[Closed] New respect for roadies...

Was it a race or Sportive?

And roadies would probably think that ~100miles wasn't really that far. Certainly my longest ride this year is around the 250mile mark and my longest one planned is 1300km.

Good question, what's the difference?

one is a legal race on the highway with the appropriate licences the other one isn't 😉

Just checked the website - it's a respectable and above board sportive 😀

@wanmankylung - the hills are pretty steep - Winnats Pass was one.

EDIT: they were The 7 hills were 1. Bole Hill, 2. Burbage, 3. Sir William Hill, 4. Stoney, 5.Cressbrook, 6. Smalldale Hill, 7. Winnatts Pass

Assuming a circular route the average gradient is zero.

Good question, what's the difference?

in one of them everyone knows they are in a race whereas in the other some people think they are in a race.

A race is contested by racers.
A sportive is a nice ride ruined by fantasists.

you can't "win" a sportive.

90 miles with a few thousand meters of climbing is fairly normal for a good road rider.

There's a faint whiff of snobbery and testosterone in the air!

Good question, what's the difference?

-2 inches on the waistline
+2 cm on the stem
-2 cm on the head tube

Littlegirlbunny off here has just done the Mille Cymru at the weekend - 1018 kilometres with 16000 metres of climbing.

I, for one, am seriously impressed.

A faint whiff of snobbery?
On here?

Howverydareyou.

I've never raced on the road btw.

Edit - I was going to have another gentle pop at spurtivists, but my heart's not in it tonight.

I was once the fastest rider in a sportive, but wouldn't ever claim to have won it (a lot on here would take issue with me comparing my times with others).

There's a faint whiff of snobbery and testosterone in the air!

I suspect there's a whiff of something else too. The people on here who I know do impressive rides don't go in for crass willy waving (take terrahawk as an example but there are others)

MrSmith, you missed out a few plus ones....

Sportive =

+1 top tube food box
+1 littering
+many Assos
+1 badly fitting online ordered bike (but it is full crabon fribe with 'epic spec')
+1 telling anyone who'll listen, and many who'd rather not, that you're a serious racer

Etc.

Oh come on Mr Nice, I don't think anyone really means it.

The whole Sportive concept is a bit odd though, isn't it?

Blimey, reading some of the replies, I think I will stick to offroad riding. 😯

Nice innit, guy comes on here with some praise and you all slate him.

Can't do right for doing wrong on here sometimes 🙄

Rusty, the concept is brilliant. Sadly it's ruined by a small number of neo-roadies and the likes of Strava. It's not a race, FFS! If you want to race, there's loads of racing out there. Sportives aren't races. Just wish people would remember that.

MrSmith, you missed out a few plus ones....

Also missed off riding like a bunch of choppers.

What ads678 said. I've done sporives purly because they're not races, just a little challenge. I'm consistently gobsmacked at the standard of the "hobby" rider, it's phenominal and as a sport we should be a little bit smug about about that.

Someones posted a little bit of a hi 5/kudos to somebody, thats all.

However, hopefullt, when I grow up I'll be as cool as wanmanwhatever. :0/

It's not a race, FFS! If you want to race, there's loads of racing out there. Sportives aren't races. Just wish people would remember that.

Actual races are hard as **** and not a lot of fun if you're not very very fit. Just look at the 'how long to be credible' thread. Sportives give people who want to ride in a big bunch, a chance to ride a course, be timed and if they want to go flat out and 'race' they can. Why people get so wound up about it, I have no idea.

Sportives or Gran Fondos might not be races in the UK, but head to France, Italy and lots of other countries and they are full on races.

The concept started in France and was a race from the very beginning.

I rode up Winnats Pass a few times when younger and in my roady days, bloody horrible thing it was - constantly worried that my chain would snap (didn't help that first gear was 42x18 mind).

Credit to all those who did the event, I was out on my bouncy bike and they all seemed quite jolly - lots of trainers and hybrids too 😯

[quote=whatnobeer ]Actual races are hard as **** and not a lot of fun if you're not very very fit. Just look at the 'how long to be credible' thread. Sportives give people who want to ride in a big bunch, a chance to ride a course, be timed and if they want to go flat out and 'race' they can.

Very true - they're accessible to those who wouldn't stay with the pack in a real race, and give them a chance to ride in a group aiming for a fast time. However if you're fast enough to race properly (in a 3/4 race) then I'd suggest a sportive is actually harder as the course/terrain tends to be a lot tougher than in most races - certainly the case for me where I've never been dropped by the pack in a road race, but rarely placed because I can't sprint (my only points came in races hilly enough to split the field).

That's an impressive amount of climbing to fit into 80km.

All this "it's not racing" bobbins... surely a race is just two or more people who both know they are engaged in a race. I have never done a UK sportive so don't know if the stereotypes above are true or not, but I do know if you put a bunch of handy club racers in (eg) Quebrantahuesos, they would quickly agree that it was a race.

Strangely, the only time I've done a UCI doping control was after a French sportive 😐

you can't "win" a sportive.

I beg to differ 👿

Anyway, road riding is ace. You just need to go fast.

Cyclocross is also freaking cool, as is gravel riding, touring, you name it. If it's on bikes it's good.

Shove any snootiness where the sun don't shine, if it's fun it's fun.

Apart from grown men who ride BMX, that's a bit silly.

Well I rode the event and thought it was great. 😀

Non of this 'make a load of money for profit BS and oh here's a little % for charity', like most Sportive's seem to be. Yeah I know they're done to make money but this was for the community All the money raised went to the Bradwell Pre School and all those that organised the event are directly involved. The feed stops were laden with home Made cake, biscuits and flapjack, as was the finish, along with soup, rolls, tea and coffee. Lots of smiley chatty people genuinely pleased that you've taken part.

Not one for riding a lot of road I thought I'd give it a bash for a change, set a personal target of 4 - 4.5 hrs. I finished the 78k route in 3hrs 36min, so was very pleased with myself for that, totally unexpected. Chatted with a few guys on the route and just rode at a comfortable pace. The worst hill for me was prob Stoney, it just seemed to go on and on, I was dreading Winnats but tbh it's not that bad.

Anyway like I said I thought it was a great event and well organised for their first one, I for sure would return next year or whenever they do another. A big thanks (again) to those that organised and took part in it.

Carlos

piemonster - Member
If it's on bikes it's good.

Amen to that.

Apart from grown men who ride BMX, that's a bit silly.

You were doing so well!!

It did look a cracking event, might look at it next year if it was run again.

I prefer audax to sportives, just because they are cheaper and have proper cafe stops. I did beat Ben Swift in a sportive once. When I say "beat", the weather was so foul that he and another British pro both bailed, so technically a DNF.

Edit: Forgot the smilie before any of you take me seriously 😀

jonba - Member

you can't "win" a sportive.

Pff, next you'll be telling me you can't win practice.

Sportives or Gran Fondos might not be races in the UK, but head to France, Italy and lots of other countries and they are full on races.

Quite. They had a prize giving ceremony for La Marmotte last year. Safe to say I didn't get on the podium...

bob_summers - Member

That's an impressive amount of climbing to fit into 80km.

The Peak District is a great place to *be* a roadie, but it's an absolutely brutal place to [i]become[/i] a roadie.

even a simple 'over the hill, caff, n'back' may only rack up 40k, but it can cost you 800m of climbing - some alpine passes need less than that! (and at an easier gradient) (and you get to have your photo taken next to an ego-boosting sign at the top - confirming your greatness)

i've got heaps of respect for the all the new roadies out there in the Peak District, you're awesome!

Similar to where I live (Basque Country) ; On Sunday I climbed 4500m in 200km without going very much over 600m asa.

There's a faint whiff of snobbery and testosterone in the air!

*pros and cons to this
**Mainly coz I'm crap at organising myself but also I'm a fair weather roadie so if it was pissing it down on event day...

As someone who considers themselves a cyclist, riding MTB's, fat bikes, road etc, i think as we all know you get idiots at any type of event and I can see why some sportives come under critiscm.

What I like about the sheer number of sportives at the moment, is that I will never be a racer, but I can gauge my own progression easily, i started at first only able to ride a bike on road, 40-50 miles, then lost weight and stretched myself to get up to 80-100 miles in East Anglia where I live, more training and then did a 250 mile ride and took on some of the tougher events like the Dragon Ride etc. I think they are a really good gauge of fitness, plus a great way (like many MTB events too) to see some cracking parts of the country.

I'll add most of the races I do are pretty much sportives for me, I'm quite a long way off the podium and I race so rarely that there's no one there for me to aim to beat, it's just a ride around a marked course as fast as possible.

I don't like the snobbishness to sportive riders

The same people who give the attitude will eagerly take part in a mass road ride in italy or france (of course, it's much different there you know) or an equivalent mtb event (it's really cool they have a band at the top of the first climb and everything).

"it's just a ride around a marked course as fast as possible."

How is this different from racing?

How is this different from racing?

Racing you compete against others, a sportive you're only competing against yourself, there are no 'results'.

Just a tip as well, i do a lot of the Wiggle Sportives and MTB events, would normally cost you £35 or thereabouts a pop, but you can volunteer to marshal car park, help in registration etc in return for free ride, done about 8-9 Wiggle events already so saved in excess of £250