I rode my first Audax at the weekend - I think I was the youngest person there, but I’m now convinced this retro activity is the coolest thing in cycling

Riding long distances uncompetitively is one of my favourite things, why hadn’t I tried out the original format before?

Adam Becket
(Image credit: Future/Andy Jones)
Adam Becket
Adam Becket

News editor at Cycling Weekly, Adam brings his weekly opinion on the goings on at the upper echelons of our sport. This piece is part of The Leadout, a newsletter series from Cycling Weekly and Cyclingnews. To get this in your inbox, subscribe here. As ever, email adam.becket@futurenet.com - should you wish to add anything, or suggest a topic.

I woke up at half six on Saturday morning, deliberately, much to my frustration. Waking up before it gets light is never easy, particularly when knowing what lies in store. I had signed up for my first ever Audax, you see, a 107km ride from Bristol - in south-west England - over the Mendips to Cheddar, through Wookey Hole (yes these are real places) and back up and down to home. Not the most taxing ride I’ve ever done, but given I’ve cycled less this year, and particularly this autumn, than I have since before the pandemic, it felt like a lot. With 1200m of elevation, there was certainly enough on the menu.

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Adam Becket
News editor

Adam is Cycling Weekly’s news editor – his greatest love is road racing but as long as he is cycling, he's happy. Before joining CW in 2021 he spent two years writing for Procycling. He's usually out and about on the roads of Bristol and its surrounds.

Before cycling took over his professional life, he covered ecclesiastical matters at the world’s largest Anglican newspaper and politics at Business Insider. Don't ask how that is related to riding bikes.

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