Sportifs, dont get it!

crapaudthepitbull

I just dont get this whole Cyclo Sportif thing going at the moment. Why anyone would pay £30 upwards to ride on overcrowded roads that are otherwise free ( i know there are free gels etc at the feed stations) is beyond me. 3 members of my family have entered the Etape Mercia this summer and asked me if i would like to join them. Call me a miserable sod but i would rather give the money to a charity of my choice and ride the lanes of Cheshire not surrounded by hundreds, if not thousands of other cyclists, most of whom have never ridden in a group/s before.
I appreciate that this is a huge market but Sportifs have existed for years, they are not a new phenomena and used to be fairly inexpensive. They were called Audax or reliability trials, cost a couple of quid and still exist,believe it or not.

ju5t1n

miserable sod

Strith

I'm no big fan of sportives, but I've been dragged into a few by mates. They were ok, but my time is focussed on training and racing. Try one you might enjoy it, they can be an enjoyable day out.

Different strokes for different folks n all.

napoleond

The only ones that seem to actually offer vfm are the Polocini ones.

Otherwise audax FTW!

Strith

Also the ones I've done in Italy you have the locals dishing out their produce on the street, which was great.

peat

Now, don't get me wrong, i wouldn't want to do them every weekend. But, every now and then it's nice to be part of an 'event', meet like-minded people, see some new areas etc.

I am doing a few as intermediate training goals, helps my motivation on my usual solo rides.

keef66

Well I signed up for one just because it's setting off from the racecourse here, and I too wondered what it's all about. I'll be back a week on Sunday to tell you if it was any good. I'm still slightly bemused that I've paid Wiggle £28 for the privilege of riding round the roads I usually ride on, only with thousands of extra cyclists and a couple of feed stops I won't want to stop at if I'm making good time. (Or I might just bimble round and try to eat and drink as much as I can at each stop)

Brakeless

I ride a few sportives each year as well as Audaxes and my clubs reliability ride. I like the 'event' atmosphere of Sportives, I like the fact I can go to a different part of the country and have a decent route laid out and signed up. They are quite often overpriced but in the scheme of things spending £20 - £30 for a day at the weekend doesn't worry me too much. I no longer drink and used to do more than that in the pub each weekend evening! Audaxes are very different in that they are much more low key, I've ridden 200km audaxes and seen about 3 other cyclists on the same event, Audax is all about distance and although there are people quietly going for a good time there are normally more out for a long ride that are happy to use the full time allowance and have plenty of stops. I wouldn't moan about any cycling discipline at all as people on bikes is all good and all that matters at the end of the day. If you don't want to do something fair enough but if others do then why would it worry you?

Chinley Churner

ju5t1n wrote:

miserable sod

+1

navrig

Firstly, the Etape series are on closed roads so that offers an experience not usually available to your avergae Joe who doesn't race. However I was disappointed to read last year that very little, if any, of the entry fees for the Etaps series actually go to the sponsoring charities. They get their money from individual sponsorship and other money generated on the increased profile.

Secondly, Sportives do offer a different experience. Riding in Groups - you've got to start somewhere, racing against the clock and your mates, the associated adrenalin rush for those not used to large events, chance to ogle some sexy bikes and the other gender in tight lycra (not politically correct but hey....) and riding the best of roads you don't know (assuming you travel to the event).

Doing a couple a year gives a degree of variety over the regular local routes.

Anonymous

In addition to what people have already said, I see them as both something to train towards and also to use as a training aid themselves.

An 'Event' always improves your performance, so if you want a good time its better to do it with other cyclists than just out on your own (not to mention a bit of wheel hugging/hopping :oops: ).

If it turns out you are having an off day, just stop at every feed station to eat, drink and stuff as much in your pockets as possible

slunker

Just reckon it's companies (Evans Wiggle IG etc) cashing in on the latest craze. After reading the report of the Etape caladonia It just showed that not a penny went to charity. As the OP says, just get a bunch of mates and ride round the roads for free.

slowbike

crapaudthepitbull wrote:

Call me a miserable sod but i would rather give the money to a charity of my choice and ride the lanes of Cheshire not surrounded by hundreds, if not thousands of other cyclists, most of whom have never ridden in a group/s before.

That's fine you miserable sod ...

I don't race and don't even belong to a cycling club. I enjoy riding - but it is mainly a method of getting/keeping fit and getting to/from work.
Signing up to a sportive is a way of making myself (and my wife) commit to a bit more training - and a way of seeing an area that we don't normally/often visit. We have our own target times and will endeavour to reach those.
Seeing other cyclists on the road is a mental boost - and if we find a suitable group then it can be a physical boost too.

All in all, it's just a bit of fun on the roads and far better than a day at the shops ...

AchillesLeftKnee

crapaudthepitbull wrote:

Why anyone would pay £30 upwards to ride on overcrowded roads that are otherwise free ( i know there are free gels etc at the feed stations) is beyond me.

Because we're all different, and £30 is a trivial sum of money for many people.

Bozman

I must be miserable too.

bianchimoon

paid £25 to enter a local one last year, got a cycling jersey, 2 bottles of beer, pen, bottle opener, food on route, and a meal and a free pint at the end.. what's not to like?

napoleond

You could always organise your own group rides too...

moscowflyer

slunker wrote:

Just reckon it's companies (Evans Wiggle IG etc) cashing in on the latest craze. After reading the report of the Etape caladonia It just showed that not a penny went to charity. As the OP says, just get a bunch of mates and ride round the roads for free.

Evans only charge £15 I think which isn't bad, and it's perfect for people who don't necessarily have other people to ride with who may want to ride with others.

nferrar

I do the odd one just for the challenge and the knowledge there's backup if I need it (as well as someone has already gone to the hassle of plotting a route for me). I generally don't do local ones any more and driving somewhere I'm not familiar with to do 100 miles on my own (having spent ages plotting a route that may or may not be good) doesn't really appeal. I can certainly see why a lot of people aren't interested in sportives (and yeah I ride audaxes to), I also agree many are a complete rip-off (like the Dragon). I don't call bananas and dirt cheap plain sponge cake things a decent feed zone.
Personally I don't really get touring, seems like a drag to cycle so slowly everywhere day after day - I can appreciate a lot of people get a lot of enjoyment from it.
Although I raced in the dim and distant past as a junior I could also sort of say I don't really get my adults, with families spend so much time and effort training just to race at their own expense on the odd weekend with their reward being finishing in a pack of other guys that aren't fast enough to race at a high level either. Still I can appreciate they must get enjoyment from it.

jgsi

nferrar wrote:

I do the odd one just for the challenge and the knowledge there's backup if I need it (as well as someone has already gone to the hassle of plotting a route for me). I generally don't do local ones any more and driving somewhere I'm not familiar with to do 100 miles on my own (having spent ages plotting a route that may or may not be good) doesn't really appeal. I can certainly see why a lot of people aren't interested in sportives (and yeah I ride audaxes to), I also agree many are a complete rip-off (like the Dragon). I don't call bananas and dirt cheap plain sponge cake things a decent feed zone.
Personally I don't really get touring, seems like a drag to cycle so slowly everywhere day after day - I can appreciate a lot of people get a lot of enjoyment from it.
Although I raced in the dim and distant past as a junior I could also sort of say I don't really get my adults, with families spend so much time and effort training just to race at their own expense on the odd weekend with their reward being finishing in a pack of other guys that aren't fast enough to race at a high level either. Still I can appreciate they must get enjoyment from it.

There are some races where you can go after an envelope to try and cover expenses.. but it's damned hard work

On sportives, where are people going to show off their bling if they didn't exist?

Grill

NapoleonD wrote:

TOtherwise audax FTW!

QFT.

Monty Dog

The sad fact is that the majority of Sportive organisers are businesses who put very little back into the sport and in doing so are probably going to kill-off road racing in the process. I know where road races have been called off due to sportives impinging on the course - organisers have no obligation to register or inform anyone of the event. Joe public doesn't know the difference and gets pi$$ed-off that there's badly-behaved cycists all over the road.
The worst bit though is that half the riders think they are in a race...
I believe that events should be sanctioned and that there should be a levy that goes back to British Cycling to at least invest in the sport and ensure events are properly co-ordinated.

Brakeless

Monty Dog wrote:

The sad fact is that the majority of Sportive organisers are businesses who put very little back into the sport and in doing so are probably going to kill-off road racing in the process. I know where road races have been called off due to sportives impinging on the course - organisers have no obligation to register or inform anyone of the event. Joe public doesn't know the difference and gets pi$$ed-off that there's badly-behaved cycists all over the road.
The worst bit though is that half the riders think they are in a race...
I believe that events should be sanctioned and that there should be a levy that goes back to British Cycling to at least invest in the sport and ensure events are properly co-ordinated.

Should we all pay Road Tax as well :roll:

bompington

Hear, hear to all the above. Cycling should be kept pure for Real Cyclists, no-one should be allowed out on a road unless they have served a 5 year apprenticeship doing club runs every sunday. And buying the cakes at the cafe each time, obviously.

Chinley Churner

Monty Dog wrote:

The sad fact is that the majority of Sportive organisers are businesses who put very little back into the sport and in doing so are probably going to kill-off road racing in the process.

I think you'll find, that since the advent of sportives with their greater inclusivity, the drip through of riders into racing is probably greater than in pre-sportive days when the only feeder were the often slightly clique and sometimes non inviting club scene. Sportives give many riders goals to train towards, they join clubs to get experience riding in groups and some go on to race. More people riding, no matter what form, can only strengthen the sport as a whole.

FergySteve

*shrugs* I don't even know what the difference between sportives and audaxes and races are! Is the point of all three to get from A to B in as quick a time as you can? :?

slowbike

FergySteve wrote:

*shrugs* I don't even know what the difference between sportives and audaxes and races are! Is the point of all three to get from A to B in as quick a time as you can? :?

Er - no - in most sportives you're usually going from point A to point A ... round and round in ever decreasing circles!

Bar Shaker

I enjoy doing a well marshalled and supported sportive.

If you don't want to do them, they aren't compulsory.

As for them killing off racing, well that's just ridiculous.

FergySteve

Hrmm... Just wiki'd sportive and audax and still can't really see much difference except for you get a time and placing in a sportive but it's still not a race (huh?!)

There's got to be more to it than that?

rolf_f

Monty Dog wrote:

The sad fact is that the majority of Sportive organisers are businesses who put very little back into the sport and in doing so are probably going to kill-off road racing in the process.

What's 'putting stuff back into the sport'? Helping potential future racers? Not really relevant - sportives aren't races. There's actually no reason why they should put stuff back into the sport given that they aren't sport! On the other hand, they are putting back into cycling as a leisure activity - people go out, ride sportives, get inspired to ride more, spend more etc etc. Just because you enjoy sportives doesn't mean you have to have any interest in cycle sport or expect the organiser to feel obligated to contribute to that separate and distinct activity.

FergySteve wrote:

Hrmm... Just wiki'd sportive and audax and still can't really see much difference except for you get a time and placing in a sportive but it's still not a race (huh?!)

There's got to be more to it than that?

Confuse yourself further and discover what a Reliability Ride is! There isn't a real difference between sportives and audaxes other than that the latter are often much longer. And there is usually no cake.

thegreatdivide

bompington wrote:

Hear, hear to all the above. Cycling should be kept pure for Real Cyclists, no-one should be allowed out on a road unless they have served a 5 year apprenticeship doing club runs every sunday. And buying the cakes at the cafe each time, obviously.