sportive - why the cost?

General cycling advice ( NOT technical ! )
Tonyf33
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Re: sportive - why the cost?

Post by Tonyf33 »

The need for routing/signage on sportives to me is hilarious, countless stories of people taking the wrong turnings because X person up front can't even read his own GPS map, the rest of the noddies with their heads on the stem just follow blindly...it's quite comical. :lol:
Mark1978
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sportive - why the cost?

Post by Mark1978 »

I have to agree that £30 is a reasonable price considering that you get parking, and event centre, sometimes showers but always toilet facilities, a fully marked out route designed for you, feed stops along the way.

There is a lot of cost involved in that so £30 ain't bad.

It's more that these days you have events starting to charge more like £60 which is indeed blatant profiteering.

Myself I used to do quite a few but after last year missing quite a few because it was invariably a rain storm on the day after a week of solid unbroken sunshine I'm not prepared to lay out the cash in advance.

Thankfully I live in a good place for cycling (County Durham) so solo or club rides work just as well. But it's always nice to do something a bit different.
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NATURAL ANKLING
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Re: sportive - why the cost?

Post by NATURAL ANKLING »

Hi,
beardy wrote:
p.s. forecast for the 9th is not good, so I wouldn't bother for this one!


That advice may be heeded by Sportive riders but those of us who are booked in for an Audax will be there regardless.*

* I would have added an emoticom but emoticoms fail me for this sentiment. Is there a soggy wet and miserable but carrying on regardless smilie?


Not So :!:

When I was doing Dartmoor devil a 100 K Dartmoor end October, if poor weather was forcast 25 -30 % would not turn up.
And the only one I dropped out of due to mechanicals and my buddy wishing to return meant that only some 30 % finished.
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PH
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Re: sportive - why the cost?

Post by PH »

Mark1978 wrote:It's more that these days you have events starting to charge more like £60 which is indeed blatant profiteering.


I don't get this, I thought they were run by businesses? Of course it's about profit, why else would they be doing it, it seems a fair bit of work and some risk, they've identified the market, and pitched it at a price they think they can get, just like any other business. I don’t understand why anyone would expect any different.
I don't do them myself, but know a couple of people who do, it's a big thing for them, they plan two or three a year, train for them (Sometimes doing Audax in the training plan) research the route, spend considerably more money on the travel and accommodation than the entry and thoroughly enjoy them. They are no more bothered that the organisers make a profit out of them than they are that Travelodge does. They are bothered that they get what they hope for, which on most of them they certainly do.
PJ520
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Re: sportive - why the cost?

Post by PJ520 »

And then there's the likes of me: I've no idea what a sportive is. I presume it's pronounced sporteev, sort of Frenchified like the blokes at Bicycle Quarterly who rabbit on about randoneuring (if that's French I'll eat my chapeau) What's the difference between a sportive and an audax? It seems that both require incredibly expensive bikes and a whole gamut of arcane knowledge.
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NATURAL ANKLING
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Re: sportive - why the cost?

Post by NATURAL ANKLING »

Hi,
Pete Jack wrote:And then there's the likes of me: I've no idea what a sportive is. I presume it's pronounced sporteev, sort of Frenchified like the blokes at Bicycle Quarterly who rabbit on about randoneuring (if that's French I'll eat my chapeau) What's the difference between a sportive and an audax? It seems that both require incredibly expensive bikes and a whole gamut of arcane knowledge.


NO...............audax are on the surface laid back but require a bike with mudguards - lights and some fitness too, take any bike but the experienced guys who maybe or even look old could well be ex racers and the bikes look old but have hyper tyres fitted.

Eat lots of cake at the voluntary run stops a family affair.
You will sweat.

Sportives they want you to pay are linked to Charity :?:
Hyper bike with sometimes less than fit individuals with big grins and those roadies will walk the slopes cause no one told them there would be hills :lol:

I wont pay for the privilege of a day out amongst those who spend thousands on a bike just to enter a Sportive so they can say "I Did That"

Sportives are not plugged as a race but you can bet the Clubmen will be there at the front.

Audaxers - Any old bike with pedals - can read directions on own - pannier to put tools and sandwiches waterproof top mandatory if you want to finish on a wet day.

Sportive - Plastic bike (over geared) one bottle holder - no tools - ability to read signs with an arrow and follow the one in front - lack of traction when walking...............
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tatanab
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Re: sportive - why the cost?

Post by tatanab »

NATURAL ANKLING wrote:require a bike with mudguards - lights
Not requirements.
Audaxers - Any old bike with pedals - can read directions on own - pannier to put tools and sandwiches waterproof top mandatory if you want to finish on a wet day.
In the 1970s this was true, apart from pannier because we all used saddlebags. These days you are just as likely to see carbon fibre - no mudguards- a phone in the pocket to call for help when a problem arises, especially on the short events.

Sportive - Plastic bike (over geared) one bottle holder - no tools - ability to read signs with an arrow and follow the one in front - lack of traction when walking...............
This was my impression of these pretend races as well until I saw the start of one at Blenheim Palace. Probably 10% or more were riding with mudguards, bags, and in some case pretty junky bikes.

I've never ridden a Sportif, nor do I have any inclination to do so, and have not ridden Audax since the early 1980s.
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NATURAL ANKLING
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Re: sportive - why the cost?

Post by NATURAL ANKLING »

Hi,
I too have not ridden a audax for some 15-20 years so time has left me behind.................. :D
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honesty
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Re: sportive - why the cost?

Post by honesty »

I think there is the incorrect perception that all sportives are linked to charity. some are but some are just events ran as a profit. Complaining about the is like complaining about the cost of football tickets or a round of golf. People will pay what they want to take part in these events.
Edwards
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Re: sportive - why the cost?

Post by Edwards »

Apart from the cost of membership is there a cost to some CTC rides? If so it is just the price that is getting to some people.
But I can ride a Sportive without joining a club.

So what if some people want to ride with a club and do club runs, do CTC or Sky rides (even Breeze ones).
If you do not like it do not enter but if people are happy to pay more for team kit than Aldi/Lidl then does it really matter. Designer stuff has become important for some.

For me the concern is those rides (in all forms) that imply you are giving a large proportion to a charity but do not actually do so. Not really any different to the Chugers as the charity does not get any money sometimes for years.
Modern charities seem to have the attitude that any cash raised without their paid staff doing anything is a bonus. So will put their name to any thing for a few pence.

So if I was going to do a Sportive (fat chance) then I would pick one without the charity pretence. I might then make a donation to a charity afterwards to ease my conscience.
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whoof
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Re: sportive - why the cost?

Post by whoof »

There see to be quite a few people who have never ridden a sportive but have a very strong opinion of what goes on at one.

Reminds me of a former work colleague who was from Malaysia. A women at work was getting married and had a hen night. Someone had booked a male stripper. My colleague had seen a picture of a semi-naked man at the hen do posted on facebook. He asked why the woman's fiancé would be willing to marry him. When I asked 'why not? he said because the woman had clearly had had sex with the stripper as presumably had all the other women at the hen-do.
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mjr
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Re: sportive - why the cost?

Post by mjr »

whoof wrote:There see to be quite a few people who have never ridden a sportive but have a very strong opinion of what goes on at one.

You can have suffered the negative externalities of a sportive without riding one.

Furthermore, why does not riding sportives invalidate one's views on them? Should MPs not set laws about murder until they've done a few? :roll:

Happily, I have ridden a couple of sportives, so even whoof should respect my dislike of their littering, helmet-compulsion and general complicity in encouragement of dangerous riding. :lol:
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tatanab
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Re: sportive - why the cost?

Post by tatanab »

whoof wrote:There see to be quite a few people who have never ridden a sportive but have a very strong opinion of what goes on at one.
True I've never ridden one. However, I live in an area where there are about 5 a year so I see them regularly, and I also have club mates who ride them so I get tales from them.
whoof
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Re: sportive - why the cost?

Post by whoof »

mjr wrote:Happily, I have ridden a couple of sportives, so even whoof should respect my dislike of their littering, helmet-compulsion and general complicity in encouragement of dangerous riding. :lol:



Why do you litter and encourage dangerous riding?
PJ520
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Re: sportive - why the cost?

Post by PJ520 »

NATURAL ANKLING wrote:
Sportives are not plugged as a race but you can bet the Clubmen will be there at the front.

Audaxers - Any old bike with pedals - can read directions on own - pannier to put tools and sandwiches waterproof top mandatory if you want to finish on a wet day.

Sportive - Plastic bike (over geared) one bottle holder - no tools - ability to read signs with an arrow and follow the one in front - lack of traction when walking...............


Thanks for all the comments. That remark about the 'Clubmen is sadly too true. You go on a ride that's not supposed to be competitive but there's always somebody who has to be first up the hills. This why I prefer touring solo. Group riding can bring out the agro in the most amiable individual. I suppose my club's annual Seattle to Portland ride would qualify as an Audax. it's 208 miles, costs about $100 and you get a lot of different entrants, I've seen skateboards, kids plastic tricycles, unicycles, roller blades, disabled guys on hand bikes, men and women in their 80s do it, about anything human powered and wheeled. It's a lot of fun and quite the phenomenon with up to 10,000 entrants that books full every year. Police direct traffic in critical areas and Dan Henrys mark the route in the more rural bits plus there's a guide booklet comes with the fee. You'd have to work at it to get lost. There are food stops, mechanical support, plenty of toilets of course, SAG wagons for those who collapse and even a motorbike club to escort batches of riders over a very busy bridge over the Columbia River. If anyone wants a taste of the US I urge them to come but book early. Mind you 10,000 riders going from A to B is hardly typical of anything here but it is a sight to see.

And helmets are compulsory. If that gives you heartburn feel free to stay away. I don't get this getting upset at mandatory helmets on a ride. It's just CYA by the organizers. If someone gets head injuries on a ride, regardless of the merits of helmets, the lawyers would be all over it.
You only live once, which is enough if you do it right. - Mae West
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