kwackers wrote:I've only ever done one organised cycling event and it was appalling. Not just litter, but the roadcraft was awful. I've never done another and doubt I ever will.
I wonder if you might be better off in the relatively civilised world of Audax, where good behaviour is the norm. Smaller fields, too.
pwa wrote:I too think that mass events can be a problem. Being unable to get around your own neighbourhood because someone has organised an event that renders local roads unusable for hours is always likely to test people's patience. I'd be unhappy if my local lanes were closed for any sort of event, cycling or otherwise.
I live on the London to Brighton route so get lots of cyclists coming past, particularly in the summer months. One Sunday in particular (the official charity ride) my road is closed in one direction which makes getting around (by car) quite inconvenient.
It's never really bothered me - and, with 15,000+ riders, it causes me a lot more inconvenience than a regular sportive would do.
BrianFox wrote:I had a chat a few years ago now to a Wasdale mountain rescue team member about the three peaks. Their view:
We suggest that there are many alternative ways to challenge yourself and others both in the mountains and other fields and would encourage charity fundraisers to consider all options before embarking on a 3 peaks attempt, particularly those that burn less diesel.
BrianFox wrote:I had a chat a few years ago now to a Wasdale mountain rescue team member about the three peaks. Their view:
We suggest that there are many alternative ways to challenge yourself and others both in the mountains and other fields and would encourage charity fundraisers to consider all options before embarking on a 3 peaks attempt, particularly those that burn less diesel.
That would be a good thing for both the big one and the Dales one, but how? I think it is time that people stopped sponsoring what are not 'challenges' , which is a stupid concept, but are just holidays or trips out. I wouldn't sponsor someone to lie on a beach in Corfu for a week, why would I expect them to sponsor me to go walking or cycling?
I'd sponsor someone going to help out at a local hospital one night a week for two months. Or someone going into an old folks' home to befriend occupants with no close family. Or someone cleaning up a playground. Something that may or may not be rewarding to the participants, but which of itself is helping other people or the environment.
kwackers wrote:I've only ever done one organised cycling event and it was appalling. Not just litter, but the roadcraft was awful. I've never done another and doubt I ever will.
I wonder if you might be better off in the relatively civilised world of Audax, where good behaviour is the norm. Smaller fields, too.
I think Audax must attract different people to Sportifs and the likes. Every year the Deloitte RAB comes through my area for the next fortnight I'm usually having to fend off negative comments regarding cyclists. Every four years LEL comes through and the only comments I get are did you see ( insert unusual made of transport here)? Or locals spoke to riders and were full of admiration over the distance rode. There's to be 1500 riders come through on this year LEL so certainly not a small field. Be interesting to see what I hear after thus event.
Whatever I am, wherever I am, this is me. This is my life
One of our daughters lives in the New Forest so I quite regularly read the Lymington Times. It seems to have a continual stream of letters complaining about cyclists, and even reports of people deliberately laying drawing pins in the road. There seems to be an anti cycling theme.
I've done a limited amount of cycling around the roads there as well as a little off road, and haven't had major problems. However drivers use excessive speeds (in my view) on the A35 Christchurch Lyndhurst Road and I've also found the B3054 Lymington - Beaulieu uncomfortably busy.
"It takes a genius to spot the obvious" - my old physics master.
I don't peddle bikes.
That would be a good thing for both the big one and the Dales one, but how? ...
We need to get people to think more. Events that create more motor traffic for a good cause are madness!
Sponsored events should be beneficial (e.g. litter picking, I love doing that) or neutral (cycling, riders benefit personally, but how do they get to the start?). It is earnestly to be hoped that many mass events decline. We have enough chances to meet on these fora without travelling great distances
People need to think more before sponsoring
Entertainer, juvenile, curmudgeon, PoB, 30120 Cycling-of course, but it is far better on a Gillott We love safety cameras, we hate bullies
It is so difficult to know how one may support a good cause. Picking litter could be dirty and unpleasant
One solution is to fight cancer by getting a tattoo, I saw this on farcebook. Mind, one of the next search results was about tattoo colours possibly causing cancer
It is best to have the tattoos in a fairly private place, in case one later wants to work in a bank or as a police officer
Entertainer, juvenile, curmudgeon, PoB, 30120 Cycling-of course, but it is far better on a Gillott We love safety cameras, we hate bullies
The original aims behind the creation of National Parks were to conserve the landscape and its wildlife. Modern ideas of mass participation are incompatable with those original ideas. The Three Peaks area of the YDNP is at breaking point and is a victim of it's own "success" It doesn't really matter who is running these mass events, they are wrong in principal.
If anyone is wondering about the preponderance of litter strewn about the countryside they may be enlightened by watching the "professionals" in elite races. Watching the peleton for any length of time, one can observe flying bottles, gel wrappers, half empty coke cans and anything else the rider deems unfit to carry to the finish. Events like the Tour de France have very strict rules about dropping litter and bottles are classed as souvenirs to be picked up by enthusiasts.
I wonder if some riders see the behaviour of professionals and try to emulate their seemingly casual approach to the care of the environment assuming someone else is going to pick up their rubbish. Only this time if Joe Bloggs throws a bottle into a field not many are likely to see this as a valued memento of an elite event or rider. It's just going to languish there until it is picked up by someone who has a sense of social responsibility or ingested by livestock.
I agree with what arnsider says about National Parks, only in The New Forest it seems like the natural fauna is at high risk of obliteration, by you've guessed it cars and lorries. If anyone is interested in the impact of litter originating from vehicles, then they might like to look at the writings of David Sederis and learn of his views of the origins of litter.
Cyril Haearn wrote:It is so difficult to know how one may support a good cause. Picking litter could be dirty and unpleasant
One solution is to fight cancer by getting a tattoo, I saw this on farcebook. Mind, one of the next search results was about tattoo colours possibly causing cancer
It is best to have the tattoos in a fairly private place, in case one later wants to work in a bank or as a police officer
You do not fight cancer by having a tattoo. If you mean people paying you to do it helps, they could, instead, pay you to do something genuinely useful in itself, like driving cancer patients to hospital, which is what I was suggesting - and the sort of thing I might sponsor......
Cyril Haearn wrote:It is so difficult to know how one may support a good cause. Picking litter could be dirty and unpleasant
One solution is to fight cancer by getting a tattoo, I saw this on farcebook. Mind, one of the next search results was about tattoo colours possibly causing cancer
It is best to have the tattoos in a fairly private place, in case one later wants to work in a bank or as a police officer
You do not fight cancer by having a tattoo. If you mean people paying you to do it helps, they could, instead, pay you to do something genuinely useful in itself, like driving cancer patients to hospital, which is what I was suggesting - and the sort of thing I might sponsor......
Of course not, I cited it as one of the most b i z a r r e things. Maybe it does "raise awareness" like wearing a red ribbon or a poppy, whether that achieves anything?
Went for a walk by the estuary today, soon regretted not taking a bag for rubbish. There is lots of plastic rinsed clean there, next time I will collect and put it out for the official collection, goes to be recycled. Or maybe to be burnt or to landfill
Entertainer, juvenile, curmudgeon, PoB, 30120 Cycling-of course, but it is far better on a Gillott We love safety cameras, we hate bullies
