Below you will find a bit more detailed information about
the Audax 200K and the Audax 65 Mile Tune Up Rides.
AUDAX 200K:
Details:
Date/Time: May
21, 2017 at 07:00 (sharp!)
Location: Bicycles Unlimted, 266 S Peachtree
Parkway, Peachtree City
Distance: 125 miles
Pace: Audax Style ride, group will stay
together (allow approx 12 hours)
Conditions: Rain or shine
Required: A sound bicycle, helmets will be worn
when riding! Bring a smile.
Cost: There is a small fee to cover lunch,
post ride snacks, and water along the way. In the past this has been around $27 dollars. We will be announcing the price for
this year’s run in the near future.
This is a different sort of ride. We will be riding this “Audax Style.” This is a type of group riding not
often practiced in the U.S. It’s a
touring type ride, where the group stays together in mutual support. The route is predetermined. A schedule is followed. Reservations are made for a
sit-down meal in the middle of the ride.
These
are not strictly, “no drop” rides.
But the spirit is, “One for All, and All for One!” If anyone has a problem, then the group has a problem, and will work
together to fix it. The pace tends
to be constant across the entire ride, but it is moderate enough to encourge
socializing and camaraderie.
Why do one of these rides? The answers to that question range
from, “Because it’s there!” to “I don’t like the typical,
pseudo race, short, fast paced type rides one usually finds. I’d like a more relaxed pace, and I’d
like to be able to see stuff while I
ride.”
The
route for this ride is chosen to avoid a lot of traffic, and to provide a lot
of pleasant scenery. Yes, there
are some spots where we have to “tighten up” and ride with discipline, but they
are minimal. It’s a long day of
fun in the saddle.
Consider
this, while this is not a beginner
ride, many people who have done this ride for the first time, have never ridden
a 100 mile day before. For most
new to this, the longest ride to date has been 65 miles. And yet, the successful completion rate
has been very high. The majority
of those who start one of these rides, finish
it. And that is the core of the experience, to do a long ride with friends,
and finish the thing.
There
is a magical synergy to riding with a group whose purpose is to see that
everyone finishes in good order.
The whole is greater than the
sum of the parts!
Audax 65 mile Tune
Up:
Date/Time: April 30,
2017 at 11:00 (sharp!)
Location:
Peachtree Corners Shopping Center, Peachtree City
(Please park in front of Fresh Market, but locate closest to GA-54 to avoid inconvenience to
merchants.)
Distance: 65 miles (hilly)
Pace: Audax Style ride, group will stay
together
Conditions: Rain or shine
Required: A sound bicycle, helmets will be worn
when riding! Bring a smile.
Cost: No charge. Bring cash for snacks and water.
The purpose of these “Tune Ups” is to prepare for the Audax 200K. There are two parts to that preparation. First is the physical preparation, i.e.
is my equipment ready, and am I ready
to do a 125 mile single-day ride?
The second purpose is more organizational. We will practice riding “Audax Style.”
In
an “Audax Ride” the group stays together.
This means that everyone must
make adjustments and compromises.
The climbers must ease up on the the hills, not dropping the more
“vertically challenged.” The
diesels have to moderate on the flats, not riding the legs off of the less powerful. The demon descenders need to apply some
braking so as to not pull the ride apart and terrify the less bold. Everyone
looks out for the welfare of all others.
It’s a different kind of ride.
We
encourage all to be readily forthcoming about problems. “Mechanicals” get dealt with, on the
spot, with the whole group stopped.
Other kinds of problems are also worked by the group. It’s amazing how creative and
supportive a small group of cyclists can be! It’s also amazing how much flexibility is available to the
group, when all are focused on the same goal and ideal.
If you have further questions, concerns, or curiosities,
please contact me.
Or phone Bicycles
Unlimited 770-486-9252
Or a stop in to the shop.
No comments:
Post a Comment