Audax UK.

It’s here!

I am now a member of the Audax UK club. I have perused the handbook for 2013 and am ready to begin my training for the Paris-Brest- Paris.
My mudguards have been shined and my Mercian has been fitted with quick release type bolts so that I can attach the guards as the weather dictates. My entry pack contained AUK stickers. They looked like mudguard stickers so that’s where they went. One on the front and one on the rear. Tis a pity that few cyclists in New Zealand will have any idea what the Audax UK club is about. But there you go; it’s not up to me to educate the weekend warriors.

Campag Quick Bolts for Mudguards.

Today I have spent some time cleaning my bike after the last few weeks of long day rides with Adi. Tonight I will fit my front carrier and tomorrow I plan to head off on an overnighter that will have me riding two 200km days around a circuit that I’ve completed in previous years sometimes supported but usually by camping somewhere along the way. All my gear should fit in the saddlebag except my tent which will need to be strapped to the small front carrier.

I put this ride off last week because I was called into the bike shop to cover one of the guys while he supported his wife in the maternity ward. But this week the weather looks good. All I have to do is drag my arse out of bed at 7am tomorrow morning and be out the door by 8am. I will tell myself that this is extremely important because the only fish and chip shop on route is at 180km and if I don’t get there by 6.30pm it could be closed.

My brain is like a sponge and I have learnt from the AUK magazine that long distance cyclists like fish and chips. So I will eat fish and chips. I have also learnt that after a good days ride you don’t want to miss dinner as it doesn’t bode well for the next day’s ride. By 8.30pm I want to be at the campground with a full stomach, a drink in hand, and my tent up.

This will be a solo overnight as Adi is going to hold the fort while I am gone. She intends to do a local day ride of 200kms. Frankly her plan of cycling 100kms and returning home for lunch before then cycling another 100kms in the afternoon seems like a pretty tough mental challenge to me. Once home there would be no way I could motivate myself to go out again in the afternoon. I’m more of the drop me a long way from home with no bus money and I’ll happily cycle home type of a guy. Adi’s other plan is to do my 400km circuit ride next week, when I will be the emergency backup back at home. I particularly like this way of doing overnighters because I can ride at my own pace and eat all the rubbish food I like. I’m hoping to encourage one or two of my friends from the bike shop scene along on future rides. (That’s providing they can find a bike capable of carrying a bit of overnight kit). We will see. Last year Andy came with me and seemed to enjoy it? This year he is somewhat busy having bought the bike shop that I used to part-time in. Owning a bike shop has always appealed until I think about how much cycling I could do around work and realise it would be a big fat zero.

There she is ‘ready for the off’ as the UK types in the magazine would say. I’m not sure whether the bag support can handle all that?

On a Ride the other Day. My Sort of People.