgetting them.

There is also a GPS track to download on that page if you have a Garmin or similar which should make naivigation easier.


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## tubbycyclist (4 Mar 2014)

nxn2020 said:


> Thanks for that. Are the speeds the same throughout the country?



Speeds are not necessarily the same on 'shorter' events (ie under 200km). The organiser will have set the speeds, and looking at the link for your ride on the audax website - it is 15-30kph. The example from the West Yorkshire site is one that is quite lumpy, and so the organiser sets a lower limit.
Rides above 200km are nearly always the same limit everywhere (either 14.3km or 15km per hour).


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## mcshroom (4 Mar 2014)

Speeds are specific to the ride itself. On that ride the range is 15-30 kph (30kph max or 15kph min is an average to each control rather than you have to keep within the range at all times)


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## ColinJ (4 Mar 2014)

tubbycyclist said:


> Rides above 200km are nearly always the same limit everywhere (either 14.3km or 15km per hour).


What's the 14.3 kph about, tc? I have never spotted one of those - the ones I have done/looked at doing have always been 15-30.


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## tubbycyclist (4 Mar 2014)

ColinJ said:


> What's the 14.3 kph about, tc? I have never spotted one of those - the ones I have done/looked at doing have always been 15-30.


And there was me trying to stay away from the complicated stuff! The short version is that Brevet Randonneur (BR) rides can be between 14.3 and 15kph minimum speed. These rides are validated by Audax UK. Brevet Randonneur Mondiaux (BRM) rides are ridden at the limits set out by Audax Club Parisien - eg Paris-Brest-Paris qualifying rides, which is why there is sometimes a difference. These are based on time, ie always 13hr30 for a 200km ride (even if the actual distance is 220km)
A lot of 'permanent'/DIY long distance rides have the lower limit.


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## ColinJ (4 Mar 2014)

I will just think of it as a 200 km audax equating to 15-30 kph, even though it might not!

I realised yesterday how much progress I need to make before I will be able to complete a 200 again. I think I averaged 17 kph, but is was only over 103 km and I was knackered by the end.


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## MikeG (4 Mar 2014)

nxn2020 said:


> Hi thinking of doing my first audax on 28 th March. It's Wormingford near Colchester 110k. Done a few sportives but never an audax, wondering what to expect..... Any takers?


Yep, I'll be doing that one, as it is run by my club (Cycle Club Sudbury). It's a beautiful area, with lovely villages and quiet lanes. The hill up to Wormingford will sort out the wheat from the chaff!


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## Donger (4 Mar 2014)

nxn2020 said:


> Hi thinking of doing my first audax on 28 th March. It's Wormingford near Colchester 110k. Done a few sportives but never an audax, wondering what to expect..... Any takers?


 
I notice someone has already mentioned the brevet card that you will need to get stamped at the checkpoints (or in which you will have to place your answer to a simple question to prove you got there). A friend of mine once pulled up outside a pub in a red, black and blue mix of tights, lycra and snood to record the name of the landlady from above the door for his brevet card. His arrival was met with a shout of "_Hello, Spiderman's here_!" and much chuckling from inside the pub. Top heckle.

You will also be given a route sheet, written in what at first looked to me like heiroglyphics, with symbols to represent T junctions, traffic lights, oblique junctions, and and changes of font to signify whether places are signposted or not and whether you pass through them or not (etc, etc). My wife can't believe _anyone_ can follow such instructions. For the first few audaxes, I stuck with a mate who already knew where he was going, and it took me a while to pluck up the courage do do one solo. It soon becomes quite straightforward though, but at least one of your party will need to have the route sheet displayed in front of them at all times as there will be no marshalls or special roadside signage for you. Other riders will generally shout out if you take a wrong turn, but every little mistake will make the route sheet more and more incomprehensible as the distances will no longer tally.

Being an old git who hasn't gone metric yet, I always like to convert the Kms to miles before printing off the route sheet. I've also started to amend the route sheet to show the actual distances for each individual stage, and reset the distances to 0 on my trip computer for the start of every stage. Otherwise, any difference betwen the stated distances and your trip computer's recorded distances can make it a bit tricky to find turning points in the last few miles of the ride - especially if you have gne wrong somewhere. Last time out, every time I looked up to see a junction, there it was right in front of me.It was worth half an hour's preparation before printing off the route sheet.

As for the people, I 've always found them to be a great mix of all sorts. Male, female, young and old, sporty and just plain dogged. There might be no marshalls and no mechanics, but I've always found a great spirit of togetherness and helpfulness among the other riders. You will enjoy it.


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## MikeG (4 Mar 2014)

nxn2020 said:


> Hi thinking of doing my first audax on 28 th March. It's Wormingford near Colchester ......



It's on the *29th March*, BTW, not the 28th. Saturday.

I am sure there will be instructions given out soon, but if not, I would recommend not trying to park in Wormingford, which is small, narrow-laned, and bound to be crowded. Go to Bures, a couple of miles down the road, and park in the village hall car park unless you are told otherwise.


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## Ian H (4 Mar 2014)

ColinJ said:


> What's the 14.3 kph about, tc? I have never spotted one of those - the ones I have done/looked at doing have always been 15-30.


The 14.3 is historical. The Parisians used to allow 14hrs for a 200, but then changed the limit to 13.5hr. AUK stuck with the lower limit and extended it to all BRs.


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## totallyfixed (4 Mar 2014)

In one of them you have to think, flash carbon will not get a second glance, less testosterone.


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## ColinJ (4 Mar 2014)

It didn't take me long to notice on my first hilly 200 that a couple of younger guys on flash bikes couldn't even keep up with _me_ (I averaged 20 kph for the event), but a couple of older riders on tatty steel bikes (with mudguards and kitchen-sink-sized saddlebags) sailed passed me chatting away on the first big climb, and promptly disappeared into the distance!


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## Fab Foodie (4 Mar 2014)

Expect a good route, expect to get lost, expect to see a wide assortment of cyclist and kit, expect tea, cake, and bonhomie, expect to have a great day out.


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## nxn2020 (4 Mar 2014)

Bit worried now about the route 'map', sounds a bit like doing the Dakar road book!! Can someone give me a bit more of an idea of what phrases etc are used?


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## ColinJ (4 Mar 2014)

Fab Foodie said:


> Expect a good route, expect to get lost, expect to see a wide assortment of cyclist and kit, expect tea, cake, and bonhomie, expect to have a great day out.


Expect a good route, *buy a GPS, learn how to use it and* expect *never* to get lost *(but take your route sheet and a map in case of equipment failure!)*, expect to see a wide assortment of cyclist and kit, expect tea, cake, and bonhomie, expect to have a great day out.


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## Tim Hall (4 Mar 2014)

From last weekend's Kennet Valley Run:


0.5 2nd exit RAB sp Newbury 23.7
1.1 L sp BURGHCLERE 24.8
3.5 SOX sp Sandham Memorial Chapel 28.3

Or in English

In 0.5km take the 2nd exit at the roundabout, signposted Newbury. Your total distance is 23.7km
In 1.1km turn left signposted BURGHCLERE, which you'll go through. Total distance 24.8km
In 3.5km straight on at cross roads sign posted Sandham Memorial Chapel. Total distance 28.3km


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## mcshroom (4 Mar 2014)

L = Left
R = Right
SO = Straight on

T = T-junction
TL =Traffic Light
RB = Roundabout
X = Cross roads

So, for example L@T means 'Turn left at the T-Junction' or SO@X means 'Straight on at Cross Roads'

To be honest I've always been lazy so tend to upload a track to my Garmin and just follow the nice purple line round the route


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## nxn2020 (4 Mar 2014)

ok then guys, what would be a decent entry level garmin that won't break the bank? and if you haven't got one how the hell do you constantly read it while riding?!!! especially if it's raining, it'll be soaked in seconds and i'll be lost in minutes! lol.


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## Tim Hall (4 Mar 2014)

You don't need a garmin, IMHO. I print out the route sheet, cut it into A5 size bits, laminate it back to back. I've got a clip thing on my handlebars to hold it.


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## nxn2020 (4 Mar 2014)

when do you normally get the directions then?


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## Tim Hall (5 Mar 2014)

nxn2020 said:


> when do you normally get the directions then?


The availability of the route sheet varies. Back in the day, entry used to be by post, with SAEs flying around. Enter and a few days later the route sheet appeared on your doormat. These days there's lots of entering on line and you can usually download the route sheet a week or or more before the event, although I see in the case of the one you're thinking about only a gpx file is available at present. Maybe a garmin is the answer after all. Email the organiser to see if a downloadable printed route sheet will be available.


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## nxn2020 (5 Mar 2014)

Thanks Tim, I'll do that, going to make sure my mate's still up for it then I'll take the plunge, pay up and sort myself out!! Should sign up in next couple of days........here goes nothing!!!!


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## David El y (5 Mar 2014)

If you don't want the expense of a Garmin but do have a smartphone you could download a navigation app and upload a gpx file to that. I use Viewranger, but others are available. Then again, I've only recently returned to riding Audaxes and am more used to the traditional method of following a route sheet so I only looked at my phone once. I always considered that the chance of mis-reading the route and getting lost added a little excitement.
Of course, if you do use a phone you will probably want some means of extending battery life.


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## marcusjb (5 Mar 2014)

You definitely do not need a garmin to ride an Audax. Route sheets are just fine, and many riders are perfectly happy with them even on the really long events. 

Once it gets put up on the AUK website, it is worthwhile reading it through in advance, making sure you understand all of the language used and, even, looking at junctions on Streetview to familiarise yourself with them. 

At a minimum, you probably want a cycle computer though, just so you know your total distance and can tally that with the route sheet. 

You'll be just fine.


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## mcshroom (5 Mar 2014)

As I said earlier - I use the garmin because I'm lazy.

Another good option is to use the gpx file supplied to print yourself a route map which you can carry along with your directions. For a general 1:250k road map you can do this offline for free using Mapyx Quo (Windows only I think), otherwise sites shuch as Bikehike should be able to do it.

Or you can read the instructions and draw the route on a page out of a road atlas with a pen. 

All in all I wouldn't worry about it too much - just enjoy the ride


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## Fab Foodie (5 Mar 2014)

ColinJ said:


> Expect a good route, *buy a GPS, learn how to use it and* expect *never* to get lost *(but take your route sheet and a map in case of equipment failure!)*, expect to see a wide assortment of cyclist and kit, expect tea, cake, and bonhomie, expect to have a great day out.


Last Audax we did have a person with a GPS and we still got lost .... (it's not always a guarantee!).
GPS is also expensive for some
GPS also removes some of the 'skill' of Audax ...

In a certain respect I don't disagree, I'm not so interested in the purity of the event or points or card stamps, just want to enjoy an interesting bike ride without hordes of commercialism and wannabe racers. I plot out the route onto a photocopied map and follow that mostly.


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## ColinJ (5 Mar 2014)

Fab Foodie said:


> *Last Audax we did have a person with a GPS and we still got lost* .... (it's not always a guarantee!).
> GPS is also expensive for some
> GPS also removes some of the 'skill' of Audax ...
> 
> In a certain respect I don't disagree, I'm not so interested in the purity of the event or points or card stamps, just want to enjoy an interesting bike ride without hordes of commercialism and wannabe racers. I plot out the route onto a photocopied map and follow that mostly.


That's why I mentioned learning how to use the GPS! 

I have seen people who don't have a clue what to do with them. One guy got lost multiple times on a 200 in Cheshire. He kept passing me in different directions. I eventually spoke to him and it turned out that he had not programmed the route in - he was trying to navigate between named villages using the GPS as a tiny digital map!

You can pick up old GPS devices like my Garmin Etrex (H) for about £40-50 on eBay. You'd need a cable and bar mount, plus some rechargeable batteries. I reckon if you shopped around, you could be good to go for £70-80. Ok, that's £70-80 more than using route sheets, but I have had 8 years heavy use out of mine and it has been really reliable. I think I just had to do a factory reset once when it got its eKnickers in a twist.

Removing 'skill' ... well, if you enjoy the navigation side of it, that's true, but I hated that. I found myself staring at route sheets all the time and ignoring the scenery and other riders. If I looked at the scenery and chatted to companions, I got lost!


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## HorTs (5 Mar 2014)

Don't shoot me for posting a link to another cycling forum but over on YACF they have a good 'library' of FAQs, links and stuff for Audax - https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=1201.0


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## User482 (5 Mar 2014)

nxn2020 said:


> ok then guys, what would be a decent entry level garmin that won't break the bank? and if you haven't got one how the hell do you constantly read it while riding?!!! especially if it's raining, it'll be soaked in seconds and i'll be lost in minutes! lol.



I use a Garmin Edge 500. It has turn-by-turn directions so will beep as you approach a junction. If you miss a turn, it will beep again to tell you that you've gone off-course. I find it quite easy to read, and it beats the hell out of faffing around with a route sheet. 

Regarding the speed of audaxes, it can vary quite considerably. I was riding with a group on one recently, which was so fast that we got to the first control before it opened! I decided to have an extra cake and let them carry on...


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## ianrauk (5 Mar 2014)

User482 said:


> I use a Garmin Edge 500. It has turn-by-turn directions so will beep as you approach a junction. If you miss a turn, it will beep again to tell you that you've gone off-course. I find it quite easy to read, and it beats the hell out of faffing around with a route sheet.
> 
> Regarding the speed of audaxes, it can vary quite considerably. I was riding with a group on one recently, which was so fast that we got to the first control before it opened! I decided to have an extra cake and let them carry on...




Glad you got a 500 that allows you to do that. My 500 cant handle any routes/courses over 40-50 miles. (it's a well documented problem) However the 200 does perfectly.


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## User482 (5 Mar 2014)

ianrauk said:


> Glad you got a 500 that allows you to do that. My 500 cant handle any routes/courses over 40-50 miles. (it's a well documented problem) However the 200 does perfectly.



Weird - I've never had a problem with that, and I've done routes of 120 miles+. Firmware issue?


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## ianrauk (5 Mar 2014)

User482 said:


> Weird - I've never had a problem with that, and I've done routes of 120 miles+. Firmware issue?




Yup, but Garmin never issued a fix. Have a check of the Garmin forums when you have a spare 5 minutes to read bout it.


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## Fab Foodie (5 Mar 2014)

User482 said:


> I use a Garmin Edge 500. It has turn-by-turn directions so will beep as you approach a junction. If you miss a turn, it will beep again to tell you that you've gone off-course. I find it quite easy to read, and it beats the hell out of faffing around with a route sheet.
> 
> Regarding the speed of audaxes, it can vary quite considerably. I was riding with a group on one recently, which was so fast that we got to the first control before it opened! I decided to have an extra cake and let them carry on...



Doesn't there then become a fine line between just having a 200k ride with a bunch of people and an Audax unless you particularly want points for some reason?


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## mcshroom (5 Mar 2014)

Depends whether you are after the points, the challenge, or just riding a nice ride around someone else's nice route and enjoying the company/scenery.

The reasons for riding audaxes are many and varied


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## User482 (5 Mar 2014)

Fab Foodie said:


> Doesn't there then become a fine line between just having a 200k ride with a bunch of people and an Audax unless you particularly want points for some reason?



As per @mcshroom I enjoy riding a nice route with like-minded individuals and some decent food stops. If someone wants to organise that and charge me a small sum for it, I'm very happy to pay.


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## Fab Foodie (5 Mar 2014)

User482 said:


> As per @mcshroom I enjoy riding a nice route with like-minded individuals and some decent food stops. If someone wants to organise that and charge me a small sum for it, I'm very happy to pay.


I'm pretty much of the same mind .... from my limited experience ....


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## nxn2020 (5 Mar 2014)

Paid and registered! Now waiting for the big day, hopefully weather will be good. ... fingers crossed!


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## vorsprung (6 Mar 2014)

I have a GPS ( Garmin Etrex 20 ) for audaxing. Although in some ways it is good and can make riding quicker (no slowing up looking for a turn) there are a number of drawbacks.

First there is the formats and sizes of route files that are supplied by people running events. My specific gps device will take either "routes" or "tracks". Both of these options have a limit on the number of points or waypoints or whatever they call it. Think of it as like a "join the dots" book. There is a limit on the number of dots.
So you have to realise all this crap and sort it out before the event. Or get lost in Dorset at 3am. The choice is yours. This put me off buying a gps device for years. I work in IT and the last thing I want to do for fun is mess about with file formats.

Second, the damn thing runs off batteries. The Etrex 20 will do approx 20 hours on a pair of AA batteries, so apart from having to remember to charge them the day before the event this is not too bad.

Third, reliability. Although the one I'm using is a modern, new, shiney device with stable software I have still experienced a few "freakouts" where it turns itself off or whatever. I don't think you can assume that it is going to work all the time even if the batteries hold out and the gpx file has been trimmed to the correct number of points.

Please note that I am using a "best in class" etrex 20. If you have a second hand device from ebay your problems will be multiplied

Mind you, there is a use for the device more important than audaxing. I went to the pub the other night and took a short cut through town, across several roundabouts
When it was time to go home no worries about remembering how to get back on the same route! The gps records it, all you have to do is follow the coloured line!


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## fimm (6 Mar 2014)

Cheap way to carry your route sheet: put it into one of those transparent folder things, sellotape the open side up, and secure it round your arm with a suitable elastic band. Probably not good enough in heavy rain, but worked fine for me on a 300.

My experience of the 2 Audaxes that I've done was that they were very, very male dominated. Not that this is a problem, I'm just sharing my observation. Everyone was very friendly, though. I really should do some more (if I can be bothered to train up to doing 200km again).


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## booze and cake (6 Mar 2014)

Amazed its not been said yet, but expect mostly men and an above average quotient of beards.

I much prefer them to sportives. The routes are great and looking at previous audaxes has helped me plot great routes in unridden areas.

I like a pub stop or two on route which can be accomodated, and if you want to ride alone you can, and if you want company you'll find some.


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## Philip Whiteman (6 Mar 2014)

Don't expect waymarking; don't expect gimmicks; don't expect a recovery vehicle; don't expect to pay a hefty entrance fee.


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## ianrauk (6 Mar 2014)

Philip Whiteman said:


> Don't expect waymarking; don't expect gimmicks; don't expect a recovery vehicle; don't expect to pay a hefty entrance fee.




Damn, what's the point then?


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## Banjo (6 Mar 2014)

ianrauk said:


> Damn, what's the point then?


The point is cake.


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## ianrauk (6 Mar 2014)

Banjo said:


> The point is cake.




Indeed....


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## Eribiste (6 Mar 2014)

I did my first Audax last year, Beacon Road Club's Cotswold Outing, very good too. I printed the route cards in a sequence of A5 sheets, laminated. This was fine, except the only way I could read them with my aging eyesight was to hold them out at arm's length which may possibly have made me look a bit of a prat. I now ride with bi-focal wrap around safety specs, which means I can now mount the route card on a handlebar mounted clipboard and still see both the directions and the mileage counter on the cycle computer; two helpful things on an Audax. This year I'm going to remember to take a pen too so I can note the control data. I clocked up an extra 4 miles or so getting lost, but every mile helps with the mycycling mileage log.


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## Pikey (8 Mar 2014)

If you do choose a garmin, make sure it has removable batteries so you can swap them mid ride if they go flat. Dakota 20 ftw.

I got a rixen kaul little map holder to hold the route sheet on my bars, many scoffed at my 'tactical clipboard' until they got lost in the storm.


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## Pikey (8 Mar 2014)

Expect to enter more afterwards...


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## alans (8 Mar 2014)

[quote="ColinJ, post: 2961231, member: 712"

*I realised yesterday how much progress I need to make before I will be able to complete a 200 again.* I think I averaged 17 kph, but is was only over 103 km and I was knackered by the end.[/quote]

my bold
I realised a while ago that 200km is a few km too far & is likely to be so for some time & I get ceam crackered in far less than 100km.
atm 100km seems like the big hurdle that a 200km ride used to be before they became a comfortable prospect.
However keep on trucking pedalling eh what


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## alans (8 Mar 2014)

Eribiste said:


> This year I'm going to remember to take a pen too so I can note the control data. .


 
Use a pencil instead.It will never run out of ink,will write in the rain & even upside down if necessary.


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## alans (8 Mar 2014)

I most often use a Minaora Space Grip & Polaris map trap.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Minoura-Space-Grip-28-35mm-bars/dp/B0082BDWFO
http://roadcyclinguk.com/news/racing-news/maptrap-by-polaris.html
I always laminate the route sheet after trimming it to a size compatible with the map trap.

I sometimes use an Ortlieb bar bag with a waterproof map case
http://www.ortlieb.co.uk/bike/handlebar-bags/black-ultimate6-plus-large.html
http://www.ortlieb.co.uk/map-document/mapcase.html
The route sheet & relevant pages torn from a road atlas go in the map case.


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## Pale Rider (8 Mar 2014)

I saw an audaxer who had his map/instructions on a paper roll about the size of toilet paper wound onto two rollers, which could be scrolled as he rode along.


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## tubbycyclist (8 Mar 2014)

Pale Rider said:


> I saw an audaxer who had his map/instructions on a paper roll about the size of toilet paper wound onto two rollers, which could be scrolled as he rode along.


Sounds like a roll chart holder, and wider versions for maps were popular with touring riders.


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## Pale Rider (8 Mar 2014)

tubbycyclist said:


> Sounds like a roll chart holder, and wider versions for maps were popular with touring riders.



Aye, that's it, thanks for posting the link.


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## Donger (8 Mar 2014)

Pikey said:


> If you do choose a garmin, make sure it has removable batteries so you can swap them mid ride if they go flat. Dakota 20 ftw.
> 
> I got a rixen kaul little map holder to hold the route sheet on my bars, many scoffed at my 'tactical clipboard' until they got lost in the storm.


 Just used my own Rixen Kaul map holder today in the Forest of Dean. Really glad I wasn't sticking to a programmed route, as I came across a major road closure in a hilly bit a few miles from the end of my ride. Have used the "tactical clipboard" in Provence, Languedoc, the Alps, the Ardennes, Scotland and Wales when on holidays, and have never got lost. Think I'll stick with what I know.


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## Banjo (8 Mar 2014)

My route card holder is a poundworld clip board cut down to size and waterproofed by wrapping in gaffer tape. Fixes on top of the stem with 2 cable ties.


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## nxn2020 (30 Mar 2014)

Well I've now done my first audax and can say it won't be my last! Loved it, even the hills. Weather was perfect which helped. As for the route, myself and my friend stayed with some others and just followed! Half the time I couldn't read the route sheet as due to the quality of uk roads my eye balls were trying to vibrate their way out of my head and I just couldn't focus! Really friendly atmosphere and no rush, just ride and enjoy the countryside....... loved it.


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## Huff n Puff (3 Apr 2014)

Glad you enjoyed it....did my first Audax in December and have now done seven, including my first Permanent. It's all been a bit of a learning curve and a few 'off course excursions' but it's great. Latest lesson learned; on a Permanent, if collecting receipts check that the shop has bothered setting it's till to the right date and time before you leave! Doh!


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## PlymSlimCyclist (3 Apr 2014)

Whoops, you've already replied to my questions.

Glad you enjoyed it!
I'm looking forward to buying a cyclocross bike (don't think a road bike would be suitable for Plymouth's silky smooth roads, and my weight) and giving it a go.


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