Unlike an “allure libre” brevet, the Audax is less of an appreciation of the communal spirit, and rather a demand for it. In the Audax format, riders ride at a set pace with scheduled refuel and regroup points. If a rider needs a nature break, or experiences a mechanical issue, the group does not stop. The route was pretty, and most roads were low traffic, but the real standout was our Kansas City Audax hosts. At every control we found Keith waving and smiling; delivering good vibes, and great food, even in challenging conditions. Despite forecasts, Saturday’s weather was perfect, with rain only in the last few miles. Sunday was another story. The peloton departed late, waiting for a tardy rider and another that missed the “early start” announcement. The rain was steady and the wind came from every direction but behind. As some riders struggled, the rough weather may have contributed to a pair of unfortunate emotional outbursts. Despite that drama, the group worked well together, especially after lunch. “Rando math” and some pace line configuration experimentation established that we’d need to leave controls much earlier if we wanted to avoid DNFs caused by the prescribed pace, sedate as it may have seemed. As we approached the end, one rider contacted Keith to check on a ride leader who had stayed behind at lunch to help another captain: He was only 10 minutes behind the group. We decided to pull into the service station across from the finish, where we sat in the grass to wait for everyone to finish as a team.
