[Closed] Sportives. What's the attraction?

Like fasthaggis above with the French sportive I've done the Cape Argus race in Cape Town three times and loved the experience; I think it's about 32,000 riders and it's a real joy to blast along roads that are normally too dangerous for cyclists in a huge never-ending peloton of friendly people. The route is lined with enthusiastic spectators of all colours and the logistics and support are first class.

I have done only one sportive. The first Bealach na Ba one.

It put me clean off the idea. I thought it was just a ride to challenge yourself, not a competitive event. I only entered because the local shop was involved and I was about 18 when I last rode that route.

People continually wanting to form peletons were a PITA. I don't like to suck wheels and I don't like anyone too close to mine. (Not being antisocial, it's just when you're on a singlespeed you do it differently to gearies, eg attack hills until you die, spin out on the flats etc).

I can see the attraction though if you like group riding, plus the food stops, broom wagon etc, and if you're not used to riding distance or know the route it makes life simple. Also if you don't know the area, it's a good way to see its best - sportive routes usually seem to be well considered (but so are audaxes).

And if that gets more folk onto bikes, it's got to be good.

To be honest the only reason I enter sportives is to race my mates. Having an organised event facilitates this.

Velo Birmingham around here in the next few weeks, closing lots of my Sunday lanes...

I avoid them mainly because the standard of riding/spatial awareness is poor plus I don't need to do them when I have a lot of good riding close by and a group of friends to ride with.
A friend of mine is recovering from a scaphoid op involving a Ti screw after a nodder slammed their brakes on in front of him on the ride london sportive, could happen to anyone but if you surround yourself by that many nodders the chances of accidents increase greatly.
The only sportives I have done are the tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix where the standard of riding is generally good and if you leave at the right time you don't get too much traffic.
But I'm never going to do a sportive in this country.

Whilst many are disparaging About sportives (and the riding standards can be dire), they are a gentle introduction to competition. Our club gives awards based on distance and climbing at the end of the season (audaxes also count).

Indeed, had it not been for the excellent Isle of Wight/New Forest combo, I would not have joined Twickenham CC, as that's where I met some lovely riders who I rode with and felt right at home.

So a good place to dip the toes in if joining a formal cycling club seems a jump too far, and a good way to enter a competition once in a club if doing a TT or Cat 4 crashfest also looks too daunting.

They worked for me. UCI Grand Fondo tomorrow in Albi. That's a race dressed down to look like a Sportive. And it's going to be a hot hilly 90 miles. Ride London is basically a large Surrey League 2/3 road race at the pointy end too.

The Marathon doesn't really compare, because the pros go at the front. That wouldn't work for a 5AM pro race on bikes.

EDIT. And audaxes are a little on the slow side for me ;-). Aiming for an average of 37.7 km/hr for next year's 12.

To be honest, I just don't get why there are millions of other people who don't like cycling EXACTLY the way I do it. I just wish I could tell them how wrong they all are.

Bet some of them are even on here. YOURE DOING IT WRONG!!!

London marathon is a race. Sportives are not.

You are without a doubt quite literally the first person ever to have pointed out that sportives are not a race. Bravo sir!!

[quote=thecaptain ]London marathon is a race. Sportives are not.

What real difference does that make to an average punter? Fundamentally the only difference is the lack of pros at the front of the field.

Maybe but some people were saying a sportive isn't a race and some were saying riding one is just the same as the London marathon. statements which are not simultaneously correct. Aren't any pros in most road races (running) but they are still races.

[quote=thecaptain ]Maybe but some people were saying a sportive isn't a race and some were saying riding one is just the same as the London marathon. statements which are not simultaneously correct.

For the reasons I just pointed out there is no contradiction - most people run the London marathon rather than race it (most fundamentally they're not trying to compete against anybody else).

The are dates in the calendar a fixed point. I did the Tour de Mon on Sunday with my son. Tied it in with a weeks holiday, and met Terrahawk. What's not to like.

great to meet you too mate.

and met Terrahawk. What's not to like.

Well, I wouldn't want to share a seat with him in a tricycle...

Was just about to start a thread about doing my first Sportive on Sunday (Oulton Park one) but saw this thread. I'm regretting booking onto it now...

You will have a fab time mcnultycop. Ignore the miserable cynics 🙂

I mainly race, but probably do a couple of sportives a year because people ask me if I'll come along. Some have less appeal than others, the UK ones for me are just social ride's with mates really, usually followed by a night out somewhere which is all good in my book.

I enjoy some of the foreign one's a bit more; I did the gran fondo stelvio santini back in June and enjoyed that, had about 5 days out there and did other rides on other day's. I enjoy a couple of the Norwegian sportives most year's as I have family out there so ride/ visit them.

I know I could save a bit of money by not doing them and just riding, but the money is no fuss and there is a social element to them I like, that is different to that of training/ racing. I can't understand why folk get so ****y about them, but i guess it's the same folk that don't get X, where X equals any hobby anyone else does that someone wants to patronise for some insecurity or another.

I've done a few. As smell_it says, it's as much a social thing as a bike ride. A group of us used to do the Cumbrian Cracker and stop over in Ambleside for a meal and a few drinks on the Sunday night. Not too bothered with the more local ones.

People out riding their bikes and enjoying themselves. What's the problem?

As the threads come back to life.

London marathon is a race. Sportives are not

Whilst this is largely true, something like the S.Wales Velethon is run on closed roads, your timed and those times are placed in order 1st, 2nd ect. So if not a traditional race it's very much a race of sorts.

I think sometimes entering a Sportive gives some riders an incentive to train/get out and do a route/distance they wouldn't normally do.

Harmless fun.

I did my first Sportive today. I enjoyed it. Well organised, nice route somewhere I wouldn't usually ride and cake. I'd do one again and as something to train towards I like the idea.

It was Oulton Park and getting to do laps of the track was a nice touch but would have been miles better if the wind hadn't picked right up at the end.

Did one earlier, brute of a day to ride 100 miles but you get plenty of camaraderie from strangers, marshals on all major junctions, decent feed stations and a challenging course.

All in all a good tough day on the bike in a part of the country I'd never seen before

Out on my usual recreational potter yesterday I found myself caught up in the middle of the Wiggle Mendips Sportive which was rather fun.

There seemed a real mix of folk from the deadly serious who shot past me (as I progressed up Cheddar Gorge on my 27lb+ steel hardtail) talking earnestly to team members on some sort of comms system, to the more social types who chatted to me as they went by. I even overtook a few on the way up and felt rather chuffed (until I looked up details of the event when I got home and realised that my usual twice-weekly route was about the distance of the their short route).

All in all it all seemed rather jolly.

Saw some folk out today on a "race numbers" ride, going the opposite way.

Assumed it was a wiggle sportive initially but they looked a bit casual. Still, they [i]were[/i] at the arse end of it.

On my way back home I caught a couple of stragglers and had a bit of a chat. They were on a Wessex Heartbeat charridy ride and neither had ridden a bike for several years. The second one was walking up a longish but gentle hill and I wondered if he'd had a problem. Apparently he had, if you count losing a lung a while back. Kept him company while he rode back to his finish.

... and then I [b][u]smashed[/u][/b] out a few more PBs* on #strava!!

[i]That's[/i] a proper ride

*(in the 16mph wind 😳 )

Don't need a map.
Easier to convince pal to ride a century.
It's for charity.
Not only do you get cake you get cake every 25 miles!!!

Agree about the Audaxes though, the people who ride them are a lot nicer to chat to and they're way cheaper than sportives, plus you get badges! And a mention in their quarterly magazine for your achievements.

I don't get it at all but it doesn't mean people are wrong to do it. I won't slipstream folk I don't know, I like to stop for picnics and I don't care about the speed I ride at only the fun I have riding. Some folk may have other things they prefer. so long as they don't act like dicks so what?

I did the wiggle mendips one yesterday. Was canny. But man some people do treat it as a full on race. I got shoulder barged by one chap on a single track road as he tried to squeeze past about 20 riders. why he didn't say coming through baffles me still!

Brother in law rode the Mendips Sportive yesterday. It was hard and he has a great sense of achievement - not a natural climber and coming from mtb. What's not to like?

Meanwhile, I raced the Welsh National Circuit race championships to modest acclaim. I'd probably have preferred the Sportive to be honest!

Bump Nath's thread and give us a write up please TiRed 🙂