It's easier to ride

...than it is to organise an Audax event, and then sit around waiting for people to finish, whilst all the time wondering what's happening to them.

Admittedly, they're all big boys (and girls) who know how to take care of themselves but nonetheless you can't help feeling a bit responsible for chucking them out onto the road to get on with it.

Thus, I found myself sitting in the local pub for the whole afternoon on a sunny Saturday, looking out of the window and wishing I was out on my bike.

As was written centuries ago, the best laid plans oft go astray, and that was how the day started. Friday afternoon saw a (probably deliberately started) brushfire on Cannock Chase, right across the intended route of my shorter Audax. I only found out about this AFTER they had all left in the morning. Cue additional worry. That was followed by news that one control had put the wrong day in their diary, another had forgotten completely. Finally, on Audaxes, there are info controls, questions that are asked about a certain location to prove that you went there (and didn't take a short cut). One of mine went missing. I wouldn't mind, but these things are picked carefully, in this case a roadsign that has probably been there since being re-erected after World War II. Not this week, it's been taken down for roadworks.

Despite these vagaries, the first hardy cyclists appeared off the 150km event at 15:45. How I would love to post 6 hours 45 minutes for a 150 Audax. Probably not quite as much as I'd like to be as fast as the first finisher on the 200, back in 8 hours 25 minutes, including cake stops. In the end, the last rider on the 150 appeared at 19:55, well inside the time limit but looking on the point of expiry. Thankfully he was soon revived by the pub carvery. Less than an hour later, the final rider came back off the 200, and I could relax a bit. All I have to do now is finish off all the paperwork.

All professed to have had a grand day out, not least due to the wall-to-wall sunshine. I promised that 'weather was guaranteed' when I advertised the event, I'm glad it was better weather then I thought I was guaranteeing. I suppose the rain will fall on LeJog instead.

Still, back to riding now. A commute this week and the Tour de Mercredi with colleagues will count for 100 miles this week, and Mrs H and I will be doing the Dean Bluebell Doddle Audax on Saturday. Doddle? Mmmmmm. 1250 metres of climb in 54km. I seem to recall from my Etape blog that the Forest of Dean is a little bumpy.....