On the other hand, a SPORTIVE is an organised ride, over a marked route, usually with feed stations, a 'broom wagon' (to pick you up if you are too slow
), often tech assistance, a goodie bag and a T-shirt. They cost a lot more than an Audax. Audax usually £2.50-5, a Sportive £25 upwards.
The Etape Caledonia is a unique sportive, as it is run on
closed roads in the UK, based at Pitlochry in Perthshire. Most sportives take place on normal, albeit quieter, roads, so traffic can be there.
The differences in a nutshell:
Audax is cheap, self-supporting, you are given the route (advisory, not compulsory), there are time limits (usually pretty generous) but it is not a race (allegedly
).
Sportive is more expensive, route is signposted, back-up is available (food, water, tech), often timed, sometimes sponsored, considered a race by some.
Both have their place and both can be great (or horrible), depending on the usual things - organisation, fellow riders, weather etc etc.