Audax events are what began my love for long distance cycling. But what exactly is an Audax?
An Audax is a long distance cycling event. You must follow a predetermined route and finish within a specified time. It is not a race but the routes are often challenging.
It doesn’t matter if you finish first or last. As long as you finish within the specified time then you have succeeded. You can even opt to get a medal which you will get when completing the event.
Audax originates from Italy and was originally organised for long distance group rides. This developed into solo cycling events which is more accurately known as randonneuring.
Individual audax events are known as brevets and you complete a brevet then you can call yourself a randonneur. This doesn’t mean you must cycle alone. It’s actually still more common to cycle in a small group while you ride. It really depends on the fitness of you and the other riders.
There is normally a small number at the start line, 30 – 50 people. You all start together and within a few kilometers you will be left with the people that you will spend the rest of the day with. You will naturally settle into a rhythm with someone of similar fitness.
Audax events are self supported meaning you can’t avail of something that another rider cant get. So no support car carrying your bottles, clothes and food. It’s ok to stop at any shop you see because other riders will have the same option.
Official brevets start at 200km and rise in increments of 100km after that. Popular distances are 200km, 300km, 400km, 600km, 1000km and even higher. The longest brevet in Ireland is the Wild Atlantic Way Audax, WAWA, and is 2200km long over rugged terrain.
How Long Do You Have To Complete An Audax?
There is a set time for each event and it’s worked out using the 15kph (9.32mph) rule. Basically you have to average 15kph over the length of the ride.
So for a 200km (124km) ride you will have (200/15 =) 13.3hours to complete it. This may sound easy to anyone with a bit of fitness but you will have to consider that this time includes breaks and mechanicals.
On longer events this is tougher still with you having to keep sleep to a minimum to stay ahead of the 15kph average.
To put this into context, I’ll give you an example of the longest audax I have done so far, The Mile Failte 1200. 1200km so that should be 80hours with the 15kph average but they added 10hrs to make it more possible. I finished with 4 hours to spare and I just had 9 hours sleep over the whole event.
Who Organises Each Audax Event?
The organizers are normally guys from the local Audax club and pride themselves on creating a route that you will love. I’ve done at least 20 audax now and there was only one that I didn’t love. The routes typically stick to smaller lesser used roads. This leads to a very relaxed ride on roads and through places that you would have never seen otherwise.
How Much Does It Cost To Enter An Audax?
Another thing that’s great about audax is that it is so cheap to enter. Assuming you have cycling insurance it costs just 5 euro to enter and you can opt for a medal if you want which will cost me extra.
5 euro for a 200km event. That’s a bargain. Some organisers may charge extra if they are getting supplies for their manned controls.
On one audax, The Winter 200, the organizer had soup and cakes set up on a stand in the middle of nowhere and the finish was at his house where you were invited in for meatballs, bacon sandwiches and, again, tons of cakes.
What Happens On A Typical Audax?
Sometimes you can sign up to an Audax the morning of the event but this will be up to the organizer if he/she will accept you or not.
Sign up online the week before and download the gpx file for your navigation device and print off the route sheet.
The route sheet is a list of turn by turn instructions that will guide you if your navigation device stops working. This happened to me during a 600km audax last year, the Coast to Coast 600.
I use my phone for navigation which normally works well but it was raining hard at the start of the event. The phone is waterproof but the issue was that it won’t charge when it’s wet.
Luckily, I also have a simple bike computer that tells me my speed and distance. That, along with my route sheet made it possible for me to navigate until my phone dried out. Always take a route sheet with you.
Some organizers will hand out a laminated A4 route sheet. Take it, even if you don’t expect to use it, just in case. I stuff mine inside my jersey between the inner and outer layers. You quickly forget its even there and on colder rides it acts like a windbreak.
A 200km audax normally starts at 8am but this will be up to the organizer. Longer events normally start at 7 or 6am. It’s important to arrive at least 15 minutes early to sign on, receive your brevet card, check over your bike and kit and listen to the organizers race briefing.
The last thing you want to be doing is rushing at the start line and forgetting something. A brevet card has a list of checkpoints you must travel to. As proof of passage through these destinations you must either get your card stamped at manned controls, answer a question about the checkpoint (that you will only know if you’re there) or get a receipt at a shop, which will have the time and location printed onto it. Sometimes a picture beside the checkpoint will also do it again, this is down to the organizer.
For any audax longer than 200km, or an audax where you will be riding in the dark, the organizer will check that you have proper functioning lights front and rear. You must also wear a helmet.
With less than 5 minutes before the off everyone gathers around the organizer for a briefing. He or she will give the usual advice to obey the rules of the road but then gets route specific and will highlight any potential danger spots on the road or places to eat. This is good information as you will be in mostly rural areas. These should also be in the race route sheet that you have printed off or received.
One time, on the Innisfree 400km, there was a stretch of over 100km without passing a shop. At the briefing the organizer mentioned that there was a water tap beside changing rooms of a football field that we passed. I was glad I listened because I was out of water and in the middle of nowhere.
Once the briefing is over, everyone sets off together. Obviously, don’t start off too fast. You have a long way to go. Slow and steady wins the race, or in this case, completes the race.
There was one Audax I started where everyone seemed to want to race it. It was a small group (about 15) and the weather was bad so maybe that was why.
Anyway, I was trying to hang on to them but 5km in and they were still pushing. My heartbeat was way too high so I dropped off and settled into my comfortable rhythm. By the end of the race I had passed 13 of them. They were pushing so hard that they had to stop more often and a few of them just blew up.
If I’m able to, I will normally sit with the start group for the first 10 – 20km. By then everyone will have found there one rhythm and you will either find yourself with a small group of people that happen to ride at the same pace as you or alone.
Then just enjoy the route. If you find yourself with people then enjoy getting to know them. After doing several rides you will get to know other randonneurs that ride at your pace.
Don’t hang around at the checkpoints too long and you should have plenty of time to finish the event.
At the end there is no finish line. You just completed an incredible distance and you don’t get as much as a clap. But you don’t need it. You are just after having an incredible adventure that you will remember for the rest of your life. All for just 5 euro.
When you complete the audax the organiser should be waiting for you. Normally sitting a car in a carpark. You give your completed brevet card with receipts and it will then be sent to france to be recorded onto the Audax club parisien database.
Once your ride has been approved by them they will send the brevet card back to you alone with a medal if you chose to get one.
Longer audax tend to be more expensive because they give accommodation and food. The Mile Failte 1200 set me back 180 euro but that includes four night accommodation and 3-4 meals per day which still works out pretty cheap.
Audax is a great way to dip your toe into the world of ultra distance cycling. The only one goal in Audax rides is to just complete the distance within the specified time.
As I always say, if you can complete 200km audax then you can complete a 300km. If you can complete a 300 then a 400 is possible. Complete a 400 then a 600 will be easy.