MattHB
Proud Daddy
- Location
- Deepest darkest Dorset
ride distance
- Thread starter gettingintoit
- Start date
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just ride your own pace
Sittingduck
Legendary Member
- Location
- Somewhere flat
That's epic work! (Last year's loss, I mean)
When I first started riding I was doing about 8 miles each way on the commute. Then as the summer months started, I realised I wanted to stay on the bike for longer. So I extended the route, leaving home earlier to complete it. That ramped the miles up to about 14 miles each way. Then I started going to a velodrome in South London and started track cycling on a Saturday morning, and then last year road cycling on a Tuesday night.
The weather has put me off a bit recently, but I have got about 5 sportives coming up this year. First one this Sunday.
Good luck, and you can do it ! I didn't know it at the time, but cycling really did change my life health wise. It's a great life choice.
OP
OP
gettingintoit
New Member
what is a sportive
BrumJim
Forum Stalwart (won't take the hint and leave...)
- Location
- Selly Oak, Birmingham
Bunch of middle-aged blokes pretending to race.
Seriously, if you need motivation to get out on a ride and do distance, and benefit from companionship, there are two options:
1) Audax. You get nothing more than a route card. This directs you to the control points, where you get your card stamped, and often there is a café where you can buy cakes and drinks. If your bike breaks down, you have to sort it out yourself. They tell you your course time, but no one else knows. The advantage is cost (#£5), and the sociability. They are run by cycle clubs for the fun and history of the sport.
2) Sportive. The route is signposted on the road (unless locals pinch the signs) and feed stops are free, offering bananas, cakes, energy bars, energy drinks, etc. There is a mechanic that you can call to sort out any bike problems. You get a number for your bike, and a photographer takes a picture of you with red face and bursting lungs as you crest that climb, and you get a chance to buy that photo later. You carry a chip, so your time on the course is recorded, and everyone's time is posted on the web site. They are run by commercial organisations or charities, and tend to cost £20-£50.
Sportive riders will scoff at the amateur nature and poor facilities of an Audax, and claim that you have to wear sandals and have a beard, fit mudguards and hanker after the days of steel frames. Audax riders will shake their head at how much a Sportive costs, and question why you would want an energy bar when a big slice of chocolate cake is so much more enjoyable!
Seriously, if you need motivation to get out on a ride and do distance, and benefit from companionship, there are two options:
1) Audax. You get nothing more than a route card. This directs you to the control points, where you get your card stamped, and often there is a café where you can buy cakes and drinks. If your bike breaks down, you have to sort it out yourself. They tell you your course time, but no one else knows. The advantage is cost (#£5), and the sociability. They are run by cycle clubs for the fun and history of the sport.
2) Sportive. The route is signposted on the road (unless locals pinch the signs) and feed stops are free, offering bananas, cakes, energy bars, energy drinks, etc. There is a mechanic that you can call to sort out any bike problems. You get a number for your bike, and a photographer takes a picture of you with red face and bursting lungs as you crest that climb, and you get a chance to buy that photo later. You carry a chip, so your time on the course is recorded, and everyone's time is posted on the web site. They are run by commercial organisations or charities, and tend to cost £20-£50.
Sportive riders will scoff at the amateur nature and poor facilities of an Audax, and claim that you have to wear sandals and have a beard, fit mudguards and hanker after the days of steel frames. Audax riders will shake their head at how much a Sportive costs, and question why you would want an energy bar when a big slice of chocolate cake is so much more enjoyable!
OP
OP
gettingintoit
New Member
i see .... the audax seems much more like my kind of thing .... sounds less competetive
