What in the world is an “Audax Ride”?

On Sunday, September 9, 2018 we will ride the annual Audax 200K.  This post is intended to provide the basic information about this ride.

Who is this “we”?  Well, it’s me, and anyone who wants to come along and is in condition to do so.  If you think you might be interested, please read on.

Let’s start with a definition.

Audax (oh docks) – A style of group bicycle touring found mostly in France, but also in Holland and Belgium to lesser degrees.  A steady pace is set by a road captain, who is in charge of a group of fellow club members.  In modern times the pace is usually about 22 km/h (13.5 mph) between stops; the itinerary and resting places are planned in advance. 
(from the Randonnuers USA website)


Audax is a riding style not often found in the United States. But what is an Audax Tour?  It’s a group ride, where the group stays together. There is a group leader who is responsible for setting the pace. There is a predetermined route. There are reservations at the major stops for meals and lodging. It is a self-supported tour. The group carries what is needed to accomplish the tour. If a member of the group has a difficulty, the entire group stops and works as a team to fix the problem, be it mechanical, a flat, or other issue.

You find these types of ride in Europe a lot. There are clubs, and organizations of these things all over the continent. Some Audax events are long, multi-day affairs.
The ride we do is a 200K. That’s about 125 miles. We do it in one day. There are several rest stops along the way, and one really good lunch stop, with a full, sit-down meal. There is a large “snack” at the end of the ride. The usual tone of the ride is one of laughing chatter all day long. In short, it’s a lot of fun.

The whole point of this kind of ride is to enjoy the day with others.  To ride with company.

Getting ready for the ride.  Doing 125 miles in one day can sound intimidating. Oddly, a fair number of riders who have done this one, have never gone farther than 65 miles at one time before ride day. It’s entirely “doable.” Preparation begins with simply getting on the bike. Gradually build time and capacity. The goal is to be doing 10 to 12 hours per week, by mid-August.  We have help and advice on that, and you won’t have to do it all alone.

We will provide two items that will assist prospective riders to prepare for the 200K.  Just as important, these activities will help a rider to determine if he or she actually wants to do it.

Item One:  We will do a series of “Tune Up” rides.  These get progressively longer, and cover terrain that will prepare a rider for the long event.  We ride the tune ups in “Audax Style.”  The group stays together in mutual support.  They, like the 200K are self-supported.  No SAG truck.  No "staffed "break points."  It's, "Do it ourselves or it doesn't get done.  Bring it ourselves or it doesn't get brung."  But the spirit of the thing is ,"One for all, and all for one!"

The tune ups start with a ride of approximately 35 miles.  Then,  at approximately two week intervals, we do four more “Tune Ups.”  Two of these rides are 45 miles long and then there are two each 65 mile rides.  These rides are designed to prepare riders for the 200K.  More importantly, they allow prospective riders to decide if this style of touring ride is for them or not.
                  The “Tune Ups” will be ridden Audax Style.  The group will stay together.  While not strictly “no drop rides,” we will not ride off and drop anyone.  Sometimes it happens that a rider has to “abandon.”  If this occurs, the group will work to get that rider to a safe location, where there is food, shelter, and help, so that they may arrange “pickup” and do so in safety.

Item Two:  We will post a plan that any rider can use to prepare for these rides.  Look for that in a post on this blog tomorrow.