A beginner and the dragon ride

#david2012

Hmmm valid point... I'm very new to the sportive scene and even I felt there were a few idiots out there today....

Grill

Check out the audax scene. Loads more rides, more interesting routes, an eclectic mix of folk, and not to mention they're cheap as.

#david2012

Thanks Grill I've had a quick look! See what you mean

cyclingsheep

Grill wrote:

Congrats, glad you enjoyed it.

The crash at the bottom of the Bwlch is a perfect example of why I don't do sportives though.

It sounds like the guy had a blowout when going over a cattle grid, I'm not sure why you think that's because he was riding a 'sportive', it could just as easily have happen riding to work (if he lived at the top of Bwlch of course).

mustgettaller

Grill wrote:

Congrats, glad you enjoyed it.

The crash at the bottom of the Bwlch is a perfect example of why I don't do sportives though.

What a bizarre comment - do you know how/why he crashed? How is it anything to do with sportives?

Before we get into the Sportive/Audax boring discussion - I do both (and did the Gran Fondo on Sunday).

Grill

Riding with thousands of choppers = accident waiting to happen. Same reason I don't do crits.

Regardless of the actual cause of said accident, there were loads throughout the ride. That one just happened to be the most serious.

cyclingsheep

Grill wrote:

Riding with thousands of choppers = accident waiting to happen. Same reason I don't do crits.

Regardless of the actual cause of said accident, there were loads throughout the ride. That one just happened to be the most serious.

And no one ever crashed on an Audax?

Grill

You've missed the point. You can crash on any ride, the difference is that being surrounded by a load of people who think they can ride and are clouded by equal parts testosterone and delusions of grandeur compounds the risk. You get it on club rides too, albeit to a lesser extent.

giant_man

oh for gods sake, everyone misses the point except you, don't they grill? funny that eh?
could it be that grill's point is the only one worth making?

zardoz

giant man wrote:

oh for gods sake, everyone misses the point except you, don't they grill? funny that eh?
could it be that grill's point is the only one worth making?

Well he is the only Cyclist on here, the rest of us merely ride bikes :?

giant_man

oh yeah, I forgot that, hmmmm ...

djm501

#david2012 wrote:

Thanks Grill I've had a quick look! See what you mean

Tee hee, another convert - beware the lure of PBP. I am currently being sucked into the tractor beam...

Grill

zardoz wrote:

giant man wrote:

oh for gods sake, everyone misses the point except you, don't they grill? funny that eh?
could it be that grill's point is the only one worth making?

Well he is the only Cyclist on here, the rest of us merely ride bikes :?

And this is precisely the reason many tend to miss my points. My candor has acquired me a reputation of condescension which in turn jades many who read my posts. I could be more diplomatic, but it's just not as much fun. :P

zardoz

or you could just be an arrogant tw@t?

elderone

zardoz wrote:

or you could just be an arrogant tw@t?

This ^^^^^^^^

Grill

Or perhaps I just don't take any of this seriously and spend most of the time on here laughing at those who do. It's the internet brah, lighten up. :P

dmclite-3.0

Grill wrote:

Or perhaps I just don't take any of this seriously and spend most of the time on here laughing at those who do. It's the internet brah, lighten up. :P

You are just a fun-packed guy, consistent as well. Ive had better shits than you.

Grill

The thing I like about you is the juvenility of your insults. The fact that you go out of your way to say them suggest an imbalance in your limbic system.

I certainly like to think that my jokes are consistently high-brow.

slowbike

I don't normally agree with Grill ... but I'd agree sportives are generally more dangerous because the "Look I'm more pro" element who push themselves and their bikes beyond their capabilities and ride with less awareness of the others on the road.

quick example is a sportive we rode last autumn - not going fast, just around 12-13mph and plenty of ppl overtaking. Most were ok, but there were a few, often in a close group who would come through rubbing elbows with us. Not an issue for me (now) as I can ride in a straight line and it didn't bother me, but my wife is less confident and hated being passed so close. It's just not necessary.
I did block one rider on a short section as it wasn't safe to overtake - only to get a load of abuse and he barged through anyway - karma struck and he was punctured a bit further on.

Another example of the "Look at me I'm Pro" bunch is the discarding of gel wrappers. FFS ppl - it's a sportive, not a race - nobody comes through and cleans up after you. Put the rubbish in your pocket - you're asked to do this by the organisers of the event, don't ignore them.

DavidJB

Sportives are full of terrible bike riders. I did the Dragon on Sunday and it was full of terrible bike riders. I'm not saying everyone is terrible but there is some absolutely shocking riding.

Examples:

A) Guy randomly almost falls off and turns sideways going up a 5-6% climb...no gear slippage, just almost fell off...what.
About 100 people swerving madly and instantly about meter to the side to avoid a pothole of say 1cm depth or a any drain cover...1. You don't need to avoid it your bike isn't made of cheese. 2) you only need to move your bike a couple of cm to the side of it.
C) The group I rolled in with fighting for position near the end. I was actually lolling whilst sitting very far off the back so I didn't get caught up in the idiot fest.
D) Guy manages to smash his pedal on the floor on a moderate turn and almost falls off...hint the pedal goes up when you're turning that way.

I've not done a sportive for a few years and I won't be doing one again for a long while unless I can start right at the front.

+ For the training argument who rides a sportive distance to ride a sportive...plain rubbish.

Slowbike wrote:

not a race - nobody comes through and cleans up after you. Put the rubbish in your pocket - you're asked to do this by the organisers of the event, don't ignore them.

Even in races people shouldn't throw gel wrappers and this rally peeves me off to the point where I ask them why they are doing it. Very easy to put the empty wrapper in your pocket or I put mine under my short leg, they need washing anyway and I need a shower and its the easiest place to put them.

slowbike

DavidJB wrote:

Even in races people shouldn't throw gel wrappers and this rally peeves me off to the point where I ask them why they are doing it. Very easy to put the empty wrapper in your pocket or I put mine under my short leg, they need washing anyway and I need a shower and its the easiest place to put them.

Perhaps the Pro's should be stopped from discarding their rubbish on route - it's easy enough to empty a bottle and domestiques could take any significant rubbish - back to the team car if possible.
If the Pros don't do it then the wannabies will be less likely to discard rubbish too.

dmclite-3.0

Grill wrote:

The thing I like about you is the juvenility of your insults. The fact that you go out of your way to say them suggest an imbalance in your limbic system.

I certainly like to think that my jokes are consistently high-brow.

Nah, i just get narked that no matter what mostly everone says you are detrimental, insulting, sneery and generally dismissive of everyone else opinion/view. You are the common denominator 99% of the time, you just get peoples backs up, then post you think its funny to do so and just cuff it off.

PS, a picture of your painting in your LBS where you have spent thousands and thousands, or am I being way too literal ?

Grill

The whole point of a forum is to give everyone a voice. When I voice an opinion I support it with fact as well as my own experience as anyone can give an unsupported contention. The fact that many of my experiences are unique in no way invalidates them. It may rub some the wrong way (typically due to faulty interpretation), but that's not something that bothers me.

The painting is in the works, so for the moment they make do with just a life-size cardboard cutout.

In regards to the pros littering, I know that it's been a contentious subject for a while with some organisers of smaller races even banning the chucking of gels. I know that they use biodegradable bottles and I'm pretty certain that on the bigger races/tours there are cleanup crews (at least in the populated areas).

Calpol

Grill wrote:

The whole point of a forum is to give everyone a voice. When I voice an opinion I support it with fact as well as my own experience as anyone can give an unsupported contention. The fact that many of my experiences are unique in no way invalidates them. It may rub some the wrong way (typically due to faulty interpretation), but that's not something that bothers me.

.

Calpol wrote:

Grill wrote:

Calpol- Your logic is fallacious at best. How are you supposed to prepare to ride a distance by riding the distance? Cycling is not like running where you have to gradually up your mileage. You can easily increase your mileage by 50% and even 100-200% isn't as big an issue as people think.

If you read what I said carefully then you will see that I prefaced it by saying "others may disagree" and "what I am learning". I am not saying my contribution is expert or logic for that matter but it is my experience. You will also note I wrote about time on the bike and not mileage. I gave my opinion based on what I have learned therefore I don't think it warrants being flamed. Like all internet forum advice the OP is welcome to accept or disregard any replies as they see fit.

there you go again Grill - you either have a short memory or are just delusional.

Grill

I love it when being quoted without context, it lends an air of mystery to the whole thing!

Let's break it down, shall we as I am making two separate points in that statement.

The first point is in reference to you saying that the only way to prepare to ride 80 miles is to indeed ride 80 miles. Your logic is indeed fallacious as I pointed out, as this makes no sense. You cannot prepare for something by doing it as that isn't preparation, it's completion.

Preparation - Noun
The action of making ready or being made ready for use.
Something done to get ready for an event or undertaking.

Completion - Noun
The action or process of completing or finishing something

As you can see I am indeed correct as your advice is paradoxical.

The second part about upping mileage from cycling is based upon not only my experience, but those of every member of my club. It was intended to let the OP know that longer distances are a state of mind that are easily overcome. We obviously don't see eye-to-eye on this point which is fine, but I saw no need to dampen the excitement of the OP.

Let's try to keep this on-topic. If you want to start a fan-club for me then do it in Bottom Bracket. :P

dmclite-3.0

Grill wrote:

I love it when being quoted without context, it lends an air of mystery to the whole thing!

Let's break it down, shall we as I am making two separate points in that statement.

The first point is in reference to you saying that the only way to prepare to ride 80 miles is to indeed ride 80 miles. Your logic is indeed fallacious as I pointed out, as this makes no sense. You cannot prepare for something by doing it as that isn't preparation, it's completion.

Preparation - Noun
The action of making ready or being made ready for use.
Something done to get ready for an event or undertaking.

Completion - Noun
The action or process of completing or finishing something

As you can see I am indeed correct as your advice is paradoxical.

The second part about upping mileage from cycling is based upon not only my experience, but those of every member of my club. It was intended to let the OP know that longer distances are a state of mind that are easily overcome. We obviously don't see eye-to-eye on this point which is fine, but I saw no need to dampen the excitement of the OP.

Let's try to keep this on-topic. If you want to start a fan-club for me then do it in Bottom Bracket. :P

Fcuk me, you'd put a glass eye to sleep.

zardoz

Dmclite that was priceless