Alpine Audax 2013 - so who's in ?

gabrielle260
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Re: Alpine Audax 2013 - so who's in ?

Postby gabrielle260 » Sat Jan 26, 2013 10:45 pm

Good luck everyone! I'll be on the Baum with Zipp 404's. I will expect everyone to remember that as you puff and pant your way up Buffalo! Lets all try to keep the rubber side down,
Andrew

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winstonw
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Re: Alpine Audax 2013 - so who's in ?

Postby winstonw » Sat Jan 26, 2013 11:24 pm

Good luck with it all guys. I was intending to do the ride, until mid December, when I hadn't reached my goal weight, and realized I could finish but it would leave me a spent force for over a week. There were 7 of us coming down from Bris...4 are down there now and going to do Buffx3. and the other two bailed on Wed.

Well, I've benefited greatly from doing all the training. AM much stronger on hills, and flats. Let's hope 2014 is clear.

FineWine
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Re: Alpine Audax 2013 - so who's in ?

Postby FineWine » Sun Jan 27, 2013 8:58 pm

They were not volunteering for me they were doing it because they enjoy it.
Gee, I hope the guys at Dingo Dell who were continuously pouring buckets of water into the cisterns after each visit to allow them to be flushed read that remark! Though maybe they've seen enough s**t for one day,

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jimsheedy
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Re: Alpine Audax 2013 - so who's in ?

Postby jimsheedy » Sun Jan 27, 2013 9:14 pm

What, They're volunteering because they don't like it ?
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clackers
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Re: Alpine Audax 2013 - so who's in ?

Postby clackers » Sun Jan 27, 2013 9:23 pm

jimsheedy wrote:What, They're volunteering because they don't like it ?
How did you get overlooked on the Australia Day Honours list, Jim?

On March 3rd, I'll be a helper for the MAD Ride up at Woodend. There's a heap of other things in my life I should be doing that day but I can't keep going on Melbourne Touring Club rides other people organize without trying to give something back.

Unlike their city brethren, most Victorian country firefighters are volunteers and would not take kindly to your novel "views" as to why they contribute their labour.
Last edited by clackers on Sun Jan 27, 2013 9:37 pm, edited 2 times in total.

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jimsheedy
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Re: Alpine Audax 2013 - so who's in ?

Postby jimsheedy » Sun Jan 27, 2013 9:28 pm

Yeah but you enjoy doing it right? It's not torturous, It's not unpleasant ?
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clackers
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Re: Alpine Audax 2013 - so who's in ?

Postby clackers » Sun Jan 27, 2013 9:42 pm

jimsheedy wrote:Yeah but you enjoy doing it right? It's not torturous, It's not unpleasant ?
You didn't read FineWine's post?

I get it, Jim - your self-interest. You reckon you're out of pocket $180 and other people are to blame.

I'm tempted to start a fund to raise that cash and send it to you if you never post in these forums again.

WHO'S WITH ME??? It'll be a sacrifice, ladies and gents, but how did Jim put it? Ah, yes - enjoyable. ;)

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jimsheedy
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Re: Alpine Audax 2013 - so who's in ?

Postby jimsheedy » Sun Jan 27, 2013 9:52 pm

No this is totally un related to that. Some one else went off topic in an attempt to have a go at me because I dared to question the decision to change the 250 audax ride to hill repeats, rather than cancel the ride. They brought up volunteers and it seems to have struck a cord and people are running with it.

Ok lets talk about volunteering. Why do people do it ? Is it totally selfless or do they get something out of it, even if the job they are volunteering to do is unpleasant ? And whats wrong with getting something out of it? Why does volunteering have to be a hair shirt birch whip experience?

But either way I'm more than happy to take your money. Shall I PM you my bank details ?

Maybe that could be your bit of volunteering for the Alpine .
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clackers
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Re: Alpine Audax 2013 - so who's in ?

Postby clackers » Mon Jan 28, 2013 8:08 am

jimsheedy wrote:
Ok lets talk about volunteering.
Let's not, Jim.

Your shameful attitudes are all too clear to us.

Your claim that you act out of self-interest but that volunteers also act out of self-interest is a sociopath's argument.

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jimsheedy
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Re: Alpine Audax 2013 - so who's in ?

Postby jimsheedy » Mon Jan 28, 2013 8:43 am

Id appreciate it if you gave the personal insults a rest thanks very much. Engage in the topic or go away.
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ausrandoman
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Re: Alpine Audax 2013 - so who's in ?

Postby ausrandoman » Mon Jan 28, 2013 8:45 am

Kudos to the ride organisers and the dozens of patient cheerful hard-working volunteers. They put on great event, despite having to cope with drastic change at short notice. The atmosphere at the checkpoints and in Howitt Park was great. Thanks folks - I had really good time, from the 4:00 start to the dinner in the French restaurant at the end. Well done!
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sblack
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Re: Alpine Audax 2013 - so who's in ?

Postby sblack » Mon Jan 28, 2013 8:56 am

Well, I'm certainly glad they chose to reroute rather than cancel, was still a great event and great day on the bike. The third climb of Buffalo was much tougher than the first two but the descent was the best of the day. The organisers did a great job and the work of the volunteers was greatly appreciated. The way they ran the day, along with the camaraderie of the riders and the general atmosphere really means the course itself is of little significance to the overall enjoyment of the day. I hope everyone else enjoyed the day as much as I did.

I kept an eye out for the descriptions of other riders in the thread but the only forumite I managed to spot was grantw heading the opposite way on the last climb up to Dingo Dell, in about the same spot on my first two ascents. Probably helped that I already know Grant and it's much easier spotting a familiar face than trying to pick a bike and jersey as they go past.
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jules21
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Re: Alpine Audax 2013 - so who's in ?

Postby jules21 » Mon Jan 28, 2013 10:13 am

what a day! i completed the ACE250, but only just. on my first lap, i felt magnificent, powering past everyone. i was only overtaken by 3 or so riders, who i suspect were the leaders of the 4am bunch on their 2nd loop. i felt good on my 2nd lap too, but started to hunger flat near the top a bit. i don't recall being passed by anyone.

then came the 3rd lap.. i started off feeling good and kept powering past people, then about 2/3 of the way up i started feeling nauseous and that i was going to repeat the food i ate at the bright checkpoint. i slowed it up but just felt worse and worse, until i was creeping. i pushed on to the top - i hate stopping - then got off the bike and instantly felt very sick. i almost called it quits, but 20 minutes of sitting down and i felt better enough to roll back into bright.

so, 12 hours and i finished. i have rarely felt that bad, i could hardly speak and staggered back to our rental accommodation with the missus. absolutely shattered.

a huge thanks to Audax and all the volunteers who did a magnificent job, all for our entertainment.

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grantw
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Re: Alpine Audax 2013 - so who's in ?

Postby grantw » Mon Jan 28, 2013 4:14 pm

What a great ride, not quite what I was prepared for, and I was a broken mess after lap 2, but the organisers did a great job of rerouting the event and making sure everything was as good, if not better than it could have been.

It was great to see so many people carry on with the change in route, which as it turns out was way tougher than the planned one. I've already booked my accommodation for next year!
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oldnewby
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Re: Alpine Audax 2013 - so who's in ?

Postby oldnewby » Mon Jan 28, 2013 5:09 pm

What a day.. 3 laps, 216km, and a newfound level of pain! So satisfying to finish it, and as a few ppl commented thru the day, it's something unique - we'll be able to look back on 2013 AAC, saying 'remember the year of 3 buffalo's'
I too kept an eye out for ppl on this thread, but would have been lucky to recognise anyone during lap 3.
I started at 6.20, and crossed the line right on 7.20pm. Strava has my moving time at 10.24, felt like longer! Hardest ride I've ever done. First time up and down felt good, 2nd time was bearable - only stopped on the way up to pick up my sunnies. 3rd time.. Cramp in feet, hamstrings, quads, hands. Nausea, hot & cold etc etc. volunteers were unbelievable. The water stop on the way up was a life saver. Cold spray, cold sponge, fresh water, lollies - legends. Then at the top, more cold water, jam sandwich and an electrolyte tablet. Couldn't have made it without them. I even cramped on the way down, that was weird! Anyway, what a fantastic event. Well done to everyone who completed, and to all the organisers and volunteers. As others have said, so glad it was re routed instead of cancelled. See you all next year :)
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MichaelB
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Re: Alpine Audax 2013 - so who's in ?

Postby MichaelB » Mon Jan 28, 2013 10:05 pm

Well done to all those that rode, esp to those that did 3 laps of Buffalo.

Hats off to you and the organisers

:D

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feral grasshopper
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Re: Alpine Audax 2013 - so who's in ?

Postby feral grasshopper » Tue Jan 29, 2013 8:09 am

MichaelB wrote:Well done to all those that rode, esp to those that did 3 laps of Buffalo.

Hats off to you and the organisers

:D
+ heaps to that. To use that awful phrase 'at the end of the day', and after all the angst, I had an awesome week in Bright, my best ever week of riding, 543kms and a fair few VMs, fantastic weather, great food, stellar atmosphere, a QOM for a descent on Strava and a double tilt at Buffalo (serious suffering 2nd climb :oops: ). It really doesn't get any better :D :D :D

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Re: Alpine Audax 2013 - so who's in ?

Postby The_Eggman » Tue Jan 29, 2013 10:54 am

Jim

I think the organisers were in a damned if they do, damned if they don't situation. Everyone agrees the planned routes would have been far better than Buffalo repeats, but the planned routes ceased to be an option. And if they cancel on Wednesday, they can probably at best return 30-35c in the dollar. Personally I'd prefer to put all the buildup and training to use, ride the Buffalo repeats and enjoy the spirit of the day rather than get $50-60 bucks back, and clearly many others agree with that sentiment. You disagree, as did others who pulled out, but that underlines the difficulty of the decision.

As someone who has organised a number of community events, I can tell you weather cancellation insurance is prohibitively expensive. It's more a product designed for commercial events where there are big dollars and substantial profit margins involved - not a $180 bike ride organised by a NFP. The thresholds for cancellations and thus being able to trigger a claim are also not as low as you would like (so for example an event is not considered rained out until at least 4mm of rain falls) so it's possible to fall into a horrible zone where weather conditions ruin the event, but you can't claim on your insurance.

re: Volunteers. I must say I find your comments pretty damn ugly to be honest - it smacks of being entirely ungrateful. I volunteer to do things for my cycling club, my kids surf club, the kids soccer club, the school P&C, etc not because I really love doing sausage sizzles or setting up witches hats on the beach at dawn. I do it because if people don't put their hands up and take things on, nothing will happen - there won't be a cycling club or a surf club. It's about having a sense of community, and understanding we all have a role to play.

I also understand when you take people's money and commit to delivering an event, there is a responsibility to deliver to that, volunteers or otherwise. But I come back to the initial point - the organisers were put in a tough spot and made what they feel was the best call.

Personally I reckon you owe the people who organise this event an apology.

Regards
Greg

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Re: Alpine Audax 2013 - so who's in ?

Postby gabrielle260 » Tue Jan 29, 2013 1:29 pm

The_Eggman wrote:Jim

I think the organisers were in a damned if they do, damned if they don't situation. Everyone agrees the planned routes would have been far better than Buffalo repeats, but the planned routes ceased to be an option. And if they cancel on Wednesday, they can probably at best return 30-35c in the dollar. Personally I'd prefer to put all the buildup and training to use, ride the Buffalo repeats and enjoy the spirit of the day rather than get $50-60 bucks back, and clearly many others agree with that sentiment. You disagree, as did others who pulled out, but that underlines the difficulty of the decision.

As someone who has organised a number of community events, I can tell you weather cancellation insurance is prohibitively expensive. It's more a product designed for commercial events where there are big dollars and substantial profit margins involved - not a $180 bike ride organised by a NFP. The thresholds for cancellations and thus being able to trigger a claim are also not as low as you would like (so for example an event is not considered rained out until at least 4mm of rain falls) so it's possible to fall into a horrible zone where weather conditions ruin the event, but you can't claim on your insurance.

re: Volunteers. I must say I find your comments pretty damn ugly to be honest - it smacks of being entirely ungrateful. I volunteer to do things for my cycling club, my kids surf club, the kids soccer club, the school P&C, etc not because I really love doing sausage sizzles or setting up witches hats on the beach at dawn. I do it because if people don't put their hands up and take things on, nothing will happen - there won't be a cycling club or a surf club. It's about having a sense of community, and understanding we all have a role to play.

I also understand when you take people's money and commit to delivering an event, there is a responsibility to deliver to that, volunteers or otherwise. But I come back to the initial point - the organisers were put in a tough spot and made what they feel was the best call.

Personally I reckon you owe the people who organise this event an apology.

Regards
Greg
Greg - very well said!

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jimsheedy
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Re: Alpine Audax 2013 - so who's in ?

Postby jimsheedy » Tue Jan 29, 2013 1:31 pm

Thanks for volunteering your opinion craig,

I don't agree However.
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MichaelB
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Re: Alpine Audax 2013 - so who's in ?

Postby MichaelB » Tue Jan 29, 2013 3:33 pm

jimsheedy wrote:Thanks for volunteering your opinion craig,

I don't agree However.
We've got that you don't agree, but anything positive ?

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jimsheedy
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Re: Alpine Audax 2013 - so who's in ?

Postby jimsheedy » Tue Jan 29, 2013 3:38 pm

regarding what?
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jules21
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Re: Alpine Audax 2013 - so who's in ?

Postby jules21 » Tue Jan 29, 2013 3:41 pm

well done to all those who completed their rides! i love reading the war stories on here (the ones about riding, anyway).

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grantw
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Re: Alpine Audax 2013 - so who's in ?

Postby grantw » Tue Jan 29, 2013 4:15 pm

Hey MichaelB - nice to meet you on Saturday :D
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ausrandoman
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Re: Alpine Audax 2013 - so who's in ?

Postby ausrandoman » Tue Jan 29, 2013 5:18 pm

I set off at 4:00 and was soon overtaken by lots of riders. Now and then, I could see a long trail of lights ahead and behind so I knew I wasn't last :) Seeing the full moon set from the top of Buffalo was magic! I saw one rider stop to take a photo of it. At Cresta, I did a u-turn and went back down without stopping. The first lap was a freeby - I felt as if I hadn' t done anything. I scoffed some apple pastries and headed out, spending only 2 - 3 minutes in Howitt Park. That was 3 hr 23 min.

On the second lap, I fell in with another rider (don't know his name) who chatted away and passed the time entertaining me with tales of cycling in Switzerland, so I got to Waterland without really noticing the climb. I stopped at Cresta just long enough to fill my bidons. I didn't need that much water but the extra weight in the descent didn't do any harm to my speed. Being pretty skinny and 65 kg, I descend slowly at best. I stopped a bit longer in Howitt Park, eating two salad rolls and some cake. That was 3 hr 32 min.

The third lap was good until about half way. I stopped at Waterland just long enough to fill a bidon - didn't even get off the bike, just put one foot down and leaned over to the tap. I was slower after that, mainly due to lack of care in keeping up my food intake. By the time I got to Cresta, I had come to the conclusion that the last hills, after Lake Catani, had not been really necessary. This time I stopped at Cresta long enough to eat a Power Biscuit.

I got back to Howitt Park at 3:02 for an elapsed time of 11hr 02 min, and qickly demolished four
pieces of watermelon, a big plate of stir fry noodles and a beer.

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