To gatecrash a sportive or not?

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Comments

  • jgsi
    jgsi Posts: 5,062
    My only issue is that to the great unwashed who do not care for cycling, they cannot get their heads into the fact that you can cycle for 50 miles or more without doing it for 'charidee' .
  • apreading
    apreading Posts: 4,535
    DavidJB wrote:
    I'll probably be riding the magnificat route on the day without paying...come find me and tell me what a naughty evil man I am :)...

    Worst ride I ever did. I would pay NOT to ride it.
  • ugo.santalucia
    ugo.santalucia Posts: 28,317
    ShimanoBottomBracket wrote:
    Am I the only one that fears sportives? They are targets for kamikaze cyclists to take out people. I would be afraid of someone turning up with a bottom bracket bomb or tyres filled with a lethal gas.


    Some are some aren't... I found the standard at the Etape du Dales excellent, whereas the Fred Whitton is full of idiots... only one week and a few miles apart, but very different crowds
    left the forum March 2023
  • londoncommuter
    londoncommuter Posts: 1,550
    ugo.santalucia wrote:
    ShimanoBottomBracket wrote:
    Am I the only one that fears sportives? They are targets for kamikaze cyclists to take out people. I would be afraid of someone turning up with a bottom bracket bomb or tyres filled with a lethal gas.


    Some are some aren't... I found the standard at the Etape du Dales excellent, whereas the Fred Whitton is full of idiots... only one week and a few miles apart, but very different crowds

    That's an odd one. Why do you think that is? Never done it but I assumed the Fred Whitton was full of really experienced riders as it's pretty mental. Your 60 mile Wiggle type events would be the one's full of new riders after those gold times or whatever nonsense they give you?
  • phospho123
    phospho123 Posts: 32
    Done it once, who the hell cares tbh - just do it
  • Garry H
    Garry H Posts: 6,639
    phospho123 wrote:
    Done it once, who the hell cares tbh - just do it
    That's the winning post. Game over.

    Nobody cares. Gatecrash it, don't gatecrash it, learn how to do a wheelie, eat a donner kebab, anything, just do it.
  • Matthewfalle
    Matthewfalle Posts: 17,380
    Well perhaps I care?
    Postby team47b » Sun Jun 28, 2015 11:53 am

    De Sisti wrote:
    This is one of the silliest threads I've come across. :lol:

    Recognition at last Matthew, well done!, a justified honour :D
    smithy21 wrote:

    He's right you know.
  • pinno
    pinno Posts: 52,356
    Matthewfalle wrote:
    Well perhaps I care?

    No you don't, stop being silly.

    You're just gatecrashing a sportive thread.
    seanoconn - gruagach craic!
  • mrfpb
    mrfpb Posts: 4,569
    londoncommuter wrote:
    ugo.santalucia wrote:
    ShimanoBottomBracket wrote:
    Am I the only one that fears sportives? They are targets for kamikaze cyclists to take out people. I would be afraid of someone turning up with a bottom bracket bomb or tyres filled with a lethal gas.


    Some are some aren't... I found the standard at the Etape du Dales excellent, whereas the Fred Whitton is full of idiots... only one week and a few miles apart, but very different crowds

    That's an odd one. Why do you think that is? Never done it but I assumed the Fred Whitton was full of really experienced riders as it's pretty mental. Your 60 mile Wiggle type events would be the one's full of new riders after those gold times or whatever nonsense they give you?

    It will attract the sort of people who want to start with the hardest events - the same sort of people who go to an Indian restaurant and ask for the hotest thing on the menu. They just think they're hard enough to take on anything, even though they are ignorant of the skills/energy/fitness required to finish the event.
  • punctureproof
    punctureproof Posts: 21
    I have only been cycling for a couple of years so I still class myself as a novice cyclist. I used to enter sportives as it was one of the few rides where I would be pushed to ride over 100KM. I didn't enter to be hard or ask money for charity I did it so I was pushed to do another 20 or 30kms more than I would on either a club ride or on my own.
  • dinyull
    dinyull Posts: 2,979
    I thought you had to "prove" your ability for the Fred Witton?

    Not that being able to complete it means you aren't a danger to others like.
  • lakesluddite
    lakesluddite Posts: 1,337
    Dinyull wrote:
    I thought you had to "prove" your ability for the Fred Witton?

    Not that being able to complete it means you aren't a danger to others like.

    Nope - there is the obvious disclaimer on the website and joining instructions, but they're hardly able to measure the ability of 2500 riders.
    I tend to agree with Ugo - the ride on the whole is fantastic (especially if you get weather like we did last year), but the amount of times I was passed by chain gangs overtaking with about 30cm to spare was quite annoying at times, especially on the A66. Might do the EdD this year instead, especially given the recommendation from Ugo, if it's not already sold out.

    Back to the original point though - imagine the Fred Whitton route if all those denied a place in the ballot decided to just turn up and do it anyway. It would be mayhem. Perfectly legal, but chaos.
  • svetty
    svetty Posts: 1,904
    The Fred is a classic ride to do on a quiet mid-week day but not on the day of the event itself.
    FFS! Harden up and grow a pair :D
  • meanredspider
    meanredspider Posts: 12,337
    LakesLuddite wrote:

    Back to the original point though - imagine the Fred Whitton route if all those denied a place in the ballot decided to just turn up and do it anyway. It would be mayhem. Perfectly legal, but chaos.

    Kinda the reverse of the Etape Caledonia the year I did it - about 1/3 of those signed up didn't turn up because the weather was a bit iffy (there was a little bit of wind)
    ROAD < Scott Foil HMX Di2, Volagi Liscio Di2, Jamis Renegade Elite Di2, Cube Reaction Race > ROUGH
  • sloppyschleckonds
    sloppyschleckonds Posts: 8,019
    meanredspider wrote:
    LakesLuddite wrote:

    Back to the original point though - imagine the Fred Whitton route if all those denied a place in the ballot decided to just turn up and do it anyway. It would be mayhem. Perfectly legal, but chaos.

    Kinda the reverse of the Etape Caledonia the year I did it - about 1/3 of those signed up didn't turn up because the weather was a bit iffy (there was a little bit of wind)

    #csb
    I'm sorry you don't believe in miracles
  • meanredspider
    meanredspider Posts: 12,337
    SloppySchleckonds wrote:
    meanredspider wrote:
    LakesLuddite wrote:

    Back to the original point though - imagine the Fred Whitton route if all those denied a place in the ballot decided to just turn up and do it anyway. It would be mayhem. Perfectly legal, but chaos.

    Kinda the reverse of the Etape Caledonia the year I did it - about 1/3 of those signed up didn't turn up because the weather was a bit iffy (there was a little bit of wind)

    #csb

    If you could tell me what they did with the 1500-people's worth of cut-in-half bananas, that would be really cool. I don't suppose they'd have noticed the odd interloper.
    ROAD < Scott Foil HMX Di2, Volagi Liscio Di2, Jamis Renegade Elite Di2, Cube Reaction Race > ROUGH
  • DavidJB
    DavidJB Posts: 2,019
    apreading wrote:
    DavidJB wrote:
    I'll probably be riding the magnificat route on the day without paying...come find me and tell me what a naughty evil man I am :)...

    Worst ride I ever did. I would pay NOT to ride it.

    The 80 is ok...the epic is crap...horrible roads.
  • deejaysee
    deejaysee Posts: 149
    Thinking of gatecrashing a sportiv this saturday.
    Didnt realize it was on until now and its sold out so.......
  • fat daddy
    fat daddy Posts: 2,605
    deejaysee wrote:
    Didnt realize it was on until now and its sold out so.......

    oooh, this is the same as a 
    goto 10

    I love loops, we can start the whole thread again now :D
  • chris_bass
    chris_bass Posts: 4,913
    the OP was laat seen over 2 weeks ago! do we assume he gatecrashed the sportive and it went badly leading to incarceration/injury/death/having to go into hiding?
    www.conjunctivitis.com - a site for sore eyes
  • First.Aspect
    First.Aspect Posts: 17,212
    Chris Bass wrote:
    the OP was laat seen over 2 weeks ago! do we assume he gatecrashed the sportive and it went badly leading to incarceration/injury/death/having to go into hiding?
    No, he's just lost. If he'd have signed up to the sportive, they'd have given him a route map.
  • imposter2.0
    imposter2.0 Posts: 12,028
    First Aspect wrote:
    Chris Bass wrote:
    the OP was laat seen over 2 weeks ago! do we assume he gatecrashed the sportive and it went badly leading to incarceration/injury/death/having to go into hiding?
    No, he's just lost. If he'd have signed up to the sportive, they'd have given him a route map.

    Nah, they have signs.

    My guess is he's been captured by the paramilitary wing of the Sportivist Action Group (SAG), and they will probably release a ransom tape in the near future.
  • slowbike
    slowbike Posts: 8,498
    Imposter wrote:
    First Aspect wrote:
    Chris Bass wrote:
    the OP was laat seen over 2 weeks ago! do we assume he gatecrashed the sportive and it went badly leading to incarceration/injury/death/having to go into hiding?
    No, he's just lost. If he'd have signed up to the sportive, they'd have given him a route map.

    Nah, they have signs.

    My guess is he's been captured by the paramilitary wing of the Sportivist Action Group (SAG), and they will probably release a ransom tape in the near future.

    Sportivists have GoPros - they don't use Tape ... they release Micro SD cards ... ;)
  • imposter2.0
    imposter2.0 Posts: 12,028
    Slowbike wrote:

    Sportivists have GoPros - they don't use Tape ... they release Micro SD cards ... ;)

    Hmm - 'ransom micro SD card' doesn't have quite the same ring to it.. ;)
  • Alex99
    Alex99 Posts: 1,407
    This thread has been awesome. I've read it all. I should get a life / do some work.
  • chris_bass
    chris_bass Posts: 4,913
    Alex99 wrote:
    This thread has been awesome. I've read it all. I should get a life / do some work.

    have you considered doing a sportive?
    www.conjunctivitis.com - a site for sore eyes
  • slowbike
    slowbike Posts: 8,498
    Imposter wrote:
    Slowbike wrote:

    Sportivists have GoPros - they don't use Tape ... they release Micro SD cards ... ;)

    Hmm - 'ransom micro SD card' doesn't have quite the same ring to it.. ;)


    It's ok - they weren't sure where to release them - there wern't any directions to follow ...
  • vimfuego
    vimfuego Posts: 1,783
    Chris Bass wrote:
    Alex99 wrote:
    This thread has been awesome. I've read it all. I should get a life / do some work.

    have you considered doing a sportive?

    nah just gatecrash one
    CS7
    Surrey Hills
    What's a Zwift?
  • rolf_f
    rolf_f Posts: 16,015
    ugo.santalucia wrote:
    ShimanoBottomBracket wrote:
    Am I the only one that fears sportives? They are targets for kamikaze cyclists to take out people. I would be afraid of someone turning up with a bottom bracket bomb or tyres filled with a lethal gas.


    Some are some aren't... I found the standard at the Etape du Dales excellent, whereas the Fred Whitton is full of idiots... only one week and a few miles apart, but very different crowds

    Depends on where you are doesn't it - you see only a handful of the entrants unless you start early and are really slow. Fred riders were fine when I did it. On the other hand, the oversubscribed ones can be a nightmare - First Tour of Yorkshire Sportive was terrible for me. Roads (not closed) crammed full of people who seemed to think they were closed. Fred draws a line on where it thinks any more would be unreasonable and I think it would be bad form for an unregistered rider to choose to add to the pressure on that particular day. On the other hand, the Tour of Yorks one allowed such irresponsible numbers that in some ways it seems less of an issue. If the roads are over clogged with riders on one day due to organisational greed what harm does it do to add a tiny percentage more?
    Faster than a tent.......
  • Alex99
    Alex99 Posts: 1,407
    Chris Bass wrote:
    Alex99 wrote:
    This thread has been awesome. I've read it all. I should get a life / do some work.

    have you considered doing a sportive?

    :lol: Not for quite a while... not totally my cup of tea. Some folk enjoy them, though so that's fine. I find myself agreeing with Imposter. His brand of cold, hard logic has been top notch.

    A few years ago I crashed a sportive and I stole a bit of cake. I realise that this makes me a complete moral reprobate. In court I'd just argue that I thought they were giving it away as they didn't ask for anything. What nice kind folk. But, I also told some guy off for dropping gel wrappers. Take that into account before passing sentence.

    There have been some good attempts at analogies. Mine would be hanging around a group of people on a guided tour of your a town/city (maybe if you live in Rome, Florence or somewhere like that) to listen in on the tour guide just because you like to be near people. You'd have to look down on the people on the tour for not knowing the historical details already.

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