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Two chaps I know entered the Fred Whitton and having been training for the ride on their Fatbikes. They are raising money for a Local Hospice but have just received an email telling them that they will not be allowed to take part on their Novelty Bikes as its dangerous for other riders and disrespectful to the late Fred Whitton!!!!
Me personally i,m a bit angry with the organisers with their attitude towards so called inappropriate bikes even though so called normal mtgs are allowed
There was a fella doing it last year on a modified chopper.
Surely they can just turn up and ride anyway? Collect chip/number as usual. Stick them on. Ride.
How will they be able to stop them from riding their [s]attentionwhore[/s] fatbikes bikes on a public road?
There was a fella doing it last year on a modified chopper.
Think that's the way to go... Ditch the Fatbikes for something even more unsuitable...
Butchers bike / delivery bike full of ice and beer up front... One of Benders dh specials.... hipster single speed with 30cm bars..
Im doing Ride London on my Fatty for Unicef [s]and because Im an attentionwhore[/s]. Should be a right larf.
It's probably because they have disc brakes & the organisers are worried the sight of the rotors will scare all the road bike riders away
Interesting ...I did the Fred on a rocky mountain element 29 disc brakes and a change of tyres to Sammy slicks , same year two blokes on freeride bikes 2.5 tyres but plenty of 29ers to be honest all probably safer than some of the roadies downhill......
Seems a bit hard if some dim wit wants to make life hard for themselves. Possibly they see the ponderous nature clashing with the majority of riders? Like lots of things, mild variations cause no issues but a point is reached when variations just stray too far from the original and a line has to be drawn. Maybe that's the case here?
I do assume that the riders concerned have actually asked for the reasons. Rather pointless shouting about it without that is it not?
More to the point though, its their ball so they can make the rules and its sod all business of anyone else. Go and play with another ball maybe?
I'm surprised fatbikes would be banned when the faq says mtb and tandems are ok. It advises slicks though.
The race is for a charity and they are doing it for charity, excellent point on tandems some ponderous moments there, for me it is a shame they did not allow them to take part.
If they can do it within the time limits then crack on.
If they can stand up for over 100 miles then I'll lend them this 🙂
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If anything, I reckon a fat bike would be safer on some of the descents of the Fred Whitton.
Don't see how having massive tyres makes it unsafe for anyone, to be honest.
Fatbike fraternity are livid on FB 🙂
probably thinking "jesus they'll still be on the road at sundown and we've got better things to do than wait for them" I don't blame them
Penny Farthing for the win.
Fatbike fraternity are livid on FB
Isn't this exactly the kind of attention they crave? 🙂
How do you know if someone at a race is on a fatbike?
Oh don't worry, he'll tell you
😉
What are the organisers thinking? Just doesn't make any sense tbh.
Stick a set of fat not fat wheels on and you will sneak in unnoticed. 😆
They'd have to going some to make the time cut offs, I reckon.
On one hand, I think Fair play if they can do it. On the other, I kind of sympathise with the organisers if they want to keep it a serious, committed event and deter novelty entrants who take places that a more serious athlete could use (and be more likely to finish the course)
They have been training in the local hills for months so know what the expect and riding carbon fat with racin tyres so will not be hanging about!
http://www.wheelbase.co.uk/fatbike-fred-whitton
This is sad, particularly for the hospice, and reinforces the 'miserable roadie' stereotype.
It's a sportive, not a race, and there are hordes of bimbly people on random bikes riding it every year. I rode it on moustache bars, and have'nt been troubled by an Angry Ghost Fred as a result..
Ah, give a man a clipboard and a blazer and he'll invent rules for everything....
Pratts.
As mentioned...
Race? It's a Sportive on non closed roads amongst other traffic.... Technically, it's not a race...
Nice point about mtb and tandems being ok.
In a tit for tat move ,road bikes have been banned from the Iditarod.
In a tit for tat move ,road bikes have been banned from the Iditarod.
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Idiots (organisers that is), so long as they're capable who gives a rats ass what they're riding.
If it were me, I'd turn up on the day, ride the route and do my own timing. Bollocks to them. Then everyone is happy.
In as much as old blazer wearing farts get to whinge, fat bike riders get the attention, charity get the money. Everyone gets exactly what they want.
I can't see what's wrong with using Fat Bikes, it's a bicycle isn't it, and no more unsuitable than a Chopper I wouldn't have thought?
They are obviously serious about it from the training they've been doing and are raising money for a worthy cause.
Sounds a bit like the UCI who do anything to stifle inovation and progress?
Are the organisers going to refund their entries? If so, it's a win/win for the charity. It's not like the timing is particularly relevant on a fat bike, so just turn up and ride carrying your own cake.
It's interesting how a mountain bike is not disrespectful to Fred, but make the tyres a bit bigger and it suddently becomes an offence.
roadies won't allow it because there would be no excuse why they got beat on a fat bike.
main cause of roadie suicide.
Rich - 'fatbikes vs roadies' has good click-through potential. Getting barred could get them more noticed and raise more donations via social media than doing the ride .. just don't spin it as a negative of the event, just 'one of those things, fair enough .. but any donations appreciated for 2 riders daft enough to try it' then go and ride the route another day to clinch it.
It's the organisers choice what they allow to enter surely ?
It would be like people turning up to a park run on a bike !
It would be like people turning up to a park run on a space hopper !
It would be like people turning up to a park run on a space hopper !
More like turning up to a park run on a pogo stick? They'd be left for dead by any proper self respecting roadie, but I expect the organisers want to avoid the embarrassment of half the field being beaten by the fatties.
FunkyDunc - MemberIt's the organisers choice what they allow to enter surely ?
Nope, STW by-law 175.32.5.8 clearly states that the rules of any event are secondary to the wishes of any STW member with a penchant for niche goods.
Left for dead by everybody, probably which kind of fits in with the charity.
They could use it as a tag line "Left for (the nearly) dead"*
*wife is director of clinical services at a huge hospice, oncology nurse specialist, PhD palliative care and loads more ~ she came up with that little cherub.
FunkyDunc - Member
...It would be like people turning up to a park run on a bike !
No, it's like them turning up wearing welly boots. Still a run.
Do it naked.....that'll get their goat.
In fact, do it on a goat
In fact do a goat.
Yep, right across the fat rubber
From their website
Can I ride a mountain bike ?
Yes, slick tyres advised
Are Tandems allowed ?
Yes
Own goal, organisers.... you really get my goat ...
Own goal in what way? Are they struggling for entries this year? Probably getting more coverage from folk whinging than they would've if they'd said yes.
I'm going for cut offs and while its pretty informal they don't really want to turn it into a 'novelty' event. And I know the guy whose organising this year and he's a bit of a 'triple and trouser clips' sort of a bloke. If you get my meaning.
Edit: he's a sound guy (and clearly committed to the cause) but there's not a lot of craic in him
Jeeezuzzz! they allow triples!
what is the world coming to!
!!!!!!
Own goal in not following their own advice to potential entrants and wondering why people wanting to ride a bike that seems to comply, are a bit bemused.
Nothing to do with raising the event profile.
"The Saddleback Fred Whitton Challenge relies on a lot of help and support from our friends – a big thank you to all these businesses that help the day run like a well oiled cog! "
And on that list of business supporters is..... Wheelbase.
Suppose WB did it on purpose for the anticipated outrage and free publicity, screw the charity.
So if mountain bikes are allowed, and fat bikes are mountain bikes, why did anyone even need to make the differentiation and ask the question? Attention whores...
Also, how do you define a fat bike? How fat is too fat for Fred?!
"Left for dead by everybody, probably which kind of fits in with the charity."
Ha. Just spat pint on phone.
I think they should have a quiet pint with the organiser ,sort it out and best of luck to them.
Just read the post on the front page,
Let it be said that I'm not a fat bike guy, ew, but having said that what they're doing is far cooler than actually doing the Fred seriously and it's well out of order telling them they can't do it. Fred organisers taking themselves way too seriously in what is essentially just a 'fun' challenge for all types of cyclists, not a race!
'We're the toughest cycling challenge in the UK don't you know!'
And as far as not allowing fancy dress as a rule... Have they not seen the state of 75% of the participants each year? That's a spectator sport in itself. TEAM SKY!
Wind your necks in team Fred.
What about Plus sized bikes - how fat is fat.
Perhaps we should turn up on fat bikes, but with normal tyres.
The organisers sound like a bunch of pillocks.
Don't understand why they want to start earlier 😯
The safety issue is a ridiculous red-herring considering the number of numpties who crash because they are incapable of riding a bit of tarmac downhill without falling off.
And the no fancy dress rule, what do they think head-to-toe lycra is?
I can see that starting early would cause a bit of a nause for the events team strung out earlier just for the two riders who want so desperately to be noticed but at the end of the day it's a bike, fat bike thin bike tandem penny farthing who really gives a shit?
Tipping up on a comedy unicle with 3 skittles for juggling and a hoopla doused in meths for added artistic flair could be construed as a bit of a piss taker, likewise a tricycle wouldn't necessarily fit the two wheeled requirement BUT a FAT Bike FFS, some chap on the comitee prob hasn't got quite as many miles in as he'd hoped this winter and after shelling out for Team SKY clobber thought how it might translate half way up Hard Knot with a wheel barrow tyre chomping at his ego,
A bike's a bike. Allowing some and not others is a bit one sided and I'm sure they would like uphold the Late Fred Whitton's memory by staying true to the original rules and regs of what makes a bike a bike which should also be respected.
Personally I'd just tip up and ride it as intended, it's not like anyone's gonna shoot em or make em pregnant. Let's be honest what's the worst that can happen, somebody's gonna get pissed off and some others will be equally happy.
One cancels out the other, just crack on. Just make sure there's minimal air air in tyres and you are single ringing it that'll break a few on the climbs.
Good luck,
How about e bikes? Or even better a fat e bike.
I used to do the 'Fred Whitton Challenge' before I'd even heard of Fred Whitton...the six main Lakes passes are an obvious target for anybody who likes a bit of hill climbing; used to string 'em together one day a year to see how I was doing, typically on an Audax bike I had at the time. I find the idea of somebody needing to get 'permission' from someone else to ride on public roads laughable, if unsurprising.
One of the biggest hazards is the descents where wet, rippled tarmac makes it tricky to get down smoothly - lots of rubber and disc brakes would be far safer than a skinny tyred-bike with rim brakes IMO.
How did the organisers learn they were going to be riding fatbikes? Surely they should just have turned up on their fatter-than-normal tyred mountain bikes and got on with it.
I saw a guy riding it on a Brompton last year. Can't see how a fat bike is not allowed yet a folding bike is fine. Utterly ridiculous decision
TBH, if you don't want to hear the answer, don't ask the question.
They should just have turned up on fatbikes, done the ride and got on with it, no fuss, no bother.
Oh but no, got to shout about the fatbike!
Can't really blame the organisers, it wouldn't surprise me if they didn't even know what a fatbike is or they have existing misconceptions about them. Oh they're those things you ride in the beach / in the snow. They're not serious / proper bikes. They're just taking the piss.
Fact is that 10 years ago when there were maybe a dozen Sportives in the UK, the Fred was one of them. It's a genuinely iconic 'must-do' ride for any roadie. And you can see why the organisers want to keep the ethos and spirit of that rather than turn it into a parody of itself. Their event, their rules.
It's a genuinely iconic 'must-do' ride for any roadie.
I ride a road bike & I couldn't care less about riding it before this, now I know I don't want to as it seems to be run by some very narrow minded "cyclsts" who are a bit too precious about their "iconic" event. I thought it was for charity yet they go out of their way to hinder people giving to the charity, how does that work?
The roads aren't closed, they should ride the route anyway, nothing stopping them doing that, despite what the organisers might think.
Their event, their rules.
I can't decide which is more pathetic really:
The organisers for saying that they're not allowed, or
The fat bikists for meekly agreeing with them and agreeing to do it on a different day.
I can't help but laugh at the organisers.....
Think about it:
The London Marathon is probably the most iconic marathon in the World, yet folks rock up to do that in all manner of clobber & nobody thinks any less of it! You get the elite of marathon running STILL turning up despite the rhino suits & diving outfits.....
Stuck up bunch of precious @rses with no sense of humour IMHO.
I have to say, that later bit about wanting to start the event early was taking the piss. If they were concerned about completing it in the cut-off time they shouldn't have entered.
If, however, it was an attempt at negotiating with the organisers then it was poorly thought out and merely gave them an excuse. I don't think you could reasonably expect them to re-arrange marshalls etc for two riders.
As others have said, asking for an earlier start is just taking the mickey, if you handicap* yourself & then ask for special dispensation then quite rightly a refusal is to be expected - but saying no fatbikes is just silly.
BITD my brother did a 300km audax on a BMX but he still fitted mudguards etc to comply with da rules 🙂
They have no sympathy from me, asking to start early is a joke. It is hard enough running an event as it is, without trying to cater for people who want to start early with all the impact this has on safety, marshals etc. Also what happens when the next person wants an early start or late finish or whatever?
Organisers can happily ban fatbikes, they add nothing to the event and if you want to fatbike the Lakes you can do it any other day of the week.
Some of you sure are fuelling the miserable roadies stereotype
Some of you sure are fuelling the miserable roadies stereotype
Are you honestly surprised?
Goes along with the fatbike riders are attention whores stereotype.
I think they just wanted to raise money for charity as far as I can see. Something really wrong with an organization that blocks that
iving outfits.....Stuck up bunch of precious @rses with no sense of humour IMHO.
I bet they aren't, my guess would be that their impassioned commited cyclists, who genuinly feel that two cyclists on fat bikes wanting to start early is inappropriate to the event and the memory of Fred Whitton. Its their event their call.
Fred liked a lie in then?
Fact is that 10 years ago when there were maybe a dozen Sportives in the UK, the Fred was one of them. It's a genuinely iconic 'must-do' ride for any roadie. And you can see why the organisers want to keep the ethos and spirit of that rather than turn it into a parody of itself. Their event, their rules.
This. I did the Whitton a few years back when a friend of a friend dropped out a few weeks before and although I'm not really a sportive fan - there's something terrifying about the mix of abilities and attitudes - there's something properly special about it, a sort of retro-gritty northernness. It's also respectably hard particularly when conditions are bad, and I get why the organisers are keen to keep it that way.
That doesn't mean there's not a debate to be had, but I wish people would lay off the random abuse aimed at the organisers and people who have the temerity to ride in an event and give it a personal significance.
I bet the boys on fatbikes won't be pushing up wrynose and hardknott, unlike a lot of the roadies.
I've always wanted to do the FW, however I must admit I'm not so sure now.
I think they just wanted to raise money for charity as far as I can see. Something really wrong with an organization that blocks that
They can still do that, the organisation isn't blocking them raising money. They are only saying that their choice of bike is inappropriate, which considering they wanted an early start to get around suggests it is.
Fred liked a lie in then?
You can start from 6 am I think.
I've never wanted to do the FW. I still don't. Pointless and overpriced exercise in futility.
As montgomery alluded to on the last page.