I woke up at half six on Saturday morning, deliberately, much to my frustration. Waking up before it gets light is never easy, particularly when knowing what lies in store. I had signed up for my first ever Audax, you see, a 107km ride from Bristol - in south-west England - over the Mendips to Cheddar, through Wookey Hole (yes these are real places) and back up and down to home. Not the most taxing ride I’ve ever done, but given I’ve cycled less this year, and particularly this autumn, than I have since before the pandemic, it felt like a lot. With 1200m of elevation, there was certainly enough on the menu.
Somehow, just about, I got up, ate my porridge, downed a coffee, and convinced myself that leaving my house that early on a weekend would be worth it, and it was. It was a great morning, poking into the afternoon, it left me feeling re-energised and wanting to do more. I know someone who takes part in a 5km Parkrun every weekend, setting up her Saturday perfectly, and this is what my first Audax did for me. My Garmin doesn’t think I’ve recovered yet, though.
For the uninitiated, and I’m afraid to report that includes at least two of Cycling Weekly’s team, an Audax is an uncompetitive long-distance cycling event, where you complete a certain distance within a time limit. You don’t have to go fast, but pass through control checkpoints to ensure that you have done the whole event, complete with stamps on your brevet card, a nice little souvenir.
107km is at the tame end of Audaxing - or randonneuring - with many, if not most being over 200km, and some being much, much longer. I have friends who have completed the 1200km Paris-Brest-Paris, and others ramping up for a 600km from Bristol to north Wales and back next year. Mine pales in comparison with that, but we all have to start somewhere.
In the collective consciousness, I feel the British Audax has a rather old-fashioned, twee feel to it, an activity for the older generation on touring bikes or grey-haired couples on tandems, complete with a rack and pannier set. Let me not disabuse you, it is still very much that. There weren’t many of us at the location for the départ, scheduled for a still grey 8am, and it was - myself included - overwhelmingly male. I wouldn’t want to confirm that I was the youngest person there, but it wouldn’t be a surprise if I was.
However, being like this is what makes it cool. When something is so out of step, not on-trend, unchanging, it comes back round again. Fashion is cyclical, and eventually the uncool things become cool again. Sure, I was probably the only person there dressed in MAAP, and my group was the only one not in high-vis, but it was great fun. There was no quirk, or razzle-dazzle, just an interesting route, a checkpoint where we had to write down the price of petrol, and another where a man called Len gave our card a stamp. It’s unpretentious, simple, and that’s what made it so good.
Unlike some events, there was no pressure to fit in or to be particularly fast - apart from my faster companion, Jess - and so we made our way merrily round, on what turned out to be a glorious winter day. One of those glimmers in the gloom where the countryside was bathed in sunshine, without the biting wind or chill of recent English days. There was no Storm Darragh - the blustery fiend that left homes without power and trees strewn on the road either.
The fact it was an actual event, rather than a WhatsApp-organised day out, a solo ride, or a club run, made it more compelling to me too; I’d paid my nominal fee, and I was going to complete my first Audax, in whatever manner. There was no easy out, or desire to impress. It was what long-distance riding should be about, really.
The climb out of Wookey Hole - 200m of climbing in 2km, with a peak of about 15% - did almost finish me, though. I’ve ridden through there twice, once on my way home from Glastonbury, and once on this Audax, and both times have made me vow not to return there. I should keep my promises to myself, or get fitter. I should always eat more. I’m an explosive starter on long rides, and it quite quickly leaves my resources depleted. These are all lessons for the future.
I will return to an Audax, maybe an even longer one next time, and possibly on a warmer day, when I’d done a bit more riding. The charm was in its simplicity and its gentle nature, and I think cycling could do with a bit more than that, not smash-fests. We could all be a bit more like the grey-haired men and women on their touring bikes. They are cool.
This piece is part of The Leadout, the offering of newsletters from Cycling Weekly and Cyclingnews. To get this in your inbox, subscribe here.
If you want to get in touch with Adam, email adam.becket@futurenet.com, or comment below.
