Sportive Debate – How far would you travel for a Sportive?

[KidsCan]

Hi Everyone,

We’ve organised a few Sportives now and on the whole, the majority of people who take part come from up to about 30 miles away to take part.
However we have also had participants take part from far flung areas of the country!

So, out of interest, how far would you travel to take part? What would make you go the extra mile – literally! Just out of curiosity really!

Keep on peddling!

KidsCan

[robgul]

Same question posed on the CTC Forum .. and this is a response I posted over there ...

I organise an annual sportive ... http://www.shakespeare100.org.uk - there'll be an announcement here in the next day or two ;-)

It's at Stratford-upon-Avon, pretty much the middle of England, and we get riders from as far away as Penrith, Aberdeen, Truro, London, Brighton, Durham .. and everywhere else in between ... I have to confess I'm surprised (oh, and we do have a bloke from Norway every year but he's a friend of the course designer!)

Rob

[Gus]

The longest I've travelled for a sportive must be approx. 1000 km. But that are for special ones.
Normally I might travel up to ~100km away.

[phil d]

we get riders from as far away as Penrith, Aberdeen, Truro, London, Brighton, Durham .. and everywhere else in between ... I have to confess I'm surprised (oh, and we do have a bloke from Norway every year but he's a friend of the course designer!)

Rob

I don't think it's that surprising.  I've only ever participated in two Sportives - Phil & Friends, and the Wicklow 200.  Both are a long way away (Wicklow in a different country, of course) from Oxfordshire and the events were part of weeks away with family.

It's often the same with audax - while I do a lot of local-ish events, I've also done plenty in the West Country, Wales, Scotland, again usually as part of a long weekend or week away with Mrs D.  My next audax is Northern Dales.  I choose rides for the event rather than where it is, if you know what I mean.

It's not just me - I get entries from all over the country for the Upper Thames.

[kcass]

Keep on peddling!

Bit of a freudian slip there.

[corshamjim]

Personally one of the reasons I cycle is to reduce my carbon footprint so I'll rarely travel more than 100 miles or so to a sportive unless I can combine the trip with some other activity.

My favourite sportive is the Severn Bridge which starts only 6 miles or so from where I live so I can simply ride to the start and back home afterwards.

[Philip Whiteman]

Depends upon the location really.  If the sportive includes panoramic countryside such as the Dales, Borders, Mid-Wales, etc., then I would willingly travel. If it were around bog standard countryside then I would not bother. I can do that near to where I live.

The other critical factor is the reputation of the event.  After the problems that beset the Dragon Ride this year, I would not be inclined to drive to South Wales and fork out fees for overnight accommodation, only to queue for over an hour and a half in order to register.  Whereas something like the Ken Laidlaw or the now defunct Cumberland Challenge, would!  There is nothing worse than spending money on travel and accommodation, only to then find out that the event organisation is pretty poor. 

The same goes for audaxes, where I am selective too.  Personally I would travel around the world to witness the cakestand again at the Nutty Nuns and Merry Monks audax in Somerset .

Timing is important too.  I organise an event in February to brush away the winter cobwebs. It is only a short length audax yet people travel from all four corners of Britain to take part.  If it were held in summer then I am sure that patronage would be low due to the number of competing events and horrendous holiday traffic on motorways and railways.

[rafletcher]

I've only done a couple of organised rides (not "sportives" as such, as there was no timing, but not audax as routes were signed and marshalled).  One was 40 miles away, one was 80'ish. I have one more pencilled in this year, and that's 100 miles away. Reasons for choosing were distances (60, 75 and finally 100 mile routes), calendar dates (about 6 weeks apart), and crucially for me they were circular routes.  I would travel further for "special events", but generally I'd keep it down to a max of 1 1/2hrs drive each way.  And I've no real interest in huge fields of riders either, so go for smaller events.

[robgul]

We've just had someone enter the Shakespeare 100 (at Stratford-upon-Avon) with an address in Thurso  (although I have a suspicion he's at Uni in Warwick which makes a bit more sense !)

Rob

[Jethro]

I dont normally ride Sportives because they are simply so expensive.  £30 or more to enter is a joke.  OK, so you get a fully signed route, a goody bag and a medal at the finish.  Big deal.

I do make one exception though - The Mac Ride from Stratford - which costs a far more realistic £10 to enter, and still we get the same as above.

So why do organisers have to charge £30+  Am i missing something?

[jogler]

I don't ride Sportive's simply due to the cost.There's no need to elaborate on this issue.However if there was one organised on a closed-road basis( for the entireity of the route & ride duration) I would travel the same distances as I sometimes do for an audax ride that has a particular appeal.To date the extremes are Oban & Penzance.

[The_Mikey]

I've travelled 60 miles to get to a sportive once, but mostly they've all been within 30 miles,  5 miles being the closest.

[Pete Mas]

I've travelled to France and Italy for special sportifs and other rides, normally, but not always, as a part of a longer holiday. eg Nove Colli, l'Eroica, Mille Miglia(Italy), PBP, Dieppe Raid, and considering L'Etape (France).

[Si_Co]

I don't ride Sportive's simply due to the cost.There's no need to elaborate on this issue.However if there was one organised on a closed-road basis( for the entireity of the route & ride duration) I would travel the same distances as I sometimes do for an audax ride that has a particular appeal.To date the extremes are Oban & Penzance.

I'm toying wth this
http://www.etapepennines.co.uk/

but it's not cheap, OTOH for closed roads it's good value compared to a lot of sportives

[jogler]

^^^^
As you say it's not cheap but I too will toy with the idea,in approx 8 or 9 months.I'm going to rely on your superior intellect to remind me son 

[Karla]

I suspect it will be booked up by then.

I'm certainly considering it.  It'll be cheaper than PBP!

[Alistair TR]

As some of you have said, if you can combine it with a weekend break or holiday then that really makes it worthwhile and can make it a very inclusive time for all. Some locations lend themselves better for that than others and I guess the time of year makes a big difference.

Good thread, thanks for posting it.

Alistair

[Reg.T]

I rode about 5 Sportives last year, all fairly local. Furthest was about 45 miles, but combined with a visit to my brother.

This year I'm converting to Audax, and again doing mostly local rides. The furthest is about 70 miles for a 600, but only because the nearest 600 is on a date I can't do.

I'm also doing one sportive this year - the Dartmoor Classic - which is a bit further at around 80/85 miles, but only because it's been recommended to me as a great and well organised ride (and is run by a club rather than a more commercial set-up).

I think my approach is similar for Sportive and Audax - local is ideal, but some rides are worth the extra distance.

[onb]

Once when riding the pendle pedal ,which was quite a nice event until it got pretentious , I rode for some time with  a guy from Australia and his wife ,they were over her maily to vsit his brother,who lived nearby.