Anyone here ride sportives?

I was thinking about trying it. I thought it would be a good way to keep the motivation up. What's the craic? Can you ride on a slicked up mtb to begin with? Especially the shorter ones until you get more into it. I had a look at the cyclosport site but it didnt seem geared to a beginner unless I was looking in the wrong place

If your good enough you could ride it on anything, the can be fairly quick mind although I've only done the longer ones. The majority will be fully togged up roadies.

I think it depends aswell what you mean by sportives...

I'd go for Audax UK events first - tend to be a little shorter, and MUCH cheaper.

Sportives seem in my limited experience to attract a lot of wannabe racers who for some reason don't bother with a racing license.

Isn't audax more retro?

"Choose life. Choose audaxing. Choose mudguards. Choose Brooks. Choose a **** big saddlebag, choose a map trap, choose route sheets, choose XR, RB, S/O and dynamos. Choose rain, wind, sleet and snow. Choose the only type of bike that never gets stolen. Choose Sudocrem. Choose a lucky hat and a gilet that went out of fashion in the 1980s. Choose flapjacks in a range of **** flavours. Choose a 600 and wonder what the f**k you're doing up a Welsh mountain in the dark. Choose sitting in a village hall trying not to make eye contact with your mind-numbing, spirit crushing fellow riders, drinking orange juice out of a Tetrapak. Choose rotting away at the end of it all, babbling about the 50/50 rule in some urine-soaked bus shelter, nothing more than an embarrassment to the **** sportives they spawned to replace you.

Choose your future. Choose audaxing." (quote taken from rogerzilla @ yacf.co.uk)

Depends on whether you do it with some mates. I must admit I try to avoid the guys on Thorns

And yes, some of the riders are a bit more...ahem.. retro

In that vein:

Choose sportives...choose paying £20 for an event...choose a box of green bananas at a roadside...choose a shonky medal that came from a cracker toy factory. Ride with people who only cycle at spin classes, can't hold a line in a group, and have never heard of Campagnolo or Coppi.

meeeaioow you don't like sportives then there a good laugh and you can satisfy your inner racer. Go for full disco outfit for maximum effect

hhhmmmm....
i'm getting the impression from here and timetriallingforum that they are best avoided
I think I choose pootling along on the mtb in my baggy clothes

And the rest!!

A lot more 'rest' for some of them!