Cycling

[Bennett]

 
I baulk at paying £35 for the wiggle sportives

[horlock07]

I think Flanders Sportive was £40 which included shit loads of food, drink, timing chip and on-line tracking so others could track progress, and a T Shirt at the end.

They are pretty extortionate over here, we looked at Etape Caledonia, who make a big deal that its closed roads, but thats £85. Mate who lives in Scotland pointed out that whilst its a glorious route, the roads are dead apart from in high summer anyway so I think we are just going to go up there one weekend and ride the route off our own back!

Quite fancy doing one round Oxfordshire as the roads are where I rode my mountain bike as a kid and would be interesting to ride them now, and possibly the white roads one on the downs but that's about it. I am not a big fan to be honest as they tend to be highly populated by twats doing stupid things...

[Nomoreheroes]

Pick a route. Post it on here. Then we can have our own TEF sportive for free!

[Bewster]

I don't mind paying a reasonable fee - you get freebies, food, drink and a medal and you find roads you've never been on. I certainly wouldn't pay a fee to ride the roads around me.

In fact as few years back I came across a wiggle feed station so I stopped and helped myself.  I thought that I had spent enough over the years to justify this theft. The fact that I was traveling in the opposite direction was probably a give away. 

[Bennett]

Pick a route. Post it on here. Then we can have our own TEF sportive for free!

I've plotted out the route for the wye valley warrior...

[Nomoreheroes]

I've plotted out the route for the wye valley warrior...

What, this one:

https://ridewithgps.com/trips/13920083

[Bennett]

No the 162km one 

[Nomoreheroes]

Look forward to viewing your Strava!
No the 162km one 

[Not that Nice If I'm Honest]

I know people are criticising the cost, and that's a fair point.
But........the organisational challenges are enormous, and I think the price was great value.

The organisation was amazing - I was given a start time a month before, of 7.04. I went through the starting gate at 7.04.27, when you have 30k (I think) people cycling, that's amazing.
There were loads of volunteers (free ?), but also loads of normal "event staff" (I assume paid for ?)

Because of the ISIS cunts, every side road for the whole route had security guards sealing it off, presumably to prevent some nutter driving the wrong way in a lorry.

I think the cost to run the event far outweighed what was raised in entry fees.

I routinely pay £25 for a 50 mile sportive, to jostle with cars, and get dogs abuse from drivers, to do 100 miles without cars is worth 10 times that - easily

I would recommend anybody who enjoys cycling to enter the ballot, it's a once in a lifetime event.

(oh......and before you ask 5.38, which is about an hour faster than I was expecting)

[Nomoreheroes]

I know people are criticising the cost, and that's a fair point.
But........the organisational challenges are enormous, and I think the price was great value.

The organisation was amazing - I was given a start time a month before, of 7.04. I went through the starting gate at 7.04.27, when you have 30k (I think) people cycling, that's amazing.
There were loads of volunteers (free ?), but also loads of normal "event staff" (I assume paid for ?)

Because of the ISIS cunts, every side road for the whole route had security guards sealing it off, presumably to prevent some nutter driving the wrong way in a lorry.

I think the cost to run the event far outweighed what was raised in entry fees.

I routinely pay £25 for a 50 mile sportive, to jostle with cars, and get dogs abuse from drivers, to do 100 miles without cars is worth 10 times that - easily

I would recommend anybody who enjoys cycling to enter the ballot, it's a once in a lifetime event.

(oh......and before you ask 5.38, which is about an hour faster than I was expecting)

Have done for the last 3 years...Not successful each time

[Batch]

hmm, I choose the croft  MTB track just to piss off the roadies.

mind you my biking powers are so pathetic they're still beat me!

[Not that Nice If I'm Honest]

Batch - I'm MTB at heart

[horlock07]

Because of the ISIS cunts, every side road for the whole route had security guards sealing it off, presumably to prevent some nutter driving the wrong way in a lorry.

Having had the pleasure of following the Tour of Britain in an Official Car and listening to race radio, I suspect its more likely to be British Cunts in Cars ignoring the closed roads and trying to get on the course as the roads should not be shut for a cycling event. I remember on the way into Blackpool there were motorists threatening the NEG security lads trying to enforce the rolling road closure and some old dear came sailing down the closed road towards the peloton, until stopped by a police motorbike!

Have done for the last 3 years...Not successful each time

Likewise.

[Bewster]

So chaps...........Lets talk rubber.

I need to change the tyres on my old Trek road bike that I use for commuting and winter riding. I have some really old 23mm Conti Gatorskins which have been excellent but compared to my other bike which is running 25mm GP4000s the ride comfort is nowhere near as good.

So, what do I change to - some more GP4000s, 4 Season or move away from Conti and go for some Schwalbe ??

And do you think it really makes a lot of difference what make ? Are punctures just one of those things that will happen regardless ?

[Red Frog]

I'm beginning to realise that modern-day cyclists are just gamer-geeks that feel they need to get out more. It's not working chaps.