London Wales London

Audax is a cycling sport in which participants attempt to cycle long distances within a pre-defined time limit. Audax is a non-competitive sport: success in an event is measured by its completion. Audax has its origins in Italian endurance sports of the late nineteenth century, and the rules were formalised in France in the early twentieth century. So Says Wikipedia.

I can’t remember how I found out about it but London Wales London, a 400km Audax, piqued my interest and I entered. I then found out that both my coach and nemesis (Nadine ‘Gotcha’ Ansong) have done it and raved about it.

I needed to get down to Chalfont St Peter and be ready to go at 6am on the Saturday, so I booked a room in an Apartment Hotel just round the corner from the start. Of course Gus played up the week before, as for some reason my SRAM AXS rear derailleur went on the blink and I had to send it away to get it sorted out. So, as punishment, I rigged Gus with nearly everything I would be using on The Trans Atlantic Way in June.

The drive down was easier than I thought it would be on a Bank Holiday Friday. I got the last parking spot in the small courtyard at the back of the hotel and unloaded everything up to my room. Just as I was finishing unloading 3 women arrived with bikes, also doing LWL.

I was nervous and awake by 4.30am. I had bought a pot of porridge with me and some M&S fruity hot cross buns (allegedly the best and they were delicious). What I didn’t realise was that breakfast was available at the start.

The hall was already busy by the time I arrived, registered, got my Brevet card and had a second breakfast.

Liam FitzPatrick, the organiser, called everyone together just before 6am and reiterated his abhorrence of red flashing rear lights. In his informative and witty emails he had warned us of the consequences of having a flashing rear light: Finally, there are reports of roving gangs of zombies in Berkshire and Oxfordshire. They are attracted by flashing red lights and are easily avoided by keeping your rear lights on constant…

At exactly 6am we were off. We had 27 hours to complete the route, including any stopping.

One of the advantages of having a good coach is learning about all the things you can do to make life easier on the bike, not just the physical training. I had downloaded the GPX file of the route and then added in all the relevant points of interest before saving it to my Garmin. It meant I knew exactly how far it was to the first Control Point at Islip. I also marked cafes and garages en route if I needed to refuel (information provided by Liam). Niel, had advised me to get away at the head of the ride and find groups to pace me. This worked really well for the early part of the ride and I was bowling along much faster than I anticipated. Islip came really quickly.

There were three manned control points over the whole route with volunteers serving hot food. First though I got my Brevet card stamped. Third breakfast was a lovely sausage bap and a big mug of tea. The other thing Niel had told me was not to ‘faff’: I stopped for 12 minutes.

My next target was Tewkesbury where I needed to buy something and get a receipt to prove the date and time I had been through it. I joined the big crowd of fellow riders outside Aldi. The chilli chicken wrap was delicious.

Have I mentioned how gorgeous the weather was? Clear blue sky, sunshine and the only drawback was a bit of a headwind but not too severe. There is a neat app which can show you the weather you will experience. It also explains why it felt like there was a headwind on the way out and the way back; because there was!

Ok, so I got a little bit of push out of Wales.

After Tewkesbury there was an ‘information’ control at 186km. For this I had to write down the name of the house opposite a pub. The one vital bit of equipment I forgot to bring was something to write with. I took a photo and was able to borrow a pen when I got to Chepstow which was just beyond the half way mark. First though I had to get over Symonds Yat. This has a 20% section and as I was trying to catch the people who were walking up it one of them said “you should make it, you still have a gear left to go”.

Embarrassingly useful feedback.

The route was mainly on quiet roads and wonderful views, including this of Chepstow Castle.

At the Church hall in Chepstow there was a choice of vegetarian or meat chilli. And cake. Although I had my phone on airplane mode for most of the ride (another tip from the coach) I made sure to take advantage of the stops at the manned control points to top it up. This explains the lack of pictures. That and the encroaching fatigue. I was over half way round and looking at the meters climbed, and still to go, believed the worst of the climbing was behind me. Fatigued and deluded.

I stopped for a little over 30minutes to refuel at Chepstow. It was after 5pm and the temperature was dropping. My next aim was to get to Lambourn, another manned control point, where I could also have a short sleep if needed. I had never ridden through the night before. On my first ultra race, All Points North, I had almost crashed when I nearly dozed off on the bike in the early hours. I had bivvied then and I was carrying a sleeping bag just in case I needed it now.

It was time to cross back into England across the wonderful cycle path on the Severn Bridge.

Lambourn was another 100km of riding, full of punchy little hills and a glorious sunset. I got there just after 2am and was so glad of the baked beans on toast and tea. On the bike I have been coached to eat regularly, aiming to get at least 60g of carbs in every hour. This usually means eating stuff like Haribos, Twix, Turkish delight, drinking Coca Cola. I had got so fed up, after hours of riding, with sweet stuff I bought a big packet of digestive biscuits to eat. That was mistake.Memo to self: it is not about enjoying the food, it is about eating the fuel.

By the time I reached Lambourn, I knew where the zombies Liam had warned us about would appear from. I had become one.

I checked out the sleeping area at the control point and mulled over my options. I now had 90km left to do, with a checkpoint at Henley on Thames. There I had to buy something from the 24hour garage and keep the receipt. Earlier on I had stopped to buy my biscuits at a garage and heard the woman behind the counter explain to some people that all the cyclists were doing a ride from London to Wales and back again. As I purchased my goods I told her I had knocked back an espresso from the machine – no charge! There are some very nice people around.

After spending just over half an hour at Lambourn, eating and thinking, I decided to press on. Outside one of the volunteers suggested I wait and ride with a group rather than on my own. Easier said than done as most people surged past me up the hills. I would like to think it was because I had decided to load the bike up with nearly everything I would take on the TAW. Several people, earlier in the day, had made admiring comments about Gus but not about the engine. The temperature had also really dropped and by this time I was wearing leg and arm warmers, a duvet jacket and my rain jacket. One of the advantages of having Gus fully loaded.

Passing through Goring, a little later, I noticed a Church hall with its doors open. It looked like a control point that wasn’t on my list. Then I remembered that my friend, Jerry Clough, was running the Centurion Thames path race from London to Oxford; 100 miles. I stopped and made enquiries. He had passed through about an hour before I got there. Kudos!

Also, another source of zombies?

Having the 24hr garage to aim for at Henley on Thames helped break up the last 90km. Another espresso and the first glimmerings of dawn restored a lot of energy and I pushed on over the last few hills to get back to Chalfont St Peter and the finish.

I presented my Brevet card, receipts and took a photograph of the completed stamps.

It was over. I had done my longest ever ride and for the first time ridden through the night.

The stats:

My thanks go to Niel Copeland for all his coaching and friendship as well as the rest of the Turn Cycling gang. Such a great bunch.

Most of all I have the most wonderful wife who supports me to head off and do all these rides without grumbling ever!

Would I recommend LWL? I now understand why the others raved about it – it is a brilliant event and I would give it five stars.