Good points 852, but I think you are looking at it the wrong way.
First, remember that rides such as those found in Trans-Alps are the ethos to this forum.
Second, you really have to visualize what's going on behind the scenes. Sure it sucks to order something and take 6+ weeks to arrive. But while a budget-minded global company will outsource a large factory to produce frames that need only minutes of human care to produce so they can meet their goal to output of 100's of frames per day, AX is a bit different (from what I gather). They are not only physically closer to the customer, but like many small bike manufacturers, they are the customer as well, riding and reaping what they sew. I love my carbon Scott, but I also know that the man (more likely woman) who executed the finishing touches on my frame has many orders from corporate, yet very little knowledge about what it's like to ride a bike such as the one in front of them. This worries me a little. Call me nostalgic but I appreciate bikes made bike cyclists in areas known for cycling. This is a difficult task these days since it's likely your Italian bike isn't made in Italy, your American bike isn't made in the US, and your French bike isn't made in any known département.
Third, since the Tour-Transalp 2014 certainly caters to equipment produced by AX, it's highly likely that they targeted the date in late 2013 to produce a frame and use the event as a marketing launching pad for their new product. They did well in this target but as far as fulfilling the customer demand... it's a happy problem that should keep them busy for the next few months (and perhaps more).
My only fear is that they can't keep up with demand and try to simplify the build process so any cheap laborer can do the task. Perhaps I'm misguided, or an outlier, but I think this is the wrong way to go. When you outsource to Asia with your molds, availability is easy (after a few months for setup), prices are cheap, quality is 'pretty good'. But future development and industry longevity suffer. Soon, your fancy frame is on eBay without decals for next to nothing. When it fails or you have a problem, a call to customer service is answered by someone who's never ridden that bike. If consumers continue their disregard for the country of manufacturer, cycling technology is stripped down to a lower level once we have no workforce capable of knowing how to do the skill, except for the Taiwanese woman who made my Scott, who really shares no similar interests with myself or other cyclists. I'd much rather see a company take their time - but continually and rapidly evolve with local R&D along side manufacturing all whilst providing warranty support, and first hand knowledge about the bike. When you put these together with what the customer truly desires, it can be magic.
(Full disclosure: I receive 10 new AX frames and 10 matching wheelsets for every positive reply
)