Sportives - love them or loathe them?

[NATURAL ANKLING]

Hi,
Done many audaxes in the past but like others here, my last and only one so far, I ride to the start (outside), leave early so not to get bogged down with the masses, carrying my food and I carried 4 litres of water but only needed 3.
Probably got a few funny looks with my old Raleigh bike in audax garb, 35 mm tyres and a rucksack but its what I am used to, managed a gold medal time to boot.

Next is 100 miler over Dartmoor but will be using my old road bike, not parted with any money, will be self sufficient, might just have to gather some water from a stream, heh ho.

[reohn2]

I've never understood the need to pay to go for a ride that someone else dictates the route,it seems totally bizarre to me.
If you want to donate to charity set up a direct debit to your charity of choice,that way it gets a steady drip of money it can count on and as a result can set out it's financies for the coming year at least.

You've never done a club reliability trial .. Great fun ..

Nope,I already know my reliability is unreliable

[mjr]

I think sportive rides used to be good but the unregulated commercial ones have soured the pot, with far too many persistent bad riders. Only a minority, but enough to cause far too many incidents. Even if the rules that exclude me were dropped, I think I'd only risk itfor the closed road ones now or if there's a compelling theme.

I don't understand Audax either. That's ruining a good day trip with time limits and bureaucracy!

[awavey]

well I like sportives, they give me a goal to aim for, rather than just riding aimlessly around the same roads, and I end up in parts of the countryside even within riding distance to home, that Id never have considered riding through, sometimes you want to be guided around via a course route and not have to think about planning it that much, and it certainly gives me the satisfaction of achievement when I cross the finish line, and at least for now I still enjoy getting a medal for doing it, less bothered about the photo side, but not every sportive offers both and I dont do the charity side of it.

Im not saying they are great and everyone should like them, some of them are beginning to get more expensive than they should be, and the feed stations can be variable quality, Ive hit a few that had run out of food long before they should have and had no idea really how many riders they were catering for and when they would stop,and some of the signage you do think well no-ones ridden this course on a bike, and I always feel like Im finishing as everyone is packing up.

so yeah theres a great breadth of quality, some are very good, some not so good, some you might as well just have ridden around by yourself.

but Ill share a moment I had on one I did earlier this year as we came over the crest of a hill with about 5miles to go, the sun had just started to come out after being cold and gloomy all day, and it was almost shining as the beacon showing the way home, and just ahead down this sort of rolling combination of down hill/up hill, as far as they eye could almost see as it was almost Roman straight, was just a constant line of people cycling and I dont know if it was combination of the emotion and elation of nearly completing + weariness + the first time Id seen so many of the riders doing this at the same time as lots of sportive routes tend to be mainly on tight twisty roads you never really get that sense of what this mass group of riders is about, but seeing that and feeling that, it was great, and yeah thats why I do sportives.

as for audaxes they dont appeal to me yet, maybe in time they will but the focus on 200km distances, I know there are 100km rides which I could do, puts me off, Ive not broken through 100miles yet, Im sure in time I will get there, but Im not into riding a crazy distance,just for the sake of it, for a stamp in a booklet yet.

[Cyril Haearn]

I know what an Audax is, never ridden one

What exactly is the difference between an Audax and a Sportive? Are there other types of mass rides?

Seems maybe we are a bit conservative and old-fashioned, not so many diverse opinions? Not much enthusiasm for Sportives. Yet

[softlips]

I really like sportives.

I like the challenge, love the fact they take me on roads I’d never normally ride (even better when closed) and it’s great making meeting other cyclists. Most are well organised and it’s good knowing you can ride a safe route with planned stops for fueling, toilets etc.

[landsurfer]

[
Nope,I already know my reliability is unreliable

[robing]

In contrast I enjoy group running events - marathons, half marathons etc.

[ANTONISH]

I don't understand Audax either. That's ruining a good day trip with time limits and bureaucracy!

[/quote]
Audax enables me to do a pleasant ride, out of my area planned by someone with local knowledge.
The bureaucracy is limited to perhaps answering a few questions on a card or getting it stamped.
It doesn't ruin my ride.

Sportives IMO are effectively races since they are timed - most participants probably just ride at their own pace but there is a substantial competitive element.
Given the large numbers involved I would suggest that they are more disruptive than a road race - but the latter has to comply with strict provisions and have police approval. Riding standards in road races are also controlled - riders must not cross the centre line.

[mjr]

I don't understand Audax either. That's ruining a good day trip with time limits and bureaucracy!

Audax enables me to do a pleasant ride, out of my area planned by someone with local knowledge.
The bureaucracy is limited to perhaps answering a few questions on a card or getting it stamped.
It doesn't ruin my ride.

But what's the point? These days, pretty good routes are online or easily generated with planners so groups can go ride another area fairly easy, subject to train or car assistance availability. It's not like you get the sportive style mass ride excitement on an audax because they seem to settle into small groups and solitaries pretty quickly.

And have you never found the time limits a bit off, stopping you having a relaxed lunch in a cafe that's busier than usual because of all the audaxers and no time for a pub or photo stop unless you phone in as an abandon?

[geocycle]

well I like sportives, they give me a goal to aim for, rather than just riding aimlessly around the same roads, and I end up in parts of the countryside even within riding distance to home, that Id never have considered riding through, sometimes you want to be guided around via a course route and not have to think about planning it that much, and it certainly gives me the satisfaction of achievement when I cross the finish line, and at least for now I still enjoy getting a medal for doing it, less bothered about the photo side, but not every sportive offers both and I dont do the charity side of it.

Im not saying they are great and everyone should like them, some of them are beginning to get more expensive than they should be, and the feed stations can be variable quality, Ive hit a few that had run out of food long before they should have and had no idea really how many riders they were catering for and when they would stop,and some of the signage you do think well no-ones ridden this course on a bike, and I always feel like Im finishing as everyone is packing up.

so yeah theres a great breadth of quality, some are very good, some not so good, some you might as well just have ridden around by yourself.

but Ill share a moment I had on one I did earlier this year as we came over the crest of a hill with about 5miles to go, the sun had just started to come out after being cold and gloomy all day, and it was almost shining as the beacon showing the way home, and just ahead down this sort of rolling combination of down hill/up hill, as far as they eye could almost see as it was almost Roman straight, was just a constant line of people cycling and I dont know if it was combination of the emotion and elation of nearly completing + weariness + the first time Id seen so many of the riders doing this at the same time as lots of sportive routes tend to be mainly on tight twisty roads you never really get that sense of what this mass group of riders is about, but seeing that and feeling that, it was great, and yeah thats why I do sportives.

as for audaxes they dont appeal to me yet, maybe in time they will but the focus on 200km distances, I know there are 100km rides which I could do, puts me off, Ive not broken through 100miles yet, Im sure in time I will get there, but Im not into riding a crazy distance,just for the sake of it, for a stamp in a booklet yet.

I can relate to that and I think they fill a niche. They reached their height after the 2014 grand depart and I suspect are on the wain. Hopefully the good ones will persist. I've never done a sportif -not sure a heavy flat bar tourer is allowed! However, I have done a BHF charity ride (Lancaster-York) a number of years ago. This took me 100 miles over the Pennines and gave me confidence I could ride that sort of distance/terrain. I guess this is the sort of thing that people get from sportives.

[horizon]

well I like sportives, they give me a goal to aim for, rather than just riding aimlessly around the same roads,


but Ill share a moment I had on one I did earlier this year as we came over the crest of a hill with about 5miles to go, the sun had just started to come out after being cold and gloomy all day, and it was almost shining as the beacon showing the way home, and just ahead down this sort of rolling combination of down hill/up hill, as far as they eye could almost see as it was almost Roman straight, was just a constant line of people cycling and I dont know if it was combination of the emotion and elation of nearly completing + weariness + the first time Id seen so many of the riders doing this at the same time as lots of sportive routes tend to be mainly on tight twisty roads you never really get that sense of what this mass group of riders is about, but seeing that and feeling that, it was great, and yeah thats why I do sportives.

Brill. That's what I was trying to say in my post above but you said it with feeling.

[roubaixtuesday]

Thousands of people out on their bikes enjoying themselves? Down with this sort of thing!



Two of the best things I've ever done on a bike were sportives: The Marmotte and the Ardechoise, though I've done probably only around half a dozen in my life. The Ardechoise in particular was a life affirming celebration of cycling. I couldn't recommend it too highly.

I don't get the negativity at all. No-one's forcing you to shell out £50ish for a day out if you don't want to.

Just celebrate the fact that so many people are cycling, and for some of them, an event of this sort to aim for is hugely motivating.

[iandriver]

Never done a road one as such, The Evans off road ones tend to be a lot cheaper, I'd never figure the off road routes out myself in parts of the country I don't know.

Having said that, I have entered this. With a ferry crossing included, it doesn't seem such bad value with a ferry crossing included. https://www.ukcyclingevents.co.uk/event ... -sportive/

So in summary, if it's offers a different dimension, I'm happy. If it doesn't, it's Audax all the way for me.

[Cugel]

I know what an Audax is, never ridden one

What exactly is the difference between an Audax and a Sportive? Are there other types of mass rides?

Seems maybe we are a bit conservative and old-fashioned, not so many diverse opinions? Not much enthusiasm for Sportives. Yet

It's pleasant to ride with others, for a number of reasons. These have to do with being sociable (chatting, exchanging views on this & that, as well as tales of cycling experiences, whilst creating a new one) and having the odd competition (going hard up a hill, sprinting for a village sign). They include all the other reasons for cycling, for example: seeing beautiful countryside; keeping fit; going to new places or along new routes; cake-quaffing; etcetera - pleasures which can be amplified in a group ride.

The original question might be rephrased from "Sportives - love them or loathe them?" to "Do Sportives enhance cycling pleasures or detract from them"?

My own answer comes by way of comparison. I've only ever done one sportive, a dozen or so audax, over a hundred road races and hundreds of club rides. My experience of the sportive is that it compared very poorly to the other modes of group cycling, for these reasons: too many dangerous riders; you have to do it on a set date, no matter the weather; outrageous cost for nothing much. I won't do another.

Audax and road racing have the set-date disadvantages, although this matters less with a road race, when bad weather can often make it more challenging, which is the object of a race. (The pleasure only arrives when it stops).

Club rides are best. You can not-bother if the weather is nasty - there'll be another one in a few days. The groups are smaller and much more disciplined (at least. in the older more traditional clubs they are). They're free. You get plenty of sociability stuff but also more fitness stuff and often more miles than if you were to go alone.

Sportives seem to have come about to fill what's often referred to as "a market niche" - faux races for faux racers, if one is to be uncharitable. They seem to appeal to those who like to buy a finished product rather than to those who prefer to have an engrossing and rewarding hobby or pastime. Junk cycling? Ready-meal cycling? A bit harsh but I suspect y'all know what I mean.

Cugel