Audax series background
Audax rides are NOT races. Everyone rides to their own limitations and the primary objective to ‘get round’. There are minimum and maximum time limits, which are designed to suit everyone from the fittest of recreational riders, to more occasional riders who have plenty of determination. The routes typically feature lots of quiet, scenic lanes. Most events can be quite hilly, and even the flatter ones usually have one or two challenging climbs.
The name Audax is Latin for “Courageous” and was first used in 1904 in France where this type of event was developed. Audax riding is designed to test the rider’s spirit of self-reliance and resilience to complete the route within the set time limits. Audax events are sometimes referred to as ‘brevets’, meaning ‘test’.
For official Audax UK events, each rider carries a ‘brevet card’ which is stamped at intermediate checkpoints and at the finish. When validated, the brevet card is later returned to the rider as a certificate of their achievement. Some famous Audax’s include London-Edinburgh-London (LEL) and Paris-Brest-Paris (PBP). The club has had a good number of participants complete both these events.
The club runs its own series of seven Audax events each year starting with the 50km Audax in January and progressing monthly to a challenging 200km Randonnée in July. These are a great way to start with a really achievable ride and progress to longer and longer distances. Please see the calendar for the events planned.
Anyone completing 4 out of the 7 club series of events earns a prestigious club medal, presented at the Annual Awards Evening.
Open Audax
There are many open audax events running throughout the year and many of the local ones are frequently ridden by club members. Examples include Gospel Pass 150km, Barry’s Bristol Ball Buster 200km, Heart of England 300km, Brevet Cymru 400km and the Bryan Chapman Memorial Welsh End-to-End 600km. Open audax events can be entered through the Audax UK website.
Chippenham Wheelers puts on its own open event in support of audax cycling in general. This is affectionally known as the “Flapjack” for obvious reasons. Participation requires entry through the Audax UK website as numbers are limited. Club members are encouraged to volunteer to help make this event run smoothly. More information is published on the website nearer the time. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic we don’t plan to run the Flapjack event in 2021. Hopefully we can get it back in the calendar when things return to normal.
Club Audax series 2021
| Distance | Date | Start time | Entry fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| 50km | 24 Jan 2021 | 10:00 | £TBA |
| 75km | 21 Feb 2021 | 09:30 | £1.00 |
| 100km | 21 Mar 2021 | 09:00 | £TBA |
| 125km | 18 Apr 2021 | 09:00 | £1.00 |
| 150km | 16 May 2021 | 08:30 | £1.00 |
| 175km | 13 Jun 2021 | 08:00 | £1.00 |
| 200km | 11 Jul 2021 | 07:30 | £1.00 |
Event details are available in the club calendar, where GPX routes and traditional Route Sheets are made available for download and printing. Please note the club no longer provides brevet cards for the club series.
All club Audax events start and end at the Chippenham Sports and Social Club. Please arrive at least 15 minutes before the start time to register and pay the small entrance fee. Please bring the correct change! On the 50km and 100km events the club usually provides tea, coffee and cake at a control village hall, however, due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, we plan to use local cafes along the route for all our Audax events in 2021.
Riders have taken to returning to the Social Club for a quick drink at the end of the ride. On some audax events we arrange for the Social Club to provide bar snacks at the finish (order and pay for these at the bar).
A few points to note about our Club Audax Series:
- Routes are not mandatory unless otherwise stated, however all riders are expected to visit the designated control points to be sure of completing the required distance.
- Control points are usually cafes or hired village halls, which are indicated in the Routesheets and on the RWGPS route map.
- It’s not necessary to obtain any evidence of visiting the designated control cafe, but they are usually chosen for their suitability and have advance notification of our club’s visit, so please try to support them with your custom.
- Validation of rides via brevet cards is currently not required. Our audax events work on the principle of trust. If you register at the start we assume you will finish the ride within the required time, unless you tell us otherwise.
- The control times are based on a minimum average speed of 12.5km/hr and a maximum average of 30km/hr. The speeds are designed to suit a wide range of riders from new to the more experienced.
- If you are unable to finish the ride in time please email audax@chippenhamwheelers.org to let us know.
- To qualify for the prestigious Club Audax Series medal award then you need to ride any 4 out of the 7 rides in the series on the advertised dates, unless the event is cancelled e.g. due to extreme weather.
- In the unlikely event of cancellation we will try to re-schedule if possible, subject to being able to secure control venues.
- Riders are free to use alternative routes in poor weather conditions e.g. following gritted roads rather than country lanes when conditions are icy.
- For further advice on risk, cancellation and ride preparation please refer to our Club Activities page
