Entered my First Audax - now what???

[Edwardoka]

All I said was "I've entered my first Audax - now what???" - 9 pages later I've indepth knowledge of AAA ratings, I puzzle over @mcshroom and his acronyms, I have 4 tabs open on my pc with names like Ride of the Valkyries and Long Dark Teatime of the Soul (which has colleagues looking very curiously at me...), I have my next 2 years cycling planned FOR ME and my attire picked out in advance!!!

WTF kind of messed up world have I got myself into?!?!?

 

[jefmcg]

Serious question: how do you feel now, having dropped out after such an incredible effort?

Regrets, or never doing it again?

(Still not doing it)

Honestly? Pleased as punch. Finishing would have been better, obviously, but I couldn't imagine being prouder of what I achieved. Even dropping out (which I did twice!) is a treasured memory. The weird (sadly brief) friendships I made, like the poor French Ambulance driver who could speak no English, and got a rendition of my school hymn "Coeur de Jesus"; the bunch of Germans (one of whom was Japanese) I rode with on an off for two days. The wonderful Taiwanese woman, whom I nearly became good friends with but sullied it by abandoning her. Yeah, that one still hurts. She was slower on the road, I needed more sleep. So we held each other up. Unfortunately by the time I bit the bullet and said we should separate, it was too late for both of us.

Yup, I want to do it again, but finish. I couldn't qualify for PBP this year. I was ok with that, because I knew if I couldn't do a 600 in the time, I wouldn't finish. So LEL, I guess. The Australian variants look way too hard for me to attempt.

 

[Fubar]

On my pc your link states thus: The proxy server is refusing connections

Which considering my question, is wholly appropriate.

 

[Edwardoka]

On my pc your link states thus: The proxy server is refusing connections

Which considering my question, is wholly appropriate.

Typical, the NHS block youtube but not cyclechat

 

[Fubar]

Typical, the NHS block youtube but not cyclechat

Shhh...

 

[iandg]

Typical, the NHS block youtube but not cyclechat

NHS blocking youtube? How do the doctors do their complicated procedures if they can't follow a 'how to' video?

 

[jefmcg]

On my pc your link states thus: The proxy server is refusing connections

Which considering my question, is wholly appropriate.

This expresses the same idea, without youtube.

 

[Fubar]

Honestly. Pleased as punch. Finishing would have been better, obviously, but I couldn't imagine being prouder of what I achieved. Even dropping out (which I did twice!) is a treasured memory. The weird (sadly brief) friendships I made, like the poor French Ambulance driver who could speak no English, and got a rendition of my school hymn "Coeur de Jesus"; the bunch of Germans (one of whom was Japanese) I rode with on an off for two days. The wonderful Taiwanese woman, whom I nearly became good friends with but sullied it by abandoning her. Yeah, that one still hurts. She was slower on the road, I needed more sleep. So we held each other up. Unfortunately by the time I bit the bullet and said we should separate, it was too late for both of us.

Yup, I want to do it again, but finish. I couldn't qualify for PBP this year. I was ok with that, because I knew if I couldn't do a 600 in the time, I wouldn't finish. So LEL, I guess. The Australian variants look way too hard for me to attempt.

I've being trying to formulate an answer in my head but the truth is there isn't one - it's your experience, thank you for sharing it. At the moment I can't imagine how I would go about a 400/600k ride, never mind 1400?k.

 

[Fubar]

@phantasmagoriana if you are looking for something localish with less climbing ...
http://www.aukweb.net/events/detail/15-650/
http://www.aukweb.net/events/detail/15-635/
http://www.aukweb.net/events/detail/15-24/
http://www.aukweb.net/events/detail/15-107/

(all out of Galashiels)

These links however have given me a thought - do I enter the 150k Dick McT's ride the week before, as a "warm up" to the Erit Lass? Would mean an early start but traffic should be light on a Sunday am.

 

[Fubar]

NHS blocking youtube? How do the doctors do their complicated procedures if they can't follow a 'how to' video?

Haynes Manual.

 

[mcshroom]

???

RRtY = Randonee Round the Year - a 200km (or further) audax every month for a year.

 

[Fubar]

RRtY = Randonee Round the Year - a 200km (or further) audax every month for a year.

200k. Every Month. For A Year.

Oh FFS...

 

[Edwardoka]

200k. Every Month. For A Year.

Oh FFS...

I concur. After this year I'm never riding a ton ever again...

 

[iandg]

RRtY = Randonee Round the Year - a 200km (or further) audax every month for a year.

I have done 1/12 of a RRTY

 

[Fubar]

Quick Question: What's a Fingerpost?!?