cannock chase sportive

simo105

im debating on wether or not to do this event! ill only do the short version and this will be the first one ive been too! im a little worried that i may go un equipt and also ill be on my own so i just wondering is it wise to go with someone or not? mite seem silly but its a new sport to me i aint got a clue what to do lol I've never really cycled over 30 mile to hence ill go for short one first. Is it wise to join a club first to get a better idea before it starts these sportive?
cheers

CiB

30 miles is only a couple of hours riding at a steady pace. Have a big breakfast, take a big drinks bottle (950 ml) full of decent strength squash and away you go. It'll be over before you know what's happened.

GBR1

Give it a go, nothing to lose!

I did my first a month or so ago and loved it. Lots of friendly people and once out riding you will pretty quickly find you are cycling at the same pace as someone and then you can encourage each other on..

As CIB said have a good breakfast, eat a banana 20 min before setting off and take a small flapjack (if there is no feed station which I suspect there will be) for half way teat and energy boost..

You will be fine and love it!

GBR1

CiB

Just to expand a bit, a sportiv is [officially at least] not a race, it's an opportunity for like-minded folk to do a communal ride. You'll get the full range of abilities doing it and it's a cert that you'll find people of your own ability to ride with if you want to, or just ride at your own pace and see who passes you and who you pass.

A big breakfast doesn't mean three bowls of Sugar Puffs. Have something decent like Weetabix or porridge ideally, and start off well hydrated and keep drinking, if nothing else so that you don't carry a kilo of fluid all the way round - that's wasteful.

If you can, start off early with the first riders away. They'll probably drop you fairly quickly but there should be a steady stream of riders at slower paces who will catch you and you might latch onto a group going at your pace. Better than setting off last and never seeing anyone - that's not a sportiv, it's a bike ride.

Enjoy it. It's not a race. Really.

simo105

Cheers for the advice I didn't realize deadline was last night! I think I can pay on the day though!

the_cyclist_of_catan

Yup, you can. Just as well, really, as I'm going to wait until Saturday to see what the weather is like, and see how I feel, before plumping for either the 60 or longer distances (assuming I can get out on Sunday at all).

the_cyclist_of_catan

I think I might go for an on-the-line entry for the 90-miler. 60 miles seems a bit unambitious to me right now, given that's the usual sort of distance I do on aSunday. My first Sportive though (by temperament and style I'm more of an audax rider, but don't imagine that there's a huge amount of difference betwixt the two).

the_cyclist_of_catan

I did the 90-miler (actually only 86), stopping only very briefly at the feed stations. That was probably the biggest change from an audax - the stops were a lot shorter, and better supplied with flapjacks, energy bars and drink refills (so much so that my saddlebag full of provisions was still full of provisions when I got back home). I'll take less luggage next time. I did like the way that the route was clearly signed, too.