Do you still try to get a fast time in Sportives...
Toks
Posts: 1,143
despite the fact there are no Gold, Silver and Bronze placings or final positions on offer with the results. Yeah sorry this one has been done quite a few times. None of the above was on offer at this years Dragon Ride. I'm just wondering how much of a diffference this makes. For me it doesn't make much difference I still try to ride sportives as fast as I can without bonking :oops:
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Toks wrote:despite the fact there are no Gold, Silver and Bronze placings or final positions on offer with the results. Yeah sorry this one has been done quite a few times. None of the above was on offer at this years Dragon Ride. I'm just wondering how much of a diffference this makes. For me it doesn't make much difference I still try to ride sportives as fast as I can without bonking :oops:
It's not a race :roll:
Survived several polar bear attacks during this years HOTA
3rd in cat @ the Highclere = Gold
135th on the 130km @ Dragon Ride
Not that i'm counting or anything
Rule #5 // Harden The Feck Up.
Rule #9 // If you are out riding in bad weather, it means you are a badass. Period.
Rule #12 // The correct number of bikes to own is n+1.
Rule #42 // A bike race shall never be preceded with a swim and/or followed by a run.0 -
Rode 100mile Cyclone last Saturday and got to about 75mile point and realised I had an hour or say to get Gold time so I really hammered it and got gold with a minute and half to spare (5hrs 38 1/2 mins) Cramping in legs really bad on last ten miles but trying to get the time pushed me.0
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Yes!despite the fact there are no Gold, Silver and Bronze placings or final positions on offer with the results0 -
I was doing the Irish Mail 400km audax last weekend and despite seeing a bunch of people returning over the Menai Bridge as I crossed it, I was going well ...until I punctured about 10km from the Holyhead control. While I found the sharp fairly quick and replaced the tube and pumped up again about 5 people went past. But as I started off I noticed that the wheel was flat again. WTF? I found the sharp. As I took everything to bits again and decided that it was a pinch flat when putting the new tube in, patched the tube and pumped up YET AGAIN another 10 people went past. I think the whole field except one other person in fact. It had taken 40 minutes to sort out a simple flat!
Audax rides have never had time awards. The finishing times of entrants are a closely guarded secret for the most part. However, I can tell you that the first person was back at 22:45 that night. Whereas I finished (3rd from last out of 40 finishers) at 6:30am
The Irish Mail 400km is a loverly loverly ride however.0 -
It's not a race
Survived several polar bear attacks during this years HOTA
3rd in cat @ the Highclere = Gold
135th on the 130km @ Dragon Ride
Not that i'm counting or anything
yeah right. that's why you check the results afterwards and tell us about them. 'cos your're not interested and they don't mean anything to you?
the beauty about it is that you can race it or not. if you feel like racing yourself or others and getting gold, silver or whatever and pushing yourself to achieve a goal - do it. if not don't. above all just be safe.0 -
I didn't try in the spud riley the other week [rode with a few clubmates] but then wished I had when I came 2'nd fastest on the 55 miler by 4 mins! :0)0
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yes. the Gold/Silver/Bronze stuff allows one to set goals over the years. Bronze this year, Silver next, Platinum after... I think it helps with focusing the training at an individual levelBMC Pro Machine
Enigma Ego0 -
Normally pace myself to come inside the Gold time, if i can, it's a nice target for the ride. Provided on schedule for that don't 'race'..... then i check the times, paste them into an Excel spreadsheet and sort in fastest time, and always think ' if i'd just pushed myself a bit i could have been in the top 10, 20 or whatever'..... So vain enoguh to check my time and rate it against others, but not too bothered, reckon the times can flatter to deceive anyway, as i normally don't stop at the feedstops unless i need to fill my water bottles...0
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Yes but not too good so far this year
D Castle sportive - Great time of 2hrs for the first 42miles then wrecked my carbon bike totally 2miles into the 2nd half.
FWC - wanted under 8hrs without walking and got lost and did an extra 8miles and ended up with 22mins over my deadline. Still did not walk up Hardknott though
5 Dales - Really started to fly on this after the first big climb but snapped a spoke on ES wheel at Tan Hill and the wheel buckled so badly I had to limp home.Brian B.0 -
As I always say, sportives are NON-COMPETITIVE*. Of course you ride for a good time otherwise what’s the point of putting in all the training?
The thing with sportives is that you’re only racing yourself as your time is massively influenced by the riders around you so you can't really go for a placing.
If you wanted to get tactical you could wait for a few waves to set off and then sprint to catch-up the leaders and then ride with them automatically getting 2, 4, 6 mins on your fellow riders hence finishing higher. Too sneaky for me.
I’ve had a good sportive if I’ve enjoyed the ride, ridden with some good guys and come close to my target time.
*but I know I was in the top 30 for the Etape Caledonian and top 150 for the Dragon Ride!0
