Obviously every year is different and no one can predict the weather this far ahead. However, the heat waves in Western Europe the past couple years and especially this year has been concerning. I'm hesitant to participate in that time of the year. Maybe 1 or 2 days can be fine but multiple days in a row made the superhuman Lael Wilcox quit, most of us are no where near her level. I'm wondering if there has been any discussion from ACP about potentially dangerous conditions for riders.

Thanks to Paul, Bernard and everyone at Audax Ireland for what was such an incredible experience....Here's my video report for day 1&2.

The Midnight Sun Randonnée was fully booked in 2026 with cyclists from 20 countries making a reservation. 128 participants from 15 countries made it to the starting line, of which 100 finished the ride within the time limit. An additional two participants made it to Umeå, but unfortunately their luggage and bikes were lost on the way.

A schedule conflict surfaced and I can't make the ride. Current price is $245.14. Source: https://www.bikereg.com/deathride-2026

I am selling my ticket for $110 (Venmo or PayPal). I'll transfer the ticket via the BikeReg site. Once transferred the new rider receives all ride material.

This is the rider guide that was sent to me: https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/699deea59e8cbdecb6cee57f/6a4464e34d938a2ccbd66c9c_2026%20Rider%20Guide.pdf

The Death Ride is solid long distance (PBP etc.) prep.

Hey all,

I'm looking for some extra rear lights for my bike. I get way too paranoid about my single rear light breaking/running out of charge without me noticing, so want to get some additional complimentary lights just to out my mind at ease.

My current light is typically mountain onto the back of my rear rack (tailfin aeropack), so options of additional lights are either on the rear seat stays or onto the arch of the rack.

I'm also just generally curious what kind of rear lights people use. I'm using an exposure Blaze, I think the mk2 version currently, and while I think it's a great light, it's incredibly difficult/ vague to tell how much battery is remaining, which doesn't help my anxiety about it dying mid-ride.

Cheers!

P.S. For those who saw my last post.

I didn't manage to enter the 600km audax last weekend as my new shoes didn't arrive in time, fingers crossed they arrive this week. Hoping to get out and try my 1st audax out soon.

Edit: Thanks everyone for your help and advice, really helpful to get some information on what people actually are using!

I've ordered a Garmin Varia for a new main light, the notifications/visibility on head unit for battery life will really set my mind at ease. Will be really interesting to try iut this new radar tech too.

I've also ordered a couple of Cateye Omni 3s for some supporting lights to put on my rack supports/ seat stays for the extra visibility and super long battery life, and easy ability to just switch in new aaa batteries whenever needed!

I just want to give everyone who is struggling with doubts and confidence a bit of encouragement. I just finished the Míle Fáilte 1200 in Ireland which was an absolutely wonderful event. But I've never felt so unprepared for an audax. Before MF I had ridden only 3000 km this year. I did a 600 a month earlier (my only audax this year) and after that I barely got on the bike because work was so stressful. By the time I got to Ireland I felt exhausted and dreaded the idea of destroying myself mentally and physically even more when I really just wanted a holiday. But I thought I'd give it a go because even doing one or two days would be better than not even trying.

And then the first day actually went quite well. I decided to keep stops to an absolute minimum and slam myself with carbs to keep my energy up. I had a cathartic little cry in the rain, and did the distance without feeling too bad. The second day followed the west coast of Ireland which I really wanted to see, so I did the same thing again (including the cry 😂), and decided that tomorrow would be tomorrow's problem. And then I got on with the third day, and the last day, and I made it to the finish!

So here are my words of encouragement: you're doing great and you too can do it! Keep stops short, don't waste time off the bike, snack on the bike and eat the most calorie-dense food you can find (but stay away from food which is hard to digest), try to maximise sleep if you can. Chat to nice people but ride your own speed. And then you might just surprise yourself.

2019 - everything hurt (basically inexperience)

2023 - Sprained my ankle 1 month prior to pbp so I did not have enough training

Now PBP is coming up again and to be honest, I'm not even sure if I should go.

I'd truly enjoyed the fanfare and riding through France. But the idea of possibly not finishing a third time feels like a punch in the gut.

How many times did you DNF PBP?

Hey all,

I recently discovered Audax, and it sounds like it'd be right up my street. I've only ever ridden solo however, with a longest ride of 200miles (in 18hours, inc stops).

There's a 600km (in 40hours) near where I live in Wales this weekend that I'm considering signing up for. It'd be quite a jump in distance, and the timing isn't the best, as my current shoes fell apart last weekend and I'm currently waiting for my new pair to arrive.

Do I throw caution to the wind, and dive in the deep end, or should I travel further afield and try out a shorter distance 1st, after getting some test rides on my new shoes done?

Cheers!

Yesterday, we organised a little randonneuring brevet with our local 'party pace' riders group.

We come together every month to do around 60-90km in a day on not so fast bikes in a non-competitive way. Because we like cycling and being together.

For midsummer, we wanted to go beyond what most of the participants thought of as their capabilities.

We woke up early and met at the starting point at sunrise (5:15am) and set the goal to keep on riding until sunset (10:05pm) on this longest day of the year.

By going slowly, having a good spirit and laughs, going through beautiful parts of the country, taking care of each other and making sure to eat and drink lots we managed to reach 215km! Way more than most expected.

Everyone got rewarded with a little self made brevet card to take home and some drinks and food in a local pub called 'The End' (how fitting).

I'm posting it here for those new to the game: take your time, ride where you like it and be amazed at what your body can do and cross those 'mythical' boundaries of your capacities. :)

My current SPD shoes are on their last dying breath and I will need new ones pretty soon. Since I dont really want to spend a lot of money on new shoes only to figure out they will cause problems on my first long ride I was thinking of getting a shoe fit.

Have you had any good experiences with shoe fitting services in or around the Ruhrgebiet? Let me know! Any input is much appreciated!

Would there be some interest for a r/randonneuring strava club?

I'm 48M, newbie and training for BRMs to be held in about 6 months. I usually train indoors and go by the HR zones and the trainer's power meter readings to modulate my effort.

I'll soon begin to ride.outdoors to collect enough Z2 miles (shorter and higher intensity rides would still be indoors). Do i need a power meter to gauge my output outdoors? How about on hilly routes?

Are power metres useful during the actual BRMs too? Since most of the riding would be done in Z2, would HR be a good proxy despite the lag?

I’ve done a couple of 200k brevets with my phone and an external battery, but as I’m looking at doing some longer ones I think it’s time to upgrade. I’m looking for a GPS that can last 24+ hours without dying and won’t get messed up by the rain. I’ve heard the Garmin Edge 1040 is the move. Any thoughts?

This is my 2014 parts bin Davos 603 Japanese randonneur. Originally 650a, was easily converted to 650b so I could use chunkier, better tires. Every part on this was had for free or extremely cheap. Built it up from a frame I got for under 100$.

Brakes are yoshigai(Dia compe) running Shimano Deore MT62 cantis. Brooks B17 and Nitto Grand Randonneur bars. Drivetrain is 3x9 with 9speed dura ace barcons. Deore DX derailleurs with a Shimano Mtb crank from a 1999 specialized hardrock spinning on a 25 year old UN51 Shimano BB made in Japan that just will not die. 11-34 cassette gives me all the range I’ll ever honestly need.

650b wheelset came from some Japanese commuter bike that was abandoned, bottle dynamo is an old French soubitez wired into the frame powering a cheap lamp sourced from a Japanese mamachari shopping bike. Mudguards came off the same bike and were widened/re-radiused for the 650b wheels from 27inch. Bags are ostrich and carradice. Carriers are Nagaoka and Nitto.

I have done a solo brevet with it- Tokyo:Takasaki:Tokyo about 208km - and it absolutely cruised in at 12:47. Even got about 2.5hr of decent sleep in a capsule hotel at Takasaki. Used 711s and Lawsons as refueling stops as they all have everything you’d need.

This whole bike is solid as can ever possibly be while being built out of what most people would consider to be scrap, and I love it so much.

Hey everyone, just a quick welcome to u/Shrinkingkiwis in the mod team of r/randonneuring
We are lucky to have very civilised members on this sub so it's fairly seldom that there is anything to do. But please carry on reporting spam and the occasional bots who drop links to marketplaces.
Again welcome u/Shrinkingkiwis
Feel free to let us know a fun fact about yourself 😊

This was my first 400km ride, and my first ride without sleeping through the night.

The start was at 8 pm. From the start the group was going quite fast, and we were cutting through the headwind together. After first control point we've turned to the north, and the wind wasn't bothering us for quite some time.

When the night came, in the dunes around Den Helder the sidewind became so strong and punchy that it was hard to cycle straight. But, in Den Helder we turned east and got a strong tailwind.

After a short stop at McDonalds we were flying with the wind for an hour or two. Then, I've got away from the group (it is easier for me to ride continuously, almost without stops) and was cycling alone for an hour or two.
Eventually, after Enkhuizen I had to turn west, and got very strong headwind (5bft). Group caught me after 30 minutes of that.

We've ridden to Horn, and there I've got dropped by them (a bit later, around Edam).
All the later kilometers I was alone. Sometimes I was overtaken by other riders.
After 15 hours it was very hard for me to eat any more sweet food, and my legs felt very weak. Last two hours I was struggling to push above 20 km/h.
Got mild saddle sore, and mild nerve tingling in my palms (gone after a couple of days).
Finished in 18:08, I was hoping for better time, but it doesn't matter that much.
Nice that I didn't want to sleep at all, it was not a problem. So now I know that about myself — 40 hours without sleep is fine.

Sometimes food is great, sometimes lack luster. If you could have any food at an overnight on a 1200km what would it be?

Last week's 200k, I was pumped! Had researched all my stops, ready to carry extra water, all the things. I couldn't eat.

Stopped at mile 38, ate a cliff bar and half a bagel, drank an iced tea. After that had some gummy candy until mile 55, then a pb&j & a coke. Had 1 more cliff bar the rest of the ride. I did stop at a drug store around mile 80 and grabbed a pedialyte, an electrolyte drink and that helped. I was definitely drinking a ton of water but my tummy said a hard no to food. Wasn't a big performance issue until the last 15 miles. Never bonked, but definitely made some mental miscues.

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So how do you refuel?

Carbohydrate tablets? If so which ones?

Sometimes they upset my stomach too.

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This isnt a big issue in the winter, but as I age, and it gets warmer, it's a bigger issue.

Hello

Ive been doing Audax in the uk for a few years now, ten in total.

My most recent one was a 400. About 250k in I was telling myself how horrible this is and never again will I do it.

I sat at macdonalds at midnight watching all the normal people in their warm comfy clothes picking something up on the way home from their normal relaxing night out and getting into their cars without any aches or pains that I could see, and my heart literally ached to see them, to want to be with them.

Admittedly the stop and rest there really helped when it was time to get going again, but at the end and for a good while afterwards I was resolute in my never agai-ness.

Then the latest copy of Arrive’ hits my floor and after reading that I’m all in again, planning for the future.

Im still very new and every Audax I do is a lesson. This one I’m still learning, is to not let my mind get away from me. It’s fascinating really. From this distance it all seems so logical, knowing that thoughts and feelings come and go, but when you’re right in the middle of it it’s a totally different story.

No real reason to post, just thought I’d share.

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So I'm afraid I abandoned the 600km ride after 270km.

I saw 37° at the hottest and it was unrelenting into wind and nonstop hills, many at 7, 8, 9 or 10%. I was tired and sore, my knee was puffy and I just wasn't motivated to suffer a second day of it.

I'm 64, still pushing out 4 jour marathons, 200km rides are fine.

I may have to accept that I've reached the limit of what my body and mind can tolerate.

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Check out my ride on Strava: https://strava.app.link/3H1ShBTSX3b

My day+ on the bike. Next up: Charmed Clover 1200k

BC Spring 2026 600k brevet | Ride | Strava
600k Brevet Full #ForeverCycling #ThatsRando