Anyone here ride sportives?

[losidan]

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

 

[kaiser]

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.

 

[dbmtb]

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

 

[hamster]

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.

 

[Cab]

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 Fk 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)

 

[hamster]

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

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

 

[hamster]

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.

 

[kaiser]

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

 

[losidan]

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

 

[Old Ned]

In that vein:

...choose paying £20 for an event...

And the rest!!

A lot more 'rest' for some of them!