60 quid for the gran fondo …

I’ve done it the last few years but won’t be doing it in 2014. Not like its closed roads or anything.

You know they are scraping the bottom of the barrel when one of the ‘what you get for your money’ is

Online results in alphabetical order

Online results in alphabetical order

Especially when they have to do that so it’s not legally a race.

Especially when they have to do that so it’s not legally a race.

Quick fiddle in excel and we’re back to positional placings.

Its expensive. But its a great day out, best organised event I’ve done.

305km for £90……

I’m in for the 305km. With that distance I might actually use the feed stops, medical support and broom wagon (in that order). I wouldn’t have entered for the normal distance.

Plus paying for it means I’m unlikely to wuss out.

that’s a lot of money, regardless of distance.

I’ve done 300km audaxes, 6 quid entry, a couple of cake stops, out of the back of a car thrown in, and cake and tea at the end.

it’s not closed roads? my Brother-in-law thought it was, and was getting very excited about the fact…

it’s not closed roads? my Brother-in-law thought it was, and was getting very excited about the fact…

no… did it a few years ago and some f***wit went into the back of me when i slowed for some red traffic lights!!

Has changed route, but used to/may still do go through some towns, with parked cars, driven cars & lots of riders, not my idea of fun tbh.

And the price, yes it will sell out so it isn’t over priced, but no way i am paying that sort of money.

cheers – is he getting it confused with another sportive then, that is closed roads, and in wales, or has he imagined it??
not sure I’ll bother, especially as would need to pay for an over night stop as well.

etape cymru is closed roads, but that is Wrexham/Mold/Ruthin way not south wales like the Dragon.

yeah just did a googley bear and found that out. looks a joy…

I’ve signed up for the “Devil”, £90 is a lot, but i look at the fact that all the other really long challenges i hav looked at which are organised are for charity and you need to raise £400-£500 and i think i’ve exhausted my good will with fmaily and friends!

Especially when they have to do that so it’s not legally a race.
Quick fiddle in excel and we’re back to positional placings.

Don’t think they should even be publishing “results”. It’s not a race. It’s on open roads. Anything that encourages groups of riders to “race” on these things is a bad thing. If you want to race then enter a race (and save yourself a good chunk of that cash.)

Edit: … on the other hand if you want a nice pootle though some lovely countryside with some other riders and have some spare cash to splurge, and maybe raise some cash for charity, then that’s fine 🙂

As a mate pointed out on Twitter…
£90 for 300km is 47p per mile.

If he spent that money on fuel, his car would do 1200km. And he’d get Nectar points. 😉

Oh and remember, it doesn’t matter how fast you go, you all still get a medal 🙂

I’ve signed up for it with a load of mates. Most of us are doing the shorter distance (I think it works out to 98 miles or something)….that cost £55.
It is quite pricey, but I’ve not done any road events like this before and they reckon it’s a good day out.

I won’t be racing. I’ll just be looking to get round! A mate has suggested we should get some hill training in, but not sure how I will manage that living on the edge of the fens!

98 miles

go round the block and make it 100 🙂

I’ve signed up for the “Devil”, £90 is a lot, but i look at the fact that all the other really long challenges i hav looked at which are organised are for charity and you need to raise £400-£500 and i think i’ve exhausted my good will with fmaily and friends!

depending on what your motivation is, have a look at Paris Brest Paris. Obviously in France, but some might say it is a reasonable challenge…

Thanks MrMo, will take a look at it properly, i have heard of it.

However…. Those extra 80km cost you another £30 over the Gran Fondo. I’m in for that -it’s not a bargain, but I’d rather pay now than hunt down sponsorship.

On a similar note, I’m also looking at entry for the FOD mini enduro. £45. For 10ish miles of riding, it appears. And probably 10 minutes of racing.

vinnyeh – Member

On a similar note, I’m also looking at entry for the FOD mini enduro. £45. For 10ish miles of riding, it appears. And probably 10 minutes of racing.

I considered entering this until I saw the price! 😯

They’ll once again be scraping people off the tarmac because they continue to use a route unsuitable for so many people.

They’ll once again be scraping people off the tarmac because they continue to use a route unsuitable for so many people.

Aren’t there a selection of routes and people should pick the one that matches their abilities? Or is that all too straightforward?

They’ll once again be scraping people off the tarmac because they continue to use a route unsuitable for so many people.

I did it last year and thought it was a perfectly suitable route. It’s just up to people to choose a route they can manage, or can manage to train for.

L`eroica was 35 quid with food and wine supplied

I’d rather not, looking at some of the riding skills around and I can ride it any day of the week…..1/2 hr away 🙂

….now L`eroica for 35 quid with food and wine supplied, sounds brilliant!

We got our guaranteed entry email last week but after last year where there were so many accidents – I saw at least 6 people being scraped off the road into ambulances, herself waited for 40 minutes on the last descent until the medivac helicopter took off, and the general shocking standard of riding we’ll not be entering it again.
Even in the old days when the food stops would run out within the first hour the riding was better.

I did it last year and thought it was a perfectly suitable route. It’s just up to people to choose a route they can manage, or can manage to train for.

It’s got nothing to do with people’s fitness. It has everything to do with sending thousands of riders down wet, steep descents with a junction at the bottom.

t’s got nothing to do with people’s fitness. It has everything to do with sending thousands of riders down wet, steep descents with a junction at the bottom.

Ok not their fitness then but their bike handling skills !cant they brake correctly in the wet ?

Ride London is £48 with closed roads. Only a 25% probability of entry though (unless you are female). Closed roads made it special for me.

Edric, any pictures of the weekend? Some clubmates went too.

Nothing to stop you just riding the event without a number and without paying. Open roads, free country etc. Or indeed just borrowing the route and doing it on a day when there are fewer muppets riding bikes and upsetting the locals.

Ah, MAMILs….

Spend thousands on all the latest crabon fribe, deep sections, Assos, Rapha and a Garmin, then have no idea how to actually handle a bike. Well, beyond the ability to mash massive gears away from the lights while commuting on aforementioned fredwagen. It was apparently a major issue on the London 100 thingy earlier this year, people who had simply no idea how to descend on a bike.

Ok not their fitness then but their bike handling skills !cant they brake correctly in the wet ?

I’m sure most can. The point is it only takes one or two to cause a serious accident when there are so many people trying to use a steep, narrow road at the same time. As a general point, the standard of riding in UK sportives is – in my experience – not very good, so organisers need to take account of this.

I rode the route earlier this year – it’s absolutely fine for a club run but I think putting thousands down it is just dumb.

Edric, any pictures of the weekend? Some clubmates went too.

I dont have any pictures from L`eroica as I dont have a camera .Thought I might find one online as there were loads taking them but not had any success yet.What kit did your clubmates wear ? I met quite a few British riders there

Why are people willing to pay £90 to ride on roads they could ride on at anytime, for free?

scud – Member
Thanks MrMo, will take a look at it properly, i have heard of it.

I think you have to do a certain number/distance in audaxes to qualify for Paris-Brest-Paris, you can’t just pay your money and ride it.

Why are people willing to pay £90 to ride on roads they could ride on at anytime, for free?

Same reason people pay to enter marathons, club time trials, etc etc because it gives a sense of occasion to a ride, they have clear directions marked for them and they get food at regular intervals.

I think it’s one of those ‘if you have to ask it’s not for you’ type things really.

I’ve done a few of the Wiggle events and an organised Cross sportive and they were great (for me) as I coudl ride new routes in areas I wasn;t familiar with without worrying about stuff.

wwaswas – each to their own, but it seems a remarkable way of separating fools from money. I have yet to see a club time trial that costs £90.

Seems that what your £90 gets you is:

1: Some left over food of questionable quality
2: The company of many people unable to handle a bike properly
3: The opportunity not to use a map
4: Open roads with drivers annoyed at passing their 3000th cyclist of the day

I was trying to counter the ‘ride for free’ bit really, £90 sounds a bit ott but £40-£50 for sportives is fairly common.

I paid £20 to enter a 10k running race somewhere I could run ‘for free’ which is pretty poor value on a per km basis but was worth it to me because of the ‘event’ it was not just for the runnign 10k bit.

not sure i’d spend 90 quid on one. The wiggle ones are about 30 quid, Dartmoor classic’s similar I think. I agree with the sense of occasion thing, I don’t get the chance to go and ride 100+ miles often, so it’s something to aim for. it does feel a bit w@nky though in the car park at the start and there’s basically about 500+ midlife crisis victims getting out of porsches with very expensive bikes.
each to there own though, if you enjoy it, and it makes to get out and ride more regularly, then that’s got to be a good thing.