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{"PageID":687,"ThemeCode":null,"BlogInfo":{"Breadcrumbs":[{"Name":"Audax Blog","URL":"https://www.teammk.com/Cms/Spaces/PB/Audax+Blog"}],"ID":545,"SpaceID":11,"Name":"Audax Blog","Description":null,"Author":{"ID":448,"Name":"James Weedon","CompanyName":null,"HasEmail":true},"CreationTime":"13/10/2024 15:36","Tags":[],"URL":"https://www.teammk.com/Cms/Spaces/PB/Audax+Blog","IsWatching":false,"CanWatch":false,"CanPostBlogEntry":false},"EntryInfo":{"Breadcrumbs":[{"Name":"Audax Blog","URL":"https://www.teammk.com/Cms/Spaces/PB/Audax+Blog"},{"Name":"Riding the Wind","URL":"https://www.teammk.com/Cms/Spaces/PB/Audax+Blog/Riding+the+Wind"}],"ID":687,"Name":"Riding the Wind","Abstract":"TeamMK Club members Alex and Millen take on the Waltham Wanderer 300 Audax.","ImageUrl":"https://www.teammk.com/Client/Images/Cms/audax/2026/ww200.png","ThumbnailImageUrl":"","Author":{"ID":1012,"MembershipNumber":null,"Username":null,"Forename":"Alessandro","Surname":"Stapleton","Name":"Alessandro Stapleton","Handle":"Alessandro","CompanyName":null,"FamilyGroupName":null,"Branch":{"ID":0,"Name":null,"Description":null,"Icon":null,"Colour":null,"Depth":0,"Indent":0,"CanBeSelected":false,"Sections":null,"Label":"","LabelLarge":""},"IsLoggedInUser":false,"ImageUrl":"https://www.teammk.com/Client/Images/Mugshots/77alcn9wc21v.jpeg"},"IsDraft":false,"PublicationDate":"Friday, 17 April 2026","CreationTime":"17/04/2026 14:35","CommentCount":1,"Tags":[],"URL":"https://www.teammk.com/Cms/Spaces/PB/Audax+Blog/Riding+the+Wind","CanAdmin":false},"Content":"\u003cp style=\u0022text-align: center;\u0022\u003e(Alex and Milen ahead of the Willy Warmer 200, dressed to survive a January Audax)\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThere are rides where you measure distance, and there are rides where you measure yourself.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eLast Saturday, two TeamMK riders (Milen Minkov and Alex Stapleton) took on the second Audax of the Willesden CC Centenary Super Randonneur Audax series (see:\u0026nbsp;\u003ca href=\u0022https://willesdencyclingclub.co.uk/celebration-audaxes/\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003eWillesden Cycling Club\u003c/a\u003e). We had already taken part in the first ride in the series, the Willy Warmer, a 200 KM route from Chalfont St Peter out to Berkshire and back, which was well attended and quite tough due to riding through 5 hours of solid rain. \u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA 300 KM Audax is typically chosen as the next event to do after completing a 200KM Audax.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis event was predicted to be dry however there would be strong winds shortly after the midway point of the route. I hadn’t ever ridden properly in the Fens but had heard that if you encounter strong headwinds, the going can get slow and it can feel like riding up a long hill despite being very flat.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe route took us out from Waltham Abbey, out through the top of Epping Forest, out towards Great Dunmow in Essex (which is the base for many Audax rides near Milton Keynes), up towards Diss in Norfolk back down past Cambridge, through Ware to then return at Waltham Abbey after 300km and this must be completed within 20 Hours.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg src=\u0022https://www.teammk.com/Client/Images/Cms/ww300_map2.png\u0022 data-image=\u00221\u0022\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\u0022text-align: center;\u0022\u003e(Route of the Waltham Wanderer 300)\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg src=\u0022https://www.teammk.com/Client/Images/Cms/50.png\u0022 data-image=\u00221\u0022\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\u0022text-align: center;\u0022\u003e(Milen and Alex ahead of the Waltham Wanderer 300. Milen is wearing the special edition Audax UK jersey to commemorate 50 years of Audax UK)\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis one started in Waltham Abbey, just another early roll-out (6:30 am start), legs still waking up, mind not yet aware of what the day would demand. The route looked simple on paper but it had other ideas.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe first information control (proof of passage) on our brevet card asked us for which national cycle route is on the right hand side of this post opposite the pond.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg src=\u0022https://www.teammk.com/Client/Images/Cms/brevit.png\u0022 data-image=\u00221\u0022\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eGetting to the halfway point at Diss felt fairly easy as we had a kind tailwind, it took us circa 7 hours to complete the 150 km to this point.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAfter some lunch we headed towards the following control at Mildenhall… Headwind, famous Fens headwind. It wasn’t dramatic; just a change of direction. But suddenly, the ride changed completely. The same wind that had been pushing us forward was now in our faces — steady, relentless, and unforgiving.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\u003cli\u003eThere is no shelter in the Fens.\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003eNo trees to hide behind.\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003eNo buildings to break the wind.\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003eJust you, the bike, and an invisible force that never lets up.\u003c/li\u003e\u003c/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis is where the ride stopped being as much a physical but also a mental challenge.Here there were no climbs to conquer, no descents to reward the effort. Just a constant grind. The kind that gets into your head. This is what one may consider the spirit of Audaxing. The ability to keep moving despite what the weather throws at you. In our January Audax together, the challenge was the 5 hours of rain, on this occasion, the unrelenting headwind in the Fens.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOnce we reached the outskirts of Cambridge, the wind suddenly dropped and the rest of the ride became about keeping a steady pace and finishing the Audax. \u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMyself and Milen successfully completed the Audax together (as we had been all day) before midnight, well within the time cutoff, very satisfied with completing another Audax for our records. Milen did mention on the following day he was ready to ride another 300Km, we will save that thought for another time.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThere will be more events coming up this year to celebrate 50 years of Audax UK.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eAlex\u0026nbsp; \u0026 Millen\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFor more information, please join the TeamMK Whatsapp Community and select the Audax Group -\u0026nbsp;See:\u0026nbsp;\u003ca href=\u0022https://teammk.club/WhatsApp\u0022\u003ehttps://teammk.club/WhatsApp\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\u0022text-align: center;\u0022\u003e(Collection of Images from Milen summarising the Audax)\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg src=\u0022https://www.teammk.com/Client/Images/Cms/collage.png\u0022 data-image=\u00221\u0022\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","HasCommentsThread":true,"SeoTags":{"OpenGraphTags":[{"ID":"og:title","Name":"Riding the Wind"},{"ID":"og:type","Name":"website"},{"ID":"og:url","Name":"https://www.teammk.com/Cms/Spaces/PB/Audax+Blog/Riding+the+Wind"},{"ID":"og:description","Name":"TeamMK Club members Alex and Millen take on the Waltham Wanderer 300 Audax."},{"ID":"og:image","Name":"https://www.teammk.com/Client/Images/Cms/audax/2026/ww200.png"}],"NonOpenGraphTags":[{"ID":"description","Name":"TeamMK Club members Alex and Millen take on the Waltham Wanderer 300 Audax."}]},"PageURL":"https://www.teammk.com/Cms/Spaces/PB/Audax+Blog/Riding+the+Wind","Comments":[{"ID":625,"Index":0,"User":{"ID":66,"Name":"Milen Minkov","CompanyName":null,"HasEmail":true},"ImageUrl":"https://www.teammk.com/Client/Images/Mugshots/66sm9fzzplz5.jpeg","Comment":"Thank you Alex for sharing our experience.","CreationTime":"Friday, 17 April 2026 15:36","IsEdited":true,"EditTime":"Saturday, 18 April 2026 07:26","InReplyTo":{"ID":null,"Name":null,"CompanyName":null,"HasEmail":false},"IsDeleted":false,"DeleteReason":null,"DeletedBy":{"ID":null,"Name":null,"CompanyName":null,"HasEmail":false},"LikeCount":0,"LikesDescription":"","Likes":[],"LikedByMe":false,"HasBeenRead":false,"Replies":[],"CanEdit":false,"CanModerate":false,"CanReply":false,"CanMessageMe":false}],"UpdatedComments":[],"LastViewTime":null,"CanEdit":false,"CanPublish":false,"CanComment":false,"CanReadComments":true,"CanModerateComments":false}
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