Reliability Rides??

monkeypoo
monkeypoo Posts: 94
edited January 2009 in Pro race
What's the deal with Reliability Rides? I'm doing 1 tommorow, not really sure what i've signed upto.

It was described to me as a non-compettive race, Does this mean I can't win?

What's the pace of these normally like? I've only just started road cycling, figured it'd be a good way to get feel of racing.

Thanks

Jon

Comments

  • huggy
    huggy Posts: 242
    It's not really a race, you just have to cover a certain distance in a certain time.
  • Ricardo H
    Ricardo H Posts: 167
    wont give you a feel for racing, but will help you get used in riding in a group and following wheels
  • OffTheBackAdam
    OffTheBackAdam Posts: 1,869
    Ricardo H wrote:
    won't give you a feel for racing
    Don't you believe it!
    You're supposed to have a maximum average speed of something like 21mph.
    The one's I went on, many years back, were more akin to an unlicenced road race!
    Remember that you are an Englishman and thus have won first prize in the lottery of life.
  • disgruntledgoat
    disgruntledgoat Posts: 8,957
    You're not wrong. Every one I've ever been on, from the scratch group at least, has spent the first half doing blistering through and off and the second fighting it out for bragging rights. My last 3 go

    1) Went with group of 3 riders 2 miles from the end, "lost" in the sprint.

    2) Got dropped by "attack" on the last climb.

    3) Crashed on wet descent chasing the "leader"
    "In many ways, my story was that of a raging, Christ-like figure who hauled himself off the cross, looked up at the Romans with blood in his eyes and said 'My turn, sock cookers'"

    @gietvangent
  • 8can
    8can Posts: 34
    a sportive a non racers pretending they are racing
    A reliability is racers trying to pretend they are not racing :wink:
  • disgruntledgoat
    disgruntledgoat Posts: 8,957
    8can wrote:
    a sportive a non racers pretending they are racing
    A reliability is racers trying to pretend they are not racing :wink:


    Ne'er a truer word spoken.
    "In many ways, my story was that of a raging, Christ-like figure who hauled himself off the cross, looked up at the Romans with blood in his eyes and said 'My turn, sock cookers'"

    @gietvangent
  • Kléber
    Kléber Posts: 6,842
    I've heard two stories.

    The first goes that you are set an average speed to follow, say 21mph, and that you have to be "reliable" and plan to meet this average speed when arriving at the checkpoints and at the finish.

    Alternatively, in past years when the new season approached, riders would dust off their race bikes with tubs and test them before beginning a race proper, to ensure the bike was reliable.

    Which one is it?
  • scottfrasernz
    scottfrasernz Posts: 53
    A 'race' is anytime two or more riders compete to be in front..

    Could be on the way to work :lol: or the Tour de France

    Or even the dreaded Richmond Park Individual Pursuit (rider lapping in the other direction)

    Reliability trials sound incredibly naff if you ask me, so I'm heartened to hear that they descend into a race anyway; excellent!
  • disgruntledgoat
    disgruntledgoat Posts: 8,957
    If anything it adds a whole new level of strategy... Can you slip out of the Cafe with a slower group to fool your rivals? Is the scone to heavy for the impending climb? Will ribbing your club-mates about how fat they look after winter cause them to crack psychologically?
    "In many ways, my story was that of a raging, Christ-like figure who hauled himself off the cross, looked up at the Romans with blood in his eyes and said 'My turn, sock cookers'"

    @gietvangent
  • disgruntledgoat
    disgruntledgoat Posts: 8,957
    If anything it adds a whole new level of strategy... Can you slip out of the Cafe with a slower group to fool your rivals? Is the scone to heavy for the impending climb? Will ribbing your club-mates about how fat they look after winter cause them to crack psychologically?
    "In many ways, my story was that of a raging, Christ-like figure who hauled himself off the cross, looked up at the Romans with blood in his eyes and said 'My turn, sock cookers'"

    @gietvangent
  • disquieting_museeuws
    disquieting_museeuws Posts: 601
    My club used to do very popular reliability trials when I started off back in the 1980's. The idea (then at least) was that you covered a certain course within certain time perameters, usually around 15mph (people had winter bikes back then). You were given a course sheet, but rode as a group unless you got dropped. So the 'reliability' bit referred to covering a certain course at a certain average speed. I'm sure their roots go back to the days when doing this in winter was actually a challenge, but they had become more like organised training rides by the time I was doing them. They often turned into impromptu road races, naturlich. The last one I did in Hampshire about 6 years ago was actually more akin to the original ethos in that everyone started individually and found their own way around the course without the help of a bunch that knew where they were going (unless of course you started with or joined up with a group & rode round like that). The ones I rode didn't have checkpoints as such, just a start & finish point. Now a randonee, that does have checkpoints ...
  • ColinJ
    ColinJ Posts: 2,218
    8can wrote:
    a sportive a non racers pretending they are racing
    A reliability is racers trying to pretend they are not racing :wink:
    And an audax is non-racers trying to pretend they are not racing...
  • Ricardo H
    Ricardo H Posts: 167
    shall be doing my first reliability ride since 1992 on sunday so i shall report back on how "race like " it was. That assuming that i dont get blown out the back after 20 miles
  • JC.152
    JC.152 Posts: 645
    big shock last year when I set off on me first reliability when the slow group kicked off at really quick speeds for what I'd been doing last january. :oops:

    as well people normally say before reliablilitys lets keep it together as a group up until its time to go when they pretend they've never said it so they can get to the quickest group :evil:
  • Le Commentateur
    Le Commentateur Posts: 4,099
    disgruntledgoat wrote:
    8can wrote:
    a sportive a non racers pretending they are racing
    A reliability is racers trying to pretend they are not racing :wink:


    Ne'er a truer word spoken.

    A winter reliability is usually a timely reminder I'm not even fit enough for a sportive, let alone a race.
    Un uomo solo al commando
  • Ricardo H
    Ricardo H Posts: 167
    yesterdays horsham - hindhead was run at a fast tempo,but its still not the sort of pace you get in races. There was about 10 of us just given it what we could, the stronger riders did longer turns than those with less fitness. a good day out.
  • nwallace
    nwallace Posts: 1,465
    8can wrote:
    a sportive a non racers pretending they are racing

    Yes and because they are only pretending to race and not actually race (despite times and positions being published) the organisers don't need the extra hassle of getting the appropriate authorisation to run a race on the public highway.
    Do Nellyphants count?

    Commuter: FCN 9
    Cheapo Roadie: FCN 5
    Off Road: FCN 11

    +1 when I don't get round to shaving for x days
  • jimycooper
    jimycooper Posts: 740
    anyone doing the chaily(lewis) one?
  • Ricardo H
    Ricardo H Posts: 167
    when is it, need to get a few more hard rides organised before the burgess hill sportive
  • jimycooper
    jimycooper Posts: 740
    next sunday, you doing that 106 audax ride in ditchling (organised by one guy!) aswell? 6th feb i think...
  • neil²
    neil² Posts: 337
    Ooops. I just signed up for one in Feb, expecting it to be a nice little pootle along. I think that everyone will have gone home by the time I cross the line. Hmmm... have I got time to train for it, proper like?
    The Riddler
    The GT
  • jimycooper
    jimycooper Posts: 740
    no, you go off in groups so go with some people around your fitness leval.
    should be a laugh anyway :lol:
  • Ricardo H
    Ricardo H Posts: 167
    cant do this weekend but the ditchling audax should be good

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