[Closed] Sportive vs Road Race. That was close.

butcher » The race marshal was overly aggressive.

Is there a version with subtitles?

I need to check the details, but it seems the Sportive although listed seems to have 'skimmed' it's entry i.e listed it but didn't inform authorities, police etc. The full details are there somewhere.

racers when faced with sportive riders get on with it without a word. Sportive riders when faced with racers get all shouty.

Sportive rider that thinks he is in a race, absolute classic.

Exactly why I never ride sportives in this country, most of the participants have no idea how to ride and are a liability to themselves and others, If they joined clubs and were schooled in group riding (even if you don't race) the standard would be higher but at the moment it's mostly bellends in team kit.

That's my mate's brother in the photo racing in Team Cystic Fibrosis kit riding towards the camera, just to the left of the idiot in the stripes. Tho it looks like a near accident it wasn't anything close. He says he didn't even notice anything was wrong as his mind was on the race 🙂

None of the racers batted an eyelid.

The most depressing thing in all this is the outright elitism and snobbery being displayed.

[i]They're not "real cyclists" because they are only doing a sportive?. They should join a club, learn to ride and do a "proper" race.[/i]

Really?

I half expect that kind of bollocks from roadies, but I thought folk on a mountain biking forum might be a bit more familiar with the concept of just going out for a ride with your friends for fun.

Seems to me the motorbike marshall was on a hiding to nothing. His usual role is stopping oncoming cars, the first of which forms a de facto road block and the marshall's job is done. Then imagine a decent size group in a sportive, club ride, STW pootle or whatever. They aren't all paying full attention to what's on the other side of the road, why would you, you get flashy lights on all sorts of things from the RAC to bin lories. A couple of them then get obstructed/stopped/stop as requested by a bloke on a motorbike. (I've never done a road race, so I've never seen one of this particular tabard/bike marking outside of Tour of Britain and most folk won't be expecting to meet one in oncoming traffic.) The following sportive riders simply ride round the obstruction as if nothing has happened(it hasn't, to them). Motorbike marshall obviously gets loud and shouty at this point, but in reality a single motorbike riding into a wide group several abreast isn't an effective way of stopping them. After that it's just handbags.

I've never really grasped the anti-sportive thing either.

That bloke who got photographed falling off on box hill was vilified for being an unskilled overweight numpty but at least he was there doing it and enjoying himself.

The people who ignored the marshall in that video were a bit daft and could have caused a major problem but I wouldn't criticise them for being there riding.

That bloke who got photographed falling off on box hill was vilified for being an unskilled overweight numpty but at least he was there doing it and enjoying himself.

Yep that was equally depressing.

Fair enough, he made a very amusing and embarrassing fumble. He gets a bit of a ribbing and has the good grace to laugh about it himself. All good.

But to see fellow cyclists slagging him off for not being a "real cyclist" and having more than 2% body fat was just sad.

Anyway, the was the stripey bloke part of the sportive or not, given his lack of helmet?

Bloke arguing was not riding the sportive - he was the dad of one of the racers...

[url= http://road.cc/content/news/119457-race-v-sportive-video-marshal-clarifies-incident-details ]http://road.cc/content/news/119457-race-v-sportive-video-marshal-clarifies-incident-details[/url]

They're not "real cyclists" because they are only doing a sportive?. They should join a club, learn to ride and do a "proper" race.

That is a bit harsh. Aren't we just mostly just poking fun at the competitive dad types who enter sportives under the impression they are Wiggins and "race" for a fast time?

We even have riders in our road club who will chain gang a sportive, then after the event download the times into a spreadsheet and work out what "position" they came in. All very silly.

The most depressing thing in all this is the outright elitism and snobbery being displayed.

I half expect that kind of bollocks from the Judean People's Front , but I thought folk on a People's Front of Judea forum might be a bit more familiar with the concept of just going out for a ride with your friends for fun.

FTFY

more familiar with the concept of just going out for a ride with your friends for fun.

If only all sportive riders treated it as such 🙂

A couple of interesting clarifications on road.cc from the marshal doing the filming.

Turns out the shouty argumentative "54 races" guy WASN'T part of the sportive, he WAS indeed "part of the race" (watching his son)

http://road.cc/content/news/119457-race-v-sportive-video-marshal-clarifies-incident-details

If only all sportive riders treated it as such 🙂

Are those the only options? Get a license, join a club and race "properly", otherwise you should only ever pootle and transcend any notions of competitiveness?

I can be on a fun ride with my mates, but I might still want to get to the top/bottom of the hill before them. (Not that I do)

me: [i]Bloke arguing was not riding the sportive - he was the dad of one of the racers...

http://road.cc/content/news/119457-race-v-sportive-video-marshal-clarifies-incident-details
[/i]

GrahamS: [i]A couple of interesting clarifications on road.cc from the marshal doing the filming.

Turns out the shouty argumentative "54 races" guy WASN'T part of the sportive, he WAS indeed "part of the race" (watching his son)

http://road.cc/content/news/119457-race-v-sportive-video-marshal-clarifies-incident-details
[/i]

I don't know why I bother sometimes 😉

If you look closely about 1.50 onwards the guy in the Kelme top seems to have a clipless moment

Sorry wwaswas - I should have refreshed before posting 😀

From the article above:

British Cycling called on the government to act to ensure sportives are better co-ordinated so as not to clash with road races.

Now you can blame many things on the government, but this ain't down to them - and frankly I'd say organisation of sportives should be of no concern to national level government at all.

What they mean is "We want to government to force sportives to [s]give us money[/s] register with us"

http://road.cc/content/news/119437-british-cycling-calls-regulation-sportives-after-yorkshire-route-clash-video

(which is odd since this was apparently a BC listed sportive!)

Seems to me the motorbike marshall was on a hiding to nothing. His usual role is stopping oncoming cars, the first of which forms a de facto road block and the marshall's job is done. Then imagine a decent size group in a sportive, club ride, STW pootle or whatever. They aren't all paying full attention to what's on the other side of the road, why would you, you get flashy lights on all sorts of things from the RAC to bin lories. A couple of them then get obstructed/stopped/stop as requested by a bloke on a motorbike. (I've never done a road race, so I've never seen one of this particular tabard/bike marking outside of Tour of Britain and most folk won't be expecting to meet one in oncoming traffic.) The following sportive riders simply ride round the obstruction as if nothing has happened(it hasn't, to them). Motorbike marshall obviously gets loud and shouty at this point, but in reality a single motorbike riding into a wide group several abreast isn't an effective way of stopping them. After that it's just handbags.

As I commented elsewhere yesterday the video was not able to give the whole story (although the marshal's later comments help a little), but the RACE ORGANISERS should consider whether they deployed sufficient marshals/outriders to stop traffic and deal with any issues. One guy on a motorbike can only do so much...

Bloke arguing was not riding the sportive - he was the dad of one of the racers...

I remember doing the Manc - Blackpool charity ride for the 1st time and getting shouted and abused by fellow riders for.............................. Stopping at a red light!!!!! I was bamboozled as to what the rush was?? The ones that did jump the light, got a cheery "excuse me" as myself and the group I was with went by them further on up the road(feel free to swoon). Some folk are just plain odd.

[img] [/img]

Also:

[img] [/img]

so erm...what was he arguing about then?

I don't speak yarkshir but from what I can gather from the muffled audio he felt the marshal was being overly shouty.

Road riding is ridiculous.

GrahamS - Member
That bloke who got photographed falling off on box hill was vilified for being an unskilled overweight numpty but at least he was there doing it and enjoying himself.
Yep that was equally depressing.

Fair enough, he made a very amusing and embarrassing fumble. He gets a bit of a ribbing and has the good grace to laugh about it himself. All good.

But to see fellow cyclists slagging him off for not being a "real cyclist" and having more than 2% body fat was just sad.

botanybay - Member
Road riding is ridiculous.