20260120 – Oakham in Rutland to Rothley in Leicestershire – Part 5

This final part of the ride brings me into Rothley in Leicestershire, but the conversation turns to the kind of riding that has really captured my imagination over the past year: Audax.

What appeals to me about Audax isn’t necessarily the big organised events. I’m quite happy riding alone — planning my own routes, setting my own pace, and simply covering distance under my own steam.

That’s one of the things I love about the UK Audax system: many routes can be ridden as permanent events, on any day you choose. Plot the route, ride it, submit the GPX file as proof of passage, and earn the brevet.

So far I’ve worked my way through a few distances — 50 km, 100 km, and a 200 km ride that took me from my home in Cambridgeshire up to Leicestershire to visit my mum for lunch before riding home again.

I also attempted a 400 km ride last winter. Ninety miles in, cold, tired and facing a long night on busy roads, I decided to turn back. A DNF perhaps — but probably the right decision.

Endurance riding is a long game, and sometimes the sensible choice is to live to ride another day.

The next step is a 300 km Audax, followed by a self-planned ride from Gibraltar back to the UK. After that come longer events — perhaps even the great ultra-distance races like the Atlas Mountain Race or Silk Road Mountain Race.

For now though, this ride ends where it began: a simple spin through familiar countryside, arriving in Rothley more or less on time for a meeting.

Sometimes the journey is the story.

The Long Way Strong

This channel follows my journey from 110 kg occasional rider to mid-life endurance cyclist, preparing for longer and more ambitious rides — including ultra-distance events and eventually a ride from the UK to the Land of Two Rivers and the City of Peace.

Because the best way to explore the world is slowly…
and under your own power.

Endure to Explore.

#cycling #audax #enduranceriding #longwaystrong #cyclingjourney