What is a Sportive about?

rodgers73

Bozman wrote:

Ask Daisy Waugh(Sunday Times Columnist) what she thinks of sportives.

Does she think they're really good?

danowat

To answer the original question "What is a Sportive about", seems to be about getting in the way of people on a time trial.....

http://www.timetriallingforum.co.uk/ind ... opic=59967

springtide9

rodgers73 wrote:

Bozman wrote:

Ask Daisy Waugh(Sunday Times Columnist) what she thinks of sportives.

Does she think they're really good?

Do you really think one of Murdoch's papers is going to have a positive spin on cycling? LOL

Thelittlesthobo

As a newcomer to road cycling this thread isnt putting a good face on its participants. A sportive reminds me of a MTB Merida type event. Group starts, a few serious, the rest trying to either complete the course or beat a previous time/goal.

Whats left to get het up about?

I fancy taking part in one this year and as i am pretty competative there will be no point in it unless i have some kind of goal. Wether thats just to finish is down to my own personal choice. Maybe i will have a secret time in my head or maybe i will have a mate riding who i secretly want to beat. Is that anyone elses problem as long as i do it with a smile on my face and ride sensibly.

I think a lot of the problem is that a lot of cyclists forget why they enjoy riding. It happened to me on the mountain bike. ATM i am returning to cycling having been worried i wouldnt be able to ride anymore so i have a pretty healthy perspective on it. If someone is riding their bike and enjoying it you have to question yourself if you have anything other than positive things to say about it.

Anonymous

Yep, a lot have forgotten how to enjoy it.

rodgers73

springtide9 wrote:

rodgers73 wrote:

Bozman wrote:

Ask Daisy Waugh(Sunday Times Columnist) what she thinks of sportives.

Does she think they're really good?

Do you really think one of Murdoch's papers is going to have a positive spin on cycling? LOL

Erm, I'm not sure. Why wouldnt they??

springtide9

rodgers73 wrote:

springtide9 wrote:

rodgers73 wrote:

Bozman wrote:

Ask Daisy Waugh(Sunday Times Columnist) what she thinks of sportives.

Does she think they're really good?

Do you really think one of Murdoch's papers is going to have a positive spin on cycling? LOL

Erm, I'm not sure. Why wouldnt they??

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daisy_Waugh

Daisy caused controversy on 17th July 2011 in an article for The Sunday Times Magazine when she said "when I see those wretched bike swarming over the horizon, as I do on almost a weekly basis round where I live, it's all I can do not to jump into my car and mow the lot of them into the pavement"

I rest my case. BTW, I guessed it would be something like this before actually seeing the article. Any paper that actually prints an article like this IMO should be closed down. It's outrageous and no wonder why there is little respect for cyclists in the UK.

pdstsp

There's probably more respect for us than there is for News International journalists.

rodgers73

I'm not sure one column in one Murdoch newspaper means News International is out to get all cyclists.

You might be getting carried away in the current heated atmosphere

springtide9

rodgers73 wrote:

I'm not sure one column in one Murdoch newspaper means News International is out to get all cyclists.
You might be getting carried away in the current heated atmosphere

Enough cyclists die our roads..and some people think this is amusing?? It's so amusing, that's the editor approved and published it a major Sunday newspaper??

Thanks for your insight... if I posted what I really think about 'Daisy Duke' I'd get a ban on here! [not laughing out loud]

Aguila

red ed wrote:

blackhands wrote:

I'm not sure that the claim that a sportive is not a race has ever been tested in court. Just saying its not a race is not the acid test - which surely must be that if a list of finishrers with times achieved is published then the "if it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck then it is a duck" ruling must surely apply.

Whether the participants treat it like a race or not, or just riding to get round, is irrelevant.

Quite. Many sportives are advertised to make them appear to be races, and of course there is timing and talk of 'course records' and the like. Ask anyone who sees a big sportive what they think is happening and they'll say it's a cycle race. The UCI even have a 'world championships' for sportives so good luck persuading a non-cyclist that they're not races.

Club cyclists are snooty about them for a number of reasons: we do these types of routes every week on club runs, why don't people just do a little research and come out on a club ride for free; the standard of riding is typically terrible because so many haven't bothered to learn the basic skills of group riding and just jump in a group of 100s of riders; joe public seeing the behaviour of riders on them assumes that it's a bike race and that makes it more difficult for us to organise our actual races where we need to get permission from police forces.

vorsprung wrote:

Actual cycle racing on open roads is not allowed and for good reason.

:shock:

Because they would have to spend time with people who sneer at them as not "proper cyclists".

paulbox

dmclite wrote:

Each to his own. I race and also do Sportives, enjoy them both thoroughly. If you enjoy it, do it, whether its on a bonky old bike or a £5k cracker, doesn't matter, just being out on the bike is what matters.

A breath of fresh air (amongst a few others), I get the feeling that there are a few people who don't say "good morning" to mountain bikers on this thread... :roll:

rodgers73

springtide9 wrote:

rodgers73 wrote:

I'm not sure one column in one Murdoch newspaper means News International is out to get all cyclists.
You might be getting carried away in the current heated atmosphere

Enough cyclists die our roads..and some people think this is amusing?? It's so amusing, that's the editor approved and published it a major Sunday newspaper??

Thanks for your insight... if I posted what I really think about 'Daisy Duke' I'd get a ban on here! [not laughing out loud]

I was laughing at your rather broad brush assumption that anything printed in a single Murdoch paper is endorsed by the entire media output of News International, right across its spectrum.

Relax, it's a typical "controversial" view on [insert any topic you choose here] that plenty of columnists resort to to make their writing more interesting, due to lack of anything decent to put in their piece that week. Clarkson does this all the time. The day you start reacting to this sort of thing as if it's serious and genuinely meant is the day you lose perspective.

springtide9

rodgers73 wrote:

I was laughing at your rather broad brush assumption that anything printed in a single Murdoch paper is endorsed by the entire media output of News International, right across its spectrum.
Relax, it's a typical "controversial" view on [insert any topic you choose here] that plenty of columnists resort to to make their writing more interesting, due to lack of anything decent to put in their piece that week. Clarkson does this all the time. The day you start reacting to this sort of thing as if it's serious and genuinely meant is the day you lose perspective.

I know what you are saying, but unfortunately unless people stand up and state that articles like the one mentioned are not acceptable in society, then they will continue to print, as well as making it somewhat acceptable to cut up a cyclist.
Just think back to the days of 'drink driving'. When society joked about having a few drinks and driving, it became socially acceptable to do it. It was only when people stood up and stated that wasn't acceptable anymore and people were getting killed as a result of other peoples actions, people's attitudes changed.

Without going off on on... but the Highwaycode states:

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/TravelAndTr ... /DG_069858
212
When passing motorcyclists and cyclists, give them plenty of room (see Rules 162-167). If they look over their shoulder it could mean that they intend to pull out, turn right or change direction. Give them time and space to do so.

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/TravelAndTr ... /DG_070314
163
Overtake only when it is safe and legal to do so. You should
..
- give motorcyclists, cyclists and horse riders at least as much room as you would when overtaking a car (see Rules 211-215)


Given the Highwaycode states the above - how many cars actually give cyclists 'as much space as a car' when overtaking - even when the road is empty?

The problem is, people don't read the Highwaycode on a Sunday morning... but they are reading the garbage printed in some of the newspapers. It fine for car drivers to virtually ignore cyclists on the road - so as long as they don't scratch their paint on their cars - they are good.

Attitudes will not change unless people stand up and make a point of what is acceptable in society and what isn't.
I would expect that if she had stated 'those children crossing the roads going to school in the morning - really slow down my journey into work - I sometimes feel like mowing them down..." the whole country would be in outrage. But she only talked about killing Sunday cyclists - so it's OK?

[/rant]