Worth a read
Bit random but some interesting observations and questions
https://medium.com/@girlonabrompton/who-are-cycling-events-designed-for-5d3fd722aea9
https://twitter.com/girlonabrompton/status/1651280946883182617
CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Debate!
“Who are cycling events designed for?“
(12 posts)-
Posted 1 year ago #
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I relate, I've always been a bit far, and a bit asthmatic, so was never able to keep up.
My first 100 mile ride was done on the same course as the Fife sportive, an hour behind it on my own. Was cheaper as well, always seemed odd to me to pay to cycle.
Even commuting I was always happier just plodding along myself than trying to keep up with people.
Posted 1 year ago # -
"Free-wheeling, that is without a pedal stroke, will (or at least should) drop the motor anyway."
Going down a decent hill I find it generally pretty easy to pedal at significantly more than 25kmph, the cutoff speed for motor assistance on a road legal e-bike*. But freewheeling will work as well, if you're not in that much of a hurry.
* which is what I presume was also meant by the "at least should" words in the quote.
Posted 1 year ago # -
Always find it ironic that those who are honest about slow average speeds on these events get started at the back and therefore less time than the 'fastest'. And probably zilch at the feed stations. Wouldn't do Etape Caledonia again if you paid me.
Posted 1 year ago # -
Being cynical I assumed that for most events the main purpose was to promote sponsors.
To be fair though when John Anderson from Bike Works designed the first ToB in 2013 he did want it to include a wide range of cyclists. As we shared shops he decided recumbents were allowed! He worked this in with TweedLove too. Later on Endurance and then Tesco sponsored. In first sportive I actually stopped as had heard that local businesses were primed to give out tea and scones etc. Paid for by entry fee.
I was on recliner and think weather was foul. @Dave went through a flood on his just before they closed long route.
Were also people having a go on basic straight bar bikes.
By time it got to 2017 it was frequented by road clubs with fewer 'fun' riders. They also had to neutralise timing on some sections due to collision risks.
Posted 1 year ago # -
I’m just back from doing the Loch Ness Etape. It’s a Sportive not a race apparently but we’ll time you and have a podium for the fastest 3 riders! I’m probably squarely in the target demographic of “middle-aged club riders” but there’s some good points made about cut-off times and the “faster” waves going first. When trying to describe what a Sportive is to my wife the closest comparison I could come up with is “a marathon but on a bike”. I think there are lessons to be learned from marathons re inclusivity eg a separate race/wave for recumbent riders/ hand cyclists etc. Poppyscotland had VIE Velo taking part on tandems for example. The ebike issue brings up an interesting point about strategy given most sportives are longer than your typical battery life. Also some sportives seem to be more competitive than others with the closed-roads ones being more competitive in my experience
Posted 1 year ago # -
"A sportive is for cyclist who like to pretend they are racing while an audax is for those who like to pretend they are not racing."
With maximum speeds in an audax though top riders will have to wait for each control to open which makes racing them pointless.
Putting the faster riders first is a safety consideration as it means the field thins out after starting rather than bunching up as it would with a large group of the slowest riders at the front and everyone else trying to overtake. I imagine it would also be quite demoralising being overtaken by the majority of the field on the way round. I certainly prefer no to be passed too often.
If an event has it's minimum speed faster than an average female travels is it discriminating?
Posted 1 year ago # -
I did the Etape Caledonia a few years ago as a practice for ToTB. It was just awful with congestion, but at least people were riding at basically the same speed as everyone else. It would NOT be pleasant to get sent off early and then have those groups moving past you at +15mph relative speed. The answer surely is for councils & organisers to have more inclusive timing / longer closures
Posted 1 year ago # -
"A sportive is for cyclist who like to pretend they are racing while an audax is for those who like to pretend they are not racing."
Also with Audax I think a lot of the 'competition', if there is any, is conducted in fairly good nature after the fact rather than on the road. Things like points chasing, AAA chasing, badge collecting, posting on facebook/YACF and the like. Although ultimately the race is against yourself and the time limit.
Also it's interesting to observe as an organiser that the first/earlier riders back aren't always the ones you expect to see first when you set them off. Suspect even truer as distance increases and efficiency, logistics and planning become more important.
My best tip to anyone is to volunteer for route checks, you can "win" by being over a week earlier to finish vs. the rest of the field ;)
Posted 1 year ago # -
@Edinburgh87 haha
In audax, your total trip depends on the length of your stops as much as your rolling speed. And it doesn't matter, particularly after youve done many of the rides.
I'd note the difference in price between audax and sportive. The former is trimmed to the minimum, depending on food offerings etc. Entry fees for 10 per year would be £100 to £150 say, whereas for sportives could it be 3 to 5 times as much? But then I'd guess those riding audax tend to do more events?
Posted 1 year ago # -
Multiple Co-Op raids at £6-7 a time rack up..but least have the choice.
Posted 1 year ago # -
The Etape Caledonia has had a lot of issues in the past with opposition to road closures. Remember the E-tack episode in 2009? I think they would really struggle to have the roads closed for 10+ hours. I think it is fair to say that not every event needs to cater for everyone. There are plenty of other sportive type events which have slower/shorter options. The idea of having the slower waves starting first is pretty scary given the width of the roads on the EC. I have been on events where the slower route is caught up by the faster route towards the end & it doesn't seem like a particularly safe idea.
Posted 1 year ago #
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