Entered my First Audax - now what???
- Thread starter Fubar
- Start date
Page may contain affiliate links. Please see terms for details.
OP
OP
Fubar
Legendary Member
Date: 29 December 2014 13:47:46 GMT
Subject: New AUDAX UK Subscription
Dear Mark Allardice
Welcome to Audax UK
Hill Wimp
Fair weathered,fair minded but easily persuaded.
and so it begins 
OP
OP
Fubar
Legendary Member
There you go @Fubar you will have some company now on LEL
Yeah, @Scoosh @jefmcg and @Dogtrousers have all offered for me to draft them round the whole route - aren't they kind??
OP
OP
Fubar
Legendary Member
Ok, genuine question: how long do people stop for? I normally stop for the usual "cafe stop" so around 30 minutes, but one thing I've noticed is I have a real dip after a stop, legs stiffen up, resolve seems poor, etc.
Wondering whether short 10 minute stops will work better over the 200k than planning for 2 "big" stops? Or am I going to Hell in a Handbasket anyway and you're just thinking "it really makes no difference anyway, shut-up and just get on with this Audax and stop going on about it"??
Sunday people, Sunday - it will all be over...
Wondering whether short 10 minute stops will work better over the 200k than planning for 2 "big" stops? Or am I going to Hell in a Handbasket anyway and you're just thinking "it really makes no difference anyway, shut-up and just get on with this Audax and stop going on about it"??
Sunday people, Sunday - it will all be over...
Hill Wimp
Fair weathered,fair minded but easily persuaded.
But then we want a full debrief and then your training plan for LEL 2017.
DCLane
Found in the Yorkshire hills ...
- Location
- Dewsbury, West Yorkshire
^ ^ ^ ^ @DCLane has it absolutely right (as one would expect from someone of his audax experience 
)
Much time can be lost and occasionally gained at Controls/cafe stops. Quick in, quick out is the best way to start ("time is miles"
). As you gain more experience and knowledge about how you and your body work over these sorts of distances, you can begin to relax a bit and maybe take longer.
I would also well recommend doing some quads and hamstring stretches immediately you get off the bike if stopping for more than a few minutes …
One of the worst parts of any audax is coming out of a nice warm cafe, getting on the bike and heading off into the headwind … that's when you pray for a hill to warm you up !
)Much time can be lost and occasionally gained at Controls/cafe stops. Quick in, quick out is the best way to start ("time is miles"
). As you gain more experience and knowledge about how you and your body work over these sorts of distances, you can begin to relax a bit and maybe take longer.I would also well recommend doing some quads and hamstring stretches immediately you get off the bike if stopping for more than a few minutes …
One of the worst parts of any audax is coming out of a nice warm cafe, getting on the bike and heading off into the headwind … that's when you pray for a hill to warm you up !
jefmcg
Guru
As you are training for LEL , I'd suggest one proper sit down half way through - cuppa, beans on toast etc, and "bounce" the other controls.
, I'd suggest one proper sit down half way through - cuppa, beans on toast etc, and "bounce" the other controls.Darn straight. One of the worst parts of my cycling year so far can be directly attributed to faffing around in the Lecht ski station for far too long. Discovering that the broom wagon was 15 minutes behind me, my legs seized up and I then had to descend the Lecht with shrieking crosswinds, and then race all the way to the finish into a monster headwind. Best to minimise faff!One of the worst parts of any audax is coming out of a nice warm cafe, getting on the bike and heading off into the headwind … that's when you pray for a hill to warm you up !
jefmcg
Guru
Broom wagon??? What's this doing in the audax section??
Just an example of an arduous ride of similar distance with a hard time limit, and the consequences of faffing in relation to it
He was just illustrating the point that it is 'not a good thing' to hang around at controls or, in his case, a feeding station, because he had a bad experience on a ride of "the other sort" …
Shall we let him off ?
He's actually an ok guy 
… but still has a few strange habits … 
When you get down to it, what's the difference between an audax and a sportive? SPD sandals and real ale? 
I mean, I'm aware of the old cliche "Sportive riders pretend they're racing but they're not and audax riders pretend they're not racing but they are"
I mean, I'm aware of the old cliche "Sportive riders pretend they're racing but they're not and audax riders pretend they're not racing but they are"
but still has a few strange habits …
Audax riders don't have any support mechanics, so need to be self-sufficient, with the result that many of them are very knowledgeable about bike maintenance and fixing. Quite a few build their own bikes up, being the best way to learn all about it.
Now there's an idea for you !!!
