Baling out of Sportive due to weather

[Stonechat]

A few weeks ago I was booked on Velo South, which was cancelled due to weather.

I am booked on South Downs Sportive tomorrow, forecasts vary, but seems like ther wil be a lot of rain at least at times and always showery.

I think I will pull out. I am 66, do not need to prove how tough I am. There is little attraction in a set slog

 

[lane]

Fair enough. It's your leisure time you get to decide how you want to spend it.

 

[I like Skol]

Are you sure? I did a wet ride with my 15yr old son a few weeks ago, 80+ miles from Leeds to Scarborough. It was his longest ride ever by a fair distance and also for a few years and despite near continuous rain we still had a great time and completed the ride feeling good. It would have been a tragedy if we had cancelled.

 

[Slick]

There comes a time (I'm sure it will come to us all) when discretion is the better part of valour.

 

[Blue Hills]

I'd stay at home if that's what you want to do stone.

As you say, nothing to prove to anyone.

though personally have never been into the idea of sportives/paying to ride my bike.

And the fixed date of sportives makes this sort of thing more problematical.

As I like skol implies, riding in rain can be quite fun - but setting off in it can be a bit dispiriting.

I know two folk who did the recent London 100 or whatever it's called - chucking it down - one of them had to STAND in the pouring rain at the beginning for an hour waiting to be allowed to go on their bike ride. When they did set off some folk fell seriously on the course.

I suggested to one of them, since the day before was clearly going to be glorious, that they did the ride the day before over the marked course.

"why would I do that" she scathingly said as if I was bonkers.

Made sense to me

 

[Globalti]

Greasy city roads in rain? No thanks. And what about the headwinds?

 

[Soltydog]

It's your call mate. I've cried off an audax tomorrow because of the weather, but earlier this year I did my longest ever ride of 150 miles, set off in thunder storms & heavy rain, but it was summer & warm. It was the FNRttC from York & weather was due to improve. Sure enough I got soaked on the way to York, but it was very warm, sat outside York Minster for 45 mins & felt chilly, but set off on the night ride & was soon dry & warm. Thoroughly enjoyed the ride, but reckon tomorrow would be more of a toil than a pleasure & for me cycling is all about enjoying the ride I'm 50 this year if age is anything to do with it? Maybe if I was younger (& dafter) I would ride tomorrow

 

[vickster]

I reckon I would have enjoyed Ride 46 more without the torrential rain for most of it including waiting to start (which ended up being shorter as we missed the cut off due to the weather), but didn't want to defer and pay again

 

[screenman]

I would go and start and see what happens, I have enjoyed many things in life that I could easily have talked myself out of doing.

 

[Stonechat]

I have done club rides and it has been pretty wet, but the thought of 7 hours wet in the saddle just seems daft

 

[Smokin Joe]

I have done club rides and it has been pretty wet, but the thought of 7 hours wet in the saddle just seems daft

If you don't fancy it, don't do it. Cycle for pleasure, not for torture.

 

[ianrauk]

There's no shame in bailing on a ride if you don't want to ride in wet weather.

 

[boydj]

Rain I can handle. Wear the right gear and accept you'll get wet. Wind is a bigger problem, especially when combined with heavy rain.

 

[Cuchilo]

Email them and tell them you wont be there . Sometimes these events have a rider limit and people are on a waiting list incase a space becomes available .

 

[screenman]

The pleasure I used to get from finishing a tough ride was always worth the discomfort.