Cycling Weekly’s News Editor Adam gives his weekly take on what’s happening at the top of cycling. This article is part of The Leadout, a newsletter series from Cycling Weekly and Cyclingnews. To get it delivered to your inbox, subscribe here. As always, if you would like to add anything or suggest a topic, please email adam.becket@futurenet.com.
I woke up at 6:30 on Saturday morning, intentionally, and it frustrated me. Waking up before daybreak is never easy, especially when you know what’s about to happen. I signed up for my first Audax, and lo and behold, it started in Bristol in southwest England, over the Mendips River to Cheddar, and through Wookey Hole (yes, these are real places ), a total distance of 107 kilometers, and then back home. It wasn’t the most strenuous ride I’ve ever been on, but it felt better considering I’ve been riding my bike less this year, and especially this fall, than I did before the pandemic. At 1,200 meters above sea level, the food on the menu is certainly adequate.
Somehow I got up, ate porridge, drank a cup of coffee, and convinced myself that leaving the house so early on the weekend was worth it, and it was. It was a great morning and by the afternoon it left me feeling energized and wanting to do more. I know someone who does a 5k Parkrun every weekend and she timed the Saturday race perfectly, which is what my first Audax did for me. However, my Garmin thinks I’m not recovered yet.
For those who are unfamiliar, I’m afraid to report that it includes at least two Cycling WeeklyAudax is a non-competitive long-distance cycling event where you need to cover a certain distance within a set time. You don’t have to go too fast, but do pass control checkpoints to make sure you’ve completed the entire event and get your stamp stamped on you. Bravette Card, a nice little souvenir.
107km is a mild finish for Audaxing – or Hiking – Many if not most of them are over 200 kilometers and some are much longer. I have friends who have completed the 1200km Paris-Brest-Paris leg and others who are preparing for next year’s 600km leg from Bristol to North Wales and back. My thoughts pale in comparison, but we all have to start somewhere.
In the collective consciousness, I feel like there’s a rather old-fashioned, hokey feel to Britain’s Audax, an event for older generations on touring bikes or gray-haired couples riding in tandem, complete with luggage racks and bags. Let me not contradict you, the fact remains. There weren’t many people where we went. leaveIt was scheduled for 8am, the sky was still gray, and the attendees – myself included – were overwhelmingly male. I don’t want to confirm that I’m the youngest person there, but wouldn’t be surprised if I was.
However, that’s what makes it cool. When something is so out of place, out of place, and set in stone, it comes back again. Fashion is cyclical and eventually what isn’t cool becomes cool again. Sure, I was probably the only one there wearing MAAP and my team was the only one not wearing hi-vis, but it was pretty fun. Nothing weird or eye-watering, just a fun route, one checkpoint where we had to write down the price of gas, and another where a guy named Ryan stamped our cards. It’s earthy, simple, and that’s why it’s so great.
Unlike some events, there was no pressure to adapt or be particularly fast, except for my faster companion Jesse, so we happily went around and the result was a great winter day. The countryside is bathed in sunshine and glimmering in the gloom, without the biting wind or cold that has characterized Britain of late. There was no Storm Dara, the blustery monster that knocked out power to homes and littered roads with trees.
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The fact that this was a real event rather than a WhatsApp organized day trip, solo ride or club run also made it more attractive to me; I had paid a nominal fee and I will complete my first Audax in any way. There were no easy outs and no desire to impress. This is really what you should do on a long ride.
However, the climb out of Wooky Hole – 200m in 2km, peaking at about 15% – almost exhausted me. I’ve ridden there twice, once on the way home from Glastonbury and once on an Audax, and both times I vowed never to go back there again. I should either keep the promise I made to myself or get healthier. I should always eat more. I’m an explosive starter on long rides and this can quickly drain my resources. These are lessons for the future.
I’ll go back to the Audax, maybe go for a longer one next time, and probably on a warmer day when I’ve done more riding. The charm lies in its simplicity and gentle nature, and I think cycling could do with a little more than crushing rave-ups. We could all be more like the gray-haired men and women on touring bikes. They’re cool.
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