Wednesday, 27 June 2012
We're pleased to anounce that on Sunday 2nd September our programme of rides will include three audax rides . These are organised by Gareth Rees with the support of CTC Cambridge.
What's an audax? Supervised in this country by Audax UK, it's a form of cycle touring where riders aim to visit a sequence of controls within a time limit by following a sheet of directions. It's not a race: some riders go fast for their own satisfaction, and others squeak in at the last moment.
Climbing the Gog Magogs on the "End of Hibernation" 200 km audax in March 2011.All three rides start from Orchard Community Centre in Orchard Park on the north side of Cambridge. See below for a map showing where this is.
The rides explore the countryside to the west of Cambridge, crossing the River Great Ouse and returning via St Ives.
There's a choice of three distances:
Starting at 08:00, this ride heads west through Bedfordfordshire into Northamptonshire, visiting Old Warden, Newport Pagnell, and Olney, returning to Orchard Park before 21:24. The gently rolling countryside around Bedford and Milton Keynes should make this a fast ride for experienced randoneers, and a good choice for first-timers. This ride is rated as tough and there's a draft route sheet here (PDF).
Starting at 09:00, this ride visits Gamlingay, St Neots, Little Staughton, and Grafham Water, returning to Orchard Park before 15:48. This ride is rated as challenging and there's a draft route sheet here (PDF).
Unlike our normal rides, all riders need to sign up for these rides by completing an entry form and paying the appropriate fee. You can sign up for the rides on the Audax UK website by following the links above, or contact Gareth if you have any questions.