The end-to-end process to complete an Audax ride.
Ride entry is made online using the registration calendar. The registration page will also contain important information about the ride including the closing date for registration, a link to a RideWithGPS map, the start time/location and whether there is a limit to the number of participants. For supported rides, it makes the ride organiser’s life easier to arrange food and support if you don’t leave it to the last minute. As part of the registration process, you must confirm that you have read the Terms and Conditions including the Audax Australia Safety Rules.
The ride fee payment is made via credit card. Riders that are not members of Audax Australia pay an additional fee. Riders under the age of 18 will need their parent’s or guardian’s permission to enter. Riders under the age of 16 must be accompanied by a responsible adult throughout the ride.
Okay, so you entered the randonnée, your machine is clean and in tip-top condition, ready for the ride, all legal and everything, your route sheet’s been sent to you, you know where the start is, what now?
Arrive perhaps half an hour prior to the start to collect your brevet card, possibly the route sheet and be available for the organiser’s rider briefing. If you arrive late there may be nobody about as Audax riders typically start riding on time!
A road-worthy bike is a good start. Anything recognised as a cycle in the Australian Road Rules is fine, bicycle or tricycle, recumbent or upright, faired or folding. The organiser can disqualify riders with unroadworthy bikes.
If any part of your event could be during the hours of darkness, you will be required to fit a set of front and rear lights and a rear reflector to the bike. It is also highly recommended to carry another set of lights plus a reflective vest or equivalent for use at night. Under the Australian Road Rules, a light must be clearly visible from at least 200 metres away and a reflector must be clearly visible from at least 50 metres away when lit by a car headlight. Many experienced randonneurs choose to fit additional lights as a back-up or to assist in reading route sheets or signs and will turn on the lights as soon as visibility starts to drop. It is generally considered impolite to use flashing lights when riding in a group.
Remember the more visibility, whether it be lights or reflective material and tape on your or your bike, the better. Oh and don’t forget to have enough batteries to get you through the night on a long ride.
You may cycle on your own or in a group. Riding together chatting and sheltering each other from the wind can help the miles go by but be aware of your abilities. Don’t cling to the wheels of the fast blokes to later burn yourself out before getting lost because you couldn’t keep track of where you were on the route sheet. In general, organisers try to provide an enjoyable route but our events can include sections that are hard, hilly, heavily trafficked, cross railway tracks, are roughly surfaced, with steep descents, ridden during rainstorms, ridden at night or with all options combined. Keep your wits about you, the ground is not soft.
Follow the route (don’t assume that another rider knows where they are going) and obtain signatures and/or stamps at the nominated checkpoints. Till or ATM receipts also count if there’s no one around to sign, so don’t lose them. The opening and closing times for each checkpoint (usually 40 – 80 km apart) will be on your brevet card, although there may also be ‘secret checkpoints’, to ensure no shortcutting. You may need to answer an ‘information control’ question, so a pen to record the answer might be useful. Don’t lose your brevet card; it is the proof of your ride.
You should carry sufficient food and water to get to the next place you can resupply. Audax rides go through remote areas and country shops are often shut when we might want to use them. Most riders carry two large water bottles. A little extra is better than not enough! Carrying bike tools, pump and spare tubes is obviously sensible.
Don’t waste too much time off the bike but there is no need to burn yourself out on the bike. The time limits are quite generous and there is no prize for being first. Slower riders just get better value for their money.
Support is only allowed at checkpoints although there is nothing stopping you getting food, drink, mechanical assistance from disinterested bystanders. You cannot organise for a friend to help you between checkpoints.
When riding, keep checking the route. A route sheet holder attached to the handlebars is very useful. Do not assume the person in front knows where he is going! Use your handlebar computer (set to kilometres) to help gauge your location.
Riding in a group, or with one or two others, and your ride will be much easier. You can chat and take turns at the front of the group, sheltering one another from the wind for a minute or two at a time. On your own, audax rides can be lonely and more difficult but don’t try to keep up with those who are too fast for you. You’ll only pay the price later in the event. It’s better to have a little in reserve than to do 40 kph at the start with the fast boys, get dropped and then get lost because you weren’t paying attention when hanging onto their back wheels!
If your bike is well maintained you should encounter very few mechanical problems. However, accidents can happen and disaster can strike. You need to be self-sufficient enough to get yourself out of trouble. That may mean bodging a repair or a long walk to a telephone box and a call for a taxi to a railway station.
Many riders carry a mobile phone but don’t rely on this. You may not get a signal, damage your phone in a fall, or run out of charge. Make sure you are equipped to cope.
The widespread acceptance of credit cards and cash machines in many places means that you don’t have to carry wads of cash with you but once on the ride you are on your own.
Look in your brevet card or on your route sheet for a contact telephone number and let the organiser know if you are going to be very late or are abandoning the ride.
You must eat and drink. Have a good carbohydrate-rich meal the night before and then snack on other high carbo foods during the ride. ‘Energy bars’ are good but can be expensive and you’ll tire of them in longer events. More detailed advice on nutrition is on this page
Two bottles on your bike are definitely recommended. Expect to drink about 500ml (1 regular bottle) per hour, more if it’s hot, and carry enough spare food.
After a while, you’ll get fitter and faster and you’ll meet up with some of the seasoned campaigners who don’t dash about too fast. Note their habits. Don’t waste time off the bike. Many slower riders just keep going like Aesop’s tortoise, but they all get round. If you are faster, then you can afford to spend some time having coffee and cake at a control or two.
Be polite, say thank you to the controllers, obey the rules of the road, smile and I guarantee you’ll be making friends and coming back for more.
Sun cream, rain jacket and warm clothing are prudent choices. These rides are long enough for the weather to change dramatically and rain or sleet at midnight requires something better than when riding on a sunny afternoon. It takes extreme conditions for an organiser to cancel a ride, so you should be prepared for anything.
It can vary from a route sheet, a card and a cheery wave at the start to lashings of hot and cold food, espresso coffee and sports drinks at every checkpoint. The organiser may even offer a drop bag service. Contact the organiser to find out what is provided and what is available along the route. Support, of course, is a great benefit but please don’t treat it as a right; it may not be possible to provide support to everyone across a spread-out field of riders. If this happens support may be biased towards the slower riders.
An organiser may help get you and your bike back to the start if you decide to pull out but has not made any commitment to do so. Randonneurs should be self-reliant. Don’t rely just on a mobile phone and an ATM card, our rides can go anywhere. If you do decide to pull out of a ride, please contact the organiser, to avoid somebody waiting patiently for a rider who has already gone home. Look at the route sheet or on your brevet card for the organiser’s contact number.
Most riders don’t need sleep on the shorter events but over 400 km most of us prefer to get our heads down for a while. The organiser may provide sleeping accommodation at specific checkpoints, particularly on 600 km or longer events, so ask the organiser for available options. It is sensible to adjust your riding schedule to take advantage of this although you can sleep wherever you wish. The tales are legendary of hardy randonneurs wrapped in space blankets napping on park benches or under bridges.
Think about how you will get home after a long event. Organising a lift home or taking a snooze before driving off are worthwhile options for a tired rider at the finish.
Find out more about night riding.
There is a cut-off time for the start of the ride, so if you for some unforeseen reason are unable to start with everyone but would like to start before the cut-off, please inform the organiser.
Similarly, if you are unable to attend the ride, please inform the organiser. You may be refunded the ride cost as long as you inform the organiser before the ride starts. Refunds are not possible post-ride cancellation.
Yes, the organiser or designated support crew members can disqualify riders for any violation of the Audax Australia Ride Rules but particularly for lighting irregularities. A rider can be disqualified for being a danger to themselves or to other road users. If you get disqualified you should withdraw from the ride and find your own way home. You can appeal to the National Executive Committee but overturning the organiser’s decision is a rare occurrence.
Successful riders hand or occasionally post their filled-in brevet card to the organiser for validation by Audax Australia and Audax Club Parisien (the international governing body). It will be mailed back to you, together with the relevant cloth badge or medallion marking your achievement, if you choose to purchase one. Congratulations on a successful ride!
