BACK STORY
WORDS AND PICTURE BY LAURA PUGH
In Arrivée 132 Laura Pugh told the story of her first Audax – a rain-soaked February 200k. Was it enough to put her off for good? Well, not quite…
Back story should I stay or should I go… solo CYCLELOG TANDEM RIDES 2016 Straight on at Roses 200 Everybody rides to Skeggy 300 The Brian Chapman Memorial Ride 600 Moors and Wolds 400 2017 Yr Elenydd 300 The Brian Chapman Warm Up 400 SOLO RIDES 2016 Staff’s Peak Grimpeur 100 Beyond Shropshire 200 2017 Roses to Wrags 200 Everybody rides to Skeggy 300 The Old 240 400 The 3 Coasts 600 And now our greatest achievement to date is completing the psychotic Mille Peninnes on tandem, riding up every climb in the saddles! 1,007
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ArrivéeWinter/Spring2018
I last wrote an article for Arrivée 132, about my first Audax, where I experienced some of the worst weather I ever have encountered – neither before nor since. This failed to deter me and I have continued to ride – now considering myself completely “hooked”. Back in 2016, I went on to complete my SR series, stoking our tandem around the requisite rides including the Brian Chapman Memorial as our 600. Audax riders give few compliments but the little that was said lead me to believe this was a reasonable achievement (and potentially there are easier 600s to do as your first on a bicycle that doesn’t like hills…). However, since then the “she’s just got her feet up on the back” comments have started to grate a bit. Sometimes it’s from the pub-goers on a Saturday night, sometimes it’s from well meaning family and friends who quite genuinely think I’m “being taken for a ride” and sometimes I wonder if even fellow riders think I’ve “got it easy on the back”.
I also started riding my own solo Audaxes last year, starting with the Staff’s Peak Grimpeur, and this year have completed my solo SR including the Old 240 as my 400km (I really should start to make things easier for myself…). This is partly to show that I can actually do more than turn the pedals, but also because I love to ride both tandem and solo and there are pros and cons to both. I’ve ridden bicycles since I was little and frankly my first tandem ride was terrifying – not able to see the road in front, no steering, no brakes and no choice over cadence and speed. However, I have learned to trust my captain. I’ve taken responsibility for reading the route sheet and fuelling with
