Leicester Area Audax Riders

[eileithyia]

When i started to audax there were plenty of people riding the events who were well under 45....
The trouble with long distance riding, it takes up so much time at weekends when time can be precious. Not many riders do repeated rides most weekends at audax distance (though there are some who audax most weekends in order to score points they need for competitions.
Most people do club rides and only actually ride the distances when they are doing an audax (certainly that is what i do, except when i ride an occasional 100 mile ride).

[Paulatic]

I agree about riding the distance for training. I began by being happy if I'd rode at least half the distance within two weeks of the event. I ended up being happy if I'd rode a quarter of the distance. Working as a shepherd, due to lambing, I never got any spring miles in and twice started my year with a 400 in May.

[Merry_Wanderer]

Leicestershire CTC, certainly the Charnwood and South Leicestershire groups go out on Sundays, usually 3 groups doing different speeds and distances. I would have a look at their website for details. There were rides out today

[Annoying Twit]

Weather permitting, I'm going out on a Leicester Audax ride on the 14th.

Any hints as to what I can expect. My prediction is that everyone will leave me behind, but I should finish within the time limit, and hence presume that there will be someone there to tick me off a list at the end. Or something.

[Grandad]

Some things to expect

Some riders setting off at high speed. Don't be tempted to follow them but if you do then drop back as soon as you have the slightest problem holding the pace - especially up hills

Tempting to spend too long at cafe controls - these can reduce the riding time considerably.

Check the route sheet at every junction even if you are with someone who knows the way - they could make a mistake. More importantly being left alone with a puncture is not nice but it's a lot worse if you don't know exactly where you are on the route.

Be prepared to meet friendly helpful riders, probably finding someone doing your speed keeping you company which makes the miles pass more easily.

The organiser will wait at the finish until the last rider arrives. The brevet card will have the organisers mobile number so you can let him know if for any reason you will not complete the ride. Organisers get a bit upset when they wait for hours then phone the riders home number to find the missing one is already there.

Enjoy the ride

[millimole]

I think Grandad has said it all.
All I can add is that you shouldn't worry about joining or dropping off groups - although if you are with a group for any time please do offer to spend some time at the front (equally if you are in need of a tow, let them know and often they'll be happy to oblige!)
I've had quizzical looks when I've stopped to have a bite to eat on a roadside seat rather than at a control - but I get quizzical looks all the time anyway!
Enjoy it and report back!

[millimole]

More importantly being left alone with a puncture is not nice but it's a lot worse if you don't know exactly where you are on the route.
Enjoy the ride

Ha! It's not just punctures - I've been 'lost in the ride' and been dropped off a bunch and not had the faintest clue where I was on the route. (Before GPS)
Good advice.

[Annoying Twit]

By crikey that was tough. It was a whole new ballgame compared to my trip to Lincoln.

Near the end I had trouble making progress on the flat against a mild headwind. I had to stand up off my seat to keep going.

My legs feel worse than they did after a half marathon.

I've already started planning how I can build some more leg strength for next year.

I found that my phone chews through batteries when using it to navigate, so I didn't. I put the paper instructions, appropriately folded, into my bar bag and used them. I pretty much stayed bang on course.

Leicester; Riding my Hetchins since 1971; Audaxing on my Dawes; Riding to work on a Decathlon Hoprider

Was that you wearing a bright pink high-vis today? EDIT: Or, was that you with a black Dawes with Reynolds 531 forks (and quite likely the rest too)?

[freeflow]

I found that my phone chews through batteries when using it to navigate,

If this is the case its likely you were using on online app to navigate. I can get round a 200km ride using only 1 set of batteries and have my phone fully charged and my phone has a huge screen which put a very significant drain on the battery. I have been using ipbike for navigation but have recently switch to locus maps. Both apps are ant+ enabled and run with offline maps.

[Annoying Twit]

I found that my phone chews through batteries when using it to navigate,

If this is the case its likely you were using on online app to navigate. I can get round a 200km ride using only 1 set of batteries and have my phone fully charged and my phone has a huge screen which put a very significant drain on the battery. I have been using ipbike for navigation but have recently switch to locus maps. Both apps are ant+ enabled and run with offline maps.

Thanks. I'll give these a go.

[eileithyia]

Electronic devices all well and good, but always rely on the paper route as back up... if the electronic device fails then you are as well off as if you had been following that rider who knows the route and then find yourself not knowing where you are.

I don't know if you have ridden 200km in one go before, but it is likely you were riding the early part of the ride at a higher rate than you are used as you try to stay with groups.
You did not fuel adequately at stops.
It was cold and windy, never underestimate how these factors take their toll, you could probably ride the same route, with the same level of fitness in the summer, on a warm day and find it less of a struggle..... you simply use more energy up to keep warm.

These are all probabilities to account for being tired. And to be honest, you are not going to be as fresh at the end as at the beginning... it will be hard for the last miles esp if those miles are into the wind.

[millimole]

By crikey that was tough. It was a whole new ballgame compared to my trip to Lincoln.

Near the end I had trouble making progress on the flat against a mild headwind. I had to stand up off my seat to keep going.

My legs feel worse than they did after a half marathon.

I've already started planning how I can build some more leg strength for next year.

I found that my phone chews through batteries when using it to navigate, so I didn't. I put the paper instructions, appropriately folded, into my bar bag and used them. I pretty much stayed bang on course.

Leicester; Riding my Hetchins since 1971; Audaxing on my Dawes; Riding to work on a Decathlon Hoprider

Was that you wearing a bright pink high-vis today? EDIT: Or, was that you with a black Dawes with Reynolds 531 forks (and quite likely the rest too)?

No it wasn't me - I was up in Derbyshire / Staffordshire finding more hills than I need or want!

[Annoying Twit]

Electronic devices all well and good, but always rely on the paper route as back up... if the electronic device fails then you are as well off as if you had been following that rider who knows the route and then find yourself not knowing where you are.

I don't know if you have ridden 200km in one go before, but it is likely you were riding the early part of the ride at a higher rate than you are used as you try to stay with groups.
You did not fuel adequately at stops.
It was cold and windy, never underestimate how these factors take their toll, you could probably ride the same route, with the same level of fitness in the summer, on a warm day and find it less of a struggle..... you simply use more energy up to keep warm.

These are all probabilities to account for being tired. And to be honest, you are not going to be as fresh at the end as at the beginning... it will be hard for the last miles esp if those miles are into the wind.

Thanks for the advice. I've always done my longer distance rides paper-based, often by printing out google maps instructions. Which has its own problems - I really need a bike computer so that I can follow instructions such as "continue for 4.3km" easier. I would like to try a long navigation via phone, but will carry a paper backup with me.

Pace during the early part of the ride is difficult to estimate. I think that I was going slower than I normally do, but finding it tougher because of the hills. When I rode to Lincoln (my only previous 100km journey, a few weeks ago), there were only two hills that I walked up part of, and in hindsight I regret not riding up them. For the Audax I walked up part of ten or more hills. I lost count. I also cycled up a lot more hills - in hindsight I wonder if I should have walked even more hills. On the single-speed I'm OK on hills if I can keep my cadence up. As soon as my cadence drops, to keep cycling really takes it out of my legs.

Fuelling at stops is tricky. I had a lot of food with me, but I find it difficult to eat while doing long distance cycling. I chew the food but it's hard to swallow for some reason. My dinner yesterday night was left-overs from the ride. I probably should have taken a full sugar drink with me, rather than no-added sugar squash.

I was perhaps overdressed. This was commented on by one of the organisers. I couldn't switch to my backup high-vis (less insulated) as I found that I didn't have enough space in my bag for my thicker one and tying it around my waist had it hanging in my wheels. Gloves were similar: too thick. If I had them on my hands were too warm, but it was too cold to not wear them.

The headwind wasn't much. It's just that there were two particular roads that were very open where even the mild headwind made it feel as if I was dragging lead. I wonder if the surface had something to do with that. I wasn't aware of how much difference the surface made. On one A-road I found that if I rode on the rough part of the road, then on the smooth strip at the edge, it made a lot of difference.

I was quite surprised by the gender imbalance, with most riders being male. Most of the sporting events I participate in have less of a gender imbalance.

Having read up about Audaxes, I was surprised at the low variation in the range of bikes. Things I read suggested a big range of bikes including recumbants, fixies, etc. As far as I could see I was the only person on a single speed bike. One bike that I thought might be single speed was actually a five speed hub geared bike. There were some more vintage racing bikes (say, 80s vintage). But apart from that, modern racing/touring bikes. I didn't see many/any fancy modern carbon fibre bikes with 'unusual' frames that make it obvious that they're carbon either.

No it wasn't me - I was up in Derbyshire / Staffordshire finding more hills than I need or want!

In hindsight I realised that two of the riders I rode with at various times (keeping up on the flat, being dropped on the hills) were on Dawes bikes, and were of an age group such that it would have been plausible that they were riding in 1971.

I think my next few rides will be solo rides, and the main thing I need to improve is to eat more while I'm doing them.

[millimole]

I think - based on my out-of date experience - that a lot of what you describe as regards fuelling, clothing, and luggage is something that can only be learned by personal experience of riding such events.
Riding 100 / 200 k on your own is very good for getting a good idea of what you need and want, but there are subtle differences when riding an event, which allow you to hone your ride.
(It's interesting you mention your hands being too warm - this is the first year I can remember having that trouble!)
I think the variety of machines is a function of the size of the event entry size, and possibly the distance from 'centres of cycling community' such as London, Bristol etc.

[freeflow]

Weather permitting, I'm going out on a Leicester Audax ride on the 14th.

Audaxers ride whether the weather permits or not!!!!