Sportives - how good to you have to be??

felix500

Hi guys. I'm thinking of doing my first ever sportive (Wessex in May) but I'm a bit worried about what standard to expect. I'm up for the 90 mile event and I guess this will take me about 7-8 hours. I ride about 60 miles a week in 10 mile bursts averaging about 17mph on a flat-ish commute.
Am I going to get left behind if i do decide to enter the sportive?

Mettan

If you can regularly average 17 over 10 on a "commute" then you're quite a competent rider........ Regards doing a 90 miler in May, ideally you'd want to be able to "comfortably" do one or two 60 or 70 milers in the interim - that's in addition to general short training rides or commutes.

Is the Wessex hilly? - check out it's total ascent and elevation profile if published - also, check out last years results to get an idea of rider times.

Again, to reiterate though, to feel confident in doing a hilly 90, ideally you'd want one or two hilly 60 or 70's under your belt.

La cucaracha

Me too - I'm doing the 3 days though. Talk about throwing myself in at the deep end! Should be good though - I'm planning to do a recce this weekend to get an idea of what it'll be like. Porlock Hill could be a challenge...

Anonymous

felix500 wrote:

Hi guys. I'm thinking of doing my first ever sportive (Wessex in May) but I'm a bit worried about what standard to expect. I'm up for the 90 mile event and I guess this will take me about 7-8 hours. I ride about 60 miles a week in 10 mile bursts averaging about 17mph on a flat-ish commute.
Am I going to get left behind if i do decide to enter the sportive?

No!, you will find that on these sportifs that most go off far too fast and it can be quite daunting to start with, but there are many many different abilities in these events and you will after only 20-30miles find very quickly find many other similar abilities and will feel comfortable...

I rememeber thinking on the FWC last year for the first 50miles that I'll be lucky to finish...that was until we hit Honister Pass...then the ones which went far too quickly fell back and the ride turned into a struggle of survival more than anything else...its funny as at the start of these rides you always think...keep up, try your best, but after a few lungbursters and after mile after mile the ride usually transcends into 'keep a steady pace and finish' Nowt to fear mate, if you even look at the FWC lastyear...1st 5.45 Last 11.00

And on this years Wild Wales one guy finshed in the 11 hour mark aswell...who cares? Bet he still enjoyed the challenge...

oldwelshman

You will be fine if you just do some longer miles on weekends to improve your endurance.
I did a charity ride london to paris and several people did it with no prep!! One girl only ever rode a MTB 15 miles and she did whole route.
You dont have to worry about being left behind, go at your pace.
It may be better for you to head of in front groups and ride your own pace, but do not try to keep up if pushing too hard, just go your own pace and another group will come along so you will get to ride with lots of people

pneumatic

The organisers of the Etape Caledonia suggest you need to be able to average 12mph over 80 miles (i.e. get round in under 6hrs 40). If you don't, they'll sweep you up in the Broom wagon or strip you of your timing chip and number (it's a closed road event).

Being me, I worried about this and did it in 4hrs 44!

That's good advice about not going off too fast. Do your own thing for the first 10 miles and then choose (and lose) your chaingangs wisely.

pedylan

You need to learn to feed and drink properly on the bike and to take on board sufficient calories on a ride of 90 miles - no good relying on juice and fat reseves! So pace your intake as well as your output.

pneumatic wrote:

The organisers of the Etape Caledonia suggest you need to be able to average 12mph over 80 miles (i.e. get round in under 6hrs 40). If you don't, they'll sweep you up in the Broom wagon or strip you of your timing chip and number (it's a closed road event).

Being me, I worried about this and did it in 4hrs 44!

That's good advice about not going off too fast. Do your own thing for the first 10 miles and then choose (and lose) your chaingangs wisely.

I enjoyed the Caledonia as well and did it in a near identical 4 47. I made the opposite pacing mistake of going off too slowly in case I blew up so finished failrly fresh. Still debating whether to enter this year but feel I should support (as an exile Scot) it and I see it's reached 1000 entrants so far compared to around 1300 taking the start last year.

SteveR_100Milers

Although there are loads of riders, its not a mass start event, most of them are staggered groups or for the smaller events then folks tend to leave in small groups with their mates etc. I have seen people riding them on heavy touring bikes in baggy trousers, they finished which is the whole point of them. Do it, you'll be inspired to do even more "training" miles after it I'm sure....

Gav2000

There is nothing wrong with not being the fastest, I think finishing in a time which you think is good is the main thing.

I also think that the large number of other people on a sportive makes you ride further then you would normally do so 90 miles on the day will seem no worse than a 60 mile ride by yourself.

Don't set off too quickly though, I have to use my heart rate monitor to pace myself as my natural desire is to chase off after anyone who I see ahead.

Gavin.

felix500

Thanks Guys, there's some real encouraging advice here. I'm not totally new to long distances - did the Whitehaven to Sunderland C2C last November in two days, Bristol to Poole (75 miles, 4hrs 50mins) last summer and Bristol to Cardiff (50miles, 3hrs 15). I just haven't done a sportive before so was a bit worried that everyone would be an elite racer and I'd be embarassing myslef at the back. Sounds like that's not the case. Now where did I put that application form....

Peter Harrison

SteveR_100Milers wrote:

Although there are loads of riders, its not a mass start event, most of them are staggered groups or for the smaller events then folks tend to leave in small groups with their mates etc. I have seen people riding them on heavy touring bikes in baggy trousers, they finished which is the whole point of them. Do it, you'll be inspired to do even more "training" miles after it I'm sure....

One of the best sights I saw, as organiser, on the 100ml Northern Rock Cyclone last year was the guy who turned up on an MTB complete with nobbly tyres. He also had 2 large rigid plastic containers with the tops cut off rivited to his pannier rack. On the back of his bike he had a large car warning triangle. He had cycled 11 mls to get to the start and he cycled home after doing the 100ml ride. Mind he did take 11hrs to do the ride. As I do not have cut off times for the rides I just had to sit patiently until he arried as I knew he was somewhere between the final intermdiate timing point and the finish. Also knew he had not gone home or was in A & E somewhere because we checked those places as well

SteveR_100Milers

Peter Harrison wrote:

SteveR_100Milers wrote:

Although there are loads of riders, its not a mass start event, most of them are staggered groups or for the smaller events then folks tend to leave in small groups with their mates etc. I have seen people riding them on heavy touring bikes in baggy trousers, they finished which is the whole point of them. Do it, you'll be inspired to do even more "training" miles after it I'm sure....

One of the best sights I saw, as organiser, on the 100ml Northern Rock Cyclone last year was the guy who turned up on an MTB complete with nobbly tyres. He also had 2 large rigid plastic containers with the tops cut off rivited to his pannier rack. On the back of his bike he had a large car warning triangle. He had cycled 11 mls to get to the start and he cycled home after doing the 100ml ride. Mind he did take 11hrs to do the ride. As I do not have cut off times for the rides I just had to sit patiently until he arried as I knew he was somewhere between the final intermdiate timing point and the finish. Also knew he had not gone home or was in A & E somewhere because we checked those places as well

In a similar but polar oppposite was the sight of someone attempting a sportive on a TT bike.....pretty sure he didnt "win" it!

paul_bhoy

I've done a few sportives over the last couple of years and always thought it would be quite cool to stroll in last, but doesnt matter how slow I go there is always someone slower. Seriously though I train alone and always find my aveage speed in an event is always greater than I predicted beore the start. Take your time with regards not getting caught up in the occasion and trying to latch on to folk who fly off at the start. You seem to have decent base miles already and its only the end of Jan, you just need to build on these but personally I think its important that you experience before the day actually being on the bike for a 6 or 7 hours

peanut

La cucaracha wrote:

Porlock Hill could be a challenge...

it is :shock: but I did it on a 39x23 in my younger days

even more of a challenge coming down with your brakes on fire and your tub rolling off the rim lol

Gav2000

Peter Harrison wrote:

One of the best sights I saw, as organiser, on the 100ml Northern Rock Cyclone last year was the guy who turned up on an MTB complete with nobbly tyres. He also had 2 large rigid plastic containers with the tops cut off rivited to his pannier rack. On the back of his bike he had a large car warning triangle. He had cycled 11 mls to get to the start and he cycled home after doing the 100ml ride. Mind he did take 11hrs to do the ride. As I do not have cut off times for the rides I just had to sit patiently until he arried as I knew he was somewhere between the final intermdiate timing point and the finish. Also knew he had not gone home or was in A & E somewhere because we checked those places as well

£10 to the first person to complete one on a Chopper!


Gav.

pugwashcp

And on this years Wild Wales one guy finshed in the 11 hour mark aswell...who cares? Bet he still enjoyed the challenge...

Hurrah!! Someone went round slower than me

I tootled round in a little over ten and a half and had a blinding day in the saddle. Sportives aren't just for the race whippets out there. Go at your own pace, enjoy the scenery and have fun!!

fizz

I did the 50 mile tour of wessex route on the saturday last year. I only started training at the end of Jan 2007, by May I'd done plenty of miles including some long over 30 mile rides and one 50 mile ride about two weeks before. I was surprised how I found it, I found it easier than I thought I would and average 15mph. Remember to eat and drink plenty, the two guys I cycled with didnt and one of them had stomach cramps when he did finally drink and the other guy bonked quite badly at the end of the ride.

You dont need to be super fit, its not a race, its a challenge, yes we all want to set a good time, but as long as you get round I dont think it matters, I really enjoyed it everybody was friendly and I chatted to a few people as I went round, I even managed to overtake a few people and I kept up with a group of people who had done the 100 route when the routes converged at the end of the ride, but not for long though

It is hilly I'm considering dropping my gearing from standard double to a compact so I have some bail out gears as I struggled up the Climb of King alfreds tower last year and I had to walk to get up the last bit as I ran out of gears.

My plan is to do the 3 day full event next year. Umh Porlock hill is going to be a killer.