Why not take on your next cycling challenge!!
A recent Sports England Active Lives survey showed that 6.3 million adults cycle for leisure and sport, which unsurprisingly resonates with the fact that cycling is becoming one of the fastest growing sports.
For some this brings desire to push the limits of one’s endurance and cycle ever further distances, for which the world of Audax offers an arena. This was the excitement that took hold of me after my first longer ride….
An Audax ride, also known as a Randonnée, is a long-distance cycle ride that must be completed within a set time limit, including any stops, whilst maintaining a minimum and maximum speeds.
It is not a race, requiring riders to be self-sufficient and passing feat is completed as intended.
Audax distances start from 50km, as an introduction to long-distance cycling completed in a matter of hours and move upwards all the way to 1000km taking several days to complete!
A brand new Audax event is coming to Reading on 25th April 2020, organized by myself on behalf of Cycling UK Reading. The Audax theme will be as tributes to notable UK Science Pioneers.
These events are run totally by volunteers with all proceeds going to charity and will be shared between Thames Valley Air Ambulance and Launchpad Reading.
There are three rides on offer: 50, 100 and 200km.
‘A Tribute to Alan Turing’ is a 200km ride via Bletchley Park as a tribute to Alan Turing, the WWII codebreaker and widely credited as the father of Theoretical Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence.
‘A Tribute to Robert Boyle’ is a 100km ride via Oxford University labs as a tribute to Robert Boyle, the Father of Modern Chemistry, discoverer of Boyle’s Gas Law and co-founder of the Royal Society.
The route passes around the site in Oxford where Robert lived between 1655-1668 when he discovered Boyle’s Law.
And finally, ‘A Tribute to Johnson and Matthey’ is a 50km ride paying tribute to Percival Johnson and George Matthey, the 19th Century Group Metals and founders of the FTSE100 global chemicals company Johnson Matthey plc.
This ride is quite scenic, mostly on quiet roads and country lanes exploring the foothills of beautiful Chilterns (AONB) and returning via Johnson Matthey Technology Centre at Sonning Common.
All rides start and finish at Our Lady and St Anne’s Church in Caversham, which will also serve as the event control.
Entry fee for all events is ONLY £10, which includes breakfast at start and food after the finish!
Details of the event, routes and registration can be found at www.TributeAudax.uk.
Everyone is welcome to join in one of the above rides and support these charity events while enjoying a day out on their bike :o)
Edwin Raj
RCC and CUK member
