Entered my First Audax - now what???

[Dogtrousers]

RRTY? Well, the 100k a month challenge which you are currently taking by storm could be construed as a "populaire round the year". From there it's a mere 60k step to the imperial ton a month challenge, and that in turn is only 40k off RRTY. So you're nearly there

 

[DCLane]

@Fubar - having done PBP this year for the first time and not been above 300k until April this year I'd suggest that anyone looking to do LEL/PBP at least do a 400 and preferably a 600 the year before. It's been a steep learning curve.

 

[mcshroom]

It is indeed.

For your 200 though, it's just a long day ride so treat it as such. If it's going to rain then you may need a little more luggage space for a coat, but otherwise just standard puncture & mechanical mending kit, a bit of food, a couple bidons, a pen for signing your card and a copy of the route should see you through

I'd also take a tyre boot and a few cable ties

 

[PMarkey]

You may as well start as you mean to go on and train with everything you intend to carry on LEL to be honest ,it will make things a lot easier later on

Paul

 

[Fubar]

RRTY? Well, the 100k a month challenge which you are currently taking by storm could be construed as a "populaire round the year". From there it's a mere 60k step to the imperial ton a month challenge, and that in turn is only 40k off RRTY. So you're nearly there

Loving the optimism!

 

[Fubar]

@Fubar - having done PBP this year for the first time and not been above 300k until April this year I'd suggest that anyone looking to do LEL/PBP at least do a 400 and preferably a 600 the year before. It's been a steep learning curve.

Yup that was my thinking - is PBP qualifying a 100, 200, 400 & 600? If it were me that's what I'd aim to do next year if I were thinking of LEL in 2017...




...which I'm not.

 

[Fubar]

It is indeed.

For your 200 though, it's just a long day ride so treat it as such. If it's going to rain then you may need a little more luggage space for a coat, but otherwise just standard puncture & mechanical mending kit, a bit of food, a couple bidons, a pen for signing your card and a copy of the route should see you through

I'd also take a tyre boot and a few cable ties

I found the 150 I did last Sunday there was a touch too much in my back pockets, but I didn't have anywhere else to store it. Could have done with taking some extra tablets for refilling bidons as well.

 

[Fubar]

You may as well start as you mean to go on and train with everything you intend to carry on LEL to be honest ,it will make things a lot easier later on

Paul

Like the guy I know who cycles through the winter with panniers full of weights??

 

[Simpleton]

Yup that was my thinking - is PBP qualifying a 100, 200, 400 & 600? If it were me that's what I'd aim to do next year if I were thinking of LEL in 2017...




...which I'm not.

Close, it's a 200, 300, 400 and 600k ride in the same season.

 

[mcshroom]

Yup that was my thinking - is PBP qualifying a 100, 200, 400 & 600? If it were me that's what I'd aim to do next year if I were thinking of LEL in 2017...




...which I'm not.

200, 300, 400, 600

 

[Fubar]

200, 300, 400, 600

Oh well then, I didn't realise it was the EASY option...

 

[DCLane]

Like the guy I know who cycles through the winter with panniers full of weights??

Brian Robinson (TDF stage winner) who is in my club used to train like that up Holme Moss. Apparently he'd have a rucksack of bricks in the winter.

 

[Pale Rider]

there was a touch too much in my back pockets, but I didn't have anywhere else to store it.

Go on, you know you want one.

http://www.carradice.co.uk/index.php?page_id=category&url=original-saddlebags

 

[jefmcg]

Yup that was my thinking - is PBP qualifying a 200, 300, 400 & 600? If it were me that's what I'd aim to do next year if I were thinking of LEL in 2017...

(I've corrected the distances, as discussed above)

That's not mimicking PBP; the PBP qualifiers are in the months leading up to the ride, so you would need to ride those distances in the first half of 2017. As LEL sold out in less than 24 hours last time, I really suspect it is going to sold out before the end of this month.

let's see, so if you want to copy PBP and complete your qualifiers before registering, you have 2 weeks to do them in.

Off you go! You don't have time to dawdle.

 

[jefmcg]

I found the 150 I did last Sunday there was a touch too much in my back pockets, but I didn't have anywhere else to store it. Could have done with taking some extra tablets for refilling bidons as well.

I'd look like a hunchback if i put all this in my back pocket

Hmm, lets see what I take on a 600km audax.

1. Clothes
   1. Layers that I'm wearing at the start, and will put on again at night
      1. Merino Leggins
      2. Merino hoody
      3. Arm warmers/bolero - yes, I have a cycling bolero top. 2 in fact!
      4. Gilet
      5. Full finger gloves
      6. buff - or two!
   2. Spare socks
   3. rain jacket
   4. if rain is likely, my aldi/lidl rainlegs copy.
   5. I don't bring this, but some people bring a second pair of shorts.
   6. underpants for sleeping in (let the shorts breath for an hour or 2)
2. Tools etc
   1. Multitool
   2. Tyre Levers
   3. 2 tubes
   4. Patch kit
   5. Zip ties for emergency repairs
   6. quick links for chain repairs

1. Lights
   1. Dynamo light or other light that can last all night
   2. Back up/supplemental front light
   3. 2 rear lights
   4. spare batteries
   5. (I don't do this) head torch for reading route sheet at night.
2. Other
   1. Emergency Bivvy Bag. Never used it. Never expect to use it.
   2. Cafe Lock
   3. Cash/cards
   4. Food - I eat at controls or cafes, but you need something solid to keep you going at 3am. Sweet carby food doesn't work for me on the roads, so currently experiment with cheese and chorizo. Weird, but I can manage to force it down.
   5. GPS device (mobile phone in my case)
   6. Laminated route sheets, bulldog clip to attach to frame. Spare bulldog clip.
   7. Old phone for emergencies
   8. External batteries and cables for charging phone
   9. Edit: Sunscreen - attached to one of the D-Rings

That's nearly everything.