The Windmills 200 Audax, 16 May 2026
Rode a long way. Met a hero!
This past year, after reading Mike Carter's *One Man and His Bike* and then heading out to watch Molly Weaver during her attempt to break the Around Britain world record, I found myself increasingly drawn towards longer-distance cycling and especially women, who achieve the most incredible things on two wheels.
Last July we entered our first 200km Audax UK event. While I enjoyed the experience, I also remember struggling with significant back and arm pain and crossing the finish line wondering whether long-distance cycling was really for me. Thankfully, that feeling didn't last long. Undeterred, I set my 2026 goals with Tim, and among them was a challenge to complete three 200km Audax events. I'd happily do more, but between work commitments and a horse at home, time is a precious commodity at the moment.
The first of those events was to repeat the Audax UK Windmills 200. One of the things I love most about Audax events is their unique atmosphere. They feel a bit like a treasure hunt on a bike. Riders of every description line up at the start, from hardy souls riding fixed-wheel bikes to cyclists on the latest carbon machines. Yet despite the variety, Audax never feels like a race.
Of course, there is a time limit to complete the route, and you need to collect your checkpoint answers along the way on your brevet card, but nobody is overly concerned whether you finish near the front or just inside the cut-off. The important thing is completing the challenge.
David and I ride together a lot, and over time we've developed a simple strategy to keep things fair and maintain a steady pace. We take turns on the front every five miles. Not only does this prevent any debate about who's done more work, but it also helps me mentally break the ride down into manageable chunks
After more than a year of following Tim's training plans, paying closer attention to fuelling, and increasing my gym work, I could really feel the difference. A helpful tailwind over the final 50 kilometres certainly didn't hurt either! We finished with a riding time of around nine hours, and I was still smiling at the finish.
The icing on the cake came before we had even started riding. While signing on at the control, we discovered that ultra-distance cyclist Emily Chappell was riding the event. Emily was visiting a friend nearby and had gone looking for a local ride while she was in Essex. While her name may not be familiar to every cyclist, she is a huge figure in the ultra-distance world, winning the Transcontinental Race in 2016 and authoring two fantastic books: ‘What Goes Around’, about her years as a London bike courier, and ‘Where There's A Will’, which chronicles her Transcontinental victory and other endurance adventures.
Meeting someone whose books have provided so much inspiration was a wonderful surprise and a fitting reminder of what makes Audax so special. You never quite know who you'll meet, what stories you'll hear, or what you'll discover around the next corner.
It also led to a great conversation in the Catenary Coaching chat about good books we’d read from great athletes so I am sharing this here in case you need a list of motivational reading:
Running the Red Line – Julie Carter
Coasting – Elise Downing
Limitless and Beyond Impossible – Mimi Anderson
Around the World in 80 days – Mark Beaumont (he has other books too)
Cycling the Earth – Sean Conway (he has other books too)
Julie Taplin