what is an audax?

[Dave5N]

The organiser may require pisstake guards across some participant's mouths.

No guards, no ride.

 

[Bad Company]

Audax sounds like a brand of ear drops to me.

 

[Theseus]

Audax sounds like a brand of ear drops to me.

See posts 25 through 27.

 

[Philip Whiteman]

The organiser may require pisstake guards across some participant's mouths.

No guards, no ride.

It is rare nowadays that organisers require mudguards aside from a few events based in the darkest months of winter.

The rule that riders had to use mudguards has caused considerable harm to the reputation of audax and AUK despite the mandatory aspect being dropped several years ago. It was a silly a requirement but please, please do not think that it remains today. I hate using the reached things too but most of the events I ride never require their use.

 

[jimboalee]

It is rare nowadays that organisers require mudguards aside from a few events based in the darkest months of winter.

The rule that riders had to use mudguards has caused considerable harm to the reputation of audax and AUK despite the mandatory aspect being dropped several years ago. It was a silly a requirement but please, please do not think that it remains today. I hate using the reached things too but most of the events I ride never require their use.

At the first ride I participated on immediatly after the mudguard rule was relaxed, a group of what can only be described as 'raceboys' rode the 'Staffs Lanes 100' on their roadrace bikes as a 'reliability ride'?

The speeds were 10 -20 kmh in those days when JB organised it. The 'raceboys' arrived at the first control and waited for over 20 minutes for the opening time.
They arrived early at every control and when at the finish, got changed and loaded their bikes into their cars before the finish opened.

Why, oh why were they not on the Castleton Classic 200 ????

Or better still, on their own ride to some other coffee shop somewhere else.

Seasoned members regarded this as a big pisstake by roadboys against AUK.

I have been on the Cotswold Expedition on my SWorks with no mudguards, and although there is a 'friendly rivalry' between Beacon, Solihull, Halesowen and Stourbridge, there is no pisstaking.

You don't have to make excuses for AUK. Any 'respectable' Allure Libre rider will have them fitted on their AUK dedicated bike as a matter of course. It happens to rain quite often in the British summer.

 

[Greenbank]

That's a slight misunderstanding of the "rule".

The mudguard requirement is stipulated on some Audaxes because some of the controls used by some Audaxes have complained that the cyclists coming in leave their chairs filthy. Not wet, but filthy.

The organiser has discussed it with the cafe owner (or just decided this themselves) that they'd require mudguards on bikes to prevent backsides getting caked with mud from wet roads (especially in autumn when the leaves are falling off and turning in mulch on the roads).

The alternative is that the cafe refuses to be a control for that ride. If no other accommodating control can be found then the organiser will probably just stop putting that ride on.

And, again, common sense prevails. No-one (probably) will bat an eyelid on a "mudguards required" ride if the roads are bone dry all day. I've also seen someone without mudguards on a "mudguards required" ride who sat outside a cafe on a bench eating their food to avoid getting the chairs inside the cafe dirty.

There are times when you'll get dirty looks from cafe owners even if the ride didn't stipulate mudguards. It's impolite to make a mess, no matter what the "rules" of the ride are.

 

[Philip Whiteman]

At the first ride I participated on immediatly after the mudguard rule was relaxed, a group of what can only be described as 'raceboys' rode the 'Staffs Lanes 100' on their roadrace bikes as a 'reliability ride'?

The speeds were 10 -20 kmh in those days when JB organised it. The 'raceboys' arrived at the first control and waited for over 20 minutes for the opening time.

Mind you, that does sound like a low speed range. When I rode The Long Mynd 2000 (a slow speed) earlier this year, I was the first to return back to the HQ and before it had reopened by accident. In other words I should have slowed a little and looked at the views a little more.

Most of the randonees tend to use the upper limits and I challenge many riders to arrive before the official opening time. Some of the tougher audaxes would be difficult for the fastest of sportive riders. Certainly on The Elenith this year, there were a handful of riders, me included that were trying to rush the route. Absolutely nobody managed to ride at the 30kph maximum speed.

I have been on the Cotswold Expedition on my SWorks with no mudguards, and although there is a 'friendly rivalry' between Beacon, Solihull, Halesowen and Stourbridge, there is no pisstaking.

Friendly? Not when the Solihull, Halesowen or Stourbridge are attempting to ride faster than me! Last time we kept elbowing each other, letting down tyres down and taking illegal shortcuts .

 

[jimboalee]

Mind you, that does sound like a low speed range. When I rode The Long Mynd 2000 (a slow speed) earlier this year, I was the first to return back to the HQ and before it had reopened by accident. In other words I should have slowed a little and looked at the views a little more.

Most of the randonees tend to use the upper limits and I challenge many riders to arrive before the official opening time. Some of the tougher audaxes would be difficult for the fastest of sportive riders. Certainly on The Elenith this year, there were a handful of riders, me included that were trying to rush the route. Absolutely nobody managed to ride at the 30kph maximum speed.



Friendly? Not when the Solihull, Halesowen or Stourbridge are attempting to ride faster than me! Last time we kept elbowing each other, letting down tyres down and taking illegal shortcuts .

I did hear rumour they were not 'short cuts', but 'long cuts' on the end of a rope behind a motorbike.

 

[Philip Whiteman]

That's a slight misunderstanding of the "rule".

The mudguard requirement is stipulated on some Audaxes because some of the controls used by some Audaxes have complained that the cyclists coming in leave their chairs filthy. Not wet, but filthy.

The organiser has discussed it with the cafe owner (or just decided this themselves) that they'd require mudguards on bikes to prevent backsides getting caked with mud from wet roads (especially in autumn when the leaves are falling off and turning in mulch on the roads).

The alternative is that the cafe refuses to be a control for that ride. If no other accommodating control can be found then the organiser will probably just stop putting that ride on.

And, again, common sense prevails. No-one (probably) will bat an eyelid on a "mudguards required" ride if the roads are bone dry all day. I've also seen someone without mudguards on a "mudguards required" ride who sat outside a cafe on a bench eating their food to avoid getting the chairs inside the cafe dirty.

There are times when you'll get dirty looks from cafe owners even if the ride didn't stipulate mudguards. It's impolite to make a mess, no matter what the "rules" of the ride are.

Ah yes, you are perfectly correct. I think that this has become the more common sense approach rather than blanket coverage. Whilst hating the reached contraptions even I use them in filthy conditions during the winter.

It used to be the case that some organisers were ideological about insisting upon mudguards on the driest and sunniest of days without even any recourse to asking cafes asking about requirements. My other half was gob-smacked when challenged by one of these ideologues last summer (who was a rider and not an organiser) - she told him to place the mudguard where it hurt but in a polite manner of course.

My own Club organises a winter audax in February (I will inherit the management of this in February 2011) but rather than insist on mudguards, an advisory note is issued. This then caters for the riders that do require the services of the cafe.

 

[Greenbank]

Indeed, it's hard to encapsulate the common sense "spirit of Audax" in a bunch of rules, especially when people then try and pick apart the exact wording of those rules.

Some of the rules were added in very generic terms to prevent specific things from happening. For example, the section of regulation 5.9 that talks about "no other cyclist or motor vehicle may pace riders or contact them between controls" is, as I understand it, just to dissuade riders from having "support vehicles" that add to the traffic on the roads, or from getting friends to join them on the ride without at least asking the organiser or proffering a small donation.

 

[Ian H]

The main and original reason for the mudguard rule was to distinguish tourist events from racing. When massed-start racing was illegal on the public highway the police would look suspiciously at any large group of cyclists. That even persisted in the early days of legalised road racing. Mudguards and saddlebags were a protection against police harassment. Things have changed now.

 

[Philip Whiteman]

The main and original reason for the mudguard rule was to distinguish tourist events from racing. When massed-start racing was illegal on the public highway the police would look suspiciously at any large group of cyclists. That even persisted in the early days of legalised road racing. Mudguards and saddlebags were a protection against police harassment. Things have changed now.

Well I am blown - I never knew that! What an interesting little history.

Now did the Police insist on the bags being Carradice?

 

[arallsopp]

Now did the Police insist on the bags being Carradice?

I think so, although the rule about having a beard and sandals has been relaxed recently.

 

[jimboalee]

All these repeated statements about Audax riders having beards.

Any respectable cyclist will know it's bad luck to shave before an event. Audax riders' events are DAYS long and shaving during a ride is also bad luck.
So beards are grown while the event is in motion.

Photos at the fin show (men) riders with beards.

 

[Dave5N]

Friendly? Not when the Solihull, Halesowen or Stourbridge are attempting to ride faster than me! Last time we kept elbowing each other, letting down tyres down and taking illegal shortcuts .

Can't think of anyone in purple who might be even slightly concerned about Stourbridge, Beacon or Solihull riders.

They're not really on the radar.