Audax Rides

selwyn froggitt · 24-08-2020 9:49am

I completed the ‘Gimme Shelter’ 200 Audax on Saturday, starting and finishing in Midleton.
A nice start to the day as a few of us rolled out together, a bit overcast but perfect conditions really apart from all the debris on the road thanks to storm Ellen and pretty much a tailwind as far as Ring/Dungarvan.
The wind picked up throughout the day though and it was a hell of a slog heading Northwest towards Cappoquin and beyond. Lots of draggy boreens but beautiful countryside to take the sting out of it. Just the one light shower to contend with as we rolled into Lismore.

A decent turnout for what is a brilliant route comprising of virtually traffic free backroads.
Big thanks to Mark H from DRVCCC for organising this event.

Great to catch up with some old acquaintances along the route and I was delighted to finish in under 7 and a half hours.

nilhg · 24-08-2020 10:22am

I see there's a new Laois 200 permanent

https://www.audaxireland.org/audax/permanents/laois-200-permanent/

While I'd be familiar enough with most of the roads except the 40km between Castletown and Durrow and part of the attraction of Audax is new roads I think once we Kildare folk are released from lockdown I'll give this one a go, it's a lovely route that shows off the county well, I often say that Laois is one of the most unappreciated cycling counties.

Handy enough too for anyone who would like to take the train down from Dublin, get off at Monasterevin and jump on the route at Jamestown about 4km out the old main road.

selwyn froggitt · 07-09-2020 9:29am

I rode the Three Rivers 300 Audax out of Ballincollig in Cork on Saturday. A small field of approximately 15 other hardy souls.
A 6am start as four of us rolled out in the dark, but the dawn broke soon enough as we headed Northeast towards Watergrasshill and the first control.

The 10-minute ferry crossing in Cobh gave me a chance for a quick snack and a breather. We rolled through Carrigaline and headed for sea and along the coast through Kinsale/Timoleague and onto Clonakilty for the second control. A short stop for food and drink at the local Maxol and then Northeast to Dunmanway and the climb of Cousane onto Keakill and then Ballylickey for the third control. The group fractured at this stage and I rode most of this section on my own.

Regrouped in Ballylickey at the local Centra for the long climb through the absolutely stunning Borlin valley and then the long descent into Kilgarvan and a short stop at the Healy-Rae petrol station (mask wearing optional

)

Another climb over Coom and through the county bounds back into Cork and onto Ballyvourney,240 km down and I’m feeling it now.

The next half an hour was horrible for me, lumpy and some steep backroads heading towards Millstreet when the suffering,self doubt and lack of energy kicked in.

One of the group suggested a food stop at the last control in Millstreet. A mighty call!! A massive bag of chips with lashings of salt and vinegar coupled with a can of coke saw me right. It was closing in on 6.30pm at this stage and a slight nip in the air as we headed for Lyre and Nad. The group split again and I rode with one other (Pat) to the finish. The last long drag out of Nad completed as dusk was quickly turning into darkness,we hammered the last 25km of mostly downhill back to Ballincollig.

Ride time 11 hrs 52mins @26km average and 3,100 metres of ascent.

Man of the match for me was Pat,his first ever Audax event and never ridden more than a 200 before.

Big thanks to MH from DRVCCC for putting in the time and effort to organise this event.

Really lovely route,but bloody hard going for me,the majority of the ascent comes when you already have 180kms in your legs.The weather was fantastic really,a bit blustery on the coast but no rain.
Great to catch up with a few lads I knew and to meet some new fellow sufferers

selwyn froggitt · 12-10-2020 3:07pm

Unfortunately the Pink Elephant 200 Audax was cancelled at short notice due to the new Covid restrictions:(
Thanks to MH of DRVCCC for keeping everyone informed and updated though.
I have ridden this event many times and it's a lovely route.

Decided instead to do an Audax Permanent,the Big Fella 200.
This route is based loosely on Michael Collins last day,starting and finishing in Ballincollig but out through Macroom/Bandon/Skibbereen/Rosscarbery/Sams Cross (Collins place of birth)/Clonakilty/Bandon and of course Beal na Blath before heading back towards the city.
Luckily for me I was joined by the Organiser and Route Master himself

at least I wasn't going to get lost!

Brilliant route,loads of quiet backroads and boreens,a bit of everything really,wonderful scenery and a History lesson thrown in for good measure.
Arduous enough though with 2,500 metres of ascent over the 205km.
Average speed of 24.6km/hr
Beautiful weather,a bit chilly at times but great for October.
Stops in Enniskean and Rosscarbery for refueling and a few short stops to take photographs.
A great day on the bike.

brownian · 12-10-2020 3:36pm

Cork is a lot bigger than Dublin, as a county...and has some lovely riding. Lucky you 8-)

Fugs!! · 12-10-2020 3:41pm

selwyn froggitt wrote: »

I completed the ‘Gimme Shelter’ 200 Audax on Saturday, starting and finishing in Midleton.
A nice start to the day as a few of us rolled out together, a bit overcast but perfect conditions really apart from all the debris on the road thanks to storm Ellen and pretty much a tailwind as far as Ring/Dungarvan.
The wind picked up throughout the day though and it was a hell of a slog heading Northwest towards Cappoquin and beyond. Lots of draggy boreens but beautiful countryside to take the sting out of it. Just the one light shower to contend with as we rolled into Lismore.

A decent turnout for what is a brilliant route comprising of virtually traffic free backroads.
Big thanks to Mark H from DRVCCC for organising this event.

Great to catch up with some old acquaintances along the route and I was delighted to finish in under 7 and a half hours.

Hi,

I did that spin too. My first ever audax and my first ever 200km. Loved it and I wasnt last.

I'm thinking of doing the yola 200 route on my xmas holidays from work.

NamelessPhil · 12-10-2020 5:37pm

At the moment under the current COVID19 restrictions the only Audax routes that are permitted are in-county Permanents.

There are a plethora of county 200km rides being uploaded to the Audax Ireland website. www.audaxireland.org

The rules for Permanents are also available on the site. If anyone else has an idea for a 200km+ ride within their own county, let us know and we can advise you.

The YOLA is a lovely route entirely within Wexford. It's not flat and the wind direction can make or mar your day. Just watch for the leg-breaker of a climb out of Ballyhack!

who_ru · 12-10-2020 8:23pm

NamelessPhil wrote: »

At the moment under the current COVID19 restrictions the only Audax routes that are permitted are in-county Permanents.

There are a plethora of county 200km rides being uploaded to the Audax Ireland website. www.audaxireland.org

The rules for Permanents are also available on the site. If anyone else has an idea for a 200km+ ride within their own county, let us know and we can advise you.

The YOLA is a lovely route entirely within Wexford. It's not flat and the wind direction can make or mar your day. Just watch for the leg-breaker of a climb out of Ballyhack!

i know it goes thru 2 counties, waterford and cork, but has anyone here completed the blackwater 200? just wondering what it's like.

Large bottle small glass · 12-10-2020 9:42pm

who_ru wrote: »

i know it goes thru 2 counties, waterford and cork, but has anyone here completed the blackwater 200? just wondering what it's like.

Great route. Really quite roads, lumpy as fcuk, a real honest 200.

Great way to see the fertile lands of north Cork and West Waterford.

I've been meaning to do a Suir 200 but haven't got around to it. Hard for a major river route to comply with current restrictions anyhow

who_ru · 13-10-2020 7:26pm

Large bottle small glass wrote: »

Great route. Really quite roads, lumpy as fcuk, a real honest 200.

Great way to see the fertile lands of north Cork and West Waterford.

I've been meaning to do a Suir 200 but haven't got around to it. Hard for a major river route to comply with current restrictions anyhow

thanks for the info, lumpy roads don't make it appealing but i'm on tubeless so that should help if i ever do it.

at the risk of sounding silly did you complete the 200km in one day? is that a requirement for audax? i was kind of thinking of doing 120-130km on day 1, pick a place to overnight and complete it on day 2.

brownian · 13-10-2020 8:26pm

Every audax distance has a set time limit. It's usually fairly generous (i.e. average speed is not mad), but it's strict. They are as follows:

13:30 for 200 KM, 20:00 for 300 KM, 27:00 for 400 KM, 40:00 for 600 KM, and 75:00 for 1000 KM.

So,a 200 would usually be early morning to evening; the winter rides start before light and end soon after sunset, all going well.

brownian · 13-10-2020 8:30pm

Is it just me, or is there just the one 200k for Dublin county so far? It's a great job, the one that does exist, and maybe there's not a lot of scope...

Large bottle small glass · 13-10-2020 8:59pm

who_ru wrote: »

thanks for the info, lumpy roads don't make it appealing but i'm on tubeless so that should help if i ever do it.

at the risk of sounding silly did you complete the 200km in one day? is that a requirement for audax? i was kind of thinking of doing 120-130km on day 1, pick a place to overnight and complete it on day 2.

Lost in translation, by lumpy I mean undulating. For L roads the surfaces are pretty good or at least were when we rode it.

I was on 28mm clincher and there was another on 30mm tubeless I think.

If you want to use it for your RTTY or to complete it by audax rules then the limit is as above.

Nothing stopping you from doing a 2 day cycle.
We did it in just over 8hrs with probably another 1hr30 eating well

NamelessPhil · 13-10-2020 10:10pm

brownian wrote: »

Is it just me, or is there just the one 200k for Dublin county so far? It's a great job, the one that does exist, and maybe there's not a lot of scope...

Dublin is the third smallest county in Ireland. It's tricky devising a route that wouldn't fall foul of the rules and wouldn't involve you doing a lot of urban cycling. Have a go at creating a route if you want...

brownian · 15-10-2020 10:32am

NamelessPhil wrote: »

Dublin is the third smallest county in Ireland. It's tricky devising a route that wouldn't fall foul of the rules and wouldn't involve you doing a lot of urban cycling. Have a go at creating a route if you want...

I totally agree. I wasn't criticising, and apologise if that's how it came across. But I've been impressed by the ingenuity of the Audax community in finding and stringing together the boreens that nobody else knows. Having ridden the perimeter ride yesterday, I discovered a multitude of roads I didn't know existed, and many I'd like to ride again. And an appreciation for how much of Co. Dublin is still green.

Macy0161 · 15-10-2020 11:41am

Anyone done the Wicklow route? But it in Strava and it's giving me a few gravel sections. I'm assuming boreen than full on gravel?

NamelessPhil · 15-10-2020 1:45pm

Macy0161 wrote: »

Anyone done the Wicklow route? But it in Strava and it's giving me a few gravel sections. I'm assuming boreen than full on gravel?

If you mean the most recent Audax one, the organiser rode it last weekend and it nearly banjaxed him! I think it's all paved roads but with 3,500m of ascent you'll need to bring your climbing legs.

Macy0161 · 15-10-2020 1:48pm

NamelessPhil wrote: »

If you mean the most recent Audax one, the organiser rode it last weekend and it nearly banjaxed him! I think it's all paved roads but with 3,500m of ascent you'll need to bring your climbing legs.

Yes, the Covid county one. Looks really good, and I'm about 500m off the route! Won't get out this weekend, but if there's another decent day in the next few weeks!

NamelessPhil · 15-10-2020 1:53pm

Brownian - I didn't think you were critical at all. It's fun trying to create a new route.

brownian · 15-10-2020 2:04pm

Macy0161 wrote: »

Yes, the Covid county one. Looks really good, and I'm about 500m off the route! Won't get out this weekend, but if there's another decent day in the next few weeks!

The Ardattin 200 has now been COVIDified to stay within Wicklow. It's "only" 2000m of climbing, as compared to the Cill Mantain's 3500m.

Takca · 16-10-2020 10:13pm

NamelessPhil wrote: »

There are a plethora of county 200km rides being uploaded to the Audax Ireland website. www.audaxireland.org

Thanks for mentioning this, when I saw it I went a looked up Sligo and there was one there

So today along with a club mate I did my first Audax, the Sligo 200 permanent.

My longest ride this year was 130km and due to lockdown restrictions I've only done a handful of rides above 100km so I was always going to suffer(and I did).

The route had a bunch of roads i'm familiar with strung together with back roads I never
knew existed. Plenty of climbing too, some long climbs and lots of undulating roads. we had a very enjoyable day,

On the surfaces in some places I knew I was taking a risk with the tires I had, but I had what I had and didn't have an opportunity to get others before today. In a lot of places there was plenty of potential for punchure with the tires I had but nobody to blame but myself, Somehow I didn't get a puncture on my GP5000s but this was pure luck.

We couldn't have picked a better day weather wise

Even "bumped" into the route Organiser at one of the controls to wish us well.

The puncture and sun gods were looking down on us today :-) , hopefully next time we get the wind in our favour also....

David6330 · 16-10-2020 11:05pm

Is there a Limerick route? I haven't come across one yet on the Audax Ireland website.

NamelessPhil · 17-10-2020 10:27am

David6330 wrote: »

Is there a Limerick route? I haven't come across one yet on the Audax Ireland website.

There isn't one as far as I know. The Audare 200 starts in Limerick but takes in Cork and Kerry. Any ideas?

Mercian Pro · 17-10-2020 12:35pm

Just plotted this along the county border out of curiosity https://connect.garmin.com/modern/course/44231310
It's around 300km so there should be plenty of 200km options. No experience of any of these roads so don't blame me if you get stuck up a mountain!

NamelessPhil · 17-10-2020 4:31pm

It doesn't have to be around the county border. That's only really applicable in the smaller counties. It just has to be 200km to qualify.

David6330 · 17-10-2020 5:58pm

NamelessPhil wrote: »

There isn't one as far as I know. The Audare 200 starts in Limerick but takes in Cork and Kerry. Any ideas?

I did a ~175km route earlier in the summer. It takes in the top half of @Mercian Pro's 300km loop.

Thought it was decent for a first attempt. Quite lumpy in the middle third of the route though. I took in all the Great Southern Greenway along the way and some other gravel bits.

https://ridewithgps.com/routes/33092105

Macy0161 · 25-04-2021 6:17pm

NamelessPhil wrote: »

If you mean the most recent Audax one, the organiser rode it last weekend and it nearly banjaxed him! I think it's all paved roads but with 3,500m of ascent you'll need to bring your climbing legs.

Did the Cill Mhantain 200 yesterday. Tough (but excellent) route, particularly when the reasonably flatter section is into a block head wind! Definitely climby - perfect for Liege weekend and 2 years since I did that sportive. It was a bit like that actually, that it wasn't the categorised climbs that really took their toll!

A couple of sections of pretty ropey paved road/ boreen - the section off the main Sally Gap Road and in the Glen of Imaal - but the GP4000's and the road bike coped fine.

Hoping club spins/ club racing/ races will be back, but definitely reminded me I "enjoy" the type 2 fun of long endurance events. I may even have a stab at the Ardattin 200 route if we're still a few weeks away from club spins being back come this weeks announcements.

Large bottle small glass · 25-04-2021 7:51pm

^^^^^^

Looks rough on the numbers; how long total time did it take?

Macy0161 · 25-04-2021 8:06pm

Large bottle small glass wrote: »

^^^^^^

Looks rough on the numbers; how long total time did it take?

Total time 10.33, moving time 9.05.

Quite a few faff stops for photos, messing with the playlist/ ear phones. That's probably half an hour to be honest.

NamelessPhil · 25-04-2021 8:42pm

If you want a post lockdown challenge, a group of us devised Super Randonneé 600, 600km in 60 hours with 10,000m+ ascent.

It's called The Rocky Road to Dublin and it's a point-to-point route from Killarney Co. Kerry to Dublin city centre. We found every evil little (and big) hill in 606km. There's more information on the link.
https://www.audaxireland.org/audax/awards-medals/super-randonee-600/

Audax Rides

Comments