An Audax query

Brian G said:

I'm considering entering a 100k Audax event -- something I've never done
before. The entry details mention "Speeds: 12.5kph - 25 kph". What do
these numbers mean? Should the ride take between 4 and 8 hours? Or are
these some sort of expected "average" speeds over different parts of the
route? No doubt it's obvious when you know, but I'd appreciate someone
putting me right.

--
Brian G

The ride must be completed in 4 - 8 hours to get it recorded in the
archive. This includes all stops. If you go too fast you'll have to
wait for a control to open and if you go too slow - tough, you fail.
Remember it includes all stops so you should paln for the unexpected
and ride fater than 12.5km/h to build a buffer to allow for a break or
breakdown or the controls anything else that might cause you to stop or
slow down even more such as a level crossing.

On Fri, 09 Sep 2005 10:46:53 +0100, Brian G <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

I'm considering entering a 100k Audax event -- something I've never done
before. The entry details mention "Speeds: 12.5kph - 25 kph". What do
these numbers mean? Should the ride take between 4 and 8 hours? Or are
these some sort of expected "average" speeds over different parts of the
route? No doubt it's obvious when you know, but I'd appreciate someone
putting me right.

That's the allowable average speed range for the full event. You've
figured it correctly, to successfully complete the audax you have to
finish with a total time between 4 and 8 hours, including whatever
stops for rest or mechanicals you might want or need.

The lower speed limit is to provide a challenge, and the upper limit
is to discourage racing, because Audaxes are specifically not races.

"Bob"
--

Email address is spam trapped, to reply directly remove the beverage.

Brian G said:

I'm considering entering a 100k Audax event -- something I've never done
before. The entry details mention "Speeds: 12.5kph - 25 kph". What do
these numbers mean? Should the ride take between 4 and 8 hours? Or are
these some sort of expected "average" speeds over different parts of the
route? No doubt it's obvious when you know, but I'd appreciate someone
putting me right.

wot MSeries said; the majority of riders finish a 100 between 4 and 6
hrs depending on hills, punctures and how many cakes there are at
controls. The max is to prevent it being a race, the min only starts to
become relevant over longer distances where you will have to factor
sleep into the overall time, ie a 600 at 20kph will allow you about 8
hrs sleep or thereabouts. I believe the PBP (1200k in less than 90 hrs)
is a fine balance between sleep and enough slack time to allow for bike
or rider problems.

Call me Bob said:

On Fri, 09 Sep 2005 10:46:53 +0100, Brian G <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

I'm considering entering a 100k Audax event -- something I've never done
before. The entry details mention "Speeds: 12.5kph - 25 kph". What do
these numbers mean? Should the ride take between 4 and 8 hours? Or are
these some sort of expected "average" speeds over different parts of the
route? No doubt it's obvious when you know, but I'd appreciate someone
putting me right.

That's the allowable average speed range for the full event. You've
figured it correctly, to successfully complete the audax you have to
finish with a total time between 4 and 8 hours, including whatever
stops for rest or mechanicals you might want or need.

The lower speed limit is to provide a challenge, and the upper limit
is to discourage racing, because Audaxes are specifically not races.

In fact, Audax regulations specifically prohibit the publishing of
finish times. If you finish between 4-8 hours of starting then you win.
If you don't, you lose. It is a fixed standard, not relative to the
other riders.

It is worth noting that some controls will take a considerable time to
serve food when busy. Factor this in to your calculations.

...d

David Martin said:

In fact, Audax regulations specifically prohibit the publishing of
finish times. If you finish between 4-8 hours of starting then you win.
If you don't, you lose. It is a fixed standard, not relative to the
other riders.

It is worth noting that some controls will take a considerable time to
serve food when busy. Factor this in to your calculations.

From what you say here and in your other post, I wondered whether any
audaxers carry food themselves for the journey or is there a general
reliance on the food stops?

Colin

Colin Blackburn said:

From what you say here and in your other post, I wondered whether any
audaxers carry food themselves for the journey or is there a general
reliance on the food stops?

Unless you think you're going to have real problems with the upper time
limit, use the food stops. It's one of the most sociable bits and it would
be a real shame to miss that out IMO.

--
Arthur Clune

in message <[email hidden]>, Brian G

(') said:

I'm considering entering a 100k Audax event -- something I've never
done
before. The entry details mention "Speeds: 12.5kph - 25 kph". What do
these numbers mean? Should the ride take between 4 and 8 hours?

It means basically that the people manning the control points don't
guarantee to be there early enough for anyone going faster than 25kph,
and won't necessarily wait around for anyone slower than 12.5kph.

--
[email hidden] (Simon Brooke) http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~simon/

;; killing [afghan|iraqi] civilians is not 'justice'

Quoted message said:

From the few I've been on, most people take at least some fruit.

Then there seems to be an even split between those who take their own
sandwiches and those who treat the event as a good opportunity to try
as many different cake shops as possible.

On a 100 or 200, the half-way control is normally timed to be lunchtime
and is invariably in a tea and cake shop.

Also sprach Colin Blackburn <[email hidden]>:

Quoted message said:

From what you say here and in your other post, I wondered whether any
audaxers carry food themselves for the journey or is there a general
reliance on the food stops?

Since I mostly use liquid fuel on audaxen, I don't often make much use of
the food stops, though I do carry half a dozen cereal bars for emergencies.
Unless, of course, there is flapjack available...

--
Dave Larrington - <http://www.legslarry.beerdrinkers.co.uk/>
There's a village in Texas that's missing its idiot.

Colin Blackburn said:

David Martin said:

In fact, Audax regulations specifically prohibit the publishing of
finish times. If you finish between 4-8 hours of starting then you win.
If you don't, you lose. It is a fixed standard, not relative to the
other riders.

It is worth noting that some controls will take a considerable time to
serve food when busy. Factor this in to your calculations.

From what you say here and in your other post, I wondered whether any
audaxers carry food themselves for the journey or is there a general
reliance on the food stops?

Colin

I always carry food and if the controls are cafes buy more !!! Depends
on the event and how I'm feeling as to what and when I eat, on long
ones (400) I might have a pie & chips with peas and gravy . I am one of
those people who gets ill and irritable when I get too hungry so I eat
quite regularly. The last 200 I did, last weekend had no cafe controls
and the controls were quite far apart, too far for me to go without
food. We stopped at a cafe anyway. I find I can usually eat my way out
of a bad patch (having a bad patch because I am getting hungry or low
blood sugar or something) so having food means I don't have to stop to
do this and can do it when I need to.

Most audaxers I know carry food, what else do you think is in the
Carradice saddle bags ? I know one guy who carries pizza with him, me I
carry muesli bars, malt loaf (de riguer), white powder (don't ask),
Power Bars, other energy bars.

iakobski said:

Quoted message said:

From the few I've been on, most people take at least some fruit.

Then there seems to be an even split between those who take their own
sandwiches and those who treat the event as a good opportunity to try
as many different cake shops as possible.

On a 100 or 200, the half-way control is normally timed to be lunchtime
and is invariably in a tea and cake shop.

Down here in the Beautiful South relying on cafes could put the cost of
your average 200 up to that of l'Etape ;-). I always eat too much on
most rides as with me food = happy rider. Usually keep a banana and
whatever tracker bars I can pick up in my back pocket as a reserve. I
never eat at the end.

Dave Larrington said:

Since I mostly use liquid fuel on audaxen, I don't often make much use of

Yuk. I hate the stuff. It's good for races or other really fast rides, but
for a social ride like an Audax, it's plain water and cake for me. And so
no gunked up bike, sticky teeth and nasty sweetness.

--
Arthur Clune

Simon Brooke said:

It means basically that the people manning the control points don't
guarantee to be there early enough for anyone going faster than
25kph, and won't necessarily wait around for anyone slower than
12.5kph.

If, however, you should find yourself late for a control and the
controller has gone 'ome you needn't necessarily despair. You can
usually make a DIY alternative control either at the same place or as
close as possible. You can do this by buying something and getting a
printed receipt with the date, time and name of the town on. You may be
able to get a pay-and-display parking ticket (to the bafflement of
nearby motorists) or a printed balance from a hole-in-the-wall machine.

As long as you complete the event in time being late for one or two
controls probably won't matter. There are many valid reasons why you
could be late for a control other than general slowness. For example, a
late start, mechanical problems, going off-route, crashing and having
to be patched up at hospital, having to stop and help someone else
who's in trouble etc.

--
Dave...

Colin Blackburn <[email hidden]>typed

Quoted message said:

From what you say here and in your other post, I wondered whether any
audaxers carry food themselves for the journey or is there a general
reliance on the food stops?

Cafes etc will not repeat the goodwill of stamping hordes of sweaty
cyclists' cards if they don't drum up reasonable trade.

Please don't eat your sandwiches at cafe controls!

OTOH you'd be a fool to ride without bonk rations...

The answer is that you eat both 'their' food and 'yours'...

--
Helen D. Vecht: [email hidden]
Edgware.

[email hidden] (Arthur Clune)typed

Quoted message said:

Dave Larrington said:

Since I mostly use liquid fuel on audaxen, I don't often make much use of

Quoted message said:

Yuk. I hate the stuff. It's good for races or other really fast rides, but
for a social ride like an Audax, it's plain water and cake for me. And so
no gunked up bike, sticky teeth and nasty sweetness.

As I've said before, take what's best for *you*; (one man's meat is
another man's poison)

--
Helen D. Vecht: [email hidden]
Edgware.

Also sprach Arthur Clune <[email hidden]>:

Quoted message said:

Yuk. I hate the stuff. It's good for races or other really fast
rides, but for a social ride like an Audax, it's plain water and cake
for me. And so no gunked up bike, sticky teeth and nasty sweetness.

Diluted Lucozade Sport (mixed citrus flavour) - not outrageously sticky.
For some reason I find that plain water tastes bleedin' 'orrible on the
move, though last Sunday I /did/ end up consuming but three bottles of the
stuff, as I'd foolishly elected to try the mixed berry flavour, which
tastes:

1. even worse than plain water, and
2. like cardboard

Or maybe I just need to clean my bottles a bit more throughly... I did find
myself guzzling about four or five bottles of plain water as well, since the
alternative was premature death at the roadside.

--
Dave Larrington - <http://www.legslarry.beerdrinkers.co.uk/>
Give the anarchist a cigarette.

Arthur Clune said:

Dave Larrington said:

Since I mostly use liquid fuel on audaxen, I don't often make much use of

Yuk. I hate the stuff. It's good for races or other really fast rides, but
for a social ride like an Audax, it's plain water and cake for me. And so
no gunked up bike, sticky teeth and nasty sweetness.

Ah ha, /that/ sort of liquid food.

Dave Larrington said:

Diluted Lucozade Sport (mixed citrus flavour) - not outrageously
sticky. For some reason I find that plain water tastes bleedin'
'orrible on the move, though last Sunday I /did/ end up consuming
but three bottles of the stuff, as I'd foolishly elected to try
the mixed berry flavour, which tastes:

1. even worse than plain water, and
2. like cardboard

I actually prefer the berry flavour to the others, but if I drink too
much Lucozade Sport of any persusion I:

1. get incredibly thirsty - the more I drink the more I need, and
2. get indigestion, and
3. find that /everything/ tastes like cardboard for the next 2 days.

--
Dave...

dkahn400 said:

Simon Brooke said:

It means basically that the people manning the control points don't
guarantee to be there early enough for anyone going faster than
25kph, and won't necessarily wait around for anyone slower than
12.5kph.

If, however, you should find yourself late for a control and the
controller has gone 'ome you needn't necessarily despair. You can
usually make a DIY alternative control either at the same place or as
close as possible. You can do this by buying something and getting a
printed receipt with the date, time and name of the town on. You may be
able to get a pay-and-display parking ticket (to the bafflement of
nearby motorists) or a printed balance from a hole-in-the-wall machine.

As long as you complete the event in time being late for one or two
controls probably won't matter. There are many valid reasons why you
could be late for a control other than general slowness. For example, a
late start, mechanical problems, going off-route, crashing and having
to be patched up at hospital, having to stop and help someone else
who's in trouble etc.

Just out of interest; do you have to obtain the time on intermediate
controls on your Brevet card? I was just going to stick little home (ok
work) made ones in for my first control to save time as it is a
pointless control just to ensure you stick to the route and apparently
too many infos is frowned upon. They never seem to worry about the time
with the roll of stickers in a jam jar approach.