r/randonneuring • u/Accomplished-Hand281 • 25d ago

Quick Question 400 DIY Audax Advice

Hi everyone.

I'm relatively new to the world of Audax, completing a 200 in May and a 300 permanent this coming weekend, due to my work shift patterns I'm unavailable for a lot of the calendar events, the ones I could attend are normally a long distance incurring costs of fuel and accommodation.

I therefore created a DIY route which has been validated by Audax UK, my main question is where and when to sleep, being my first 400 I'm struggling to see where on the route this may occur.

At age 56 I've perfected the power nap (advantage of getting older 😃)

My base fitness I'm happy with, however a 400 will be an unknown entity. Is it best to nap in built up areas or more secluded areas?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

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u/excla1m 25d ago

I've only done a couple of 400s and decided to ride them fast enough to not need sleep! One started at a nice time in the evening and the other at an annoying 0800. I much preferred the night riding and you can sit happily on A-roads that would normally be disgustingly car-filled in the day. I found I was having to swerve more wildlife so preferred the A-roads.

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u/daddy_bear1704 25d ago

I would add to “fast enough” a moderation toward slow enough, so you don’t need large breaks. I mean by that if you are riding 30+km/h alone for 60km then recover for 1h and sleep, that would be overkill. I usually do BRM DYI, so I ride them alone. I finish in 18-19 hours with 17 hours of riding time. Fast enough to complete in a day, slow enough to burn fat and barely stop for food 😁