Sportive entry fees - RIP OFF !

[Philip Whiteman]

I was rather amused to read the following on Bikeradar:

On a sportive, a man dressed in team kit draws alongside whilst riding his Trek Madone and we strike up a discussion. He suggests that audaxes are waste of time and money. They are clearly are not for him. The routes are not challenging and he does not like the riders.

On an audax, a man dressed in team kit draws alongside whilst riding his Trek Madone and we strike up a discussion. He suggests that sportives are waste of time and money. They are clearly are not for him. The routes are not challenging and he does not like the riders.

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[dellzeqq]

the difference between an audax and a Sportive is that it is the intention of Sportive 'proprietors' to make money. And I think it's difficult to quarrel with that.

Forget the insurance - it costs diddlysquit. Except...they should have insurance. And I know of one which doesn't. So check.

 

[lukesdad]

the difference between an audax and a Sportive is that it is the intention of Sportive 'proprietors' to make money. And I think it's difficult to quarrel with that.

Forget the insurance - it costs diddlysquit. Except...they should have insurance. And I know of one which doesn't. So check.

English moneygrabbers. The 2 big sportives in this part of the country after costs,the Proceeds go to charities. I find it difficult to quarrel with that either.

 

[ventoux50]

the difference between an audax and a Sportive is that it is the intention of Sportive 'proprietors' to make money. And I think it's difficult to quarrel with that.

Forget the insurance - it costs diddlysquit. Except...they should have insurance. And I know of one which doesn't. So check.

My point exactly on the op.

I wonder if current sportive addicts were attracted to Audax in sufficient numbers whether the nature of Audax would also change and become a money making machine as well ?

 

[ColinJ]

On a sportive, I start at the front of the bunch but tire rapidly and slip back through them, briefly drawing alongside a man dressed in team kit and riding a Trek Madone. I make an attempt to strike up a discussion with him about whether or not audaxes are a waste of time and money, whether  or not they are for him, whether or not he would find the routes challenging and whether or not he likes randonneurs, but his reply is wasted on me - I am already off the back and thinking that this is an expensive way of riding solo...

On an audax, I start at the front of the bunch but tire rapidly and slip back through them, briefly drawing alongside a man dressed in plain kit and riding a Paul Hewitt touring bike with a single rear pannier on the left side of his bike. I make an attempt to strike up a discussion with him about whether or not sportives are a waste of time and money, whether or not they are for him, whether or not he would find the routes challenging and whether or not he likes would-be racers, but his reply is wasted on me - I am already off the back and thinking that this is an affordable way of riding solo... 

 

[jimboalee]

Just like to correct you on a few points above, I think you may have gained the wrong impression on entering audaxes:

- Anyone can enter irrespective of whether they are members of any clubs.
- Insurance is taken care of by the organiser if you are not already affiliated to BC / CTC or AUK.
- True you don't have to worry about a route sheet, that is a clear advantage of sportives. More audax organisers now provide GPX downloads which is a positive move.
- Food is usually available at the controls but is not always free as in the case of sportives. For riders in a hurry, where a cafe control on audax is used is always convenient.
- Websites. Too few audaxes do provide websites but a small number do, see mine for example, http://www.beaconrcc.org.uk/audax/
- The distance point is an interesting one. Audax UK was established for the sole purpose of arranging long distance and accredited endurance events. However you would wrong to suggest that they are all to long. A glance at the AUK calendar will show that many are less than the minimum randonee distance of 200km. For example, the Snowdrop and Sunrise Express is only 123km long.

In addition,

Audax events can be as short as 50km.

From my local ATM to Stratford on Avon and back via either the Midland Mesh or DIY will gain me 50km.
There is a 50km Cloth badge.
It is a Brevet Populaire and the speed limits can be 10 - 20 kmh. Suitable for children.

As a matter of interest, an Audax ride can be as short as 100 metres. The 0.1 km can be included in the total distance within your 'Mileater' diary to be awarded the lovely gold and multicoloured sunburst Mileater Medal.

 

[dellzeqq]

English moneygrabbers. The 2 big sportives in this part of the country after costs,the Proceeds go to charities. I find it difficult to quarrel with that either.

well, quite. You pay a bargain fifteen quid to do the Martlets FNRttC on 2nd September 2011, all enquiries to fnrttc@yahoo.co.uk , and the money does some good.

 

[smutchin]

Even though it's the cost that has so far put me off entering any Sportives, I don't really care where the money goes – I just can't afford to pay that kind of entrance fee for the privilege of riding my bike.

OK, I understand that policing and marshalling can be expensive to organise, so the cost of many Sportives may well be justified, but personally, I don't feel the need for police protection while riding my bike on the road, and I'm quite capable of following a routesheet. Hence I prefer Audax. But at the same time, I can well understand that policing, marshalling and a signed route would be very attractive features to many people. And if those people are happy to pay the entrance fees to ride Sportives, fair play to them. There's plenty enough room on the roads for all of us. We don't need to foster an "us and them" mentality. We're all cyclists, and the more of us there are on the road, the better.

While I'm unlikely to ever become an ardent Sportive enthusiast, I would make an exception for something really special - eg the Etape or the Marmotte - though you then have to also factor in the costs of travel and accommodation around the event. But there was a Sportive in my neck of the woods this weekend, starting just a few miles from home, and there's no way I'm paying £20 for the privilege of riding on roads that I've ridden countless times before.

The same applies to Audaxes to some extent - some are worth travelling to, and thus incur the same travel and accommodation costs. I'm hoping to do PBP next year and that will be a significant financial undertaking - several hundred pounds. However, there are plenty of good local Audaxes and I don't begrudge paying to ride local roads when it's just a matter of a few quid, especially if there's food thrown in.

d.

 

[lukesdad]

well, quite. You pay a bargain fifteen quid to do the Martlets FNRttC on 2nd September 2011, all enquiries to fnrttc@yahoo.co.uk , and the money does some good.

A good cause, but with all due respect its not quite a Sportive, or is it ?

 

[MartinC]

As I understand it the essential difference between Sportive and Audax is thet a Sportive is people pretending to race and an Audax is people pretending not to race.

 

[dellzeqq]

A good cause, but with all due respect its not quite a Sportive, or is it ?

it depends which option you take. And my point is that if people are prepared to pay the money then good luck to them.

 

[dellzeqq]

As I understand it the essential difference between Sportive and Audax is thet a Sportive is people pretending to race and an Audax is people pretending not to race.

ah! Yes. That's my impression as well.

 

[lukesdad]

ah! Yes. That's my impression as well.

Impressions can be wrong. To understand the attraction of a sportive, firstly it would help to understand the riders who are attracted to them.

One group; the rider who wants a focus for his years riding, something to aim at, an acheivement may only do one or two a year. ( you only have to look at the winter motivation threads to see my point. ) I m sure my good friend Banjo wont mind me using him as an example of this group. When we first met he was preparing himself to do the merlin sportive. We rode the route in March and I think it was a real eye opener for him. It spurred him on to take on the event in awful conditions and complete the full distance. More experienced riders opted to take a shorter route. We ride together every so often and his riding has improved beyond all recognition from when we first rode together. Only he can tell you if having this target has helped him in this respect, He is now training for the dragon ride.

There are many other groups as well who do Sportives for different reasons, Elite racers, ex racers, mtbers,
but, the bulk around here anyway are clubmen and women who ride them to catch up with members of the other clubs in the area to have a general chinwag and a wind up. Youngsters from our club also ride to get used to bunch riding in preparation to go racing. Something that we as a club promote. Many others try to beat a PB year on year ( a long distance Time trial if you like ) Others use them for sponsored rides for charities. Colin Charvis being a notable one recently.

There are as many reasons as there are riders, to say riders entering sportives do so to pretend to race is simply not true.

 

[Banjo]

Thats all bollock$ Lukes dad. I am only out there to show off my flashy Lidls cycling kit

Seriously though thanks for the kind comments Your absolutely right . Lots of people like me are never going to get great times or a gold medal on a sportive (probably not even a bronze) Its just a focus to aim at to encourage me to try to improve fitness and riding tecnique. Have to say I really enjoyed the atmosphere of the event as well.

I am sure I would enjoy audaxing as well and hope to do one at some stage, these days the biggest cost is likely to be the fuel to get to the event rather than the entry fee unless your lucky enough to live near one.

 

[smutchin]

Well, I think there's certainly an element of truth in MartinC's post, even if he didn't mean it to be taken wholly seriously.

d.