lukesdad
Guest
....and exactly how many Sportives have you entered to get this element of truth from,or, is it just heresay ?
Sportive entry fees - RIP OFF !
- Thread starter ventoux50
- Start date
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smutchin
Cat 6 Racer
- Location
- The Red Enclave
I don't need to enter a Sportive to see that they have competitive elements - times are published, there are medals and awards for placings etc. And the time limits are definitely designed to encourage treating them as a race – there's no allowance for leisurely stops for tea and cake at controls. Nor indeed is there any provision for same, it's all energy gels and power bars – ie the same kind of food racers eat during a race. And plenty of slower riders are swept up by the broom wagon on events like the Etape. Everything is geared towards getting riders round as quick as possible.
Audax is professedly non-competitive - no times or placings are published - and the time limits are much more generous. You also have a lower time limit - so you can (in theory) be disqualified for riding too fast. But I've certainly done plenty enough Audaxes to know that some people treat them as races. Even if they claim they don't.
d.
MartinC
Über Member
- Location
- Cheltenham
Pace. As Smutchin (is that smúitín?) said it was a cheap jibe meant to be laughed at - whether it's a cheap jibe at Sportifs or Audaxers is up to you. Whatever reason people ride a bike for is a good reason and I wish them well. I don't care whether people ride Sportives or Audaxes, the more the better. I reserve the right to have a wry smile at anyone though, including myself.
I must say I loved your existentialist mixture of heresy and hearsay though! A freudian slip?
amaferanga
Veteran
- Location
- Bolton
PBP times are published. I thought it was only Audax UK that was against publishing times?
smutchin
Cat 6 Racer
- Location
- The Red Enclave
You're right, of course, though PBP is a strange case since for at least some of the field it actually is a race.
d.
lukesdad
Guest
You might want to be careful with those jibes Smutchin believes everything you say dont you knowPace. As Smutchin (is that smúitín?) said it was a cheap jibe meant to be laughed at - whether it's a cheap jibe at Sportifs or Audaxers is up to you. Whatever reason people ride a bike for is a good reason and I wish them well. I don't care whether people ride Sportives or Audaxes, the more the better. I reserve the right to have a wry smile at anyone though, including myself.
I must say I loved your existentialist mixture of heresy and hearsay though! A freudian slip?
I have taken part in many sportives now and not all of them post times, give awards or medals for placings. Beauty of a sportive is that it's you against the clock not each other. The last one I took part in Tour of Tweedale had 3 feed stations with such an abundance of food that no one was in a rush to get away from them. I was also lucky enough to meet and travel with a few club members who were much faster than me but they stayed with me.
So I can see the competative element but in my experience it's just a bunch of like minded folk participating in something they enjoy.
Call them what you like,,, they're a bike ride.... Allure Libre.
Sportives are waymarked so no messing with maps or routesheets, and Audaxes are less expensive and need some homework beforehand.
I prefer Audaxes because I not only challenge the clock, I challenge the organiser's suggested route between controls.
I've done a 105km Audax in four hours on a 24lb Dawes Giro, so I'm up for a 100 km Sportive on an SWorks.
Sportives are waymarked so no messing with maps or routesheets, and Audaxes are less expensive and need some homework beforehand.
I prefer Audaxes because I not only challenge the clock, I challenge the organiser's suggested route between controls.
I've done a 105km Audax in four hours on a 24lb Dawes Giro, so I'm up for a 100 km Sportive on an SWorks.
Spartak
Powered by M&M's
- Location
- Bristolian
Everybody has a choice of how they ride their bike, and if they want to pay to ride certain events.
I do believe Audax and Sportives should be ridden for pleasure and if you want to go flat out that is your decision.
Who here doesn't actually record their start / finish time on an Audax !
Perhaps some people should enter Time Trials where the entry fee is generally £7 and if your quick a 10 mile TT could be over in 20 minutes
I tend to get more value for money
I do believe Audax and Sportives should be ridden for pleasure and if you want to go flat out that is your decision.
Who here doesn't actually record their start / finish time on an Audax !
Perhaps some people should enter Time Trials where the entry fee is generally £7 and if your quick a 10 mile TT could be over in 20 minutes
I tend to get more value for money
lukesdad
Guest
.....and thats exactly how it should be, this wanabee racer thing is a non starter. Its just an excuse for tight arses not to participate in a fun event. Then go a way and sulk ,cos they can t join in, and accuse everybody else who has, Lycra clad boy racers. .........Grow up.I have taken part in many sportives now and not all of them post times, give awards or medals for placings. Beauty of a sportive is that it's you against the clock not each other. The last one I took part in Tour of Tweedale had 3 feed stations with such an abundance of food that no one was in a rush to get away from them. I was also lucky enough to meet and travel with a few club members who were much faster than me but they stayed with me.
So I can see the competative element but in my experience it's just a bunch of like minded folk participating in something they enjoy.
I think everyone who is 'sporty' enough to ride a Sportive should have a go on the track in a 'Devil' race.
Depending upon the number of starters, a rider is illiminated every two laps or five laps.
In a starting field of fifty riders, a rider is 'out' every two laps until 5 riders remain and then its a sprint to the finish of 100 laps or 40km. Different tracks are different lengths so the organiser decides the distance and 'out' laps count.
That sorts the 'men' out.
Most of the riders are in a bunch drafting, sharing the lead and getting into a position where its easy to overtake the guy in front.
The 'boys' at the back sprint at each 'out' lap.
Depending upon the number of starters, a rider is illiminated every two laps or five laps.
In a starting field of fifty riders, a rider is 'out' every two laps until 5 riders remain and then its a sprint to the finish of 100 laps or 40km. Different tracks are different lengths so the organiser decides the distance and 'out' laps count.
That sorts the 'men' out.
Most of the riders are in a bunch drafting, sharing the lead and getting into a position where its easy to overtake the guy in front.
The 'boys' at the back sprint at each 'out' lap.
Eh....I consider myself okay when doing Sportives but I never said I wanted to jump through hoops to get one up on anyone else! Its about fun for me and if I was to get involved in a Devil Race I wouldn't enjoy it......so why get involved in separating Sporty Sportivers with racers????
Eh....I consider myself okay when doing Sportives but I never said I wanted to jump through hoops to get one up on anyone else! Its about fun for me and if I was to get involved in a Devil Race I wouldn't enjoy it......so why get involved in separating Sporty Sportivers with racers????
Who's cracking a whip at your arse making you jump through hoops?
I for one, and many other veterans of the Track and roadrace scene don't entertain the Sportive circus. As the OP said, they're a rip off and only a pale immitation of what can be enjoyed riding properly competative events.
But hey, each to their own.
And anyway. Why pay all that dosh to ride round below your potential?
You are, mate, by suggesting that people who do sportives should get on the track and do Devil take the hindmost rides. What a ridiculous suggestion to people who choose to spend some of their money on a supported ride at whatever pace they choose.
You tell people where they're going wrong and then say it's each to their own but then you do have an enviable history of never being wrong
All sorts of shapes, sizes and motivations determine the make-up of a sportive field and the inclusiveness is why many people find them appealing. It's the grizzly old veteran know-it-all feeling around audaxes that deter new and insecure riders from participating in them. I'd suggest you and your ilk are a large part of sportives current success.
