Mam Nick on the Dark Peak Grimpeur
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Welcome to Peak Audax CTC, part of
Cycling UK
in the Manchester area. Together with our subsidiary groups,
Manchester CTC
,
West Manchester CTC
and
Rochdale CTC
we put on group rides and cycling events for all Cycling UK members, and indeed all cyclists, and we'd love to see you out with us some time. We often head out into the Peak District, the Cheshire Plains over to North Wales, and the Lancashire Pennines. We sometimes even stray over the border into Yorkshire, while our longest ride reaches Boston in Lincolnshire.
Note that Cycling UK was previously known as CTC, and you may find that some of us oldies still refer to it as that. Please forgive us our antiquated ways, but we are referring to the same organisation!
Membership of Peak Audax is free and we welcome anyone who rides or supports our events, even if we are your second claim club. Just contact our
Membership Secretary
with your email or mobile phone so that we can keep you informed of our activities by email or WhatsAp.
If you are not already a member, we always recommend that you join Cycling UK (of course!), as this gives you the reassurance of having third party insurance cover for all your cycling activites.
If you are a member of Audax UK, we also ask you to register Peak Audax as your CUK club on the
Audax UK
AUK membership pages.
We offer a range of activities, some of which we hope will be of interest to you:
You can participate in our
Audax Calendar event
. We have a large number of
Audax Permanent Events
which you can ride on a date to suit your own time-table. We can also recommend various groups within our area who host their range of
regular club runs
.
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CALENDAR EVENTS
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CALENDAR
events take place at a time and place determined by the Organiser. You can ride with other like-minded cyclists, or you can make your own way, whatever your preference. You will be supplied with a GPX file or a route sheet (sometimes known as a cue sheet) with turn-by-turn instructions.
We don't normally accept entries on the day as we like to know how many riders to expect (you wouldn't want us to run out of cake, after all), but pre-entry is easy online. You could event send in an entry in the post with a cheque (remember them?).
Click
for more about Calendar events.
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PERMANENT EVENTS
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PERMs
are for more experienced riders. You still get a GPX file and route sheet, and a list of control locations where you might reasonably expect to be able to get proof of passage, but otherwise you are on your own. You may have to negotiate unexpected road closures but there are usually cafes and shops along the way for refreshments.
The eBrevet app allows you to customise your Perm ride, so you can start anywhere along the route. It will often even let you ride in the opposite direction if that works better for you.
You must enter a Perm before you start the ride but that can be done very easily online, sometimes just seconds before you start.
Click
for a list of Perms in our area.
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Regular Rides & Club Activities
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There are plenty of Cycling Clubs in 'our' area putting on both regular and occasional cycle rides including our own groups
Manchester CTC
,
Rochdale CTC
and
West Manchester CTC
who have their regular weekly runs.
Click
for a list of Manchester CTC rides and contacts for local cycling clubs.
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Meet the Committee
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At our latest
AGM
we welcomed some new faces onto our Committee (listed on the right) but we still have further vacancies, so if you feel you can offer support for
Social Media
Teams Manager
Touring Secretary
then please get in touch with Secretary.
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FAQs - Frequently Asked Questions
They are NOT races. People ride them more in the spirit of something like a park run, with everyone riding to their own limitations with the primary objective to just 'get round'. These events suit everyone, clubmen, time-trialists, recreational riders, cycletourists, 'born again' cyclists, young and old, male and female. And you'll see all sorts of machines - bikes, tandems, trikes, recumbents, and occasionally even stranger things ...
Size of entry varies greatly but is typically around 50 starters. Small local events may have just a handful of riders while a few popular events attract 200 starters or more.
The routes typically feature a few fast main roads and a lot of quiet, scenic lanes. Many events are quite hilly, some are extremely hilly, and even the flatter ones usually have one or two challenging climbs. Some events are noted for the quality of home-cooked food and tender loving care supplied along the way. But most are not - self-sufficiency is a highly-regarded quality in AUK.
On the same theme, 'support' - for example a following car - is very much frowned upon. There are maximum and minimum time limits, which are designed to suit everyone from the fittest of recreational riders, to more occasional riders who have plenty of determination. Each rider carries a 'brevet card' which is stamped at intermediate checkpoints and at the finish, and which is later returned to the rider as a certificate of their achievement.
Anything! You might have a superfast carbon road bike, a gravel bike, a trike, a tandem, a recumbant, use whatever you've got! Even e-bikes are welcome but you should inform the Organiser and your ride will not be validated.
Not at all! AUK dropped the requirement to use mudguards on our rides several years ago. Some event Organisers still ask for their use on certain rides but none of the Peak Audax events insist on them.
You might find that your riding companions may still have something to say on the subject if they are following you along muddy lanes!
Peak Audax organises Audax events in the Manchester area (on behalf of Manchester & District CTC) with rides on to the Cheshire Plain, into the Peak District, or to the Yorkshire Dales. Typically rides start from Cheadle, Bredbury, Marple near Stockport, and Denshaw near Oldham.
To join Peak Audax is free! Just enter an event and ride it! If you give the Secretary your email address, you will receive an occasional e-newsletter, or just keep an eye on these webpages to be kept up to date.
If you like the concept, you may wish to join
Audax UK
. You will find that there are events to ride up and down the country (and beyond!) and the rides you complete can count towards various awards and championships. There's even a quarterly magazine, well worth the Membership Subscription on its own.
| What are Calendar Events?
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There is a full series of events throughout the year which take place on a specified date. You may be riding alongside just a handful of riders, or dozens, depending on the event. Just make your online entry and you will receive details of the route and the start location.
We very much encourage entries a couple of weeks before the day of the ride, so that we know how many are coming and we can make reasonable preparations for refreshments etc. Some Organisers will accept entries on the line (EOLs) but if you decide late that you want to ride, then an email to the Organiser is better than just turning up.
These are rides that you can undertake at any time of the year on a date to suit yourself. You will be on your own of course, unless a group of you want to ride a particular Perm. Enter in good time, as the Organiser needs to send you the route sheet and a Brevet Card, and might be away on holiday or busy with work.
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Secretary