CycloSportive Glass Houses
Comments
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Well you've pointed out two major differences already Mark. Audaxes don't have support usually, and the roads aren't signed. I'm sure at the front end there are people chasing times in both formats, but there is a more general attempt to chase a time by the bulk of participants in a sportive. I don't doubt that one can approach a sportive as an Audax and vice versa, but given my limited experience of Audaxes, I think the atmosphere is slightly, but significantly different.mrushton wrote:
why not call them 'audaxives'
seriously, I just did the WRC and I've done a number of audaxes and the latter were harder with less support (if any!) and from what I've seen of other sportives there is really little difference apart from the roads being signed and not having to faff about with a route sheet.0 -
The audax events I've done are challenging rides in which a lot of riders, generally men aged over 40, ride more quickly than me to cafes, eat beans on toast, and then get underway again before I can catch up. Audax riders don't discard their punctured tubes and if they knew what gels were, they wouldn't discard the wrappers. They say cheery hellos to me as they pass. My bike costs more than theirs and doesn't rattle as much. I wouldn't even attempt to compete on saddlebag size... They corner carefully and descend as though their families are important to them.
The sportives I've done are challenging rides in which a lot of riders, generally men aged under 40, ride more quickly than me to cafes, and promptly ride straight past them. Sportive riders sometimes discard their punctured tubes and consume endless numbers of gels and energy bars, the wrappers of which are sometimes also discarded (the extra weight would slow them down). They shout warnings at me as they hurtle past, but I never quite catch what they say (the Doppler effect makes them sound like chipmunks and my hearing isn't what it once was...). Their bikes cost more than my house and they don't rattle (they don't have mudguards) but that carbon-fibre stuff always seems to creak a lot. Sportive riders corner at warp speed, often on the inside line and descend as though they don't even have families, especially in the wet. In sportives, ambulances are strategically located to pick up the casualties.0 -
ColinJ wrote:The audax events I've done are challenging rides in which a lot of riders, generally men aged over 40, ride more quickly than me to cafes, eat beans on toast, and then get underway again before I can catch up. Audax riders don't discard their punctured tubes and if they knew what gels were, they wouldn't discard the wrappers. They say cheery hellos to me as they pass. My bike costs more than theirs and doesn't rattle as much. I wouldn't even attempt to compete on saddlebag size... They corner carefully and descend as though their families are important to them.
The sportives I've done are challenging rides in which a lot of riders, generally men aged under 40, ride more quickly than me to cafes, and promptly ride straight past them. Sportive riders sometimes discard their punctured tubes and consume endless numbers of gels and energy bars, the wrappers of which are sometimes also discarded (the extra weight would slow them down). They shout warnings at me as they hurtle past, but I never quite catch what they say (the Doppler effect makes them sound like chipmunks and my hearing isn't what it once was...). Their bikes cost more than my house and they don't rattle (they don't have mudguards) but that carbon-fibre stuff always seems to creak a lot. Sportive riders corner at warp speed, often on the inside line and descend as though they don't even have families, especially in the wet. In sportives, ambulances are strategically located to pick up the casualties.
You forgot to mention that Sportive riders are v.often overgeared but they don't have those 25 yr.old flouro yellow jkts and dynamo wheelsM.Rushton0 -
there is a point of cross-over in italian sportifs where the british sportif rider with the hairy legs and specialized bicycle looks like an audaxer
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Oh yes - thanks Mark!mrushton wrote:You forgot to mention that Sportive riders are v.often overgeared but they don't have those 25 yr.old flouro yellow jkts and dynamo wheels
Sportive riders don't have those 25 yr.old flouro yellow jkts and dynamo wheels. This is because there aren't any sportives in winter.
Sportive riders are v.often overgeared. In the Pendle Pedal 2006, a passing group of youngsters laughed at my triple as they climbed away from me on the first part of the climb from the crossroads at Quernmore. Round the bend the gradient stiffens considerably and I span past them as they walked their bikes up the hill... 0 -
Oh c'mon ! You're being far too tongue-in-cheek
I've done 2 (two ! Obviously this makes me an expert...) audaxes.
They were a challenging, hilly 110K (Spring into the Dales, which Colin knows well, and which shares a bit of the route with the WRC) and a 200K in Cheshire/Shrops (which shares a bit of the route with the Cheshire Cat)
In both, at the front there were numbers of men in club kit, on carbon race bikes, riding through-and-off
At the back, there were older people with steelframe bikes, guards, carriers and panniers or big, bulging carradices
For the quick guys at the front, I didn't see it as a lot different to sportives at all
(NB I wonder if you don't see too many of these on a 600K audax, that might be a different matter, nothing like a sportive.... ?)
Yes, you had to follow the routecard instructions rather than arrows at junctions, but let's face it it wasn't hard, and the route went between caffs rather than 'feedstations', but the quick guys were stuffing-down gels and SIS anyway so they didn't stop.
The biggest difference was that it was £4 rather than £25 and wasn't bigged-up as some sort of super-event.
You also got a massive slap-up spread at the end which must have cost far more than the entry fee.
So that's audaxes.
There's also been a rash of events which have appeared this year called 'sportives' which ran last year called 'reliability ride'...0 -
ColinJ wrote:
Oh yes - thanks Mark!mrushton wrote:You forgot to mention that Sportive riders are v.often overgeared but they don't have those 25 yr.old flouro yellow jkts and dynamo wheels
Sportive riders don't have those 25 yr.old flouro yellow jkts and dynamo wheels. This is because there aren't any sportives in winter.
Sportive riders are v.often overgeared. In the Pendle Pedal 2006, a passing group of youngsters laughed at my triple as they climbed away from me on the first part of the climb from the crossroads at Quernmore. Round the bend the gradient stiffens considerably and I span past them as they walked their bikes up the hill...
that makes a nice story, but are you really sure their laughter wasn't in your imagination, or perhaps it was just a friendly smile?
the youngsters laughing at a an old bloke on a triple is just too cliched to be true surely?0 -
Sportives also feature an 'event photographer' on many of the hills.
Presumably this is so thebetter halves of these middle aged gents can obtain photographic evidence of them pushing up all the hills :oops:
They can then use this evidence against them next time they seek permission to buy a new bit of kit and suggest that perhaps a bit more time spent riding it would be more beneficial then a new carbon stem Cycling - The pastime of spending large sums of money you don't really have on something you don't really need.0 -
robbie the roadie wrote:Sportives also feature an 'event photographer' on many of the hills.
Presumably this is so thebetter halves of these middle aged gents can obtain photographic evidence of them pushing up all the hills :oops:
They can then use this evidence against them next time they seek permission to buy a new bit of kit and suggest that perhaps a bit more time spent riding it would be more beneficial then a new carbon stem
I think it might also be so that early middle-aged gents can provide evidence of having been at the event and not off on the lash or knobbing someone?
the other thing about sportifs is that everycyclist you pass looks directly into your groupset and frameset rather than eyes.0 -
Not at all...the photographers are there so that you can justify to the wife why you need a much more expensive and lighter bike which you can ride up the hills.
Well it worked for me......0 -
To be honest, I've told the (otherwise definitely true) story so many times that I might be playing 'Chinese Whispers' in my head, but I don't think sowildmoustache wrote:ColinJ wrote:Sportive riders are v.often overgeared. In the Pendle Pedal 2006, a passing group of youngsters laughed at my triple as they climbed away from me on the first part of the climb from the crossroads at Quernmore. Round the bend the gradient stiffens considerably and I span past them as they walked their bikes up the hill...
that makes a nice story, but are you really sure their laughter wasn't in your imagination, or perhaps it was just a friendly smile?
the youngsters laughing at a an old bloke on a triple is just too cliched to be true surely?. 0 -
And the 'race numbers' are not there because it's a race (shh - it's a sportive !) , they're there so the photographer can flog you the snaps !
I do wonder which way money changes hands - do the organisers pay the photographer, or does the photographer pay to be allowed to flog snaps to the punters ?
(at prices which are sometimes steeper than the hills, although they are cheaper than the photos at marathons which are beyond being steep prices, to suck-in-teeth rip-off prices)0 -
I was a bit worried on realising that when I see women on bikes, I usually check out the bikes first... :oops:wildmoustache wrote:the other thing about sportifs is that everycyclist you pass looks directly into your groupset and frameset rather than eyes.
Mind you, that didn't apply on one Manchester-Blackpool ride... Here's part of my write-up of the 2004 event:-
And now for some important comments on Charity Ride 'Dress-Code'... To the group of slim young women riding along wearing only skimpy thongs and 'crop' tops - I'm sure that it is a good way of getting all-over tans, but I do think that it creates certain road-safety issues. It is - how might I put it - 'somewhat distracting'! If you are one of the women and would like to discuss this matter with me in person, you can reach me on 0796...
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ColinJ wrote:The audax events I've done are challenging rides in which a lot of riders, generally men aged over 40, ride more quickly than me to cafes, eat beans on toast, and then get underway again before I can catch up. Audax riders don't discard their punctured tubes and if they knew what gels were, they wouldn't discard the wrappers. They say cheery hellos to me as they pass. My bike costs more than theirs and doesn't rattle as much. I wouldn't even attempt to compete on saddlebag size... They corner carefully and descend as though their families are important to them.
The sportives I've done are challenging rides in which a lot of riders, generally men aged under 40, ride more quickly than me to cafes, and promptly ride straight past them. Sportive riders sometimes discard their punctured tubes and consume endless numbers of gels and energy bars, the wrappers of which are sometimes also discarded (the extra weight would slow them down). They shout warnings at me as they hurtle past, but I never quite catch what they say (the Doppler effect makes them sound like chipmunks and my hearing isn't what it once was...). Their bikes cost more than my house and they don't rattle (they don't have mudguards) but that carbon-fibre stuff always seems to creak a lot. Sportive riders corner at warp speed, often on the inside line and descend as though they don't even have families, especially in the wet. In sportives, ambulances are strategically located to pick up the casualties. post of the month! 0 -
Ditto above. Can we frame this one please..
Just one small suggestion for amendment though "generally men aged under 40" could have added after it "and men over 40 who wish they were 25" (hold my hand up to being in latter group)Martin S. Newbury RC0 -
bahzob wrote:Ditto above. Can we frame this one please..
Just one small suggestion for amendment though "generally men aged under 40" could have added after it "and men over 40 who wish they were 25" (hold my hand up to being in latter group)
I'd settle for "men over 50 who wish they were 40"
Colin, you ought to write a book. You have a great turn of phrase!0
