Nearly taken out by Sportive nutcases

[Dan B]

Because in any group of a decent size there's always someone who wants to sort-of-win so badly that they will cross the line from "racing" to "silly bugger"... and even more who will follow them blindly...

Sounds like my commute this morning.

 

[vickster]

He probably thinks 'the pros don't carry tools, so why should I?' without realising that the pros have support.

Says it all about some sportive participants n'est ce pas?

I doubt that much thought took place

 

[Dogtrousers]

But you've enough sense to read the instructions, haven't you? And some idea that a compressed gas cartridge gets very cold as it empties?

The instructions are packed in my toolkit along with the inflator. I'm aware of the risks and I'm a little scared to use it for fear of something comical/painful happening.

 

[Sim2003]

Sounds more like a TT than a sportive. But as you say, if it's taking place on public roads you've every right to be there. I'd have reported the abuse to the organising club or CTT.

Yeh we definitely weren't the only ones to get caught up in it , As the road is a common one used by people in the area. As for the abuse it was the 1 person out of the many so wasn't a issue , If anything it was very amusing and we had a laugh at the ladies expense with some random s that stopped off where we do.

 

[Dogtrousers]

Why don't you try it out at home and avoid surprises at an inopportune moment?

Things are just as likely to go wrong at home as at the roadside. And I have a track pump at home.

 

[Hip Priest]

Most TTs have a minute between riders, which is usually more than 100 yards. I did once take part in a charity ride of a few hundred where small groups were released from the start every 20-30 seconds onto an urban B road that led to an A road and steep-at-first 4km climb, which didn't seem terribly safe to me - I don't think that ride happened again. I don't know whether a commercial organising company was involved and might still be starting rides like that.

I just thought the fact that the riders were released in turn suggested a TT rather than a sportive, and assumed that the 100 yds was an estimate or turn-of-phrase.

 

[jefmcg]

Maybe you could sue or attempt to sue a rider leader or club mate in these circumstances - I'm no legal expert - but that would seem dreadfully unfair to me.

I think you can sue anyone for anything - you just most likely won't win. Being sued even unsuccessfully is expensive, so it's nice to have insurance

 

[TheJDog]

Note to sportive riders: Don't shout "clear" to other riders. More importantly don't listen to someone you don't know shouting "clear".

I caught up with a guy in Regent's Park one time and gave him an earful for shouting clear when there were cars 15 yards away. I now think he was just pretending to be like his friends, and didn't know what it meant.

 

[JMAG]

Things are just as likely to go wrong at home as at the roadside. And I have a track pump at home.

That was kind of my point. If it goes wrong at home, you haven't got far to walk!

 

[youngoldbloke]

Large numbers of riders came through our village the other morning - 800 or so - during rush hour. Motorists were delayed on their rat-run to the motorway, there were complaints. But every day I am delayed by large numbers of cars when I want to join the main road past the village. Boot on the other foot time?

 

[Racing roadkill]

On the abuse point, last Sunday, I did a special event in London (not a Sportive). Closed roads, and a Criterium layout. I was wearing BMC FPKW gear (purely for giggles). One of the volunteer martials on a side road, piped up with "Do you ride for BMC then, you w*****r", I shouted back, "yeah, I've lost my buddies, have you seen a f*****g great big red and black bus anywhere round here". I made a point of slowing down and riding past his post slowly, during the event.

 

[mjr]

On the abuse point, last Sunday, I did a special event in London (not a Sportive). Closed roads, and a Criterium layout. I was wearing BMC FPKW gear (purely for giggles).

Would that have been a certain 4 mile loop that the real BMC rode on a bit later?

 

[mjr]

But every day I am delayed by large numbers of cars when I want to join the main road past the village. Boot on the other foot time?

Hell, yeah! I don't have much sympathy for that complaint against sportives which basically amounts to "OMG there's heavy traffic and it's not motorised!" because I'm sometimes sat waiting for 5+ minutes to get across the main road by my house and onto the cycle track to town.

 

[Dan B]

I caught up with a guy in Regent's Park one time and gave him an earful for shouting clear when there were cars 15 yards away. I now think he was just pretending to be like his friends, and didn't know what it meant.

Isn't it like in Casualty when they apply the defibrilator? "Clear" <WHOOOMP>

 

[Milkfloat]

That was kind of my point. If it goes wrong at home, you haven't got far to walk!

Plus an ambulance can generally find its way to a house far easier than a hedgerow out in the boonies.