Completed my first Audax Ride today, the Vale of York 150. Public thanks to Paul the Organiser from Vermuyden CC - Goole. Instructions we good, Paul and his wife and other club members were very friendly. The route was pretty good, I knew most of the roads and knew that it was almost completely flat. 8 riders participated in the 150, I was second home after 5 hours 52 minutes, all riders were home in less than 6 hours.
I was dissappointed with the event though. I am used to riding on my own at my own pace and was hoping to meet similar riders at an Audax event. Perhaps if the field was larger there would have been more groups on the road but as it was we all rode along together for much of the route. The others didn't seem very sociable, kept to their own cliques and passed little more than the time of day when I attempted to strike up a conversation. I stayed with the group because I could ride on my own anytime I want to, having entered, got up early, and driven 40 miles to the start I wasn't going to treat it like any other cycling day.
Will I do another Audax event ? maybe. Next week I'm going to get the train to Garsdale and ride home over Fleet Moss then down Wharfedale.
Completed my first Audax Ride today, the Vale of York 150. Public thanks to Paul the Organiser from Vermuyden CC - Goole. Instructions we good, Paul and his wife and other club members were very friendly. The route was pretty good, I knew most of the roads and knew that it was almost completely flat. 8 riders participated in the 150, I was second home after 5 hours 52 minutes, all riders were home in less than 6 hours.
At that pace, maybe they were too breathless to chat!
Completed my first Audax Ride today, the Vale of York 150. Public thanks to Paul the Organiser from Vermuyden CC - Goole. Instructions we good, Paul and his wife and other club members were very friendly. The route was pretty good, I knew most of the roads and knew that it was almost completely flat. 8 riders participated in the 150, I was second home after 5 hours 52 minutes, all riders were home in less than 6 hours.
At that pace, maybe they were too breathless to chat!
Yes it was quicker than I thought it would be, though as I say it was almost completely flat. It was a hot day too.
Completed my first Audax Ride today, the Vale of York 150. Public thanks to Paul the Organiser from Vermuyden CC - Goole. Instructions we good, Paul and his wife and other club members were very friendly. The route was pretty good, I knew most of the roads and knew that it was almost completely flat. 8 riders participated in the 150, I was second home after 5 hours 52 minutes, all riders were home in less than 6 hours.
I was dissappointed with the event though. I am used to riding on my own at my own pace and was hoping to meet similar riders at an Audax event. Perhaps if the field was larger there would have been more groups on the road but as it was we all rode along together for much of the route. The others didn't seem very sociable, kept to their own cliques and passed little more than the time of day when I attempted to strike up a conversation. I stayed with the group because I could ride on my own anytime I want to, having entered, got up early, and driven 40 miles to the start I wasn't going to treat it like any other cycling day.
When Jon and I did our first audax, it was (for me at any rate) very pleasant to have someone I sort of knew to tag along behind; but the other audaxers we met seemed on the whole a friendly bunch. I enjoyed it and will definitely do another (but hopefully will be a little fitter first).
-- [email hidden] (Simon Brooke) http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~simon/ ;; This email may contain confidential or otherwise privileged ;; information, though, quite frankly, if you're not the intended ;; recipient and you've got nothing better to do than read other ;; folks' emails then I'm glad to have brightened up your sad little ;; life a tiny bit.
8 riders participated in the 150, I was second home after 5 hours 52 minutes, all riders were home in less than 6 hours.
The level of sociability seems to vary hugely from one event to another - the Surrey Hills was by far the most sociable I've done so far, but then it did have 150 entrants. I find it helps to have an angle, rather than just making small talk - I struck up a conversation with a woman in a PBP jersey and she was very happy to talk about PBP. And my club jersey prompted a fair bit of social interaction from other riders (varying from sarky questions along the lines of had I ridden all that way to genuinely interested attempts at starting a conversation).
Quoted message said:
Will I do another Audax event ? maybe.
Give it another go - you might find it a completely different experience next time. Maybe it would help if you wore a more interesting jersey. 😉
"Martin Newstead" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:[email hidden]...
Quoted message said:
I was dissappointed with the event though. I am used to riding on my own
at
Quoted message said:
my own pace and was hoping to meet similar riders at an Audax event.
Perhaps
Quoted message said:
if the field was larger there would have been more groups on the road but
as
Quoted message said:
it was we all rode along together for much of the route. The others didn't seem very sociable, kept to their own cliques and passed little more than the time of day when I attempted to strike up a conversation. I stayed
with
Quoted message said:
the group because I could ride on my own anytime I want to, having
entered,
Quoted message said:
got up early, and driven 40 miles to the start I wasn't going to treat it like any other cycling day.
That's one reason I cycle on my own and have never wanted to try an Audax. I can choose my own routes, pace and timetable etc.
That's one reason I cycle on my own and have never wanted to try an Audax. I can choose my own routes, pace and timetable etc.
With Audax you can choose your company (any or none) and pace within limits. Routes are planned by those with local knowledge, which I see as an advantage.
Personally, I wasn't sociable when cycling cos I had too much else to consider, but sociable at checkpoints, so I had the best of all worlds.
When Jon and I did our first audax, it was (for me at any rate) very pleasant to have someone I sort of knew to tag along behind; but the other audaxers we met seemed on the whole a friendly bunch. I enjoyed it and will definitely do another (but hopefully will be a little fitter first).
When Jon and I did our first audax, it was (for me at any rate) very pleasant to have someone I sort of knew to tag along behind; but the other audaxers we met seemed on the whole a friendly bunch. I enjoyed it and will definitely do another (but hopefully will be a little fitter first).
Perhaps I should do one with you guys
I doubt I could stay with you. I'm working on it and will be faster next year, but my speed over 107Km was 12.1 mph. Mind you, it was hilly and with a fierce wind, but I know I can't sustain 16mph for 150Km even under ideal conditions.
Jon would do all right, I suspect.
-- [email hidden] (Simon Brooke) http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~simon/ Ring of great evil Small one casts it into flame Bringing rise of Men ;; gonzoron
When Jon and I did our first audax, it was (for me at any rate) very pleasant to have someone I sort of knew to tag along behind; but the other audaxers we met seemed on the whole a friendly bunch. I enjoyed it and will definitely do another (but hopefully will be a little fitter first).
Perhaps I should do one with you guys
I doubt I could stay with you. I'm working on it and will be faster next year, but my speed over 107Km was 12.1 mph. Mind you, it was hilly and with a fierce wind, but I know I can't sustain 16mph for 150Km even under ideal conditions.
Jon would do all right, I suspect.
I would have preferred to rider slower and chat with new friends.
