RRtY How Audax Cycling Saved my Life Enjoying the sunshine – having cycled up Alpe D’Huez – July 2011
Richard Betts
My participation in Audax cycling has saved my life. This may sound dramatic but I believe it to be wholeheartedly and unreservedly true. This article will demonstrate how I survived a life threatening illness because of the mental strength and physical stamina developed through pursuit of long distance cycling. These are qualities earned by all my fellow Audaxers by virtue of the endurance athletes we become. The article also tells the story of my failed attempt at completing the Randonneurs Round the Year (RRTY) award in 2012. My own failures are not something I like writing or talking about for obvious reasons. However there are important lessons to be learnt that will benefit the Audaxer looking to take on the RRTY and some observations on the benefits and risks of long-distance cycling I apologise in advance if there is a lot of medical history in this tale as opposed to pure cycling tales, but I think you will agree that this forms an essential part of the story. I learned to ride a bike when I was four and can remember cycling miles to go fruit picking and fishing when I was a young boy, but always thought of cycling as means of transport rather than a leisure pursuit or sport. My interest in cycling was really born in the 1980s with the advent of Mountain Biking. I bought myself a brand new Cannondale mountain bike with over-sized aluminium tubing. That bike became my pride and joy and I thoroughly enjoyed this new experience of cycling through woods, down hills, through mud. I also found that I could cycle to work on this bike with large knobbly tyres, whereas a bike with normal tyres would be more prone to damage. I was then lucky enough to live and work overseas and the bike got much more crosscountry action on a variety of terrains but recreational cycling still remained the poor relation and substitute for other activities such as diving and windsurfing. I moved back to the UK in 2003 and my weight ballooned and I realised I needed to take up 44
Arrivée February 2015 No. 127
another sport to regain my fitness. So, I joined the local rowing club and spent my Saturday mornings and Wednesday evenings rowing up and down the Severn. I also met Colin at the Rowing Club who was a keen cyclist. He lived quite near me and suggested that we cycle to and from the Rowing Club, to improve our fitness. Colin thought that I had cycling potential and suggested to me that I bought a road bike and then we could train together and do a few time trials and sportives. So Colin took me to a reputable bike shop and I bought a stunning looking bike on special offer. After a few weeks training together, Colin announced that he was moving. “Where to?” I asked. “Australia.” He said. However, I was already hooked, quit the rowing and concentrated on cycling. I started doing the odd charity ride and my first time trial. More importantly I started to learn cycling jargon and understand the mechanics of a bike and the maintenance required. I was becoming a cyclist and looking for some challenges to test myself. I did my first Audax in Norfolk in 2007. I was visiting my dear mother for a few days, working on all the little jobs around her house and garden that needed attention and I had brought my bike for the odd escape. I had been told by a cycling friend that I should consider doing an Audax, which he explained to be a long distance cycling event over an interesting route, usually visiting beautiful countryside. So after some internet research, I turned up at the Sports Hall in Bungay on Saturday 7th April 2007 to have a go at the ‘Castle Caper’ 100km route. I met a good friend on that first event, Jonathan, led the field initially, navigated poorly and got lost, but ultimately completed and more importantly I had found a cycling event I really enjoyed! From then on I completed Audaxes on a regular basis, but always considered anything more than 100km as beyond my capability. So I continued doing 100km events and thoroughly enjoyed them. I was soon doing a 150 km Audax and realising I could cycle further. I then did the Norfolk 100 miler to raise money for the British Heart Foundation. I then became involved with a group of friends who organised a short cycling tour of Wales and I cycled much further than I had ever gone before. We vowed to meet up for a cycling tour again in 2011 in the French Alps, to watch the Tour de France at first hand and celebrate my friend’s 50th birthday. He intended to cycle up five of the classic Tour cols and had named the project, ‘5 cols at 50’. We managed to cycle to the summit of the: Col D’Izoard, Col de la Madeleine, Col de Telegraphe, Sestrieres, Col de Colombieres, Alpe D’Huez.
My poor preparation was evident in the Alps by my struggle to keep up with my mates on some of the steeper gradients. I vowed to improve my fitness before we met up again so that they would have trouble keeping up with me. It’s amazing how competitive cycling with friends can make you! I considered my options and decided that a 200k Audax might be part of the solution. I decided to turn up on the day and register for the ‘Mr Pickwick Goes to Hay in a Day’ at Tewkesbury in September 2011. I realised that it was unusual for someone to register for a 200k on the day when the organiser and everybody else gave me strange looks. I could see that I needed to be well organised to do a 200k and start planning well in advance. I was unprepared, but thoroughly enjoyed it. There was only one real moment when I felt like aborting the ride. This happened when a wasp flew in between my helmet and glasses and stung me on the eyebrow. I was shocked and distraught and had broken an arm off my glasses in trying to rid myself of this pest while cycling. But once I had affected a repair to my glasses with an elastic band and generally settled myself down I continued on my way. I met some ‘Audax royalty’ on this route who had recently completed the PBP over in France. I was in awe of their stories and also the size of the meals they consumed at the control points/tea stops! I also learnt that long distance cycling success was linked to good nutrition and if that good nutrition was linked to hydration as well, then even better. I was not too bothered when there was a thunderstorm 25km from the finish. Although I was wet through I knew I was nearly there. I was less enthusiastic 10km later when I was lucky enough to get a puncture, although the rain had stopped by this time. I had not prepared correctly and had not packed any lights, assuming I would be back in good time before it became dark. Stopping for punctures under dark skies was eating into the precious daylight. However when I checked in at the finish at a local hostelry my spirits rose and I experienced that glorious feeling of achievement and selffulfilment that you do not get for shorter bike rides. I studied the Audax website that Sunday and found out about RRTY. This seemed like the sort of challenge I would enjoy and I decided to start in January 2012 and complete a 200km event every calendar month of 2012. I also read about Audax Altitude Award (AAA) points and decided it would be quite cool to accumulate a minimum of 12 AAA points while completing RRTY. Meanwhile I had been given a bike by a friend of my wife. Her husband was www.aukweb.net