A not excessively hilly sportive - suggestions?
dttlincs
Posts: 384
I know they are meant to be difficult but bear with me.
I did the London Canterbury last year , my first and only sportive so far and raised a few quid for the NSPCC at the same time.
My present bike has 52/39 and 12/25 cassette and am saving up for a new bike which will have a compact or triple so don't want to spend upgrading the present one.
I managed the London Canterbury with that gearing but would have struggled if the hills had been steeper(I am not exactly a lightweight!).
What I am looking for has to be a challenge but achievable on my present bike. 200km or so is OK and hilly but not crazy.
Any suggestions of an event in July/August/September which is worth a look?
Again I will be raising money for the NSPCC.
Thanks.
I did the London Canterbury last year , my first and only sportive so far and raised a few quid for the NSPCC at the same time.
My present bike has 52/39 and 12/25 cassette and am saving up for a new bike which will have a compact or triple so don't want to spend upgrading the present one.
I managed the London Canterbury with that gearing but would have struggled if the hills had been steeper(I am not exactly a lightweight!).
What I am looking for has to be a challenge but achievable on my present bike. 200km or so is OK and hilly but not crazy.
Any suggestions of an event in July/August/September which is worth a look?
Again I will be raising money for the NSPCC.
Thanks.
Still thinking!
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Comments
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Last year Kilotogo did a ride starting and finishing in Peterborough that was pretty flat and about 100miles although it was in April or May so perhaps a bit early. Not sure if it's happening again this year, they seem to have curtailed a lot of the rides they did before. Anyway, if it is run it was quite good, flat but challenging enough with the wonderful head wind on the run back in to the finish.You hear that? He's up there... mewing in the nerve centre of his evil empire. A ground rent increase here, a tax dodge there? he sticks his leg in the air, laughs his cat laugh... and dives back down to grooming his balls!0
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Why not look up audax events? They tend to be less obviously hilly, and you have to bring your own sandwiches, but they are closer to a sportive than you might think...0
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SteveR_100Milers wrote:Why not look up audax events? They tend to be less obviously hilly, and you have to bring your own sandwiches, but they are closer to a sportive than you might think...
I don't think that is the case - there are many very hilly audax rides (Often called 'grimpeurs' or 'challege' events) and lots more routes that are euphamistically referred to as 'scenic' which whilst not deliberately seeking out steep, or very long climbs, are a good work out none the less. It does depend where you live/ride of course - there are certainly plenty of scenic events in Yorkshire, Lancashire and Wales though where it is difficult to avoid hills!
BTW I don't know what you have been reading, but you don't have to bring your own sandwiches on events either. (or, only if you have special dietary requirements, such as gluten free, that are unlikely to be met by the controls)0 -
Audaxes sound ideal for you. You do have to navigate yourself around the route with a set of instructions (rather than it being sign-posted) [although for many this is part of the enjoyment] and purchase your own food at cafes along the route. Distances vary from 60-600+km.
Those events marked with AA or similar and a figure in brackets in metres are hilly, but that doesn't mean the other events are flat! To be on the safe side, ride events in the flatlands of Essex, Suffolk, Cambs etc!0 -
If you are looking for an event in June you could try one of the rides which form part of the UCI Northern Rock Cyclone. The event website is www.northernrockcyclone.co.ukdttlincs wrote:I know they are meant to be difficult but bear with me.
I did the London Canterbury last year , my first and only sportive so far and raised a few quid for the NSPCC at the same time.
My present bike has 52/39 and 12/25 cassette and am saving up for a new bike which will have a compact or triple so don't want to spend upgrading the present one.
I managed the London Canterbury with that gearing but would have struggled if the hills had been steeper(I am not exactly a lightweight!).
What I am looking for has to be a challenge but achievable on my present bike. 200km or so is OK and hilly but not crazy.
Any suggestions of an event in July/August/September which is worth a look?
Again I will be raising money for the NSPCC.
Thanks.
One of the nominated charities for this event is the NSPCC.
You could certainly manage the 62ml and possibly the 100ml with the gears on your current bike. There are over 500 entries to date so you won't be on your own
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Have a look at the Kiltogo Gog Magog, starts from Saffron Walden. Did it in August last year, good scenery but horrible weather.0
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Am waiting for the spec on the Squires and Spires event around Northampton. Can't imagine that will be horrific0
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I'm not sure that Kilotogo are running the same programme as last year. Think they've dropped the majority of the events they ran which is a shame. I did the Godiva Sportive last year and fancied the Cannock Chase Sportive which they did last easter.0
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I just wish they had a website that worked properly: Only being navigagble by Microsoft OS systems is losing them money - mine and other non-MS/IE users. I mean, 99.9% of the world's websites don't have that problem...0
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Come and ride the Leicestershire Road Club Reliability Trial on Sunday Feb 17th.
Choice of two distances, 50 or 65 miles. Both follow the same route, but the 65 has an extra 15 miles loop before the optional cafe stop.
Starts at our clubroom, situated at the Outdoor Pursuits Centre, Redhill Island, Loughborough Road, Leicester. Route sheet, car parking, toilets, refreshments afterwards.
£3 entry on the line. 65 miles goes at 9.00am, the 50 goes at 9.30am.
Certificate to all finishers.
Bit hilly, certainly not vicious or mountainous, a 14yrs old girl rode last year, stopped at the cafe and still beat the time limit.
Ring 0116 2296015 for more dtls0 -
Blonde wrote:SteveR_100Milers wrote:Why not look up audax events? They tend to be less obviously hilly, and you have to bring your own sandwiches, but they are closer to a sportive than you might think...
I don't think that is the case - there are many very hilly audax rides (Often called 'grimpeurs' or 'challege' events) and lots more routes that are euphamistically referred to as 'scenic' which whilst not deliberately seeking out steep, or very long climbs, are a good work out none the less. It does depend where you live/ride of course - there are certainly plenty of scenic events in Yorkshire, Lancashire and Wales though where it is difficult to avoid hills!
BTW I don't know what you have been reading, but you don't have to bring your own sandwiches on events either. (or, only if you have special dietary requirements, such as gluten free, that are unlikely to be met by the controls)
I have enetered my first one next saturday, so I'm only going on anecdotal evidence. A sportive is mostly designed to be as difficult as possible to try to kill the riders, whereas I dont believe this is the primary objective of an audax event....but you are right, flat TT courses they are not!0 -
Some of the southern sportive aren't too bad - there's a few around the South Down and the Hampshire Downs. For example, the Southern Sportive in September has about 1550m of ascending in about 155km.0
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:shock:SteveR_100Milers wrote:A sportive is mostly designed to be as difficult as possible to try to kill the riders..!
It does depend where you go to ride 'em, I guess. The ones in the UK look pretty brutal, I'd agree. I shall be doing the Nove Colli this year which, though hilly, is in a different league from here - the hills are not as steep so muscle fatigue is less of an issue (it's more about stamina than pure brute strength), with the climbs being a lot longer, which also means you get a proper rest on the descents. Much more sensible and much more fun! Better weather, better food.... need I say more! 8)
To the OP - It's worth investigating what's going on in the UK in, or around National Bike Week (sometime in June). There are usually so many events all over the country (organised by various road clubs, CTC District Associations and many other cycling organisations) that one of 'em's got to be right for you!0 -
Sounds good. I suppose they need some hills to stop huge groups forming on the road - hills always split things a bit. On the other hand some routes do go too far (for me) in seeking out the hardest climbs one after another. Often the best cycling roads aren' t the 1 in 4 or 1 in 5s but longer climbs and sweeping descents you can enjoy rather than ones you are on the brakes all the time.
it's a hard life if you don't weaken.0 -
SteveR_100Milers wrote:Blonde wrote:SteveR_100Milers wrote:Why not look up audax events? They tend to be less obviously hilly, and you have to bring your own sandwiches, but they are closer to a sportive than you might think...
I don't think that is the case - there are many very hilly audax rides (Often called 'grimpeurs' or 'challege' events) and lots more routes that are euphamistically referred to as 'scenic' which whilst not deliberately seeking out steep, or very long climbs, are a good work out none the less. It does depend where you live/ride of course - there are certainly plenty of scenic events in Yorkshire, Lancashire and Wales though where it is difficult to avoid hills!
BTW I don't know what you have been reading, but you don't have to bring your own sandwiches on events either. (or, only if you have special dietary requirements, such as gluten free, that are unlikely to be met by the controls)
I have enetered my first one next saturday, so I'm only going on anecdotal evidence. A sportive is mostly designed to be as difficult as possible to try to kill the riders, whereas I dont believe this is the primary objective of an audax event....but you are right, flat TT courses they are not!
Steve - you raise an interesting point about sportives and who they are aimed at and what type of challenge they provide. I do not follow the ethos of some sportives in trying to promote something that is very difficult for most and too difficult for some. In fact I believe that everyone should be able to complete a sportive without getting themselves into severe difficulty. Hence the reason I created 3 routes for the Cyclone Challenge rides all of which can be seen on the website www.northernrockcyclone.co.uk
It would have been very easy for me to create a monster route for the 100ml ride that far exceeded the 2300m of climbing i have put in the event. However i did not because I want to encourage those new to cycling to take part. There are standards for those who want a real challenge within the 100ml ride but my ultimate aim is to get more bums on saddles and for people to enjoy the day out and see the countryside.
I believe these events should reach out and embrace the whole community and not just those already commited to cycling. The more people get out on bikes the safer the roads will become for us all.
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Try the Primrose Path Audax on Sunday. 102km and just under 2000m of climbing
Southern Sportive is idealPaul0
