Wessex 100- Health and Safety Gone Mad

twotyred

Got my event information for the Wessex 100 yesterday and on reading the Ride Guide I came across the following-

"100 mile riders: there is a mandatory 20 minute rest stop half-way along at Hanging Langford for health and safety reasons"

How exactly is a mandatory 20 min rest stop going to improve health and safety? If anything keeping riders hanging about getting cold and possibly wet (its in September) is only going to increase chances of cramp and muscle damage.

I'm a responsible adult who has previous experience of century rides and if I want to take a 5 min, or 20 min break or even no break at all surely that's down to me. Other Sportives seem to manage just fine without such a ridiculous rule.

As I refuse to comply with this rule I'm left with three choices.

1 Don't ride and find another event that treats me like an adult- my entry fee will go to a good cause

2 Let someone else have my entry (strangely despite the H&S nonsense there is nothing in the rules about swapping identities)

3 Start the ride and hand my number in at the halfway point and complete the ride outside the event.

pbt150

I did this in 2008, and they had the same mandatory break. Realistically though they didn't take anyone's number when they arrived at the rest stop at halfway, and people were free to come and go as they pleased. The break was pretty good though, lots of cake and sandwiches, just what I needed after 50 miles!

twotyred

Don't know if it was the same when you did it pbt but this year they have provided a time card which includes halfway check in and check out times. Difficult to see how to get round that without a bit of forgery.

agnello

You could just chill out have a cup of tea and cake and do as they ask?

Or just finish however you please and risk not getting a time.

Not so long ago people were happy to complete sportives and comply with the organiser's requests and not stamp their feet and sulk like they have a god given right to show what awesome riders they are.

twotyred

This has nothing to do with willy waving agnello. I'm a far from awesome rider and would probably stop for a cup of tea and a cake but I don't want to take 20 mins about it or be told how long to take. I'm happy to comply with any reasonable health and safety request an organiser asks for e.g. observing the highway code and stopping at red lights but this has no logical basis.

If the rule had been stated on the event website I'd have had the opportunity to decline and enter another event.

rdt

I understand that next year, the organisers have decided that stabilisers will be required on all bikes also.

If you think their enforced stoppage rule is ridiculous nanny-state stuff, contact the organisers to tell them what you think, and ride someone else's event instead, where some basic common sense and self-reliance of riders is assumed by the organisers...

The "health & safety" card is usually played by organisations when the real issue is concern over their own potential liability, should someone be injured. So in that sense it's symptomatic of the increasingly litigious society we have, following the US path. Part of the solution is for people and organisations to show some backbone, and refuse to go ever further down that path. It's a path in which common sense gets left behind and leads, for example, to cotton-wool wrapped kids with vitamin D deficiencies and morbid obesity, because of the "risks" of outdoor activity etc.

twotyred

Fully agree rdt. This is all about law suit avoidance and nothing about genuine concern for rider safety.

The Wessex 100 can keep my 16 quid, I'm off to do the Shakespeare 100 instead.

I suggest anyone else who is happy to take responsibility for their own actions makes sure there aren't any similar rules in any of the other sportives Bike Events are running.

Splottboy

Can I drive to the 50 mile mark and have your tea and cakes?

Ta!

risi

I did this last year - the stop is actually in Salisbury and they had a couple of old dears marking your entry & exit time. You had to queue up to do this, so depending upon how large a group you arrived in it could take a while.
When I got to the finish, I proffered my time card to be told 'oh we don't need that'.
It (finally) dawned on me that there is no official timing mechanism in place, so its really up to you whether you stop - you aren't going to get a time anyway. It's a charity ride, not a sportive, so they're just interested in raising money.
I guess - because its a charity ride - that there may be people who are not so used to doing the distance, and they want to cover their backs etc etc.

I had a good day out - nice weather, breezed around a fairly undemanding course while riding with some nice sociable groups. So go ride it; if you don't want to stop, don't; no one is going to pull you up on it.

danowat

There was the same 20min "mandatory" stop on the Norwich 100 on June, from what I heard, it wasn't policed, and many people didn't stop.

rdt

danowat wrote:

There was the same 20min "mandatory" stop on the Norwich 100 on June, from what I heard, it wasn't policed, and many people didn't stop.

It's the same organiser, Bike Events. I seem to remember largely ignoring a 30min stop on the Norwich ride a few years back. If these stops are "enforced" through some timing card or similar, then you can just ignore them and figure out your own time.

formerlyknownasbonj

Just enter anyway, but remind them that deliberate obstruction of a vehicle on the highway is illegal under the road traffic act, which they would be doing if they tried to enforce this rule.
You are a valid vehicle on the road like any other and you thus have the right to unhindered passage.

DaveyL

formerlyknownasbonj wrote:

Just enter anyway, but remind them that deliberate obstruction of a vehicle on the highway is illegal under the road traffic act, which they would be doing if they tried to enforce this rule.
You are a valid vehicle on the road like any other and you thus have the right to unhindered passage.

Well, that's not going to work, is it? They'll just let him ride on, and DQ him from their event for breaking the rules.

I find it very odd that they have this rule for "health and safety reasons". I mean, the Fred doesn't have any rules like that, and it is a much tougher proposition. Indeed I've never heard of any other sportive that does.

Surely when you register you agree to some sort of disclaimer that says you are fit enough to complete the ride? You ought to drop the organisers a line and see if they will give you a rationale for this.

formerlyknownasbonj

DaveyL wrote:

formerlyknownasbonj wrote:

Just enter anyway, but remind them that deliberate obstruction of a vehicle on the highway is illegal under the road traffic act, which they would be doing if they tried to enforce this rule.
You are a valid vehicle on the road like any other and you thus have the right to unhindered passage.

Well, that's not going to work, is it? They'll just let him ride on, and DQ him from their event for breaking the rules.

I find it very odd that they have this rule for "health and safety reasons". I mean, the Fred doesn't have any rules like that, and it is a much tougher proposition. Indeed I've never heard of any other sportive that does.

Surely when you register you agree to some sort of disclaimer that says you are fit enough to complete the ride? You ought to drop the organisers a line and see if they will give you a rationale for this.

if you mean that particular event, then why would he care, he's already doing it...

if you mean future events, they're not going to turn away his money

twotyred

I've got no problem ignoring the stop and getting disqualified. I'm happy enough with doing my own timing. Its the organisers apparent pathetic subservience to the compensation culture that annoys me.

So from the previous posters we have a useless H&S rule that doesn't get enforced anyway so why bother?

Just found another amusing condition of entry

"It is forbidden to cross the centre line of the road"

Sorry but as a responsible road user if I'm overtaking and I judge it safe to cross the centre line then I'll do it. Would have been a few Dq'd had that rule been used on the Dragon Ride

Anyway I'm going to vote with my feet and stay away from any Bike Events rides in future.

formerlyknownasbonj

twotyred wrote:

"It is forbidden to cross the centre line of the road"

Sorry but as a responsible road user if I'm overtaking and I judge it safe to cross the centre line then I'll do it. Would have been a few Dq'd had that rule been used on the Dragon Ride

Anyway I'm going to vote with my feet and stay away from any Bike Events rides in future.

+1

on the autumn epic last year I didn't "get a time"
why?
because the numpties put the timing "mat" only over the LEFT half of the road!
I happened to be overtaking other slower cyclists, as I was doing for a large proportion of the time, so didn't go over it
she shouted after me "you're supposed to go over the mat!"
yes love, whatever you say love...

KerryjDonovan

As a veteran of the Paris-Roubaix (amateur version), and a number of races in France, I can tell you that this is a ridiculous rule. The point about cooling down and stiffening up is a valid one. The responsibility for the ride should be on the rider - providing the organisers have done their jobs properly and the route is properly marshalled.

Here (in France) you can't ride in any sanctioned event without a race license which in turn requires medical certification - without that you can't ride and you're not covered by the race insurance. You need the license for even the smallest Sportifs so if H&S were the prime driver the same would apply to races in the UK.

By the way, in France there are marshals at every junction stopping traffic while the groups pass and that's despite the fact that the numbers often exceed 1000 and the groups are spread out for mile and miles over the course.

My brother and I are still going to do the Wessex 100 though.

Can anyone tell me about the course - difficulty, elevations etc. Is Bath still as hilly as I remember it in my youth?

risi

This is the route:

http://ridewithgps.com/routes/114541

Its not a difficult course by any means - lumpy generally. The only nasty hill is the very final one (Brassknocker). Lots of it is on pretty quiet country roads so not too much traffic either - just around the towns as you would imagine.

As I said before, you don't get an official time (at least not last year) so there's no need to stop in Salisbury (Victoria Park) for the full 20 minutes, if at all. There are also some other feed stops (in some pubs/schools) around the course but you have to pay for it so don't forget to take some money.

KerryjDonovan

Thanks for that. I'll take money for emergencies only. I tend not to stop on these races - unless I have to.
Have a good one, K

KerryjDonovan

Thanks again for the reply, I'n not worried about hills really - I asked about the terrain because I live in France now and I was just wondering about the gear-set to bring over.

I'm currently using 52/42 chain-rings with a 12-24 block. Sounds like that will be enough although I might struggle to ascend this Brassknocker Hill at any speed.

By the way - I've just started riding again after a 12-year injury break. If anyone is interested in following my progress you can read all about my races in my blog:

http://cycleracereports.blogspot.com/

Also, if anyone fancies racing here in Brittany, let me know and I'll put you in touch with some organisers etc.

Cheers, KJD

freehub

It is stupid to introduce a mandatory 20min stop.

Yes people need to stop to get a time, but if that takes 1 min, then so what let them go, if it takes 30mins, well that's how long it takes, but making people wait longer when they could be off is silly and can just bugger things up for people.

nicebike

Did this event this year. Technically you can wander past the tent without stopping as they can't force you to sign in/out! The rest stop may not be great but it's over before you know it and it's not rocket science to keep your muscles warm while you're 'resting' and re-fuellling. The rest stop is a nice opportunity to chat to fellow cyclists. The Wessex 100 is organised as a CHARITY EVENT so it is not aimed at people who want to blast round without stopping.

I would recommend this as a first century ride. This was my first one and I am quite inexperienced but I found the other riders friendly and welcoming. I will be back next year to enjoy the company of other like-minded folk, despite the 'compulsory' stop![/b][/u]

Monty Dog

The Wessex has been run this way since it began (>10 yrs) and way before anybody had heard of Sportives - take it as it is, it's a great route for a leisurely ride or your first 100-miler - if you're so worried about your time, get a GPS or a race license!