Ride Report: 65(!) mile Audax Tune Up

Sunday was the day for the first of this year’s longer Audax Tune Up Rides.  This was one for the books.

It was a truly good and great ride.  This was one where everything meshed and just went along to near perfection.  It was all right:  the right people, the right route, the right conditions, the right day, the right bikes, great attitudes, old friends, and much good fun.

The Stats:

Distance:  71.2 miles  (more on that later)

Elevation Gain:  4200+ feet of climbing

Average Speed:  12.8 mph (rolling average)

Present for the ride were (in no particular order)  Janey, Victoria, Aaron, Chris, and me.

The Day did not look auspicious at the start.  It was grey, and had been raining.  At ride start there was still a very light mist/drizzle.  This cleared before we crossed out of Pechtree City.  The threatened rain never did show.  Most of the day, it was cloudy, but the grey skies did little to dampen enthusiasm.

The forecast was for a high a bit above 60F, sometime around 4:00 PM.  The early part of the ride did seem to warm a bit, but then, the temp actually felt like it was dropping.  Perhaps this was due to rising winds and a lot of descending in the mid-section of the route.  Things did seem to warm a bit on our return leg, and we actually saw some patches of blue sky as we re-entered Peachtree City.

In sum, conditons were good enough, and we were all prepared to meet them.  Success!

The Company was about as good as anyone could ask for.  It’s a rare thing to be able to go out with five riders who are compatible, and willing to bend to a common goal.  This was one of those days.  Everyone got along famously, with a lot of grinning, joking, and laughter.  Good fellowship and camaraderie were the themes for the day.

I should note, Janey had a wonder GPS gadget with her.   This thing is a marvel.  It doesn’t do as much navigating as my old and faithful Garmin Etrex, but it supplies a truly amazing wealth of information.  In fact, sometimes a bit too much inormation.  One of this device’s features is an inclinometer function, that reads out in current grade percentage.  Janey was delighted to let us know just how steep any particular climb was.  i.e.  “Hey!  This is a 7% grade!”

That went on until I mentioned that there were certain bits of information that I did not want to know.  I’m really happier if I don’t know how cold it is, or how steep it is.  I mentioned this, and Janey immediately said she would be happy to not tell me, but that if I ever really wanted to know, just ask!  Then she waited until another good climb came up and she asked me what the grade was.  (Gig!)

The Route was almost my standard 65 mile Tune Up Loop.  I think it’s interesting to note that this loop compares to the famous Triple Gap.  The aforesaid is 53 miles around, and gains 5200 feet.  On this day we rode a bit more than 70 miles and gained over 4200 feet.  (I’ve said I picked this thing deliberately for its hilly terrain.)

A bit of explanation is wanted.  This ride is advertised as a 65 mile “Tune Up.”  So how did we get to 71.2 miles?  Well the answer is fairly simple.  We were having fun.  We arrived at the last planned stop in good order.  Then I had a brain-flash.  I did not want to take the final route, did not want to go to Flat Creek Trail, did not want to face the climb up the “Beast.”  And I most especially was not looking forward to the grind up the hill on GA-54.  The group was riding along well, and in good spirits, so…  I changed my plan.

Instead of going South and west, I turned a bit.  We went via an alternate route.  (Actually pieces of three alternate routes.)  We went south for a bit, and then north, and then some east, before turning back toward Peachtree City.  It avoided some more traffic, and lo and behold, we arrived back home, laughing and joking all the way.

In Summary:  This was one of the great ones.  The compnay was great, the weather was tolerable, the route treated us well, and fun was had by all.  I can hardly wait for the next 65 mile Tune Up on 14 April, or the full-on Audax 200K on 28 April.

What’s this AUDAX thing?

Some of you have started doing the Audax Tune Up Rides but you’re not really clear about the why of it.  Perhaps you are thinking, “What’s the endpoint?”

We’ll try to give some kind of answer to that question here, along with a few particulars and details.

The objective of the whole exercise is to ride the Audax 200K together and as a group.  What does that mean?

The distance first.  A trip of 200 kilometers is approximately 125 miles.  Our route covers moderate terrain, a lot of mostly rural, low traffic, roads.  There are a couple of some hilly sections, one long stretch of “rollers.” and Pine Mountain is smack in the middle of the thing.  (We get it done just before lunch.)

It’s noncompetitive riding.  Wow!  What a concept.  In the southern United States, most “group” rides turn into races without rules.  This one is not like that.  There are twin objectives here. We are here to finish the ride, and to insure that all of us finish.  Together.  At the same time.

We understand that we are all rough tough cycling animals, and we are confident of our abilities.  Nobody needs to prove anything to anyone on a ride like this.  There are no “break-aways,” no “Primes,” and no bragging rights for being first.  (In fact, at the end of the ride, we assemble into a formation and ride in the last few miles together as a tightly organized unit. 

 The group rides together, stays together, supports itself, and is a moving organism.  We all have strengths and weaknesses.  Some of us can really climb.  We have folks who can sprint like the wind.  Some of us are real diesels, capable of just motoring in the flatter sections.  Over a long ride, such as this, our differences in abilities could spread us out over a lot of terrain.  It won’t happen here.  Our motto is,  “All for one!  One for all!”  If any of has any sort of problem, we will all work to fix it.  A slower rider will be supported and encouraged.  (We’ve all had days when we’ve been that rider.)  Stronger climbers will encourage the slower ones.  Power riders will provide windshelter for the lighter ones.  It all works out.

There is a unique synergy to this kind of riding.  We’ll all arrive, together, at each break point along the route.  We’ll stop for a mid ride sit-down lunch.  It’s about camaraderie and the reinforcing power of belonging to a group with a mutual objective.

The Tune Up Rides are designed to give us experience in terrain that is actually, mile for mile, more demanding than the actual 200K.  They are also intended as a means for us to practice this group dynamic, mutual support riding.  Besides, they are a lot of fun.

One more thing:  There will be a modest fee for the actual 200K.  That covers purchase of water along the way, lunch, gratuity, and a post ride sandwich snack.  We’ll be announcing the price in a future email update and post on this blog.  We just don’t have enough information to set the price yet.  Please stay tuned.