Women in Audax

We are really keen to encourage more women to experience the fun and satisfaction of long distance cycling, but realise that there are some challenges to entry and participation which generally affect women more than men. We now have a "Women in Audax" strategy group who have been working on initiatives to improve the balance. The members of the group are women from around the UK, and with various amounts of Audax experience (both in terms of years and length of events completed).

Below are details of some of the initiatives - it is currently a dynamic situation so check back from time to time to see what new is going on. If you "do" Facebook then our dedicated Facebook group is a great place to start and already has over 300 members - you don't need to be a member of Audax UK to join, so if you are just considering entering an event it is for you too. Find the group here, note that it is private, you will need to apply to join.

 

Regional Representatives

We have some designated regional representatives and the map shows which counties they all cover. You can make contact by emailing women@audax.uk and your enquiry will be routed to the appropriate person (let us know roughly where you live please).

The regional reps will all be able to answer general questions about audax events, will know about many of the events in their region (but not all, there are a lot of events on the AUK calendar!) and will potentially be able to make some informal introductions between women riding local events so you know you won't be the only one turning up.

50:50@50 events

Our major initiative for Audax UK's 50th anniversary year in 2026 is a programme of "50:50@50" events. These are designated events within our normal calendar where we will promote a 50:50 split (although we will be very happy to get  more than 50% women). 

Most of these are shorter distance Brevet Populaires (50-150km) as a good introduction for newcomers and a stepping stone to future longer events. We are working with local women's cycling groups to publicise these to non-members. We hope by selecting some target events, women riders will be assured of other women for company which we know is reassuring for many newcomers. We expect there to be informal buddying arrangements in advance of these events for those that want it, and will facilitate this where possible via our FB group and Regional Representatives. All the organisers of these events have requested to be part of this programme. Some of them are women (we have many talented women organisers in Audax UK) but if not they will make sure there is at least one women as part of the organising team. 

Of course men are still very welcome to enter these events but we ask them to encourage a female friend, clubmate, relative or partner to enter too.

And leaving the best bit to last, there will be special badges and stickers for all participants.

There are more detailed FAQs about these events here.  We now have the initial list of events - although we hope one or two more may be added, especially in areas looking a bit sparse. You can see a map and a list here.  You can also find most of them using the main calendar event search page by putting "50:50@50" into the ride name box, adding any other filters you want such as distance or date or location. Beware though - not all events have "50:50@50" yet in their title and some are not yet published or ready for entries.