# Audax start time



## oreo_muncher (16 Sep 2020)

Im doing an audax on sunday and it says it starts at 9:30am but do I have to be there before that time? If I was late e.g. I got there at 10am, can I still do it? Only because the event is 50km away from me and my Mum was meant to drop me off there but now cannot and there is no early enough train to get it, so the only train available would mean Im slightly late. Or would I be barred from entry? Should I just cycle the 50km to get to the event on time. The event is 110km.


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## Sharky (16 Sep 2020)

You sound young, I'm sure you can ride out to the start and ride back after the event.

Once upon a time, it was the norm to ride out to time trials and ride back after the event (shattered).


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## oreo_muncher (16 Sep 2020)

Sharky said:


> You sound young, I'm sure you can ride out to the start and ride back after the event.
> 
> Once upon a time, it was the norm to ride out to time trials and ride back after the event (shattered).


A bit of a baby to cycling, I guess


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## screenman (16 Sep 2020)

I remember riding 25 miles out to cross events and 25 back again, but that was then and now is now.


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## Sharky (16 Sep 2020)

There are some famous and historic cycling club huts north of London somewhere. Don't know much about them, but it was the HQ for a time trial I rode once. They were owned by some East London cycling clubs and their members used to ride out the day before an event and kip there, then ride the event the next day.

I'm sure there are people on here that know the real facts about them. 

I, in my youth, stayed in a few YHA hostels the night before, rode the event and then rode home. 

Makes you a real hard cyclist riding out - you'll enjoy it (when you get home)


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## oreo_muncher (16 Sep 2020)

Sharky said:


> There are some famous and historic cycling club huts north of London somewhere. Don't know much about them, but it was the HQ for a time trial I rode once. They were owned by some East London cycling clubs and their members used to ride out the day before an event and kip there, then ride the event the next day.
> 
> I'm sure there are people on here that know the real facts about them.
> 
> ...


Is riding out 50km one way not too much- it would be 50km+110km+50km=210km in total? Will I be okay?


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## Ajax Bay (16 Sep 2020)

E-mail the organiser and let them know you'll be late and crave indulgence. They normally expect to wait for latecomers.
Treat the suggestions above with the merit they deserve, recognising that posters are old enough to know better (and probably guffaw at the thought of rides of less than 200km).
You know what your capability is 110/160/210.


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## oreo_muncher (16 Sep 2020)

Ajax Bay said:


> E-mail the organiser and let them know you'll be late and crave indulgence. They normally expect to wait for latecomers.
> Treat the suggestions above with the merit they deserve, recognising that posters are old enough to know better (and probably guffaw at the thought of rides of less than 200km).
> You know what your capability is 110/160/210.


The most I ever done is 108km  I emailed the organiser about the start time to see what they'll say. Im nowhere near as good as most cyclists on here- Im young and in good shape but don't know how capable I am.


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## Eribiste (16 Sep 2020)

Young and in good shape is a big help but there's such a thing as cycling fit too, whereby your mind and body are attuned to the specific needs of distance riding. I reckon you should speak to the organiser and explain your difficulty. I'd be very surprised if they didn't indulge you.


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## DCLane (16 Sep 2020)

Usually there's a fixed start time. If you start late then you are already that time behind I'm afraid. You'd also miss other riders and learning valuable information for the start of such an event.

Be aware that there is a 'latest finishing time' which will be down to the average mph. For such a short event then you are quite likely to miss the cut-off because you're starting that late.

Personally I'd ride it steady to the event, have something to eat when you get there, ride it and organise a pick-up if needed. If you've done the audax distance then it's only 50km further.

But then don't ask me. I rode the 1200km Paris-Brest-Paris only having done a maximum of 200km 4 months before the event - making the jump from 200 to 300 to 400 to 600 to 1200 without any other real distance. And did the 1430km (I got lost so did more!) London-Edinburgh-London one-legged. Therefore I'm clearly daft.


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## cougie uk (16 Sep 2020)

I'd cycle there and either ride back or get your mum to pick you up. 

It's going to be all about pacing yourself and fuelling so don't go sprinting off anywhere along the route. Nice and steady. And take extra food with you. 

I did 140m when I was 16 and my previous longest was about 80 miles. It's fine if you take it easy. 

Enjoy your day.


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## oreo_muncher (16 Sep 2020)

DCLane said:


> Usually there's a fixed start time. If you start late then you are already that time behind I'm afraid. You'd also miss other riders and learning valuable information for the start of such an event.
> 
> Be aware that there is a 'latest finishing time' which will be down to the average mph. For such a short event then you are quite likely to miss the cut-off because you're starting that late.
> 
> ...


How did you do the LEL and the Paris audax?!!!! That's absolutely amazing! I'll try ride there slowly-aim for 20km/h as a minimum, not speedy-just slow and steady. Now they said because of covid they don't want everyone to start at the same time, so not sure how everything will work.


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## oreo_muncher (16 Sep 2020)

cougie uk said:


> I'd cycle there and either ride back or get your mum to pick you up.
> 
> It's going to be all about pacing yourself and fuelling so don't go sprinting off anywhere along the route. Nice and steady. And take extra food with you.
> 
> ...


Thank you  I think I'll start off at 6:30am-ish and should be there by 9am to start. I just hope it's not too hilly 😅 I think I'll cycle to the train station-10 miles after to get the train back. What food do you recommend I take? How many energy gels- I quite like those because I don't like eating solid food when cycling - hurts my stomach?


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## Sharky (16 Sep 2020)

oreo_muncher said:


> The most I ever done is 108km  I emailed the organiser about the start time to see what they'll say. Im nowhere near as good as most cyclists on here- Im young and in good shape but don't know how capable I am.


Depends how comfortable the 108km ride was and how often. You can certainly extend yourself by 20% or so and then it's down to how much pain you can suffer.


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## DCLane (16 Sep 2020)

oreo_muncher said:


> How did you do the LEL and the Paris audax?!!!! That's absolutely amazing!



Thanks. Much of the long-distance riding is mind over matter: on the Blackpool-Glasgow-Blackpool 600k I wondered "why am I doing this?" whilst going over rough roads north of Gretna on 23mm tyres. Nearly turned back but convinced myself that Glasgow wasn't that far ... it was! Oh, and I'd accidentally packed my son's summer kit rather than mine so ended up with windchill at 2am going over Shap Fell on the way back, needing to warm up in Kendal Travelodge.

100km becomes 200km and onwards providing you keep fit, keep training and focus on why you're doing the event.

Hope it goes well.



oreo_muncher said:


> Thank you  I think I'll start off at 6:30am-ish and should be there by 9am to start. I just hope it's not too hilly 😅 I think I'll cycle to the train station-10 miles after to get the train back. What food do you recommend I take? How many energy gels- I quite like those because I don't like eating solid food when cycling - hurts my stomach?



Just energy gels on an audax starts to go wrong after a while. I'd suggest something soft-ish as well; flapjack / banana / malt loaf which have slower-release sugars rather than relying on an instant-hit from the gel.


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## cougie uk (16 Sep 2020)

oreo_muncher said:


> Thank you  I think I'll start off at 6:30am-ish and should be there by 9am to start. I just hope it's not too hilly 😅 I think I'll cycle to the train station-10 miles after to get the train back. What food do you recommend I take? How many energy gels- I quite like those because I don't like eating solid food when cycling - hurts my stomach?




I'm not a fan of gels really. Expensive and messy. I have emptied them and diluted them before now so I have a bottle of gel ready to drink. No sticky wrappers. 

I prefer to nibble on flapjack or gingerbread men. Get a bento box on the top tube. 

And don't forget lights if you're leaving at 630


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## oreo_muncher (16 Sep 2020)

cougie uk said:


> I'm not a fan of gels really. Expensive and messy. I have emptied them and diluted them before now so I have a bottle of gel ready to drink. No sticky wrappers.
> 
> I prefer to nibble on flapjack or gingerbread men. Get a bento box on the top tube.
> 
> And don't forget lights if you're leaving at 630


What bento box and how do you get it fitted on?!I make my own flapjack or go for the trek one.


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## oreo_muncher (16 Sep 2020)

DCLane said:


> Thanks. Much of the long-distance riding is mind over matter: on the Blackpool-Glasgow-Blackpool 600k I wondered "why am I doing this?" whilst going over rough roads north of Gretna on 23mm tyres. Nearly turned back but convinced myself that Glasgow wasn't that far ... it was! Oh, and I'd accidentally packed my son's summer kit rather than mine so ended up with windchill at 2am going over Shap Fell on the way back, needing to warm up in Kendal Travelodge.
> 
> 100km becomes 200km and onwards providing you keep fit, keep training and focus on why you're doing the event.
> 
> ...


Haha you're very admirable. Haha hope ill be able to replicate some of your success! I don't know how you do it with sleep on those long audaxes!

Ill let you know how it goes. The organiser emailed me saying I could come at 10 am if I wanted to.

At the beginning used to hate energy gels, now I like the taste quite a bit lol. I'll take flapjack and a banana, but not sure what else to take? I have one of those satchets you put in the water for electrolytes.


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## Ming the Merciless (16 Sep 2020)

With audax you learn as you go and if you get a taste for it and like night riding you’ll be looking at LEL and PBP before you know. A 400km audax is where you hone your overnight skills and equipment and clothing. A 600km audax you consolidate them. Once you get the hang of 600’s then you’re ready to give LEL or PBP or longer audaxes a go.

But first give your 100km event a go and see if it’s something you can see yourself doing more of.

As for food, sugary stuff can work for 100km, but once you hit 200km and above you’ll find you’ll need a mix of real food including savoury. Sugar makes you sick after a while.

Although @DCLane makes it look like he just jumped on PBP or LEL. He did have experience of the longer audaxes in other years. I finished one such 400 with him a number of years back now.


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## oreo_muncher (16 Sep 2020)

YukonBoy said:


> With audax you learn as you go and if you get a taste for it and like night riding you’ll be looking at LEL and PBP before you know. A 400km audax is where you hone your overnight skills and equipment and clothing. A 600km audax you consolidate them. Once you get the hang of 600’s then you’re ready to give LEL or PBP or longer audaxes a go.
> 
> But first give your 100km event a go and see if it’s something you can see yourself doing more of.
> 
> ...


Thank youuuu so much for your reply : I'll let you know how it goes!Tempted to just do the extra km to get there and be on time instead of late even though the organiser was okay about it when he replied to my email. I'm sure coffee will get me through this! What savoury food do you recommend? I find eating solid food hard when I go on longer bike rides- it's like my stomach has trouble keeping it down- but I can't get through this purely on energy gels and coffee!


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## ColinJ (16 Sep 2020)

DCLane said:


> ... so ended up with windchill at 2am going over Shap Fell on the way back, needing to warm up in Kendal Travelodge.


That reminds me of this...


ColinJ said:


> Yes, the A6 does look busy. We used to go up that way to Scotland every year for our summer holidays before they built the M6. My dad had a motorbike and sidecar and when I was 18 months old took me, my 6 year old sister, and heavily pregnant mum up the A6 and over Shap Fell where we were caught out in a thunderstorm. My dad got near-hypothermic and had to be thawed out in a pub somewhere after the descent from the Fell!


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## Ming the Merciless (16 Sep 2020)

Well just normal stuff really

Scotch Eggs
Pork Pie
Sausage roll
Chicken and veg wrapped in a tortilla
Crisp breads
Peanuts
Flapjacks
Beans on toast

If it makes you sick you may just be eating too much whilst exercising. So always opt for the smaller portions, and don’t be ashamed to stop eating if you feel full.

If you ride to start, have something eat and drink at start, maybe just taking a 10 min break. Then have something savoury, sat down off bike, halfway on the event at 50km. Maybe 30-40 min stop. Then something again when you finish.

For 100km I might have six picnic eggs, a couple of chicken wraps, and a packet of salted crisps. Don’t feel you have to eat it all at once. Zip lock bags help to save the remains of snacks for later.

Oh and I always ease off the gas for 20-30 mins after I set off having eaten.


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## DCLane (16 Sep 2020)

YukonBoy said:


> Although @DCLane makes it look like he just jumped on PBP or LEL. He did have experience of the longer audaxes in other years. I finished one such 400 with him a number of years back now.



It'll have been the Llanfair 400 - oddly enough the only 400 I've ever done but I do like the route. It'll have been in 2015 (PBP year), 2017 or 2019. Missed 2016's due to being in multiple pieces following a major crash and hadn't recovered enough from the resulting operation to stick some bits back on (in late 2017) for 2018's.


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## cougie uk (16 Sep 2020)

A bento box or a top tube bag - something like this -


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## Ridgeway (16 Sep 2020)

Ride there, take it easy and be early to recover a bit, do the ride and then train back surely ?


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## Ming the Merciless (17 Sep 2020)

DCLane said:


> It'll have been the Llanfair 400 - oddly enough the only 400 I've ever done but I do like the route. It'll have been in 2015 (PBP year), 2017 or 2019. Missed 2016's due to being in multiple pieces following a major crash and hadn't recovered enough from the resulting operation to stick some bits back on (in late 2017) for 2018's.



2015 ‘twas the year


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## oreo_muncher (17 Sep 2020)

YukonBoy said:


> Well just normal stuff really
> 
> Scotch Eggs
> Pork Pie
> ...


Haha I'm vegan so some of those things are off the list. I always take flapjack. How do you bring beans on toast with you on a bike ride?! If you have ideas for some vegan friendly foods-let me know! I take a packet of oreos with me sometimes. Could make myself a sandwich I guess. Maybe it's because of the food I eat before the ride- what would you recommend and how much? Will bring a packet of crisps along as recommended by you then!


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## Ming the Merciless (17 Sep 2020)

oreo_muncher said:


> Haha I'm vegan so some of those things are off the list. I always take flapjack. How do you bring beans on toast with you on a bike ride?! If you have ideas for some vegan friendly foods-let me know! I take a packet of oreos with me sometimes. Could make myself a sandwich I guess. Maybe it's because of the food I eat before the ride- what would you recommend and how much? Will bring a packet of crisps along as recommended by you then!



I stop at a cafe or take away for the hot stuff . Unless you are really slow you have time to stop and eat real food. So if Vegan just try eating the food you normally do if it’s portable or available along the way at shops or cafes. Don’t introduce new foods on an audax.


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## Solocle (19 Sep 2020)

oreo_muncher said:


> The most I ever done is 108km  I emailed the organiser about the start time to see what they'll say. Im nowhere near as good as most cyclists on here- Im young and in good shape but don't know how capable I am.


Well, can't say I've ever ridden to an Audax... but I did jump from my first 200 km to 300 km in 2 weeks. 200 km is a doable distance, but it's going to be tough if the most you've done is 108.

The 300 wasn't necessarily helped by the fact that I lived inside the route! I had a tough patch around 100km, and turning right and heading for home got pretty tempting.

As it was, I stopped by home at the 200km mark and got some food and sleep


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