What's your next Audax?

[Norry1]

It would be nice to hear that actually IS a Reliability ride!

A couple of "Reliability ride"s have happened round here recently that are just ... rides! You get a route, you get told "it's not a race", and there is a refreshment retail opportunity* at the finish! More like a 100km-ish audax, but obviously cooler.

*Sometimes this is replaced by a promotional event - SORRY, opportunity to browse exciting new cycling products from our sponsor!

Not that I'm an expert, but I think this is a proper Reliability Ride. Not over-long at 74km but will blow the cobwebs off


View: https://www.facebook.com/events/763868132169026/?active_tab=discussion

 

[Dogtrousers]

A couple of "Reliability ride"s have happened round here recently that are just ... rides!

What specific features turn a ride into a reliability ride?

Genuine question. I've heard of them. Never been on one.

 

[DCLane]

@Dogtrousers - they tend to be a winter ride organised around a set route. Riders pay and that tends to go to charity. You can ride as a group or solo. The description from one of the pages below is:

"Nationwide, a Reli Ride is a long-standing winter tradition. It's known as a test of a cyclist’s reliability and that of their bike coming out of the winter period. The emphasis is on fitness, self-reliance and navigational skills. Reliability Rides were traditionally used by competitive cyclists for training ahead of the racing season."

They're quite common in Yorkshire and son no. 2's found a couple near him in Nottingham:

Teriffic Ten - 10 West/North Yorkshire rides in January/February
Ride to the Sun - 6 West Yorkshire rides in January/February. I do a few of these.
Plus several more

 

[matticus]

The description from one of the pages below is:

"Nationwide, a Reli Ride is a long-standing winter tradition

Excuse me ... a WHAT?!?

 

[matticus]

@Dogtrousers - they tend to be a winter ride organised around a set route. Riders pay and that tends to go to charity. You can ride as a group or solo. The description from one of the pages below is:

"Nationwide, a Reli Ride is a long-standing winter tradition. It's known as a test of a cyclist’s reliability and that of their bike coming out of the winter period. The emphasis is on fitness, self-reliance and navigational skills. Reliability Rides were traditionally used by competitive cyclists for training ahead of the racing season."

(from your link, this is the key bit IMO)

WHAT HAPPENS ON A RELIABILITY RIDE?
Reliability Rides are for all abilities. Some Reliability Rides will set riders off in groups of average speed varying from 20mph to 12mph with the fastest riders leaving first.

If they don't have a target speed for the different groups, I don't know what makes them a Reliabilty Ride. I COULD be wrong of course, having never ridden one; but I HAVE read about such things many many times over the years.
The point was that the quickies could pick a fast (even ludicrous!) target speed, then ride with their bums up for 3 hours. Slower riders still had a challenge. But with no winners, they were never a race. Races came later in the year (typically), and involve a whole lot extra rules, controls, costs etc.

 

[Jameshow]

(from your link, this is the key bit IMO)


If they don't have a target speed for the different groups, I don't know what makes them a Reliabilty Ride. I COULD be wrong of course, having never ridden one; but I HAVE read about such things many many times over the years.
The point was that the quickies could pick a fast (even ludicrous!) target speed, then ride with their bums up for 3 hours. Slower riders still had a challenge. But with no winners, they were never a race. Races came later in the year (typically), and involve a whole lot extra rules, controls, costs etc.

Why don't fastest riders start latest?
Then yet all finish at the same time?

 

[matticus]

Why don't fastest riders start latest?
Then yet all finish at the same time?

I don't know!

But one possible drawback is that it then becomes a mass-start handicap race. [Look-up Aussie Pursuits to see a similar thing.]

 

[Ajax Bay]

What specific features turn a ride into a reliability ride?

View: https://youtu.be/6DNUIxubdGg
And this is not, but well worth a watch:
View: https://youtu.be/258PBJTV2iE

 

[Dogtrousers]

(from your link, this is the key bit IMO)

... Bit about riders setting off in groups by speed ...

If they don't have a target speed for the different groups, I don't know what makes them a Reliabilty Ride.

Interesting. You live and learn.

However, the link you quoted continues ...

Others have no organised start, with riders setting off when they choose and riding with whomever they choose.

So I guess a ride with no grouped start could be called a reliability ride.

 

[matticus]

Interesting. You live and learn.

However, the link you quoted continues ...

Others have no organised start, with riders setting off when they choose and riding with whomever they choose.

So I guess a ride with no grouped start could be called a reliability ride.

I didn't quote that bit, because I don't agree with it!

Of course, there being no legal definition of this, anything could be called a reliability ride. <insert joke about "identifies as" here >

Let's try googling (for more results I agree with):

Club Reliability Rides
Congleton Cycling Club
https://congletoncyclingclub.org.uk › ...
The Reliabilities operate like Audax rides (see Competition/Audax) with the following differences: Route sheets are in miles; There is a choice of speeds for ...

CC Luton
https://ccluton.wordpress.com › club-reliability-ride-2...
Reliability rides are traditional early season non-competitive training events similar to an Audax ride in format. At signing-on, you decide how long it will take you to ride around the course, and if you complete the event within your chosen time band, you receive a certificate.

And for fun, here is BC getting everything the wrong way round :

Reliability Trials are, like Audax events, not races, but rather long distance rides which emphasise fitness, self reliance and navigational skills - the difference being that Reliability Trials normally stipulate the completion of a given route (e.g. 100 miles) within a given time limit (e.g. 8 hours), whereas Audax is all about completing a route as close as possible to a set average speed.

 

[Dogtrousers]

I think the Hell of the Ashdown, a sportive in Feb/Mar that I've done a few times, was originally the Catford CC Reliability ride, until it got itself a fun/silly name.

The story of that is in this article, which also confirms principle of setting riders off in groups by speed.
https://www.cyclingweekly.com/sportives/sportive-news/sportives-v-reliability-117303

To get back on topic, I've been browsing the Audax UK website and haven't made my mind up yet.

 

[matticus]

I think the Hell of the Ashdown, a sportive in Feb/Mar that I've done a few times, was originally the Catford CC Reliability ride, until it got itself a fun/silly name.

well there you go - is the event actually "Hell"?? Hmm??

 

[Dogtrousers]

well there you go - is the event actually "Hell"?? Hmm??

Oddly enough, one of its key features is that it is usually very cold.

So no.

 

[Mazz]

My first Audax is Rutland and Beyond in February. If anyone else on here is going, see you there.👍
https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/first-audax-what-to-expect.295923/

 

[Norry1]

Well I enjoyed the WSJCC Reliability Ride. As it turned out, pretty much everyone doing the long route started atthe same time and it separated into groups as the ride went on. Good fun and great weather for January. Nice (free) cakes/tes/biscuits at the end too.

https://www.strava.com/activities/10646134676