Audax Australia
Encyclopedia
Audax Australia Cycling Club runs cycling events under the auspices of Audax Club Parisien
(ACP) and Union des Audax Français (UAF). Rides are normally from 50 km to 1200 km in distance and operate throughout Australasia
. The club also has a list of long distance rides that can be ridden at any time called raids.
The name Audax Australia is a misnomer as the organisation runs events that are predominantly in the style of randonneur (long-distance over an unmarked course), although it also runs audax
-style where a ride captain dictates the speed of the ride.
Calendar and permanent events take several forms:
or the capital cities in other states (where run). The event is named after former patron of the club Sir Hubert Opperman
, and its format based on the French equivalent Flèche Velocio.
First run in October 1985, the finish coincided with the Bicycle Expo, held at the world Trade Center Melbourne. Although the Fleche Opperman All Day Trial is a non-competitive event, teams successfully completing the furthest distance are officially recognised. In its inaugural year the Port Fairy Cycling Club, including Graham Woodrup
, achieved this honour completing a total distance of 570 km.
is run each Australia Day weekend in Bright, Victoria
and is run over distances of 70 km, 130 km, 140 km and the 200 km. The first AAC was run on Australia day 1986 over a 200 km circuit with just six riders. Since 2007, in excess of 2000 riders now ride each year.
The first Checkpoint was from summer of 1983 written by T F Gross. Cost of membership was $5.00 p.a. according to the magazine.
The club offers a calendar of events in all states and the Australian Capital Territory, and in New Zealand.
. These rides then traversed around the Wombat State Forest
and Lerderderg Gorge
.
Dirt rides are normally run over three distances of 35 km, 70 km and 100 km. A Dirt series award is riding all three in a season.
Audax Club Parisien
Audax Club Parisien is a cycling club founded in Paris in 1904. It organises long-distance challenge rides in France and administers a branch of cycling known as randonneuring around the world. A randonnée in cycling is a challenge to ride distances up to more than 1,000 km between a minimum...
(ACP) and Union des Audax Français (UAF). Rides are normally from 50 km to 1200 km in distance and operate throughout Australasia
Australasia
Australasia is a region of Oceania comprising Australia, New Zealand, the island of New Guinea, and neighbouring islands in the Pacific Ocean. The term was coined by Charles de Brosses in Histoire des navigations aux terres australes...
. The club also has a list of long distance rides that can be ridden at any time called raids.
The name Audax Australia is a misnomer as the organisation runs events that are predominantly in the style of randonneur (long-distance over an unmarked course), although it also runs audax
Audax (cycling)
Audax is a cycling sport in which participants attempt to cycle long distances within a pre-defined time limit. Audax is a non-competitive sport: success in an event is measured by its completion. Audax has its origins in Italian endurance sports of the late nineteenth century, and the rules were...
-style where a ride captain dictates the speed of the ride.
Event types
Calendar events are held on a specific date and appearing in the Audax Australia calendar. Permanent events can be ridden by Audax Australia members at any time.Calendar and permanent events take several forms:
- Brevet Randonneur Mondiaux (BRM): 200 kilometres or greater calendar events controlled through a series of time and distance checks by means of a brevet card. BRM events are registered with ACP or Les Randonneurs Mondiaux (LRM) and appear in the Randonneur Mondiaux calendar published by ACP or the calendar published by LRM.
- Brevet UAF (BUAF): 100 km or greater calendar events ridden under UAF rules (peloton riding at a fixed pace) and registered with the UAF.
- Brevet Australia (BA): calendar events controlled similarly to BRM rides but registered with Audax Australia only.
- Brevet Dirt (BD): calendar events shorter than 200 kilometres where the route is primarily on unsealed surfaces, controlled similarly to BRM rides and registered with Audax Australia only.
- Brevet Permanent (BP): permanent events where the route may be either primarily on sealed or unsealed surfaces and controlled similarly to BRM rides but registered with Audax Australia only.
- Brevet Raid (BR): point-to-point multi-day permanent events that do not have time limits on intermediate checkpoints and are registered with Audax Australia only.
The Fleche Opperman All Day Trial
The Fleche Opperman is an event for teams of three to five bicycles and is held over 24 hours. The course and distance are chosen by each team and must be at least 360 km long and finish in either Rochester (Victoria)Rochester, Victoria
Rochester is a small town in country Victoria, Australia. It is located 180 km north of Melbourne with a mixture of rural and semi-rural communities on the northern Campaspe River, between Bendigo and the Murray River port of Echuca...
or the capital cities in other states (where run). The event is named after former patron of the club Sir Hubert Opperman
Hubert Opperman
Sir Hubert Ferdinand Opperman, OBE , referred to as Oppy by Australian and French crowds, was an Australian cyclist and politician, whose endurance cycling feats in the 1920s and 1930s earned him international acclaim....
, and its format based on the French equivalent Flèche Velocio.
First run in October 1985, the finish coincided with the Bicycle Expo, held at the world Trade Center Melbourne. Although the Fleche Opperman All Day Trial is a non-competitive event, teams successfully completing the furthest distance are officially recognised. In its inaugural year the Port Fairy Cycling Club, including Graham Woodrup
Graham Woodrup
Graham Woodrup was a record breaking long distance cyclist and the inspiration for the annual charity ride the Murry to Moyne Cycle Relay.-References:...
, achieved this honour completing a total distance of 570 km.
Audax Alpine Classic (AAC)
The Audax Alpine ClassicAudax Alpine Classic
The Audax Alpine Classic is an Australian bicycle event run every Australia Day weekend in Bright, Victoria and is organised by Audax Australia volunteers. Arguably the most difficult single day cycle event in Australia with the 200 km version covering four steep climbs...
is run each Australia Day weekend in Bright, Victoria
Bright, Victoria
Bright is a small sized town, located in northeastern Victoria, Australia, 319 metres above sea level at the southeastern end of the Ovens Valley. At the 2006 census, Bright had a population of 2684. It is in the Alpine Shire local government area...
and is run over distances of 70 km, 130 km, 140 km and the 200 km. The first AAC was run on Australia day 1986 over a 200 km circuit with just six riders. Since 2007, in excess of 2000 riders now ride each year.
Irene Plowman
The "Salute to Irene Plowman" recognises the efforts of Irene Plowman who held the Sydney-Melbourne record and rode regularly from Albury to Melbourne to collect supplies for her dress shop. The ride is run in early February as a 200 km night ride from Port Melbourne to Portsea and back.Great Southern Randonnee (GSR)
The GSR runs every four years in Victoria for distances between 300 km and 1200 km. with the next edition been held in October 2012Perth Albany Perth (PAP)
The PAP runs every four years in Western Australia. The 4th edition will be held in late September 2010. It has a new 'Loop' route which heads down the west coast to Margaret River, across the south coast to Albany and then comes back up through the southern wheatbelt.Giro Tasmania
The Giro Tasmania is a 1000 km circumnavigation of the island based on a traditional cycle touring route, and is held every second year during the summer.Awards
Riders can obtain awards for completing rides. Awards include- Nouveau Randonneur: For novice riders who complete a 50 km, 100 km and 150 km in one season.
- Dirt Series: 35 km, 70 km and 100 km for dirt rides.
- Super Randonneur: 200 km, 300 km, 400 km and 600 km in one year.
Publications
The club's magazine Checkpoint is produced quarterly and is circulated to current financial members.The first Checkpoint was from summer of 1983 written by T F Gross. Cost of membership was $5.00 p.a. according to the magazine.
History
Audax Australia was formed in 1981. The first officially homologated Australian ride took place at Easter of that year, following near-simultaneous letters to the ACP by Alan Walker and Russell Moore. Riders started simultaneous 600 km rides from Melbourne and Sydney finishing in Albury.The club offers a calendar of events in all states and the Australian Capital Territory, and in New Zealand.
BUAF
Fixed-pace rides following the model of the UAF were introduced to Audax Australia in 2008, and are often referred to as "BUAF" to distinguish them from randonneur style rides. BUAF brevets are ridden as a peloton with a leader, generally averaging 22.5 km/h between checkpoints. The organiser has a published ride schedule, noting the expected time the peloton will reach each turn and rest stop and the time the peloton will leave each rest stop.Dirt Rides
Dirt, or MTB rides, were initiated in the 1997/98 season with the first ride being the 70 km Tracks of My Tiers on Sunday 2 November 1997 in southern Tasmania, followed by the 35 km, 70 km and 100 km 'Down and Dirty' rides on Sunday 8 February starting at Trentham, VictoriaTrentham, Victoria
Trentham is a small town in the Shire of Hepburn and Shire of Moorabool Local government area, Victoria, Australia. At the 2006 census, Trentham had a population of 629.Located at an altitude of , the town is north-west of Melbourne.-History:...
. These rides then traversed around the Wombat State Forest
Wombat State Forest
The Wombat State Forest is located west of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, between Woodend and Daylesford, at the Great Dividing Range. The forest is approximately in size and sits upon Ordovician or Tertiary sediments...
and Lerderderg Gorge
Lerderderg Gorge
The Lerderderg Gorge is in Victoria, Australia. The Lerderderg River which emerges from the Great Dividing Range has cut a deep gorge as it winds toward the southern plains.-Location:37°37'35"S x 144°25'44"E to 37°23'42"S x 144°19'06"E...
.
Dirt rides are normally run over three distances of 35 km, 70 km and 100 km. A Dirt series award is riding all three in a season.
Patrons
- Sir Hubert OppermanHubert OppermanSir Hubert Ferdinand Opperman, OBE , referred to as Oppy by Australian and French crowds, was an Australian cyclist and politician, whose endurance cycling feats in the 1920s and 1930s earned him international acclaim....
until 1996 (Oppy was also patron of Audax UKAudax UKAudax UK or AUK is the Audax Club Parisien sanctioned brevet coordinating organization for the United Kingdom.UK Cyclists riding in the Paris–Brest–Paris qualify for the event through AUK....
) - Lady Opperman, from 1997 until 2001
Life Members
- Lorraine Allen
- Phil Bellette
- Hans Dusink
- Terry Gross
- Don Halton
- Enid Halton
- Tim Laugher
- John Martin
- Russell Moore
See also
- Audax (cycling)Audax (cycling)Audax is a cycling sport in which participants attempt to cycle long distances within a pre-defined time limit. Audax is a non-competitive sport: success in an event is measured by its completion. Audax has its origins in Italian endurance sports of the late nineteenth century, and the rules were...
- Randonneur
- Brevet (cycling)
- CyclosportiveCyclosportiveA cyclosportive, or often simply sportive, is a short to long distance, organised, mass-participation cycling event, typically held annually....
- Bicycle lightingBicycle lightingBicycle lighting improves the visibility of the bicycle rider to others in dark conditions, i.e. to increase the rider's conspicuity and to enhance the ability of the rider to see, illuminating the way forward. Both reflectors and active lights are used to make the rider more visible, and many ...