Can you do a sportive on a touring bike?

[smutchin]

upset a guy on a £7000 road bike when i was right behind him down hill at 37 mph

Are you a skilled enough rider to be drafting a stranger at that speed? What would have happened if he'd had to make an emergency stop?

Ask yourself why he was upset. Was it really anything to do with your bike?

 

[DRHysted]

Are you a skilled enough rider to be drafting a stranger at that speed? What would have happened if he'd had to make an emergency stop?

Ask yourself why he was upset. Was it really anything to do with your bike?

I'd second that as I got rear ended by a cyclist on my last Sportive. Thankfully no damage & I managed to stay upright.

 

[swiftylee]

yes i do feel i am skilled enough...

left enough room and i have disc brakes, and taken road conditions into consideration

was not right up his arse as its not a race, its for enjoyment.

my point is £70 or £7000 its the rider that makes the difference... not just to look good

 

[Dogtrousers]

How do you know the guy's bike was worth £7k? Did you ask him?

How do you know he was upset? Was he visibly weeping or was that just the wind making his eyes water?

 

[smutchin]

my point is £70 or £7000 its the rider that makes the difference... not just to look good

OK, that's a fair point. But you undermined it slightly with your odd comment about upsetting the dude on the £7k bike. (Or perhaps I'm just conditioned to respond that way after the countless stories I've heard of inconsiderate riding on sportives.)

 

[DRHysted]

yes i do feel i am skilled enough...

left enough room and i have disc brakes, and taken road conditions into consideration

was not right up his arse as its not a race, its for enjoyment.

my point is £70 or £7000 its the rider that makes the difference... not just to look good

I must apologise for my comment then, I obviously misread yours.
Personally I do use my best bike for Sportives (that's one of the reasons I got it), and do notice a marked difference between it and my commuting bikes.

 

[swiftylee]

it was just a figure of speach. he was not blubbing or anything.

i was talking to him on the ferry and he was telling me about his bike and showed me. it was a thing of splender.

when we finished we chatted on the ferry back, he said well done to me and i congratulated him

 

[Dogtrousers]

it was just a figure of speach. he was not blubbing or anything.

I was only joshing. I had this image in my head of this upset rider having a tantrum, and possibly throwing his bike in the hedge in fury.

 

[swiftylee]

if he did i would have gladly pulled it out it was lush

probably would have passed him if my new project was built

 

[Browser]

You could be sadly disappointed. The Sportives I've done, I saw no signs of bike snobbery.

Bike snobbery was not the reason for the Windcheetah, just incredulity that something with more than two wheels could be used at such an event. I've had down-the-nose glances befor now for turning up with (whisper it) mudguards on my bike (full-on SKS Chromplastics as well, not clip on Crudcatcher-style :-) )!
Ref the discussion above about following too closely, I've found before that I've felt hemmed in by club riders who are obviously used to operating in closely-confined packs. Please remember that there are eejits like me on Sportives clubbies, who like a bit more room to avoid potholes and the like, and give us a bit more space

 

[DRHysted]

Bike snobbery was not the reason for the Windcheetah, just incredulity that something with more than two wheels could be used at such an event. I've had down-the-nose glances befor now for turning up with (whisper it) mudguards on my bike (full-on SKS Chromplastics as well, not clip on Crudcatcher-style :-) )!
Ref the discussion above about following too closely, I've found before that I've felt hemmed in by club riders who are obviously used to operating in closely-confined packs. Please remember that there are eejits like me on Sportives clubbies, who like a bit more room to avoid potholes and the like, and give us a bit more space

Yes I seriously agree with the riding too close thing. I don't do club riding and do like a bit of wiggle room, I'm guessing the bloke that cycled into the back of me was trying to emulate club riding without the experience (or wasn't paying attention).

 

[buttonnine]

I once saw a bloke turn up in his Porsche with a mega bucks machine strapped to the top, never saw him finish the sportive, but I did on my cheap road bike, ride what you like but enjoy the ride!.

 

[DCLane]

Turned up at the Evans Leeds' sportive in Feb 2012 - one of the first I did.

I pulled out my winter bike and next to me was an expensive something - he pulled out the latest Spesh Venge carbon.

On completing the event I saw him ride back at the same time and said I hadn't seen him on the route; I'd done 50 miles and he'd done 30 in the same time . It clearly wasn't about the bike

 

[young Ed]

ride it on a £50 tesco BSO if you like! no ones stopping you, so what if you might not fit in or be very popular but hey it is possible
Cheers Ed

 

[Chris.IOW]

I saw a bloke do a sportive on a Brompton.
Ride what you like, it's there for your enjoyment, and achievement. Not for what others think of you.

I remember being overtaken by two blokes on bromptons going up Worlds End during the Etape Cymru, was too in awe of them to be embarrassed!

Yes I seriously agree with the riding too close thing. I don't do club riding and do like a bit of wiggle room, I'm guessing the bloke that cycled into the back of me was trying to emulate club riding without the experience (or wasn't paying attention).

This why you will always find me at the back of sportives, far more wiggle room...Thats the reason honest!