Thinking of setting myself a sportive target.
stoveman
Posts: 125
Looking at doing a couple of sportives next year having never entered one before,and the thought of a target event would help me motivation wise to train and push in the miles.
Currently riding 50 -70 miles a week over 3 trips.
Anybody who has ridden the Dartmoor Classic have any thoughts on it as a debut Sportive for a novice rider.
I was planning the Medio route of 67 miles.
Any thoughts/tips or advice appreciated.
Many thanks.
Phil.
Currently riding 50 -70 miles a week over 3 trips.
Anybody who has ridden the Dartmoor Classic have any thoughts on it as a debut Sportive for a novice rider.
I was planning the Medio route of 67 miles.
Any thoughts/tips or advice appreciated.
Many thanks.
Phil.
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Comments
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depends where you are based but look at the route profile and if you can do 3/4 of it near where you live (so if its 600 feet of climbing get 4500 -5000 feet in on one ride) then you'll be set.
look out for hard gradients, you'll need to be able to replicate that locally. I do Liege Bastogne Liege every year and that's 15000 feet of climbing, with a lot of it on steep ramps. you need to be comfortable about doing this kind of thing repeatedly. its not difficult to train getting up steep hills but can be difficult in terms of motivation.0 -
I honestly don't understand these "training for a sportive" threads. A sportive of 70 miles is no different to doing your own 70 mile ride. Well, actually it is, it's easier. You have route markers, food stops and 500 other riders to help you along.
I also don't understand "motivation wise to train and push in the miles". If you don't enjoy riding your bike then why do it? If all you are doing is entering a sportive and then dreading riding your bike enough to be able to complete it, doesn't that sound a bit odd?Trainer Road Blog: https://hitthesweetspot.home.blog/
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Ride your bike until you can about 50 miles then pay someone to ride 70 miles in a sportive. It doesn't matter how long it takes or how long you stop at the feed stations as long as you enjoy it.
Please see link below showing the number of finishers in the Dartmoor Devil Audax. This is 100 km (63m) and has been running for over 20 years. Dartmoor is very hilly and lots of them are very steep. The weather can also be very challenging at any time of year.
http://www.dartmoordevil.co.uk/0 -
I honestly don't understand these "training for a sportive" threads. A sportive of 70 miles is no different to doing your own 70 mile ride. Well, actually it is, it's easier. You have route markers, food stops and 500 other riders to help you along.
I also don't understand "motivation wise to train and push in the miles". If you don't enjoy riding your bike then why do it? If all you are doing is entering a sportive and then dreading riding your bike enough to be able to complete it, doesn't that sound a bit odd?
It's not the same though is it? There maybe no issue with the OP getting out on the bike as much as he likes, but sometimes people need a goal as motivation to step up the intensity, pace, climbing etc - to taek their fitness and ability to the next level. I need no excuse to get out on the bike, but I know with the Fred Whitton coming up next May I'll need to up the anti training wise after the winter, but that doesn't mean I wouldn't have ridden anyway.0 -
I agree, if I'm planning to do a sportive I have more motivation to get out and put the miles in. Less likely to peer out the window and make excuses that it's too wet, too windy, too cold or my little toe aches. I also find that I tend to do longer rides to toughen up my back end ready for the 100 miles that it is not used to. Baboon bottom seems to cause me more problems than leg ache as the miles rack up.Rose Xeon CDX 3100, Ultegra Di2 disc (nice weather)
Ribble Gran Fondo, Campagnolo Centaur (winter bike)
Van Raam 'O' Pair
Land Rover (really nasty weather
)0 -
I honestly don't understand these "training for a sportive" threads. A sportive of 70 miles is no different to doing your own 70 mile ride. Well, actually it is, it's easier. You have route markers, food stops and 500 other riders to help you along.
I also don't understand "motivation wise to train and push in the miles". If you don't enjoy riding your bike then why do it? If all you are doing is entering a sportive and then dreading riding your bike enough to be able to complete it, doesn't that sound a bit odd?
It's not the same though is it? There maybe no issue with the OP getting out on the bike as much as he likes, but sometimes people need a goal as motivation to step up the intensity, pace, climbing etc - to taek their fitness and ability to the next level. I need no excuse to get out on the bike, but I know with the Fred Whitton coming up next May I'll need to up the anti training wise after the winter, but that doesn't mean I wouldn't have ridden anyway.
Pretty much sums it up LL, my fitness and general health plan has been going well since a conscious decision to improve my health in general 18 moths ago.I have lost 3 stone and have greatly increased my cardio fitness and I am now looking to set some more targets to push me onto the next level.
Phil.0 -
next May I'll need to up the anti training .
I've done a fair bit of anti-training in my time. There's beer, pies, sitting on my backside watching TV the list is almost endless.0 -
next May I'll need to up the anti training .
I've done a fair bit of anti-training in my time. There's beer, pies, sitting on my backside watching TV the list is almost endless. thats why I am on the journey I am on now.Bad habits die hard.but I'm getting there. 0 -
Sportives are an important first step on the slippery slope, I think, as they are accesible, safe (realitvely), supported, and give youa target.
So some proper advice:
Get stuck in. take your time, eat right, get your bike service before hand. most of all, enjoy it - it's not a race and shouldn't be tackled as one.
However....
a gentle note of caution, i tend to think that the average sportive entrant is not representative of your average cyclist. There is a fair bit of poor behaviour I have seen on sportives - grumpiness, littering and (shock horror) compression socks.
My advice is to get yourself along to a local club ride. You'll save money, have better cake, and get to see the best side of cycling.Insert bike here:0 -
Do the Dartmoor classic but enter the 100mile ride. That will require that you have to do some training in the months leading up to it. This has worked for me over the last few years. I only do a couple of sportives a year and I enjoy them its a good sense of achievement and fun being in a big event.Hills do make I sweat a lot0
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I had n't ridden a sportive in about 4 years before this year and had been a bit inconsistent with the bike but on New Years Eve last year, with the encouragement of my wonderful wife I entered the Tour de Cambridgeshire. In the winter and early spring when it was difficult to get out much I was motivated to spend a couple of evenings a week on the £25 exercise bike I bought off gumtree. To date I've done about 5300 miles for the year and a lot of the motivation came from entering that sportive. I'm sure for a good proportion of the cycling fraternity it will work.0
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Sportives are an important first step on the slippery slope, I think, as they are accesible, safe (realitvely), supported, and give youa target.
So some proper advice:
Get stuck in. take your time, eat right, get your bike service before hand. most of all, enjoy it - it's not a race and shouldn't be tackled as one.
However....
a gentle note of caution, i tend to think that the average sportive entrant is not representative of your average cyclist. There is a fair bit of poor behaviour I have seen on sportives - grumpiness, littering and (shock horror) compression socks.
My advice is to get yourself along to a local club ride. You'll save money, have better cake, and get to see the best side of cycling.
that will depend on the club wont it, most of the "poor behaviour" Ive seen on sportives has come from the club riders, be they riding road trains through groups of cyclists who they dont give a quarter to despite the fact its clear they are less experienced and more likely to be spooked by it, or who are generally dismissive towards the non club people taking part. its a large part of why Ive never bothered even considered joining the local club rides
I think sportives are good at giving yourself a target mileage to aim for though,its an incentive and tremendous sense of achievement when you accomplish a goal,but its important not to overcomplicate it, Im amazed how much detail they are giving the poor guy in cycling weekly to go through, keep thinking they should just say look just get on your bike and keep riding0
