# Audax Questions :))



## Heather (22 Jun 2011)

Hello

I have done quite a few sportives now, but am looking at doing my 1st audax at the weekend.

I am not brilliant with maps/directions so a little bit worried. You get a route sheet yes? Are they easy to follow? And a very stupid question, but how do u read the route sheet and ride at the same time?! Where do you put it...........

Any advice welcome


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## Dave Davenport (22 Jun 2011)

Route sheets are pretty easy to follow, just keep an eye on your milage and follow the instructions i.e @ 46.5k: turn right at T. If the sheets marked in km it's worth setting your computor to km's too. 

As for where to put it; either bodge up a small holder on your bars or put it on the inside of your forearm with a couple of elastic bands.


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## arallsopp (22 Jun 2011)

Make sure your cycle computer is accurate (do a roll out test, if need be) and get used to resetting the trip computer function if it gets wayward. You often have instructions given with cumulative and interval distances, and once the cumulative begins to drift the mental arithmetic gets onerous.

The ideal routesheet holder will be waterproof, accessible, familiar and tested. Up an arm works. In (or on top of) a bar bag is good too.


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## Glover Fan (22 Jun 2011)

If you are a tight git like me, get a sealable plastic wallet about A5 size and cable tie it to your stem, worked a treat for me on Sunday.


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## eck (22 Jun 2011)

Heather - hopefully you should get the routesheet a few days before the start. or it may be online. If you can access it beforehand, have a look at it and get a feel for where it goes. Trying to follow each direction one-by-one can be quite stressful unless you know where you want to be heading. It will also help you to pace yourself if you have a clear idea how long each stage is and where the controls are. 

Also, unless you are very familiar with the area the ride covers, take a map with you. The relevant page(s) torn from a cheapo petrol station road atlas is ideal. Why? Cos if you do accidentally go off route, it can be a nightmare trying to work out where you went wrong, and how to get back on course again. BTDTGTTS. 

Finally, if you can, tag along with people who have done the route before: they (usually) don't get lost. Enjoy!


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## Dave Davenport (22 Jun 2011)

If you do end up riding with other people make sure you're still following the directions yourself in case you split up. Also, don't assume just 'cos you're in a group that it's going the right way!


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## Greenbank (22 Jun 2011)

Don't worry too much about this talk of cycle computers and distances on the routesheet.

I worried a little before my first Audax but it turned out to be fine. As others say, take a map (page ripped from road atlas) in case you do get lost.

Most routesheets don't require you to know how far you've cycled, and a good routesheet shouldn't need you to at all. Distances for each instruction can be a comfort but they can cause problems in themselves, especially if your cyclecomputer isn't calibrated the same as the organiser's (there's no guarantee theirs was exact!) or if you do some extra distance by missing a turn.

Routesheet instructions are of the form:-

1st L sp Wibbleton
Take the 1st left that is signposted Wibbleton.
If you come up to a possible left turn that isn't signposted "Wibbleton" then don't take it. Nor if there's a right turn signposted "Wibbleton".

L@T
This is pretty unambiguous. Turn left at the next T-Junction.
Remember that a T-junction is where you cede priority on the road (i.e. you have to cross dashed white lines).

SO @ Stgd X
Straight over at staggered crossroads. Usually means jinking left or right a bit on another road, but the other turn should be clearly in sight.
Sometimes appears as "R imm L" or "L imm R" on a routesheet.

"1st L"
If you are asked to turn left or right at a point where there are no signposts then the instruction should be unambiguous.
1st L would mean 1st left that isn't someone's driveway or a non-public road.

It's very rare that you get an instruction like:

"6th L no sp"
As that requires you to keep track of how many left turns you've passed.

More likely it'll be something like:-

"6th L no sp (just past Golden Lion pub)"

The routesheet should come with a key of what it all means. There are plenty of variations:-
$ instead of sp to mean signposted
exit 3 @ rab = exit 3 of roundabout
SO m-rab = Straight over mini-roundabout
L @ TL = left a traffic lights
R @ X = right at crossroads.
...etc...

Road names on instructions will usually only be given to help confirm you're on the correct road. They'll also only be given if the road name sign is visible (otherwise people spend ages trying to work out if they are on Wibble Lane or not).

Instructions are usually only given where you need to cede priority (i.e. cross a white line) or turn off the road you are going along.

Villages/Towns in CAPITALS mean you will also go into/through them (and sometimes it means you'll go through them next). So you could see:-
1st L Wibbleton
2nd R Somewhereton
L@T WIBBLETON
3rd R Elsewhereplace
..etc...

Enjoy.


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## ColinJ (22 Jun 2011)

Alternatively, spend £100 on a GPS unit (plus cables, rechargeable batteries and a bar mount) and use that to navigate with 100% accuracy!


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## Scoosh (22 Jun 2011)

As eck has said, you should get your routesheet a few days in advance.

Have a look at Googlemaps and I find it very useful to zoom right in to Street View to check what the junctions look like.






When you arrive at the start, tell the Organiser that you are an 'audax virgin'



and he/she'll very likely link you with someone who will make sure you get round OK.

Enjoy your ride and let us know how you get on !


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## Scoosh (22 Jun 2011)

ColinJ said:


> Alternatively, spend £100 on a GPS unit (plus cables, rechargeable batteries and a bar mount) and use that to navigate with 100% accuracy!



... while using your routesheet to check that the gps is working ok


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## yello (22 Jun 2011)

Distances can be useful. The route sheet might say 1st left, or somesuch, but it's helpful knowing how far that 1st left might be. I'm sure most audaxers have drifted off at some point or other and are not entirely sure whether they've passed a turn during that 'time out'... or perhaps that's just me!

If you have an idea of the distance to the next turn then you can avoid having concerns about having missed it... but it doesn't need to be 1/10th of a mile/km accurate. There's very little chance that your mileage will agree exactly with the organisers anyway, and your computer could be 100% accurate.


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## ColinJ (22 Jun 2011)

scoosh said:


> ... while using your routesheet to check that the gps is working ok


So far, it has been 100% reliable for 10,000+ km of audaxes and CycleChat forum rides!

Having said that, I used to carry paper maps and the route sheet for backup, just-in-case. I now use my digital camera to take snapshots of my PC screen displaying the route on my mapping software. If my GPS packed up, I could zoom in on the photo of the map and work out where I was.


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## Fiona N (22 Jun 2011)

ColinJ said:


> Alternatively, spend £100 on a GPS unit (plus cables, rechargeable batteries and a bar mount) and use that to navigate with 100% accuracy!



And then be one of those who have to attach themselves leech-like to other riders when their GPS unit fails and they don't have the route sheet as backup  

Twice now I've had to 'carry' a failed-GPS rider so I'm getting a bit fed-up with praise of these devices compared to getting a route sheet, running through it on Google maps (which also allows you to check any particularly tricky bits, like the back way in to motorway services - often not signposted) and calibrating your speedo.


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## Fiona N (22 Jun 2011)

yello said:


> Distances can be useful. The route sheet might say 1st left, or somesuch, but it's helpful knowing how far that 1st left might be. I'm sure most audaxers have drifted off at some point or other and are not entirely sure whether they've passed a turn during that 'time out'... or perhaps that's just me!



Totally agree - I'd hate to have to be counting for the 6th L turn with no idea how far away it was likely to be as you start to wonder what exactly constitutes a left turning. I find the route sheets which have both cumulative mileage and distance to the next instruction are the best.


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## Banjo (22 Jun 2011)

ColinJ said:


> So far, it has been 100% reliable for 10,000+ km of audaxes and CycleChat forum rides!
> 
> Having said that, I used to carry paper maps and the route sheet for backup, just-in-case. I now use my digital camera to take snapshots of my PC screen displaying the route on my mapping software. If my GPS packed up, I could zoom in on the photo of the map and work out where I was.




Brilliant idea that Colin. Will give it a go.


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## Banjo (22 Jun 2011)

ColinJ said:


> So far, it has been 100% reliable for 10,000+ km of audaxes and CycleChat forum rides!
> 
> Having said that, I used to carry paper maps and the route sheet for backup, just-in-case. I now use my digital camera to take snapshots of my PC screen displaying the route on my mapping software. If my GPS packed up, I could zoom in on the photo of the map and work out where I was.




Brilliant idea that Colin. Will give it a go.


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## yello (22 Jun 2011)

I refer to the route sheet more than my GPS. Somehow, I find it more reassuring seeing the road sign that the route sheet refers to rather than simply following the bread crumb trail on the GPS. I realise also that I can make mistakes in creating the route whereas I naively anticipate the route sheet to be accurate. So, in my case, the GPS is a backup and/or gets used when I'm confused. Zoomed out, it also gives me a general sense of direction... so I know if I'm heading towards that rain storm/mountain range in the distance! I wouldn't be without the GPS though.


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## Banjo (22 Jun 2011)

Heather said:


> Hello
> 
> I have done quite a few sportives now, but am looking at doing my 1st audax at the weekend.
> 
> ...



I did my first Audax this year.Like U I worried about getting lost etc, no need to the instructions become clear as you go along. 

I find its best to follow the route sheet turn by turn from the start.Trying to make sense of it later is difficult.

Dont blindly follow a group or individual follow your own sheet.I have seen GPS owners and Route card users get it wrong.On the snowdrop a guy with GPS was adamant he was right and several other of us were wrong,he caught us up eventually after his little detour. 

My first route card holder was a curry carton plastic lid held on top of the stem with bits of elastic






My latest one is a cut down clipboard from the pound shop with the cut edges sealed with tape also held on with elastic.





I laminate the route instructions in plastic after highlighting each instruction in alternate colours.

Hope U enjoy it. Compared to a Sportive I like the more layed back attitude that allows time to savour the cake and chat to other riders . Having said that some riders get round at impressive speed as well.


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## yello (22 Jun 2011)

Banjo said:


> I laminate the route instructions in plastic after highlighting each instruction in alternate colours.



I certainly agree with laminating route sheets. It's something I always do now. Not only does it protect them from rain but also makes them less inclined to flap around in the wind, or tear etc etc. At the weekend, I road with a laminated route sheet (cut down) in my back pocket. I could easily pull the card from my pocket and read it without it flapping all over the place. 

I'd not do the 'in the pocket' approach as a rule, I prefer to have the route sheet always in front of me. Normally, it simply gets paper-clipped to my bar bag (or tied; hole punch to put a hole in each corner of the sheet then long shoe lace looped through and tied to bar bag). I found mounting the sheet to my bars (either directly or on a sheet holder) meant it was too close and I needed my reading glasses to read it!


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## ColinJ (22 Jun 2011)

Banjo said:


> Brilliant idea that Colin. Will give it a go.


Unfortunately, I can't take the credit for the idea - somebody over on BikeRadar suggested it.



yello said:


> I realise also that I can make mistakes in creating the route whereas I naively anticipate the route sheet to be accurate. So, in my case, the GPS is a backup and/or gets used when I'm confused.


I double-check the route when I plot it from the route sheet. If there is any instruction that is remotely complicated or ambiguous, I use Google Maps and the Streetview option to make sure that I have got it right.

I once spotted a left turn marked on a route sheet when it should have been a right. It was too late to tell the organiser, but I made sure that my GPS was programmed correctly. I was one of the few people who didn't end up adding an extra 15 or 20 kms to the ride!

Before I bought my GPS, I did a hilly 200 taking in some beautiful countryside. At the end of the ride, I could hardly remember where I'd been. I noticed early on that my bike computer calibration didn't correspond to the organiser's and as a result, there was an increasing error on the odometer reading as the ride progressed. I was concentrating so hard adding offsets to the numbers on the route sheet that I wasn't really taking in the ride.

I enjoy audax rides much more now I do not have to monitor the route sheet all the time, especially since I know I won't get lost. I know some very experienced audax riders who, despite that experience, still lose their way on long rides.


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## arallsopp (22 Jun 2011)

Whilst I'm a big GPS fan, I defer to the opinions of the regular audaxers on here. 

I've only done one official audax, so can only really speak from limited experience. If you are planning to GPS it, its definitely worth copying the routesheet in as a set of waypoints on your mapping tool of choice, then joining them for a route. This way, you're forced to evaluate each instruction and work out what it might mean *BEFORE* the event.

I add the track too, then set it to show whilst following the waypoints through 001:Start, 002:L@T, 003:SOX, etc...

On the Etrex (cheaper end of the GPS spectrum) this also means you can see the next instruction and distance to it. 

Andy.


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## Klaus (22 Jun 2011)

Interesting thread - I am hoping to do my first Audax in July - the Barbury 110.
All good advice - hopefully I can get through it without getting lost too much ....


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## eck (22 Jun 2011)

GPS or routesheet? Is this going to be one of _those_ debates? 

I recently organised a 100k audax. Quite a few people "got lost". No-one who relied totally on the routesheet got lost. All those who did get lost were relying on their GPS. 

I'm only sayin', like.


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## yello (22 Jun 2011)

If you are able to (that is, have the route sheet in advance), it is useful to plot the route on one of the mapping sites whether you have a GPS or not. It gives you a feel for the route and perhaps somewhat bizarrely you *will* remember section of the route... particularly tricky bits. You'll get to that junction and think 'ah, this is that funky bit on the map'!


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## Glover Fan (22 Jun 2011)

Fiona N said:


> And then be one of those who have to attach themselves leech-like to other riders when their GPS unit fails and they don't have the route sheet as backup
> 
> Twice now I've had to 'carry' a failed-GPS rider so I'm getting a bit fed-up with praise of these devices compared to getting a route sheet, running through it on Google maps (which also allows you to check any particularly tricky bits, like the back way in to motorway services - often not signposted) and calibrating your speedo.



On the contrary, having a GPS can also be a hindrance as people seem to tag along and rely on your to ride into headwinds just because you have turn-by-turn directions. It happened to me in May. So I just decided to spend ages at a control to shake them off.

I use my GPS and routesheet together, as they compliment each other well, sort of a failsafe mechanism. I always spend about 3 hours (not kidding) analysing the route on google maps, whilst plotting the coursepoints to my GPS. Streetview is an absolute godsend for tricky bits and if you have a photographic memory like myself I remember waypoints along the route as well, stuff like memorial parks, telephone boxes.

Yes I am a bit sad and meticulous.

One thing about routesheets, on Sunday I rode my first 200k and my Garmin GPS couldn't store more than 100 coursepoints, so I decided that I would do the whole of the first section by the routesheet, which was fine, but I did find that I didn't take in much of the scenery and being in completely new territory that was quite a shame.


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## mcshroom (22 Jun 2011)

I use Andy's method of making my own route on computer, uploading it onto the GPS and following that.

I also carry the routesheet and a map with the line drawn on in a plastic bag in my back pocket (same one as brevet card) as insurance.


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## ColinJ (22 Jun 2011)

eck said:


> I recently organised a 100k audax. Quite a few people "got lost". No-one who relied totally on the routesheet got lost. All those who did get lost were relying on their GPS.
> 
> I'm only sayin', like.


A twit is a twit whether (s)he uses a GPS, a route sheet or a map!

I spotted a rider on a Cheshire 200 who had an upmarket Garmin Etrex on his bars. He overtook me and disappeared up the road. Some time later, he passed me going the other way. I eventually saw him coming out of a side junction further up the road. He was quite clearly confused! 

I asked if he was doing the same event and he was. I wondered how he could be lost when he had a GPS and he told me that he thought the map on it was a bit small and difficult to read while riding ... 

It turned out that he hadn't programmed the route into the GPS; he was trying to relate the route sheet to what was effectively 4 square inches of onscreen map! 

I explained about following the GPS breadcrumb trail, and showed him how I was doing it. I could see by the glazed look in his eyes that he didn't have a clue what I was saying and that he'd never even read the GPS manual!


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## tubbycyclist (22 Jun 2011)

Depending on the length of the ride it is also worth considering a headtorch to read the routesheet if you anticipate riding at night. Also helpful for rummaging in packs etc on unlit lanes.


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## MarcA (22 Jun 2011)

I use a routesheet but also put route into my iphone. I don't use the iphone for following the route as the battery life is not up to it. However it has been helpful to check the route on the phone if I go off route so I can get back on route, or just to confirm that I am on route if the directions are not clear.,


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## Alun (22 Jun 2011)

If you laminate the routesheet (doublesided) and punch holes in the corners, it will be easier to manage and waterproof. Most routesheets are laid out in handy sizes, highlight any control points etc first though.

(Sorry Banjo, I see have already suggested this.)


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## ColinJ (22 Jun 2011)

tubbycyclist said:


> Depending on the length of the ride it is also worth considering a headtorch to read the routesheet if you anticipate riding at night. Also helpful for rummaging in packs etc on unlit lanes.


Also very useful for ...


Reading road signs.
Seeing what you are doing if you have a puncture or other mechanical problem.
Shining in the eyes of drivers who are dazzling you to tell them to dip their lights! I discovered that doing that and 'flicking' the head torch beam down led to 90% of them dipping.


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## Ian H (24 Jun 2011)

Once you done a few audax events you should have a small collection of zip-seal plastic bags (organisers should hand them out with the brevet cards - ask if you don't receive one). They're ideal for keeping a routesheet dry. I use a Polaris map-trap - the sort secured with reusable zip-ties rather than the click-fit version. 

Recently I've started using gps. I find it easiest to simply set a track. There's no turn warning, but a brief glance near junctions suffices. However, beware of tracks/routes downloaded. Check them. Even the organisers' own can be misleading.


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## BrumJim (24 Jun 2011)

scoosh said:


> As eck has said, you should get your routesheet a few days in advance.
> 
> Have a look at Googlemaps and I find it very useful to zoom right in to Street View to check what the junctions look like.
> 
> ...




+1.

Oh, and following Banjo round is also a good idea, but not available at all Audaxes. And go light on the coffee cake, or you'll leave him behind.


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## ColinJ (24 Jun 2011)

Ian H said:


> However, beware of tracks/routes downloaded. Check them. Even the organisers' own can be misleading.


I always check them. I've seen tracklogs which include sections where it is clear that the original rider had got lost. (They had left in details of where they were meandering around back streets trying to get back on course.)

I've also seen a sportive tracklog where the rider had cut 10% off the route by taking shortcuts. (It shouldn't be possible to do that on a properly designed audax route since it should already be the shortest route between checkpoints.)


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## Tynan (25 Jun 2011)

I think ColinJ promotes the relativelt bombproof EtrexH rather than preumably the more highly strung colouf ladedah models

My EtrexH has only two audaxes but it does radiate bombproof reliability I have to say


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## arallsopp (25 Jun 2011)

Whilst I find mine much the same, don't ever leave it in a warm car if you care for the wellbeing of the rubber casing. Lose that, and its not even waterbomb proof.


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## Tynan (25 Jun 2011)

how warm? mine is resting in the hall on top of the radiator cover


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