Cycling UK Forum

Yep and most rides of that sort are about £15-20. The main thing I'm paying for is the route planning, going to a slightly unfamiliar area and being taken down the quietest routes with the best views etc, something which is impossible to know without local knowledge.

reohn2 wrote:

mjr wrote:I'm not sure 250 of my mates ride bikes and could be persuaded to ride so far at the same time.

No,no but maybe ten might.
How many mates do you need for a good social day ride?
i've got to be honest at this point and say that I cycle to get away from crowds,not congregate and don't like to cycle in big groups.

That's the main difference, then. Some people find it fun and it's nice to do it in the countryside occasionally. The only other place I remember riding in a peloton of hundreds is London the last year or two - I wish cycling was so popular that it was crowded more often.

I do ride in groups of about 10 every week or two with www.klwnbug.co.uk (local CycleNation group), carrying varying amounts of food and a full toolkit (tubes, patches, levers, pump, tools, chainlink and zipties: I'll try to botch it if a cable or bolt fails), but riding a lighter bike in a group of 200 once a year used to be a nice change.

As long as they don't impinge on my riding I've no problem with people enjoying their sportives. It's their money so why should I complain if they want to spend it on an event that I wouldn't normally do?

It's like looking at someone's flash bike (e.g. some nice Surly ) and saying "Why spend that much when the one I got out the skip and did up will take me just as far, just as easily?". You will say: "but this bike has this particular feature..such as STI."....just as a sportive rider will say that "this ride has this particular feature....such as closed roads". I've don't have STI on my bike yet I've got so much enjoyment out of it.....and I'm sure that if the STI was taken off your bike you wouldn't give up cycling for ever! Likewise, I don't need closed roads, and I'm sure that no matter how much sportive riders like their closed roads, if they lost them they wouldn't give up riding.

I would, though, encourage any follower of one discipline to try another, not because I think that their fave form of riding is crap but because they could add to their enjoyment by trying something else, and really, you don't know if you'll love or hate it until you've tried it for yourself.

All just different ways of enjoying the wonderful world of cycling.

The vast majorty of sportives don't have closed roads of course.

Likewise, the vast majority don't cost £60+. Leastways not last time I looked.

To all:-
I can only give my opinion and try to see other's.
The thread began with the OP complaining about the £59 cost of going for a bike ride,albeit supported.
We've also mentioned charity rides which are similar where the vast majority of the proceeds(we hope)go a good cause.
We've got to the point in the discussion of riding in big groups the social aspects,mechanical support and closed roads.
IMO the social side of riding can be experienced without the need for 250 riders strung out over a route of anything between 20 and 100miles.If people need that for their cycling enjoyment good luck to them.Nor do I like the pack mentality of big groups,which is something else I've witnessed.
Routes can be researched,in fact finding and experiencing new ones is part of the enjoyment of cycling for me,whether it be a small deviation from a known route or a whole new one.Having someone else set a whole route for me with arrows to follow or stewards stood at junctions only serves to take away that enjoyment.That said I'm not adverse to taking someone's advice in a new area.
Closed roads,especially in the UK's anti cycling culture,can and have caused problems in the past.
That's not to say I agree with those who cause those problems but such events can serve to cause problems and bad feelings against all cyclists,especially if the route is strewn with gel wrappers and discarded inner tubes,etc,which has been my unfortunate experience when I've inadvertently followed such routes albeit only for short distances before taking a turning(any turning)off such routes.
Mechanical support isn't something that's needed,even with a very small tool kit on board:- tube,multitool,P/R outfit,tyre levers.
I've ridden many,many rides with such a tool kit and a light bike and always managed to get home,in fact the only time I've ever needed assistance was finding myself 5miles down the road and remembering I hadn't put the seatpack on the bike.My wife brought it out for me,kind soul that she is.
I'll reiterate what I said initially up thread,I don't understand the need to pay anyone to go for a bike ride,but if others wish to good luck to you.

Mark1978 wrote:Yep and most rides of that sort are about £15-20. The main thing I'm paying for is the route planning, going to a slightly unfamiliar area and being taken down the quietest routes with the best views etc, something which is impossible to know without local knowledge.

You get the same on an audax for a fiver. You don't get free food so you can end up spending another £5-10 on food during the event. I like audaxes because you are essentially picking the brains of the organiser and their club. The route will be based on one of their regular club rides and therefore well researched.

Big T wrote:You get the same on an audax for a fiver. You don't get free food so you can end up spending another £5-10 on food during the event. I like audaxes because you are essentially picking the brains of the organiser and their club. The route will be based on one of their regular club rides and therefore well researched.

Hmm, £5 for the audax, as you say £10 on food. There's my £15 entrance fee for the sportive...

Anyway we're talking like you must only ever do one sort of riding. I too go out on my own and find my own way using maps, I do ride with clubs along all sorts of terrain. I still like doing sportives.