Audax Ireland - Calendar, News etc.

rottenhat

I reckoned that since there's only a handful of us interested in these rides, and the same questions get asked every time, I would create a single thread and bump it every time there was news rather than creating a new thread for each ride. I'll edit the top post each time with details of the next ride, and the calendar of future events.

Next Event:

September 5th - Dying Cow 200, Dying Sow 300. Start 6am for the 300, 8am for the 200, at Bray Wheelers Clubhouse. Contact Paul O'Donoghue (podluna@hotmail.com) for entry. CI membership or equivalent required. Lights required on the 300.

Full routesheets not available yet - Paul says "the 300k will follow the same route as the 200k but will split slightly before 114k to travel to Clonegal, Myshal, Leighlinbridge, Goresbridge and Borris.From then on it will be uphill all the way until the long and doubtlessly welcome descent in Bunclody. Having travelled through Carnew the two routes will reconverge at kilometer 121 to finish up on the same roads."

This will probably be the last event of 2009.

I'll also working on a Wiki page for audax whenever it's a slow day at work so any questions you might ask will gradually filter into an FAQ over there.

blorg

I think a thread for each event works best, you could link to the page on the Wiki with general information.

In any case looks like the Dying Cow/Sow is the last- the Cow (200) should attract a good amount, Paul was reckoning could be over 100 IIRC.

rottenhat

Next year is going to be significant for anyone intending to do Paris-Brest-Paris in 2011. Not only would you be well advised to complete an SR series next year by way of preparation, but early pre-registration will be available to anyone who completes a 200, 300 or 400 in 2010, staggered so that those who completed the longer rides can register earlier than those who only did shorter distances. There will be a limit of 5000 entrants with a quota system in place for the biggest audax nations - I don't think this will affect Ireland but pre-registration should still be an advantage.

There will be a lot of audax rides next year - John Connaghan is intending to offer a full SR series, alongside Paul O'Donoghue's series, which he promises will be more than challenging enough to prepare you for PBP. Kevin O'Sullivan may be adding a 300 and a 400 to the Midleton 200, and presumably Aidan Brosnan will run the Surf and Turf 300 again. There is also the outside possibility of a revival of an old 1000km route.

If you fancy attempting an ultra event next year, there will be a 1000k in Wales (the Mille Cymru) in the last week of July - this is estimated at 15,000 metres of climbing so it will be a serious challenge. There will also be the 1500km Hamburg-Berlin-Koln-Hamburg (with a 1200km option also) around August and a 1200k through Belgium and northern France.

rottenhat

blorg wrote: »

In any case looks like the Dying Cow/Sow is the last

True, but anyone planning on doing e.g. a 600km next year will want to start training before the end of this year. Looking at the training schedule from Simon Doughty's book (which I'm planning on following), for a 600k on June 19th (which is when John C plans to have his) you would start your training rides in mid-October. Admittedly the initial ones are little piddly spins of 60-80km but it builds up to 200s surprisingly early.

blorg

Sure, I think it is a good idea to have a general Audax thread, just think good to have seperate threads for individual events where we can make plans to get there, recount our stories, post photos etc.

I am planning on ~850km this weekend to kick things off... over four days though so not proper Audax.

rottenhat

I guess that makes sense - this thread for general news, calendar stuff, enquiries etc, specific threads for specific events.

Raam

Just so you know: I think there is a time limit as to how long you can edit a post.

rottenhat

Raam wrote: »

Just so you know: I think there is a time limit as to how long you can edit a post.

Yaaar! Confound it...well, we'll see how we go. Maybe it will be the wiki after all.

rottenhat

I knew I was forgetting something - there should be a Fleche next year also. A fleche is a team 24-hour audax - 3-5 machines (i.e. could be up to ten riders if you're all on tandems) per team, you devise your own route with certain provisos, starting at the time of your choice on Good Friday, and finishing the following day. Traditionally, all routes end at the same point - in the UK it's York, other countries rotate the finishing town each year - which will almost certainly be Dublin.

You need to submit your route in advance to the organiser (Paul O'D, I expect) and it should have the usual control points so that the shortest route between controls comes to 360km total (standard audax pace of 15km/h for 24 hours). There must be a control at hour 22, and that control must be at least 25km from your finish point. Generally you want to make your route a bit longer than 360km, in case the organiser's measurement of your route comes up a little shorter than your own.

A fleche is one of the requirements for the ACP's Randonneur 5000 award - you also need a full SR series (200, 300, 400, 600), a 1000km, Paris-Brest-Paris, and enough other brevets to get you up to 5000km total, completed over four years, starting from the date of the first ride you're submitting as part of your claim. I'm thinking about having a go at this myself, aiming to do the Fleche and Mille Cymru (for the 1000k) next year, and PBP in 2011.

I'm hitching a ride on John C's coat-tails for this one - he's talking about a route of a little over 400k out and back from Dublin. It would be fun to have multiple teams but I imagine not everyone is going to be up for a 24-hour in early April. If you're interested, reply below or PM me and we'll gauge the level of interest.

rughdh

I was wondering what a fleche was! I'd certainly be interested.

rottenhat

If you're feeling ambitious for next year....

Mille Miglia

rottenhat

I mentioned the Mille Cymru above - well, emty is coming on board for it also.

1017km, nearly 14000m of climbing, the route is essentially a cloverleaf, centering on Aberystwyth and designed so that it breaks down neatly enough into 3 days of ~300km with 100km on the final day to finish. 75 hours allowed, July 23rd - 26th.

The price is £60stg, + an additional £2 for non-AUK/CTC members for which you get the following:

You get, for your 60 British pounds...

Choice of village hall accommodation or camping on Thursday night.
Pre-ride feed on Thursday night.
Breakfast on Friday morning
Bag drop to Aberystwyth (and back)
3 visits to Aberystwyth at 310k, 605k and 885k. The Aberystwyth control is at the Boat Club and features:
Sleeping facilities in the boat shed. Camp beds & blankets will be available. Suggest you bring your own sleeping bag as well. (You can of course make your own arrangements for B&B or nearby campsite if you prefer)
Showers & changing facilities
A bar
All food at Aber (3 dinners + breakfasts) is included.
Food at the finish.
75 hours (76.5 on AUK allowances) and 1020km of Wales' finest.
Weather (there'll be lots, that's guaranteed)

And probably a whole load of other stuff I haven't got round to organising yet.

There's a limit of 60 places, 14 filled already and there's a lot of buzz about it on YACF. I've been on to the organiser and he's in the process of setting up online entry, and will take payment via Paypal so there won't be too much messing around on that score.

I think it's going to be very challenging, and very scenic (in both the literal and audax senses of the word). Definitely a worthy target for next year, and with something like this, the only failure is not to try.

Two threads on YACF about it here and here.

Anyone else interested at all? There's not going to be too many other opportunities to get a 1000km medal before ACP come up with the new design for 2012-5.

godihatethehils

Ah, but do you get a rubber bracelet???

cunavalos

rottenhat wrote: »

Anyone else interested at all? There's not going to be too many other opportunities to get a 1000km medal before ACP come up with the new design for 2012-5.

Was looking at this myself last night and with a reasonable winters training benhind me i reckon would be achievable at a push.

The logistics of the event with a central stopover point at aberystwyth will take a bit of hassle out of organising bag drops and sleeping accommodation.

The route is amazing and takes in most of the climbs used in the best welsh sportives (dragon ride , dave lloyd, tour of pembroke ) and all for 60odd sterling .
Rottenhat can you pass on the entry details when you get them finalised and contact details for the organiser

strummer_ie

Is there any official Irish Audax body,
similar to the Audax UK or Audax Australia ?

How can I find out more about this ?

rottenhat

strummer_ie wrote: »

Is there any official Irish Audax body,
similar to the Audax UK or Audax Australia ?

How can I find out more about this ?

The official Audax Ireland body consists of Paul O'Donoghue of Sorrento CC, who memorably described himself as being to audax in Ireland what Idi Amin was to democracy in Uganda. There's no real organisation behind him and it's only in the past couple of years that his efforts to rebuild audax in ireland have seen other ride organisers emerge from the woodwork. I guess I'm about as well informed as anyone so if you have more specific enquiries, ask away.

rottenhat

cunavalos wrote: »

Was looking at this myself last night and with a reasonable winters training benhind me i reckon would be achievable at a push.

The logistics of the event with a central stopover point at aberystwyth will take a bit of hassle out of organising bag drops and sleeping accommodation.

The route is amazing and takes in most of the climbs used in the best welsh sportives (dragon ride , dave lloyd, tour of pembroke ) and all for 60odd sterling .
Rottenhat can you pass on the entry details when you get them finalised and contact details for the organiser

It would be money to have you on board. The organiser is John Hamilton, you can get him at this address, drop him a line and let him know you're interested.

I think emty already has his entry in. He's evidently mad keen - I've also been fielding a few enquiries about Carradice bags from him.

TinyExplosions

I think I may well be giving the man an email... very interested in giving this a go

rottenhat

OK, I have the provisional calendar for next year up on my website now. It is possible that dates may change but this is what has gone to ACP and Cycling Ireland and should largely avoid clashes with other major touring events like the Wicklow 200.

strummer_ie

rottenhat wrote: »

The official Audax Ireland body consists of Paul O'Donoghue of Sorrento CC, who memorably described himself as being to audax in Ireland what Idi Amin was to democracy in Uganda. There's no real organisation behind him and it's only in the past couple of years that his efforts to rebuild audax in ireland have seen other ride organisers emerge from the woodwork. I guess I'm about as well informed as anyone so if you have more specific enquiries, ask away.

No specific questions, just something that sounds interesting, and wanted more info on.
I found plenty on the Sorrento CC site, cheers !!

Now to get me a decent road bike.....

rottenhat

With the increasing number of brevet organisers in the country, it seemed wise to create a central mailing list, which you can find here. If you want to be on the list (should mostly be announcements, don't foresee a whole lot of discussion) then sign yourself up or PM me with your email address and I'll add you directly.

rottenhat

For those of you thinking about doing the Mille Cymru, there is now a website. It's still mostly under construction but the online entry process is working. I'd estimate that a third to half of the sixty places are taken already so I wouldn't spend too long waffling about it. emty and I are already signed up.

If you fancy something a little less mountainous, I saw a mail yesterday about a Lowlands 1200 in the Netherlands...guaranteed never more than 100m above sea level.

rottenhat

As foreshadowed upthread, the Fleche will be going ahead - we got approval from ACP last week. Pick your start time between noon, April 1st and 10am, April 3rd, design a route covering a minimum of 360km between controls starting wherever you like and finishing in Dublin 24 hours later, and ride it in a team of 3-5 bikes. Further details here.

emty and I are putting a team together - we could use 1-3 more, let me know if you're interested. Obviously it's a plus if you're roughly as fit (or unfit) as we are and a bigger plus if you can put up with me for 24 hours.

rottenhat

I reckoned coolbeans might not be the only person with similar questions so I figured I'd post my answer here instead of on my training log.

coolbeans wrote: »

Hey there RH,
Hoping to get into Audax but I dunno if I've got the right equipment bikewise. Current steed is an aluminium framed yolk, and I'm just about to purchase a 300 lumen light set. What else do I need? I remember your Carradice bag remark and I don't know if a road bike like mine will take one? Were you serious?
I'm working on the beard!

I never joke about audax...but I think buffs are increasingly replacing beards as the neck protection of choice.

Any bike will do, really - it's just a matter of having something you're going to comfortable on hour after hour. Could be aluminium, steel, carbon, whatever. Running wider tyres makes a big difference to comfort so it's nice if the bike has clearance for 28mm tyres, and having a dry arse also makes a big difference to comfort, so clearance for mudguards as well is good. But you can get Race Blades onto just about anything and plenty of people ride brevets on 23mm tyres so I wouldn't sweat over that. Saddles are a hugely personal thing but the two I see most often on audax bikes are the Selle Rolls and the Brooks B17.

Lights are required by the rules for anything longer than a 200 (and advisable on even a 200 in winter), and they need to be good enough to get you down a hill in total darkness on a cloudy night. Reflective gear is also notionally required but no-one here will kick up a fuss if you don't have any - I reckon reflective ankle bands give the best bang for the buck.

The longer the ride, the more gear you're going to want to bring with you - mainly more clothing to deal with temperature variation across the day. I prefer to carry stuff in a bag - Carradice are a popular option because they're more or less waterproof and you can get a lot of gear into them. You can get one onto just about any bike using one of the add-on attachment systems like the SQR or the Bagman. But any bag will do, and you'll be fine on the average 200 with just a seatpack for your tools, tubes and bonk rations, and spare clothing shoved in your jersey pockets. One of the strongest riders I know did the REK 400 in June with a ratty old backpack bungeed to a rack clamped onto his seatpost - not exactly elegant but it worked. I could probably give the Euro police a heart attack by saying he was riding a Colnago....

So bare essentials - a bike, some decent lights, the basic tools you'd bring on any ride, a pump, maybe a pen if there are info controls on the ride. Everything else is optional, and you'll learn over time what you think is worth bringing and what is not. No set rules - some travel with two stuffed panniers, some jam it all in their pockets. Just watch the experienced riders and see what they do - one always carries a spoon and a tiny folding can-opener (serious rice-pudding habit) that you can get in an army-surplus store, another has chain lube in a little bottle that used to contain eye drops etc. My own packing checklist runs to a full A4 page - I don't necessarily bring everything on it, but it makes me think about whether or not I need to bring this or that thing.

Start with what you have, tweak your setup with time and experience. It's just a ride. That goes on and on and on....