[Closed] Guardian Weekend Editor totally won a sportive yesterday

Good grief. What a bellend.

I've politely asked him if he is aware that it wasn't a race. We'll see if there is any reaction.

Bet he has a firm handshake.

Tweets about himself in the third person as well.

Probably got an invite to a Middle Class Dinner Party

You [i]are[/i] aware that many sportives have winners podiums, publish a top 3 etc?

Here are the winners (male and female) from the Etape Loch Ness 2016.

[img] [/img]

Does anyone here want to dispute this with Lee Craigie?

Tour De Mon sportive

On a bit of a tangent, why do roadies also feel the need to hashtag every bit of kit they've used as well? Its all a bit.... you know...

[img] [/img]

You've only been out for a ride, you cockwomble!

[quote=binners ]On a bit of a tangent, why do [s]roadies[/s][b]some people[/b] also feel the need to hashtag every bit of kit they've used as well? Its all a bit.... you know...
So they get re-tweeted by the manufacturers, innit.

Bet he is quaking in his Rapha loafers this morning knowing he has offended the STW Sportive police. It's amazing that some people are actually trying to ride the course in the fastest time they can, I know some will take pride in number of cake stops they had but others do actually like to push themselves.

but anyway not sleeping well so let's have a full on self righteous thread

Sorry, podium or not, it's not a race.

Plus, I don't get why you'd treat a sportive as a race, if you want to race go and enter a local crit or do the local club TT. That way you know the people you beat are actually racing and not just on a nice ride out.

if you want to race go and enter a local crit or do the local club TT.

Bet he is quaking in his Rapha loafers this morning knowing he has offended the STW Sportive police. It's amazing that some people are actually trying to ride the course in the fastest time they can, I know some will take pride in number of cake stops they had but others do actually like to push themselves.

but anyway not sleeping well so let's have a full on self righteous thread

+1

Woe betide anyone that rides fast in a sportive. Or enters a sportive, for that matter.

Sorry, podium or not, it's not a race.

Plus, I don't get why you'd treat a sportive as a race, if you want to race go and enter a local crit or do the local club TT. That way you know the people you beat are actually racing and not just on a nice ride out.

Why? Why can't you ride a course and try to do as quick as you can? Sure it may not be a serious as 'proper' racing but why does it bother you?

So they get re-tweeted by the manufacturers, innit.

Aha. So just an exercise in self-absorbed narcissism then? So they can [s]shoe-horn[/s] causally drop it into conversation... "yeah... Rapha retweeted my Tweet about my Strava times..."

I think I'm getting a fuller picture of the kind of person we're talking about here 🙂

Aha. So just an exercise in self-absorbed narcissism then?

Deep down all these people that push themselves as hard as they can in sportives (and brag about the results,thats the key here isn't it)know that half the people they beat were just pootling along and could have beaten them in an actual race,and because of that they hate themselves and drive their audis in a much to aggressive manner on the motorways.You ok huns?

Aha. So just an exercise in self-absorbed narcissism then? So they can shoe-horn causally drop it into conversation... "yeah... Rapha retweeted my Tweet about my Strava times..."

I think its more in the hope they get sponsored by said manufactures Binners..

There are people that Blagtag everything on twitter.

scotroutes - Member
You are aware that many sportives have winners podiums, publish a top 3 etc?

Here are the winners (male and female) from the Etape Loch Ness 2016

It's still not a race 😉

My 2 cents

Sportivs are treated as races by many
Strava KOMs anyone ?
Journalism has an element (cult) of individuality flamed by "bylines", getting the scoop and taken to another level via Social Media

[quote=mikey3 ]Deep down all these people that push themselves as hard as they can in [s]sportives[/s][b]The London Marathon[/b] (and brag about the results,thats the key here isn't it)know that half the people they beat were just pootling along .......

Won the #CommuteIntoWork today. Attacked early at the traffic lights outside the post office and maintained the lead to all the way into the Industrial Estate. Arrived at 07:52.
Thanks @FordS-Max @TescoPFS @George@Asda

Why? Why can't you ride a course and try to do as quick as you can? Sure it may not be a serious as 'proper' racing but why does it bother you?

But riding as fast as you can does not mean you're racing it. In truth, it was the word "attack" in the Tweet that annoyed me. You attack a bunch in a race, not a sportive.

You are aware that many sportives have winners podiums, publish a top 3 etc?

Here are the winners (male and female) from the Etape Loch Ness 2016.

Indeed, but not this one. The organisers repeatedly announced that this was not a race, and published times were not sortable by completion time (I had to paste into Excel to work out the "rankings"). Also, the Etape Loch Ness that you cite as an example is ridden on closed roads, so at least "competitors" experience the same road conditions without traffic or traffic lights.

Bet he is quaking in his Rapha loafers this morning knowing he has offended the STW Sportive police. It's amazing that some people are actually trying to ride the course in the fastest time they can, I know some will take pride in number of cake stops they had but others do actually like to push themselves.

Nothing wrong whatsoever with trying to ride the course in the fastest time they can - I did exactly that. All credit to him, he is pretty rapid - certainly a good deal faster than I am. However, while I did check my position I am well aware that a large percentage of entrants, both slower and faster than I, were not treating the event in the same way and as such any comparisons, apart from those against personal goals, are completely meaningless. For example "lead for 173km" is completely meaningless given that he set off in the first wave.

I think its more in the hope they get sponsored by said manufactures Binners.

or they're already sponsored/supported. In the case of the guy from the Guardian he might have been given/lent some of the kit he was riding/wearing/training with.
You'll notice he's tweeted "Thanks @rapha @sartoframes @wattbike" which suggests he's merely being polite and thanking people 😉
I agree 'attacked' is a bit over the top in a sportive but an impressive time nonetheless. A lap of Anglesey isn't easy.

Good on him for pushing himself and getting a respectable time (possibly, I didn't actually check). If this inspires him to try a real race, good on him.

Those who say "enter a real race" do seem a bit blind to the huge jump from taking part in something like a sportive to actual racing. Some of the lads in our club have just started racing this year, so starting at the bottom as expected. They're not exactly wiping the floor with the competition, but they will demolish me just on a friendly club ride given the chance. Do you think that encourages me to enter "a proper race"? Absolutely not. I've only this last couple of years plucked up courage to do a 5 mile TT and our local hill climb event!

I do think there is a market for racing for numpties without the very real risk of numpties racing in a group. Until that market is served, sportives will fill the void.

If all the people at the front are treating it as a race, then getting over the line first is as difficult as winning a race?

I think it's the fact that he "attacked" a bunch of people who were essentially out for a Sunday bimble that makes him a chump.

If all the people at the front are treating it as a race, then getting over the line first is as difficult as winning a race?

I suspect he set off in the first wave with a group of people who were trying to be faster than each other.
That's certainly been my past experience of sportives - loads of people trying to get to the finish and small groups here and there trying to go faster than each other.
At least if you're not very fast you can say 'ahh but it's not a race' on an Internet forum later on 🙂

There are people that [b]Blagtag [/b]everything on twitter.

BragTag? #my_shits_better_than_yours #£££ #conspicious_consumption #money_cant_by_mad_skillz

Hang on, "lead for 173k" - website says the longest route was only 107 miles, ie 172km...so with a bit of rounding error presumably he "went from the gun", if I may borrow terminology from a proper race*. Hardly his fault if the opposition couldn't get it together to organise a chase behind him 😉

*which this isn't.

What a whammer.

Is there much singletrack on this sportive?

If no, who gives a ****.

173km in the wind, off the front, is bloody impressive (especially considering he obviously added in some bonus miles to make it harder). Someone should tweet Tony Martin his details so he can get some tips

#Wonders #if #I #could #redub the #Four #Yorkshiremen into the [b]##STWSportiveGrumpies[/b]
@Rapha #seriousface

So from British Cycling

[i] What is a Sportive?

Many people mis-interpret what a sportive is. Sportives are personal challenge rides allowing you to test your legs without the hassle of having to plan a route yourself. Routes usually range from 20 to 100+ miles, with events running more or less every weekend up and down the country.

Read more at https://www.britishcycling.org.uk/sportives/article/sp20141029--Get-into-sportives-0#c88ZbxIRReFQtGGK.99 [/i]

Seems to indicate to me that is a personal challenge, so how can you beat someone if their own challenge was to get round in say 10 hours or support someone ride their first sportive following illness, that is their personal challenge different playing fields.

So if he had written great event set myself a target of ..... just got it thanks to....

Sp its not a race, he did not win, but hopefully he had a grand day out!

P's cockwomble.....the term disturbs me having grown up watching g the wombles, I have no recollection of them doing sportive....have I missed something

[img] [/img]

Won the #CommuteIntoWork today. Attacked early at the traffic lights outside the post office and maintained the lead to all the way into the Industrial Estate. Arrived at 07:52.
Thanks @FordS-Max @TescoPFS @George@Asda

Oi! Don't you dare disrespect commuter racers,that's where the real [s]Strava[/s] battles are won and lost 😉

Because a crit looks like a great way to break some bones or a bike and a TT is probably along a dual carriageway for 10 or 20 miles, maybe there is demand for long closed course road races? Maybe if they were them instead of sportives then people would race them.

Plenty on the BC website, any road race on public roads will be with rolling closures. the difference being, if you get dropped then you're on your own with the traffic.

Irreverent through, most sportive aren't closed roads, although the shear number of riders can make it feel like it.

Tweets about himself in the third person as well.

No he doesn't. He had another person tweet updates during his attack, obviously he couldn't pull over to tweet. All tweets that were sent whist not attacking the bunch are written in the first person.

@mikewsmith - I think you'll find that real mean Strava their sportive

Can I just point out that one of the problems of 'stepping up' from sportives to real races is that on real races most of the courses are crap. Laps and laps of back lanes that are cheap and easy to marshal.

where as we get this coming 🙂
http://letapeaustralia.com/
If I'd been riding a bit more regular I'd be giving it a go, closed roads, sprints, summits I might make the Strava private