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What's the difference between an Audax
and a cyclosportive?
Audaxes and cyclosportives are very similar in terms of
the type of riding that participants have to do. They are
not races, but 'challenge rides': the organisers devise a
course - often quite a long and demanding one - and participants
have the challenge of completing it within a certain time
limit. People start together, but cover the course at their
own pace, some riding solo, some riding in the company of
friends or temporary 'allies'.
Technically, the key difference is that an Audax takes place
under the rules of Audax UK, while a cyclosportive is an independent
promotion. For the rider, though, it is the 'look and feel'
that really distinguishes the two categories of event. In
a nutshell, cyclosportives are big and brash, while Audaxes
are low-key and relaxed.
Most cyclosportives are sponsored and/or commercially organised,
and benefit from some fairly slick promotion, with brochures,
magazine adverts and websites. Audaxes tend to be put on by
private individuals or club volunteers, and have a lower profile.
Popular cyclosportives need to be entered weeks or even months
in advance, using the organisers' special forms or on-line
registration systems; Audaxes can be entered at short notice,
using a standard AUK
form. At an Audax event, you'll usually be one of between
twenty and a hundred riders; at a UK cyclosportive, you'll
be one of a few hundred, and on the continent one of a few
thousand.
Routes for challenge rides are usually quite long and can
be very demanding in terms of the terrain. On the continent,
many cyclosportives follow the course of a famous professional
race, or take in 'classic climbs'. UK cyclosportives often
try to copy this model, by leading riders over hills with
names well known in cycle sport, such as the Cat and Fiddle
or Hardknott Pass. Sometimes this means using main roads.
An Audax, on the other hand, will normally take riders down
little-known lanes. Many pass through beautiful countryside
and are every bit as hard as cyclosportive routes, even if
they lack the 'magic' of association with big-time racing.
Audax routes vary more in the level of challenge they offer.
Some are quite short and not terribly hilly at all; our own
hundred-kilometre Cotswold Outing, for example, is within
the capabilities of most moderately fit cyclists, and is regularly
completed by people in their seventies. Other Audaxes are
very hilly and/or very long; there are ultra-endurance events
of 1200 kilometres, which require participants to ride with
very little respite for several days and nights. Cyclosportive
routes tend to involve one-day distances in the 150 to 250-kilometre
range.
Audax organisers don't way-mark their routes, but give participants
detailed directions to follow (which isn't as hard as it might
sound). By contrast, a cyclosportive route is marked by signs.
There are refreshment stops on both types of ride, but on
an Audax they're usually at cafés where you buy your food
like any other customer, whereas on a cyclosportive you can
expect dedicated 'feeding stations' where the cost of the
refreshments is included in your entry fee. Partly as a result
of this, there's a big difference in entry fees: typically
a fiver for an Audax, but maybe £15 or £20 for a cyclosportive.
In cyclosportives, it's common to carry a number and an electronic
gadget called a transponder, which enables the organiser to
track you through the checkpoints and clock your time. Audaxes
use more old-fashioned means of keeping tabs on riders: cards
that need to be stamped and volunteers with watches.
As indicated above, Audaxes take place under the rules of
Audax
UK. AUK is a national body that, as well as laying down
rules, organises various award schemes. So you have the option
of riding a number of events over a season and collecting
points for distance covered or hills climbed, which may entitle
you to a medal and a ranking position at the end of the year.
A cyclosportive is more of a one-off challenge, although some
big international events do count towards season-long award
schemes as well. While there is no 'governing body' for cyclosportives,
information about the many events can be found on the Cyclosport
UK website.
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