The Annual Lunacy (aka "I Don't Do Winter") Challenge Chatzone

[ColinJ]

PBP doesn't appeal to me for that exact reason, I did Ride London in 2016 as a relative novice as a middle aged woman it's easy to get a ballot place (which isn't fair but heh ho). The ride was easy as I'd done a 2 week hilly Scottish tour two weeks previously, but coping with the crowds was awful, the selfish riding of time trial types jeopardising everyone else. Being totally on your own is fine, on your own in wall to wall sea of cyclists seems far more lonely. It was surreal. It was an experience but never again.

I'm the same with crowds. I had friends who went to Glastonbury every year and raved about it but it would be my idea of hell!

I prefer to ride by myself or in a smallish group of riders. I have ridden with groups of about 50 but didn't really relax until we split into sub-groups of 5-10 riders.

 

[Aravis]

I enjoy reading accounts of London-Edinburgh-London; judging by the numbers quoted above it sounds as though PBP has many times more participants, which I hadn't realised. It never sounds as though LEL gets excessively crowded on the road.

However, I start to glaze over when I hear stories from the controls where it seems the food you've paid for is liable to run out just as you reach the front of the queue, and the bed you've reserved is firmly occupied. I'm all for pushing myself when on the road but I need my challenges to end when I park the bike!

There's a very telling comment in one of Audax UK's descriptions of SR. It calls it the "gold standard" award. However low the probability of success may be, it simply has to be the target.

 

[Racing roadkill]

I enjoy reading accounts of London-Edinburgh-London; judging by the numbers quoted above it sounds as though PBP has many times more participants, which I hadn't realised. It never sounds as though LEL gets excessively crowded on the road.

However, I start to glaze over when I hear stories from the controls where it seems the food you've paid for is liable to run out just as you reach the front of the queue, and the bed you've reserved is firmly occupied. I'm all for pushing myself when on the road but I need my challenges to end when I park the bike!

There's a very telling comment in one of Audax UK's descriptions of SR. It calls it the "gold standard" award. However low the probability of success may be, it simply has to be the target.

This sort of thing springs to mind.

 

[Dogtrousers]

. Oh the surprise when I found out I'd done Brevet 500, Brevet 1000 and Randonneur 500 without even knowing it. The first two can be done over however many years, doesn't have to be an audax year (Oct-Sept)

You got my hopes up there as I thought I might be eligible for something but no ...

• The Brevet 500 award was introduced by AUK in 1996 and consists of 5 x 100 km events ridden in one Randonneur year.
• The Brevet 1,000 award was introduced by AUK in 1996. It is either: 5 x 200 km events ridden in one Randonneur year (longer events cannot be included) or: 10 x 100 km events ridden over any period of time.

Source: https://www.audax.uk/awards-pages/brevet-awards/

I've done 5x200 but not in a year so that doesn't qualify as these do have to be in a year. I've only ever done one 100k audax. So I don't qualify there.

 

[lane]

I do find some of the rules around the awards slightly odd. Why do the 200km need to be ridden in the same year but the 100s over any period? Still I think it adds to the slightly quirky feeling of the whole Audax experience.

My first year in 2011 I got the Brevit 500 and in 2019 the R500 award. I probably won't make it into the Audax Hall of Fame!

 

[Dogtrousers]

PBP doesn't appeal to me for that exact reason, I did Ride London in 2016 as a relative novice as a middle aged woman it's easy to get a ballot place (which isn't fair but heh ho). The ride was easy as I'd done a 2 week hilly Scottish tour two weeks previously, but coping with the crowds was awful, the selfish riding of time trial types jeopardising everyone else. Being totally on your own is fine, on your own in wall to wall sea of cyclists seems far more lonely. It was surreal. It was an experience but never again.

I've been rejected in every single ballot for RL. I don't particularly want to do it, I imagine I may actually not like it at all it as I'm a habitual solo rider, but I just want to break my sequence of ballot rejections.

I was offered a place by someone who had succeeded in the ballot but couldn't do it for work reasons. I could easily have ridden under his name* but I didn't. It's more the principle of the thing. They clearly hate me and I take personally.

* This is naughty kids, you should not do it. It's against the rules. I do not condone it. But it's also very easy to do. I know people who have done it.

 

[Racing roadkill]

I've been rejected in every single ballot for RL. I don't particularly want to do it, I imagine I may actually not like it at all it as I'm a habitual solo rider, but I just want to break my sequence of ballot rejections.

I was offered a place by someone who had succeeded in the ballot but couldn't do it for work reasons. I could easily have ridden under his name* but I didn't. It's more the principle of the thing. They clearly hate me and I take personally.

* This is naughty kids, you should not do it. It's against the rules. I do not condone it. But it's also very easy to do. I know people who have done it.

I also know of people who have ridden, with numbers and stickers, colour photocopied from one rider in the group, who did get a place, and likewise on photocopied numbers, from one of the group who charity placed, they then all chipped in with the donations. All equally against the rules, no one cares / checks.

 

[Fiona R]

I've been rejected in every single ballot for RL. I don't particularly want to do it, I imagine I may actually not like it at all it as I'm a habitual solo rider, but I just want to break my sequence of ballot rejections.

I was offered a place by someone who had succeeded in the ballot but couldn't do it for work reasons. I could easily have ridden under his name* but I didn't. It's more the principle of the thing. They clearly hate me and I take personally.

* This is naughty kids, you should not do it. It's against the rules. I do not condone it. But it's also very easy to do. I know people who have done it.

Practically every male cyclist I know age 30-50 who has entered many many times has never got a place. Whereas I, who is not lucky at ballots etc got a place first time age 50, as did a female friend 5 years younger and an acquaintance of similar age to me has done it several times, been successful the years she has applied. Totally agree it's not fair.

 

[Fiona R]

I do find some of the rules around the awards slightly odd. Why do the 200km need to be ridden in the same year but the 100s over any period? Still I think it adds to the slightly quirky feeling of the whole Audax experience.

My first year in 2011 I got the Brevit 500 and in 2019 the R500 award. I probably won't make it into the Audax Hall of Fame!

Who knows? I have now done it both ways, so feel virtuously complete. Audax is certainly quirky and a rule unto itself. trying to work it all out is very hard.

Don't get me started on how AAA events are worked out. How some 200km 3000m calendars do not qualify for AAA whereas I've seen a 200km at only 1600m that does. Basically lots of little lumps is nowhere near as significant as big climbs concentrated in a small part of the ride, I think!

 

[Fiona R]

You got my hopes up there as I thought I might be eligible for something but no ...

• The Brevet 500 award was introduced by AUK in 1996 and consists of 5 x 100 km events ridden in one Randonneur year.
• The Brevet 1,000 award was introduced by AUK in 1996. It is either: 5 x 200 km events ridden in one Randonneur year (longer events cannot be included) or: 10 x 100 km events ridden over any period of time.

Source: https://www.audax.uk/awards-pages/brevet-awards/

I've done 5x200 but not in a year so that doesn't qualify as these do have to be in a year. I've only ever done one 100k audax. So I don't qualify there.

Sorry, I was slightly out on that. I also found out I had bronze and silver grimpeur badges, but not gold, yet

 

[Dogtrousers]

Practically every male cyclist I know age 30-50 who has entered many many times has never got a place. Whereas I, who is not lucky at ballots etc got a place first time age 50, as did a female friend 5 years younger and an acquaintance of similar age to me has done it several times, been successful the years she has applied. Totally agree it's not fair.

I don't consider weighting the ballot to favour certain groups unfair. I think they have every right.

I do consider them not giving me a place unfair Especially when they've given places to a number of friends of mine from exactly the same demographic as me. It's clearly personal

 

[Fiona R]

I don't consider weighting the ballot to favour certain groups unfair. I think they have every right.

I do consider them not giving me a place unfair Especially when they've given places to a number of friends of mine from exactly the same demographic as me. It's clearly personal

They have a vendetta......an agenda....obvs personal

 

[Aravis]

I don't consider weighting the ballot to favour certain groups unfair. I think they have every right.

I do consider them not giving me a place unfair Especially when they've given places to a number of friends of mine from exactly the same demographic as me. It's clearly personal

The annual display of faux angst is always a forum highlight. I'd miss it if you ever got a place.

It sounds as though you should have the record for the most rejections. Perhaps you could have a chat with GWR?

 

[lane]

Who knows? I have now done it both ways, so feel virtuously complete. Audax is certainly quirky and a rule unto itself. trying to work it all out is very hard.

Don't get me started on how AAA events are worked out. How some 200km 3000m calendars do not qualify for AAA whereas I've seen a 200km at only 1600m that does. Basically lots of little lumps is nowhere near as significant as big climbs concentrated in a small part of the ride, I think!

I am actually quite good at understanding the arcane rules - it's just the long rides I struggle with! Anyway this discussion has just made me realise I will qualify for the Brevet 1000 (100*10). So that's three minor awards I have

 

[ColinJ]

This looks like being the first year since I joined Audax UK in 2006 that I won't have actually ridden even one audax event!

Lunacy Challenge update: I still haven't done my final ride! I had been toying with trying this coming Saturday but the forecast is currently for bitter 28 kph winds gusting to over 60 kph! I think that I might have to scrap that idea...