Looking for a sportive already!

[hoppym27]

Ok so after my return to cycling about 3 weeks ago after a 17 year gap I'm racking up the miles on my shiny hybrid...i did 37 miles yesterday over 3 hours and now I'm thinking of a sportive!...good or bad idea?...any coming up that would be suitable?..im in Manchester but can travel.

 

[rugby bloke]

Opinions tend to be divided on here with regard to Sportives. Personally I enjoy riding a couple a year, together with RideLondon. Some people, with some justification, say that they are full of pseudo racers but that is only a small minority in my experience. Earlier this year I was away with the first group of riders, where you would expect the racers to be and it was still fun and social. I was only there because it was so bloody cold and wet I wanted to be on the road !

I don;t live any where near you so I cannot give any specific, but I would say go for it. It makes a change and it will more than likely show you some new roads to cycle.

 

[smutchin]

Doing an event is good for motivation and will help you to push yourself further and harder.

If you're already managing 37 miles on solo rides, a 100km (64 miles) sportive is definitely a realistic target.

ukcyclingevents.co.uk is one of the major sportive organisers and has rides all round the country of varying distances and difficulty so have a look there.

Also look at Evanscycles.com for their RideIt events.

Also look for events run by local clubs or CTC branches, which are usually low-key affairs, often run in aid of a local charity, and will have a friendly atmosphere with none of the commercial trappings of big events.

 

[Bazzer]

Any particular reason why you are looking at riding a sportive? I am not putting them down, just curious.
If it is a challenge you are after, depending upon where in the Manchester area you live, a short journey out of the city can offer a choice of challenges, whether hills, distance or both. North and East you have hills ranging from ok to bastard, South and South West rolling Cheshire countryside and West and North West flat lands.

 

[Heltor Chasca]

Audax rather than sportive? Just a thought. Great to hear the fire is in your belly.

 

[Tin Pot]

https://www.gsavanti.co.uk/kentish-killer/

Really popular sportive run by a great cycling club, not a corporation, only £25.

70 mile or 45 mile options with plenty of hills

Apparently the guys who put up the signage this year did a sterling job

 

[hoppym27]

Audax rather than sportive? Just a thought. Great to hear the fire is in your belly.

I dont know what an audax is?

 

[smutchin]

Audaxes put more emphasis on self reliance (no rescue, no broom wagon)

For this reason alone, I wouldn't recommend audax to a new cyclist who has only been riding a few weeks.

 

[Venod]

For this reason alone, I wouldn't recommend audax to a new cyclist who has only been riding a few weeks.

He will have to manage if he goes out alone

 

[rivers]

I did a sportive organised by www.bike-events.co.uk last year as my first sportive. It looks like there is a 100km (and a 100 mile) event in Manchester. https://www.bike-events.co.uk/Ride.aspx?id=593&n=y

I found it to be really enjoyable. Well signposted, there were plenty of stops (i think 4 on the 63 mile route I did, although I only stopped at 2), and it was well organised.

Edit:
I also did most of it on my own. On occasion I tagged onto a group or a few other individuals, but most of it done by myself.

 

[screenman]

Put a number on your back and not your bike, lot more fun.

 

[Pro Tour Punditry]

For this reason alone, I wouldn't recommend audax to a new cyclist who has only been riding a few weeks.

I wouldn't recommend any event to someone riding a few weeks unless they had experience riding in a group, or at least knew what to expect.

 

[Doobiesis]

My advice would be don't go for a high mileage one. Do a smaller one of around 25 or 30. Never try over 50 miles as it's hard work! Maybe after a couple you can try bigger one.

Wiggle have some going on if you look at their events page.

 

[rivers]

My advice would be don't go for a high mileage one. Do a smaller one of around 25 or 30. Never try over 50 miles as it's hard work! Maybe after a couple you can try bigger one.

Wiggle have some going on if you look at their events page.

Seeing as he has already done 37 miles, a longer one (50-60 miles) would be a good challenge at this point. I did my first sportive (63 miles), about 7 weeks after getting my first road bike, and about 12 weeks after I started to really get into cycling (although 30 miles a day on a mountain bike is hard work). A few weeks after getting my road bike, I did a 40 mile ride, a 50 mile a few weeks after that, followed by the 63 mile sportive. The key is to pace yourself, and don't go for speed.

 

[Trevor_P]

I did my first group ride 3 years ago, an Audax followed by a Wiggle Sportive 5 months later. Both were 100 miles. The First just 89 days after taking up cycling at the age of 52. The advice about knowing what to expect from group riding is sound. Larger groups can be daunting especially if you happen to be in the middle of one! The groups tend to thin out though as the miles pass. At 37 miles, Eating and drinking incorrectly have little effect. But only a few miles more and the importance of fluids and energy foods can't be overstated. You need to get into a good routine for eating and drinking at longer distances or your tank will be emptied very quickly. That's not somewhere you want to be especially during an Audax.
Go for it if you have the enthusiasm, but prepare well, and try at least a couple of 50-60 milers first so you get used to it...