What's a Sportive?
magibob
Posts: 203
Hiya.
Newbie question.
I keep seeing the word "Sportive." What does it mean?
Andy
Newbie question.
I keep seeing the word "Sportive." What does it mean?
Andy
0
Comments
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Organised mass participation ride - you're generally chipped so you can get a time
I think it's not a race though0 -
I refer the Honourable gentleman to the answer I gave some moments ago
http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtop ... t=125470000 -
He's just so knowledgeable that Bronzie chap Just don't ask what a sportive bike looks like.
What do I ride? Now that's an Enigma!0 -
Nope, I just like to pretend I know wft I'm talking about. I'm proved to be in a minority of one on numerous occassions!McBain_v1 wrote:He's just so knowledgeable that Bronzie chap0 -
I know the feeling well
What do I ride? Now that's an Enigma!0 -
Bronzie wrote:
Nope, I just like to pretend I know wft I'm talking about. I'm proved to be in a minority of one on numerous occassions!McBain_v1 wrote:He's just so knowledgeable that Bronzie chap
almost as impressive as your meeting with the asphalt at last years Dragon... <s :oops: sound of shattering glass> 0 -
heres a good linky .Calander of events and lots of video clips etc
http://www.cyclosport.org/forum/default.asp0 -
a sportive is typically a long hard ride for riders of all abilities where you can ride at your own pace, crash at the timing mat and break your collar bone (Bronzie) then when you get to the end of the 123 mile route you get to eat some free degreaser solution cunningly disguised as an energy gel (that was me)
Or typically you can drink 8 pints of guiness the night before, miss the start, ride 90 out of 130 miles and change route and give up ( like Steve) 0 -
I'm reliably informed by my mate who was following at safe distance (ie hiding at the back like a big girl rather than doing a turn) that it was the most spectacular sight he'd seen for a while......................"Like a giraffe on acid" was his summary of my trip over the barsSteveR_100Milers wrote:almost as impressive as your meeting with the asphalt at last years Dragon...0 -
Hi Feel,feel wrote:Something i would like to complete but wonder if i ever will be fit enough (First post btw )
If you'd told me 10 years ago about half the stuff I've ridden and raced since then, I would never have believed it. Key for me was getting involved in a club with members who encourage/blackmail you into trying new things that you'd normally just go "Nah! Never be fit enough for that".
Set your sights realistically for 2008 - there are plenty of sportives to choose from, so start with the shorter / flatter ones and work your way up. WARNING :!: : "Bagging" the hard ones does become a bit addictive.0 -
I wouldn't mind having a go at a Sportive ride this year but didn't get much info when I emailed the organisers.
The only long distance ride I've done is the Isle of Wight Randonee, which is 100km and reasonably hilly. I did that in around 4 hours so got the flavour for a long ride. I've also only got an OCR4 at the moment so don't have many gears. Whether that will prove a major handicap on some of the bigger hills I don't know.
Any ideas?0 -
Phreak, cyclosport.co.uk is the place to go for lists of sportives across the UK (and abroad) - tells you all you need to know - distance, route profile, how to enter etc. - start with an event around 60 miles and you can build from there.
What gearing does your bike have? It's a fairly easy job to change the rear cassette to give you lower gears, or consider fitting a triple (bit more involved but worth it if you struggle on climbs).0 -
I'm trying to get to grips with the gearing side of things (I tend to just get on it and ride it at the moment). The manual says it's a 39/53 chainring, with 14 gears.
I can do hills here without too much problem (slower than 14kmh being a problem ), but don't know how our hills compare with Sportive hills. 0 -
So 7 speed cassette on the back - but what sprockets? If a 23 tooth sprocket is the largest on the back, then you may struggle on the really steep (>15%) or long climbs - you could maybe fit a cassette with a wider range such as a 13-27T or fit a compact or triple chainset on the front.
Where do you live? There are sportives for all abilities out there, don't get phased by the super tough ones like the Fred Whitton which is a serious challenge for even the fittest. Trail Break (http://www.trailbreak.co.uk/sundaysportive/) did a series of Sunday sportives last year with a starting distance of 75km or so - well organised and all the better for being a bit smaller and more friendly rather than events like the Dragon Ride that are a bit of a victim of their own success.
Also look at Audax events (http://www.aukweb.net/index2.htm) which are very similar to sportives but you are not timed as such other than you have to finish within a cut-off time although the times allowed are very generous. Only downside (although to some it's part of the fun) is that you have to navigate yourself using a route sheet - which is fine unless you need reading glasses! There are audaxes all over the UK right through the year, they are much cheaper to enter than a sportive, and distances range from 100km to 600km+ (yes, that's right nearly 400 miles over a weekend!).0 -
I believe it's 14-29 at the moment. That's what I have jotted down anyway.0
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39x29 should get you up most climbs in the UK if you are relatively fit. It's not so much the steepness of the climbs as the sheer number and regularity of them on some events that make them so hard - riding a 10% hill after 10 miles is different to riding the same hill after 90 miles with 15 other serious climbs in between.0
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Bronzie wrote:
Hi Feel,feel wrote:Something i would like to complete but wonder if i ever will be fit enough (First post btw )
If you'd told me 10 years ago about half the stuff I've ridden and raced since then, I would never have believed it. Key for me was getting involved in a club with members who encourage/blackmail you into trying new things that you'd normally just go "Nah! Never be fit enough for that".
Set your sights realistically for 2008 - there are plenty of sportives to choose from, so start with the shorter / flatter ones and work your way up. WARNING :!: : "Bagging" the hard ones does become a bit addictive.
Would love to do some and intend to keep riding through the winter to maintain a basic level of fitness. I gather some of them have a "bale out" half way round so you can just do 60 miles or so, instead of a 100+. There is one i've heard of round my way (melton / rutland) but will look for something a bit easier to start with as the course from what i've seen of it looks a bit tough.Will check out your links on one of your other posts. If i don't do it now i certainly won't be doing it in 10 years time We are born with the dead:
See, they return, and bring us with them.0 -
in my (limited) experience - there aren't many "novice friendly" sportive events as there seems to be some sort of obsession with making as 'tough' as possible!!
hence various events that combine various peaks and passes in the UK in an effort to make their sportive the toughest in the UK!!0 -
gkerr4 wrote:in my (limited) experience - there aren't many "novice friendly" sportive events as there seems to be some sort of obsession with making as 'tough' as possible!!
hence various events that combine various peaks and passes in the UK in an effort to make their sportive the toughest in the UK!!
some one's is missing a marketing opportunity - surely there must be others out there who would be attracted by the title "Easiest sportive in Britain" We are born with the dead:
See, they return, and bring us with them.0 -
well - maybe not the "easiest'
but I can't be the only one who is slightly put offf by claims of "britains hardest" sportive??0
