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Is this the future of sportives - long term future.

JD_76JD_76 Posts: 236
edited October 2011 in Sportives/audaxes/training rides
Instead of putting up signs with arrows that direct you where to ride that the locals or kids can remove and easily disrupt an event, would the long term future of these events when technology is a bit cheaper and more advanced maybe be:

For each rider to be given a small garmin/tomtom type GPS device to fit to the handlebars that directs each rider allong the route, maybe you have to sign a waver that if you dont hand it back in you get charged the cost of replacement.

I can see this fixing the signage issue and also helping if you get lost, also the event organiser could easily make changes to the route and not even publish it until the day of the event if one would so desire (Stop farmers spreading shite on roads to again disrupt).

Thoughts?

Posts

  • notsobluenotsoblue Posts: 5,838
    Theres really no good reason not to make available a downloadable course file for those who have mapping devices. But GPS devices are still too expensive to provide them to everyone.

    Also routes do occaisionally change on the day, the last sportive I was in drastically changed near the end. Theres no substitute for route signage imo.
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  • JD_76JD_76 Posts: 236
    notsoblue wrote:
    Theres really no good reason not to make available a downloadable course file for those who have mapping devices. But GPS devices are still too expensive to provide them to everyone.

    Also routes do occaisionally change on the day, the last sportive I was in drastically changed near the end. Theres no substitute for route signage imo.

    Im kind of eluding to the future, maybe 10 years time when the GPS devices might be cheap and small enough.
    If the event organiser wanted to change the route he/she could just do it on their laptop up to an hour before and then send the update to all the devices so it would be easier to change the route if needed.
  • ugo.santaluciaugo.santalucia Posts: 25,689
    The long term future of sportives is that there won't be many.
    The format is already wearing. There is for sure a future for mass/organised riding, but I don't think the sportives will play the big role they play now.
    Those which have a pedigree and a reason to exist will survive, the others will go
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  • thegreatdividethegreatdivide Posts: 5,112
    ugo.santalucia wrote:
    The long term future of sportives is that there won't be many.
    The format is already wearing. There is for sure a future for mass/organised riding, but I don't think the sportives will play the big role they play now.
    Those which have a pedigree and a reason to exist will survive, the others will go

    This
  • Philip WhitemanPhilip Whiteman Posts: 470
    If it gets to the stage that all sportives provide is a GPS file and no waymarking, then the logical conclusion is audax. Many audaxes are providing files for GPS users in order to dispense with reliance on route cards alone.

    Costs less for entrants too.
  • MilkmaidMilkmaid Posts: 134
    (Stop farmers spreading shite on roads to again disrupt)

    Hmm. If you think farmers haven't got anything better to do with their time you should probably stay away from the countryside.
  • JD_76JD_76 Posts: 236
    Milkmaid wrote:
    (Stop farmers spreading shite on roads to again disrupt)

    Hmm. If you think farmers haven't got anything better to do with their time you should probably stay away from the countryside.

    Great response :roll:

    Of course I am sure all Farmers are true gentlemen and would never do anything like that.
    I was a gamekeeper for 12 years so have met a few in my time sir..
  • copper585copper585 Posts: 141
    On this years Big G sportive in East Yorkshire they spray painted the arrows on the road, beauty is now anyone can ride the route all year round.
  • rodgers73rodgers73 Posts: 2,626
    I downloaded the route for the Polocini Over t'Tops from their website (after the event) - there was a link to Mapmyride.

    I expect downloads will be the future instead of disposable or cheap GPS devices, maybe from a site where you have to pay for the download.
  • rodgers73rodgers73 Posts: 2,626
    copper585 wrote:
    On this years Big G sportive in East Yorkshire they spray painted the arrows on the road, beauty is now anyone can ride the route all year round.


    Brilliant! I'm doing that route on Sunday. What colour are the arrows???
  • copper585copper585 Posts: 141
    they are all red, junctions are well marked prior,at and after to ensure you on the right track.was around the area last sunday and they are still easily visible.enjoy!
  • rodgers73rodgers73 Posts: 2,626
    Thanks very much. I don't have to worry about my Garmin working now!
  • ugo.santaluciaugo.santalucia Posts: 25,689
    copper585 wrote:
    On this years Big G sportive in East Yorkshire they spray painted the arrows on the road, beauty is now anyone can ride the route all year round.

    That's the obvious solution, as adopted in Belgium and France... shame it's illegal in the UK. Who gave the organisers permission?
    http://whosatthewheel.com
  • de_sistide_sisti Posts: 1,191
    ugo.santalucia wrote:
    copper585 wrote:
    On this years Big G sportive in East Yorkshire they spray painted the arrows on the road, beauty is now anyone can ride the route all year round.

    That's the obvious solution, as adopted in Belgium and France... shame it's illegal in the UK. Who gave the organisers permission?

    On the Semaine Federal in France, they have arrows on different coloured paper (for different days) pasted to the ground. It works well (unless it chucks it down :wink: )
  • WoodyWheelerWoodyWheeler Posts: 6
    Philip Whiteman wrote:
    If it gets to the stage that all sportives provide is a GPS file and no waymarking, then the logical conclusion is audax. Many audaxes are providing files for GPS users in order to dispense with reliance on route cards alone.

    Costs less for entrants too.

    I agree. Most sportives are very expensive compared to audax rides. Of course on most audax rides you have to be a lot more independent in terms of navigation but as Philip points out, more and more organisers are now providing GPS routes. Failing that more often than not someone else has created one on line somewhere from the route sheet (although you might want to check it first).


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    Riding a Scott Carbon CR1
    Website: http://www.landsend-...hnogroats.co.uk
    A wise man once said that people who make quotes have too much time on their hands
  • dodgydodgy Posts: 2,890
    I read recently in the Etape Cymru there were was at least one group of 100 (yes - one hundred) riders who were all lost and were riding up and down the road trying to find the right way after a sign was removed.

    And there wasn't one single rider out of these lost 'flocks' of riders with the gumption to program their Garmin Edge in advance? It was trivial to convert the map the organisers published into an electronic format.
  • WoodyWheelerWoodyWheeler Posts: 6
    Flocks is just the right word. Everyone following the person in front assuming they know where they are going.

    Still, I've seen the pros follow lead motorcycles when they are waved off of the road in the final few hundred metres...
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  • rolf_frolf_f Posts: 16,014
    copper585 wrote:
    On this years Big G sportive in East Yorkshire they spray painted the arrows on the road, beauty is now anyone can ride the route all year round.

    They did that last year as well (green arrows) - some were still visible. I was a bit disappointed about that . No reason why they couldn't have used biodegradable paint.

    As to the OPs question - a bit blindingly obvious really; of course that is how it will happen :lol: As it is, I did one sportive this year where the timing chip was disposable (which is also pretty disappointing). But I doubt there is any reason why GPS devices can't be made wastefully disposable some time in the near future aside from the fact that they shouldn't be.
    Faster than a tent.......
  • dodgydodgy Posts: 2,890
    If GPS devices ever become so cheap that they're disposable, we'll all own one anywy.
  • iplodiplod Posts: 83
    did a sportive in bridgenorth earlier in the year, they also spray painted the road. Easy to follow and tamper proof.
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  • Cleat EastwoodCleat Eastwood Posts: 7,510
    I suppose it depends on the size of the ride. there's a club up here gets by with printed off arrows stuck in a plastic envelope and tied to lampposts. good idea the painting on the road thing.
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  • genkigenki Posts: 305
    The 'paint' doesn't need to be permanent. There's something they use here in Luxembourg (and over in France and Belgium) that they just splash on the road to take you round any junctions. It looks like they dab the road from a moving vehicle on the day of the ride. Mind you, most of the events don't bother with timing and as result cost about £3.50. For that you'll normally get the choice of 3 courses and 3 feed stops. The paint marks take a few weeks to disappear. Most of the events will also have GPS downloads available beforehand too, or a good enough description so you can plot your own.
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