Author Topic: 24hr road race cancelled - lack of entries  (Read 4469 times)

mattc

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24hr road race cancelled - lack of entries
« on: 24 June, 2008, 11:52:10 am »
Shimano 24 Falls At The First Hurdle | BikeRadar.com

A UK event that was billed as the world's first 24-hour Road Race has been cancelled due to lack of interest. The Shimano 24 was scheduled to take place on July 12 and 13 using a closed 8.7 mile road route in Wales’ Brecon Beacons. But with poor take-up and just over a month to go, organisers Provelo Support have pulled the plug.

A press release from Provelo states: “Despite research indicating a huge level of interest in such an event, the actual level of sign-up has made it uncommercial to continue.”

The release also says that Shimano’s UK distributors Madison is “very disappointed” at the news of the cancellation. Billed as a team event the organisers had been hoping 170 teams of five riders would compete for prizes on a circuit in the Army’s Sennybridge training area, with each team paying a £210 entry fee.

Speaking before the announcement of the cancellation was made, organiser  Pat Adams of Provelo, best known as the man behind the successful Mountain Mayhem mountain biking event, explained his road racing background:

"I've always been passionate about road racing but I guess that I've become more associated with Mountain Biking in recent years. I've actually worked extensively in road racing, including the Tour of Britain and the Kelloggs Tour and as a soigneur for the Zero Team and Martin Earley."

It appears, however, that this experience was not enough to foresee the low level of demand for an event that would always have been a step into the unknown for what many see as a traditionally conservative road racing fraternity
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I'd quite like to have done this, but it's a pretty niche event. There are so many unknowns, I'm not surprised noone signed up - who exactly were they selling it to?
Has never ridden RAAM
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No.11  Because of the great host of those who dislike the least appearance of "swank " when they travel the roads and lanes. - From Kuklos' 39 Articles

Julian

  • samoture
Re: 24hr road race cancelled - lack of entries
« Reply #1 on: 24 June, 2008, 11:56:37 am »
Hang about - I've been googling '24 hour road cycle' and similar when I was looking for the Mersey Roads.  Where was this publicised?  Cos I didn't know it was happening at all (not that I would have entered!)

Re: 24hr road race cancelled - lack of entries
« Reply #2 on: 24 June, 2008, 12:00:11 pm »
I heard of it some months ago and guessed it wouldn't come to anything. I'm not even sure they'd gone through the right - British Cycling - channels.

Re: 24hr road race cancelled - lack of entries
« Reply #3 on: 24 June, 2008, 01:06:31 pm »
I'd heard of it through our local club.  I think they were wanting to put a team in.  Although it's the sort of thing I might like to do, can you imagine riding for 24 hours round the same 9 mile circuit?

mattc

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Re: 24hr road race cancelled - lack of entries
« Reply #4 on: 24 June, 2008, 01:17:49 pm »
... can you imagine riding for 24 hours round the same 9 mile circuit?
I guess it is safer to use a short circuit in the dark:
- easier to keep traffic off,
- and keep hazard/debris free.
- Riders learn the circuit which makes it safer (usually!).

Also much less boring with other riders. Can you imagine doing a 24hr solo TT Jasmine ?!? ;)
Has never ridden RAAM
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No.11  Because of the great host of those who dislike the least appearance of "swank " when they travel the roads and lanes. - From Kuklos' 39 Articles

Re: 24hr road race cancelled - lack of entries
« Reply #5 on: 24 June, 2008, 04:29:32 pm »
You would have other riders anyway, without seeing the same scenery again every 25-30 minutes.  They wanted 170 teams of 5 people.  I don't remember whether everyone rides at once or whether it's some kind of relay, but it's a lot of people.


Re: 24hr road race cancelled - lack of entries
« Reply #6 on: 24 June, 2008, 04:35:36 pm »
You would have other riders anyway, without seeing the same scenery again every 25-30 minutes.  They wanted 170 teams of 5 people.  I don't remember whether everyone rides at once or whether it's some kind of relay, but it's a lot of people.



Having 800 tired people on the road in the dark will be highy dangerous on a small circuit.

mattc

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Re: 24hr road race cancelled - lack of entries
« Reply #7 on: 24 June, 2008, 05:22:25 pm »
You would have other riders anyway, without seeing the same scenery again every 25-30 minutes.  They wanted 170 teams of 5 people.  I don't remember whether everyone rides at once or whether it's some kind of relay, but it's a lot of people.



Having 800 tired people on the road in the dark will be highy dangerous on a small circuit.
Hmm! Sounds like some kind of relay format would be more practical (wassat track equivalent - is it a Madison?).

That allows riders to grab sleep in shifts - gotta be safer.
Has never ridden RAAM
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No.11  Because of the great host of those who dislike the least appearance of "swank " when they travel the roads and lanes. - From Kuklos' 39 Articles

Dave

Re: 24hr road race cancelled - lack of entries
« Reply #8 on: 24 June, 2008, 07:23:35 pm »
I'm surprised by this. 24hr MTB 'races' are verypopular (and have been one of the major drivers of the 'lighting war' that's been happening recently). Usually teams of two or four (or solo for the nutter/masochist). The routes are usually 10 or so miles.

So, are roadies not that interested and/or was it not properly advertised and/or is 9 miles not quite long enough for a road 24hr (you'd be lapping that much quicker than an MTB lap and there's more to keep you occupied off-road)?

Lonewolff

Re: 24hr road race cancelled - lack of entries
« Reply #9 on: 24 June, 2008, 08:49:40 pm »
It is a pity this was canceled, we had a team entered. It was a relay race set up much like the MTB events, and sounded like a good day racing. Maybe expecting 170 teams was a little optimistic for the first year running an event.

Re: 24hr road race cancelled - lack of entries
« Reply #10 on: 24 June, 2008, 08:51:38 pm »
First I heard of it was when it was cancelled.  Perhaps the marketing person needs a bit of advice?

Re: 24hr road race cancelled - lack of entries
« Reply #11 on: 24 June, 2008, 09:20:17 pm »
I was intersted, but they never seemed to know how they were going to run it or what you had to do to compete.
I was pput off by the possibilty of having to be in a team. If i can just turn up and ride then that's OK. But finding other people makes life harder when you don't have that many people you can rely on for this kind of ride.
I like the idea of the off road 24 hour races too, but they are held in very muddy places, so if you are a solo rider you have a big disadvantage that you lose time from stopping to unclog the mud from your bike while the teams do it as a relay. If they weren't held on such muddy courses and i could find out about them more easily, i would probably ride one.
Anyway, I say bring back 24 hour TTs on the velodrome. I'd have a go.

Fixedwheelnut

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Re: 24hr road race cancelled - lack of entries
« Reply #12 on: 24 June, 2008, 11:06:49 pm »
I was intersted, but they never seemed to know how they were going to run it or what you had to do to compete.
I was pput off by the possibilty of having to be in a team. If i can just turn up and ride then that's OK. But finding other people makes life harder when you don't have that many people you can rely on for this kind of ride.
I like the idea of the off road 24 hour races too, but they are held in very muddy places, so if you are a solo rider you have a big disadvantage that you lose time from stopping to unclog the mud from your bike while the teams do it as a relay. If they weren't held on such muddy courses and i could find out about them more easily, i would probably ride one.
Anyway, I say bring back 24 hour TTs on the velodrome. I'd have a go.

 I'd love a go at that aswell, I wonder if Herne Hill would allow one if it had a charity aspect to appease the stuffy locals?
"Don't stop pedalling"

Chris S

Re: 24hr road race cancelled - lack of entries
« Reply #13 on: 24 June, 2008, 11:20:42 pm »
I wonder how much it is to rent a minor racing circuit for 24 hours? Somewhere like Snetterton would be ideal.

Mseries - I'm not sure 800 tired cyclists on the public road is much better...

Mr Larrington

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Re: 24hr road race cancelled - lack of entries
« Reply #14 on: 26 June, 2008, 09:50:28 am »
First 24 Hour Road Race my ar5e.  There's been one running in Switzerland for years: http://www.24stundenrennen.ch/Desktopdefault.aspx/tabid-91/
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LittleWheelsandBig

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Re: 24hr road race cancelled - lack of entries
« Reply #15 on: 26 June, 2008, 11:21:32 am »
The first 24 hour road race was in England about 130 years ago.
Wheel meet again, don't know where, don't know when...

mattc

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Re: 24hr road race cancelled - lack of entries
« Reply #16 on: 26 June, 2008, 12:16:09 pm »
The first 24 hour road race was in England about 130 years ago.
I wonder how good their lights were?
Has never ridden RAAM
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No.11  Because of the great host of those who dislike the least appearance of "swank " when they travel the roads and lanes. - From Kuklos' 39 Articles

Really Ancien

Re: 24hr road race cancelled - lack of entries
« Reply #17 on: 26 June, 2008, 07:27:49 pm »
First 24 Hour Road Race my ar5e.  There's been one running in Switzerland for years: http://www.24stundenrennen.ch/Desktopdefault.aspx/tabid-91/

Very interesting link Mr Larrington.
The winner was 1. Wyss Daniel, 1970, Glis                           98 Runden  978,424km  24:00.00,0
Fastest Recumbent. 1. Böhler Bernhard, 1961, D-Bönnigheim               86 Runden  850,368km  24:03.18,4 (201)

So the advantage for drafting over a good winning TT performance is over 100 miles.
The recumbent distance is about 30 miles more than a conventional bike TT performance.
Teams seemed to do almost 1,000 km.
1. Stefan Marti Garten AG / Friba                   101 Runden  998,688km  24:00.55,5 (134)

The first 24 hour road race was in England about 130 years ago.

Probably a reference to the North Roads 24 Hour Road Ride. I'm not sure what the format was in the early days but by the time I rode in 1998 it was a TT and it was the hundredth running. I have a rather nice engraved goblet as a souvenir. There used to be a prize for riding it and the Mersey in the same year.

Damon.

Re: 24hr road race cancelled - lack of entries
« Reply #18 on: 26 June, 2008, 07:45:54 pm »
Probably a reference to the North Roads 24 Hour Road Ride. I'm not sure what the format was in the early days but by the time I rode in 1998 it was a TT and it was the hundredth running. I have a rather nice engraved goblet as a souvenir. There used to be a prize for riding it and the Mersey in the same year.

Damon.

Me too, I rode that event*. That is my only wine glass and gets used.
Cheers :thumbsup:
(Raises glass to screen)

*But I was hammerred after riding the Crackpot in the week before, then having to go to work for the rest of the week. Fantastic ride by Ian Butcher with over 500 miles on a very windy day.

Really Ancien

Re: 24hr road race cancelled - lack of entries
« Reply #19 on: 26 June, 2008, 07:57:49 pm »
It was my first 24 and I was much impressed when two of the podium finishers collapsed during the prize presentation.

Damon.

LittleWheelsandBig

  • Whimsy Rider
Re: 24hr road race cancelled - lack of entries
« Reply #20 on: 26 June, 2008, 10:37:20 pm »
The first 24 hour road race was in England about 130 years ago.

Probably a reference to the North Roads 24 Hour Road Ride. I'm not sure what the format was in the early days but by the time I rode in 1998 it was a TT and it was the hundredth running.

The first 24 hour race was 1882, the first NR 24 was 1886. http://www.randonneurs.bc.ca/history/UK-longride-summary_1874-1891.html  These races were massed start affairs with other cyclists recruited as pacers.  Time trials were invented about 1890, because of the public outcry/police pressure resulting from bunches of cyclists hammering through villages.

I was a little incorrect with my vague memory of 130 years, but give me time, I'll be right in a few years.  ;)
Wheel meet again, don't know where, don't know when...