Reflections on first audax

[Richard Goodman]

"gavin" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
> > A ride of a fixed length (usually metric) ridden within pre-arranged
> > speeds usually organised within the ambit of Audax UK by independent
> > volunteers.
> >
> > Audax UK has a comprehensive website but I've lot the most recent URL;
> > Google should help.
>
> Thanks, Helen. Can I just ask what "within pre-arranged speeds" means?
> There's an upper speed limit????
>

Yes. You have to pass through controls that are only open for a specific
time-window. Too quick and you'll arrive before they open, so if you want
your ride recognised you'll have to wait around until they do - which will
reduce your average. The 'ordinary' ones (Brevet de Randonneur) for rides
of less than 600k specify an average speed of between 14.3 - 15kph up to a
max of 30kph (could be less), including stops. The 'beginner' ones, like
the one I was on, (Brevet Populaire) can have a reduced minimum.

The AUK site is at <http://www.audax.uk.net/>

Rich

 

[Helen Deborah Vecht]

"gavin" <[email protected]>typed



> > A ride of a fixed length (usually metric) ridden within pre-arranged
> > speeds usually organised within the ambit of Audax UK by independent
> > volunteers.
> >
> > Audax UK has a comprehensive website but I've lot the most recent URL;
> > Google should help.

> Thanks, Helen. Can I just ask what "within pre-arranged speeds" means?
> There's an upper speed limit????

Yes. Nobody is supposed to exceed an average of 30kph on any ride.
Average speed includes rest stops & visits by the p*nct*r* fairy etc.
Maximum and minimum speeds are advertised in the calendar (usu 15-30kph,
less on some shorter 'brevet populaire' rides)

Checkpoints ('controls') have opening and closing times. At each, you
should get your card signed, stamped and timed. You get your card at the
start of the ride and sign & hand it in at the end. It then gets sent
off for Validation and hopefully eventually returned to you. You can get
cloth badges or metal medals for completing distances.

www.audax.uk.net may cause you to spend much time online...

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

 

[davek]

gavin:
> Thanks, Helen. Can I just ask what "within pre-arranged speeds" means?
> There's an upper speed limit????

That's exactly it - it's because it's a strictly amateur organisation and
they don't want people to treat it as a race (there are no prizes for
finishing first).

However, the speed limits are typically 15-30km/h, which allows you to ride
pretty quickly should you be so inclined. But that's not just your riding
speed - it's your overall average, including rest/feeding stops (and sleep
stops on longer events).

The website is here:
<URL:http://www.audax.uk.net/>

d.

 

[Keith Willoughby]

gavin wrote:

> "Richard Goodman" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
>> Did my first audax today, 105k in not much over 4hrs
>
> Forgive my ignorance, but what is an audax? I have seen the term before but
> have never known what it actually means and have never got around to asking
> until now.

While we're on the subject, is it pronounced "oww-dax" or "or-dax"?

--
Keith Willoughby
Welcome to the police state - http://tinyurl.com/3cptb

 

[MartinM]

Helen Deborah Vecht <[email protected]> wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...
> [email protected] (MartinM)typed
>
>
> > "Simonb" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> > news:<[email protected]>...
> > > MartinM wrote:
> > >
>
> > A curious thing about Audax is that riders never refer to a ride as
> > what it's called in the calendar but as e.g. "Pam's 400" but the
> > organisers deserve all the publicity they get, such a lot of hard work
> > and organising, I think I'd rather be riding all night than manning a
> > control.
>
> Brings back memories...
>
> "Please don't roll your wet bike over my sleeping bag."
> "Sorry, I had no idea it was YOUR sleeping bag."
>
> (Wet overnight control -Marlow- on Windsor-Chester-Windsor 1995)

They don't seem to do the WCW 600 anymore, Pam's was cancelled and the
only one I ever did has gone now; hope there are some left by 2007.

 

[MartinM]

Keith Willoughby <[email protected]> wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...
> gavin wrote:
>
> > "Richard Goodman" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> > news:[email protected]...
> >> Did my first audax today, 105k in not much over 4hrs
> >
> > Forgive my ignorance, but what is an audax? I have seen the term before but
> > have never known what it actually means and have never got around to asking
> > until now.
>
> While we're on the subject, is it pronounced "oww-dax" or "or-dax"?

That's a tricky one, being a Latin student I would say OW, being
English I would say OR and of course as it is a French invention you
could say OH.

 

[Arthur Clune]

Keith Willoughby <[email protected]> wrote:

: While we're on the subject, is it pronounced "oww-dax" or "or-dax"?

I've heard both, but the former is more common IME.

--
Arthur Clune http://www.clune.org
"Technolibertarians make a philosophy out of a personality defect"
- Paulina Borsook

 

[Mike K Smith]

gavin wrote:
> =

> "Richard Goodman" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
> > Did my first audax today, 105k in not much over 4hrs
> =

> Forgive my ignorance, but what is an audax? I have seen the term before=
but
> have never known what it actually means and have never got around to as=
king
> until now.
My turn to be pedantic, but the events in the Audax UK calendar are
actually 'randon=E9es a allure libre'. These are ridden at a rider's own =
pace
within fixed time limits.

My understanding is that an Audax is ridden in groups at a fixed pace
dictated by a 'captain'. Certainly I remember being told this 20-odd year=
s
ago by a grizzled old clubman.

The PBP history here supports that view,
http://www.pathcom.com/~ppiltch/pbphist.html.

 

[davek]

Mike K Smith:
>My turn to be pedantic, but the events in the Audax UK calendar are
actually 'randonées a allure libre'. These are ridden at a rider's own pace
within fixed time limits.

Yes, though 'randonée a allure libre' is a generic term that doesn't
specifically describe AUK events (rather AUK events are a subset of all
rides of this type). 'A allure libre' means 'at your own pace' and a
'randonée' is any organised long distance ride, right? So, you can't
strictly call an AUK event an 'Audax', but you can call it an 'Audax UK
event'

>My understanding is that an Audax is ridden in groups at a fixed pace
dictated by a 'captain'.

This fits with the description in the AUK handbook of the Audax regulations
laid out by Henri Desgranges in 1904 (it also says that 'this method of
riding is known today as Euraudax').

I like the explanation of why we refer to these events as Audax. Apparently,
the Audax Club Parisien (ACP) was formed by people who had completed one of
M.Desgranges' 200km rides, but then the club did something to upset
Desgranges and he withdrew their right to organise Audax events (he 'owned'
the regulations) and that's when they set up their own 'Brevet de
Randonneur', which established the regulations that are still in force
today. "It is these regulations that were later adopted by Audax UK and the
name Audax in the title comes from the ACP not the style of the event."

However, again according to the handbook, the idea of Audax was formulated
in Italy in 1897. Participants had to walk, swim or cycle a set distance in
14 hours (approximately the time from sunrise to sunset) and for cycling the
distance was 200km.

> Certainly I remember being told this 20-odd years
ago by a grizzled old clubman.

I don't think it serves any useful purpose to be too much of a purist about
these things - it just sounds like snobbery.

d.

 

[Helen Deborah Vecht]

[email protected] (MartinM)typed


> Helen Deborah Vecht <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:<[email protected]>...
> > [email protected] (MartinM)typed
> >
> >
> > > "Simonb" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> > > news:<[email protected]>...
> > > > MartinM wrote:
> > > >
> >
> > > A curious thing about Audax is that riders never refer to a ride as
> > > what it's called in the calendar but as e.g. "Pam's 400" but the
> > > organisers deserve all the publicity they get, such a lot of hard work
> > > and organising, I think I'd rather be riding all night than manning a
> > > control.
> >
> > Brings back memories...
> >
> > "Please don't roll your wet bike over my sleeping bag."
> > "Sorry, I had no idea it was YOUR sleeping bag."
> >
> > (Wet overnight control -Marlow- on Windsor-Chester-Windsor 1995)

> They don't seem to do the WCW 600 anymore, Pam's was cancelled and the
> only one I ever did has gone now; hope there are some left by 2007.

1995 was the last W-C-W.
I'm sure there'll be 600s run in a PBP year but it *is* dependent on
volunteers...

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

 

[MartinM]

Mike K Smith <[email protected]> wrote in message

> My turn to be pedantic, but the events in the Audax UK calendar are
> actually 'randon es a allure libre'.

Yes but for the purposes of this NG it is acceptable IMO to call them
Audaxes, especially as there are many other Randonees (I have ridden
two this year) not organised by AUK.

BTW I heard that the reason for the delay in Brevets coming back is
that the are all being processed by an octogenarian gentleman in Paris
so ;
"Soyez patient svp" ;-)

 

[gavin]

"davek" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> gavin:
> > Thanks, Helen. Can I just ask what "within pre-arranged speeds" means?
> > There's an upper speed limit????
>
> That's exactly it - it's because it's a strictly amateur organisation and
> they don't want people to treat it as a race (there are no prizes for
> finishing first).
>
> However, the speed limits are typically 15-30km/h, which allows you to
ride
> pretty quickly should you be so inclined. But that's not just your riding
> speed - it's your overall average, including rest/feeding stops (and sleep
> stops on longer events).
>
> The website is here:
> <URL:http://www.audax.uk.net/>
>

Thanks for the replies, folks - I've got it now. Sounds a pretty interesting
format.


Regards,



Gavin

 

[Mike K Smith]

MartinM wrote:
>
> Mike K Smith <[email protected]> wrote in message
>
> > My turn to be pedantic, but the events in the Audax UK calendar are
> > actually 'randon es a allure libre'.
>
> Yes but for the purposes of this NG it is acceptable IMO to call them
> Audaxes, especially as there are many other Randonees (I have ridden
> two this year) not organised by AUK.
Fair cop, serves me right for being pedantic. I must admit I've always
called them Audaxes, too.

 

[Dave Larrington]

Richard Goodman wrote:
> Did my first audax today, 105k in not much over 4hrs, which I suppose
> wasn't too bad, although towards the end I was fading! Things I
> learnt:

Having joined AUK back at the tail end of last year, I have so far failed to
do a single event (hangs head in shame).

My pal Dr. Cox is trying to persuade me to do E-L next year. Should I
arrange to have him killed?

--

Dave Larrington - http://www.legslarry.beerdrinkers.co.uk/
===========================================================
Editor - British Human Power Club Newsletter
http://www.bhpc.org.uk/
===========================================================

 

[Jon Senior]

In article <[email protected]>, [email protected] says...
> Having joined AUK back at the tail end of last year, I have so far failed to
> do a single event (hangs head in shame).
>
> My pal Dr. Cox is trying to persuade me to do E-L next year. Should I
> arrange to have him killed?

No. I've just set my sights on it, and may well attempt it on a bent
(Depending on the condition of both myself and the bike by that point!).
It's not that far surely.

Jon

 

[MartinM]

"davek" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...
> gavin:
> > Thanks, Helen. Can I just ask what "within pre-arranged speeds" means?
> > There's an upper speed limit????
>
> That's exactly it - it's because it's a strictly amateur organisation and
> they don't want people to treat it as a race (there are no prizes for
> finishing first).

Actually that's not strictly true, the CTC run a competition called
the DATC which uses mostly AUK events organised by CTC DA's rather
than cycling clubs, and you get so many points for finishing in the
first 12 etc through the season. I believe it is fiercely competitive
but has nothing to do with AUK and appears to be a bit of harmless fun
between a few riders to add some spice to the season.

look up DATC on ctc.org.uk

 

[Helen Deborah Vecht]

[email protected] (MartinM)typed


> "davek" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:<[email protected]>...
> > gavin:
> > > Thanks, Helen. Can I just ask what "within pre-arranged speeds" means?
> > > There's an upper speed limit????
> >
> > That's exactly it - it's because it's a strictly amateur organisation and
> > they don't want people to treat it as a race (there are no prizes for
> > finishing first).

> Actually that's not strictly true, the CTC run a competition called
> the DATC which uses mostly AUK events organised by CTC DA's rather
> than cycling clubs, and you get so many points for finishing in the
> first 12 etc through the season. I believe it is fiercely competitive
> but has nothing to do with AUK and appears to be a bit of harmless fun
> between a few riders to add some spice to the season.

Unless the DATC has changed since I did it (and was First Lady ) You
get the same points for completing the ride whether you come in first or
last. The competitive bits of the DATC are obviously competitions, like
map-reading or free-wheeling. You get more points for being 'placed'.

I'll check with my spies in AUK & DATC...

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

 

[Dave Larrington]

Jon Senior wrote:

> No. I've just set my sights on it, and may well attempt it on a bent
> (Depending on the condition of both myself and the bike by that
> point!). It's not that far surely.

When They say Edinburgh-London, They actually mean "and back via a slightly
circuitous route" 1400 km or thereabouts.

--

Dave Larrington - http://www.legslarry.beerdrinkers.co.uk/
===========================================================
Editor - British Human Power Club Newsletter
http://www.bhpc.org.uk/
===========================================================

 

[Michael MacClancy]

On Wed, 14 Jul 2004 14:12:10 +0100, Dave Larrington wrote:

> Jon Senior wrote:
>
>> No. I've just set my sights on it, and may well attempt it on a bent
>> (Depending on the condition of both myself and the bike by that
>> point!). It's not that far surely.
>
> When They say Edinburgh-London, They actually mean "and back via a slightly
> circuitous route" 1400 km or thereabouts.

I think Jon thought it stood for Edinburgh-Livingston.

;-)
--
Michael MacClancy
Random putdown - "They never open their mouths without subtracting from
the sum of human knowledge." - Thomas Brackett Reed
www.macclancy.demon.co.uk
www.macclancy.co.uk

 

[MSeries]

[email protected] (MartinM) wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...
> Keith Willoughby <[email protected]> wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...
> > gavin wrote:
> >
> > > "Richard Goodman" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> > > news:[email protected]...
> > >> Did my first audax today, 105k in not much over 4hrs
> > >
> > > Forgive my ignorance, but what is an audax? I have seen the term before but
> > > have never known what it actually means and have never got around to asking
> > > until now.
> >
> > While we're on the subject, is it pronounced "oww-dax" or "or-dax"?
>
> That's a tricky one, being a Latin student I would say OW, being
> English I would say OR and of course as it is a French invention you
> could say OH.

I say Audax, as in Au Revoir. o-dax