What is an Audax cycling event?
An Audax cycling event is similar to a sportive in that it is held on public roads over a long distance (often over 200km), and the overall time is recorded irrespective of any rest or mechanical stops. The main differences are that:
- unlike sportives, which are unregulated and have no common arrangements, there is a UK association Audax UK
- rides are usually organised by local clubs, not commercial or charity organisers
- participants number in the low hundreds
- there is more an element of self-reliance than the average sportive (which is almost ‘turn up and ride’)
What to expect from a member of the organising team
Because an Audax is normally run by one or several cycling clubs, it will take on their personality and ethos. Equally, because they are not high-profile events competing with each other for business, there is not the same desire to become headline events with very large numbers of riders.
As an outsider, the value I can offer to the organising club is:
- the ability to understand and appreciate the club’s character and way of working
- the experience of how a given situation has been dealt with in many different ways
- knowledge of the many ways in which the mix of riders doing audax cycling can affect the way it has to be run
- being aware of what can happen when riders from outside the area join in, and what they are used to seeing from commercial providers. Even if a club quite fairly wants to do things ‘their way’, it makes riders more satisfied if they know what to expect.
Do contact me to discuss how the things I have come across could help make your audax run smoothly.