Going The Distance

I'm in a bit of a dilemma. It's not a terrible dilemma but even so I am torn and it is causing me lots to consider.

You see I have gone and committed myself to something I'm not sure I can do but I'm going to have a damn good go at even so. Following a CycleChat (CC) forum on Touring and Expedition cycling, someone I know via CC asked what bikes would be good for an Audax - specifically the London-Edinburgh-London (LEL) in 2013. I had no idea but really fancied the idea of an organised ride of this length at some distant, vague, future point. I checked and found the event runs from 26 July to 2 August 2013 and is a 1400 km event (Audax rides are international hence the metric). I worked out this would be an 850 mile ride over 8 days so a little over 100 miles/day. 

Easy peasy I thought. I comfortably manage 60-85 miles/day when cycle-camping, stop to take photos and video, set up camp, find the nearest pub for the evening and then repeat for 3-7 days. I'm quite sure with two years to prepare and no panniers to carry I could complete 8 consecutive 100+ mile rides. So I said "...can I come too? and the reply came "But of course!!". This was the start of my dilemma although I didn't know it at the time.

Audax riding, also known as Randonneuring, has a long history. It originated in Italy but really took shape in France and it is one of the great things to come from across the channel in my opinion*. The LEL is the flagship event of Audax UK and takes place every four years. It attracts hundred of entrants, or Randonneurs, from a multitude of countries but it is not the only UK event. There are many shorter one over distances of 100 km, 200 km, 300 km, 400 km and 600 km run all through the year. Riders do not compete against each other (at least in theory) but against the clock. They are expected to navigate between checkpoints where they gain a stamp to prove they have passed that way. At these checkpoints may be opportunity for food, water, rest and repair but in between each, the rider is expected to make their own arrangements. They are the Marathons of the cycle world. No sprint finishes nor points for hill climbs, no team tactics or chase vehicles. It is the rider and his or her machine. A test of physical and mental strength, fortitude, planning, resolve and of course mechanical reliability.

The more I read about Audax in general and the LEL in particular the more excited I became. Hand in hand with the stir of excitement that comes with a new challenge though came some worries. Reports of LEL 2009 said riders had 116 hrs to complete the event. That is 116 hrs for; cycling, sleeping, navigating, eating, toileting, mending, washing, dressing, conversing and so on. My new calculations brought me up short. To cover the distance succesfully a participant would need to cover just short of 176 miles per day for over 4.5 days (and that is assuming no wrong turns) and still somehow manage to squeeze in everything else required. 

Had I miscalculated originally? Well, it turns out I had done and big time too. I'd assumed the ride starts on 26 July and finishes 8 days later on the 2 August. Starts are actually staggered and 116 hrs is the total time allowed for any one individual. But this isn't my dilemma. I was already hooked, was planning when I could enter my first 200 km event and how I would kit out the Travelmaster for it. No, my dilemma is much more material than that.

I realised to partake in the LEL the Travelmaster was not the most suitable bike. I'd read up quite a bit by now, including an excellent account from a rider who completed LEL 2009 - ...Barring Mechanicals by Andy Allsop. Cycles for Audax rides need to be comfortable and reliable but also fast. While my touring bike handsomely meets the first two criteria it is not the fastest bike by any stretch of the imagination. An unladen weight of 18 kg and gearing set up for touring with panniers sees to that. As I am going to need every bit of help to complete this longer events a new bike seemed to be required. 

No problem about a new fast steed as I'm looking to get a CF road bike and they are certainly light and fast. Well yes, and they are comfortable (up to a point) and reliable too, but I am contemplating spending 20 hrs a day in the saddle for over 4 days and cycling through whatever the British weather chooses to throw my way. A razor saddle, drop bars, thin high pressure tyres and no mudguards again means this bike is not the one for the LEL. What I need is an Audax bike.

So my dilemma is this. Do I carry on trying out various CF speed machines with a view to getting one in a few months and then work on the OH to persuade her of my need for yet another bike or do I take the sensible approach. The approach that I can't have everything I want and compromise by getting an Audax bike only which, when all said and done, will still be a very nice, fast day touring bike for having fun on?

*The other one being Continental food