Why Bother With Sportives?

I've not posted anything for some 3 weeks now, not because of the lack of cycling going on in my life but because I've been stuck on just how to comment on the event which proceeded my last update, my local Ax-pedition sportive.

You'll be very aware that I got into cycling late in life, having already achieved my early testosterone filled goals on the single venue rallying circuit of the late 1980s and in climbing the greasy pole through a career spanning a bit of banking and IT. Today, the enjoyment of cycling for me, is to feel fit, relish the rarity of travelling miles under one's own steam along quiet scenic roads, taking pleasure in sharing this with likeminded friends and achieving a few goals along the way. I am a task and goal driven man, so this was only natural. My first year's goal was to get fit and fit enough to cycle the equivalent marathon distance for a bike ride, the 100 miler. The second was to enter an organised cycling event, called a sportive (sportif) or etape. Both these annual goals were achieved and 2014 ended on a high.

The challenge for my third year, was selecting another goal while ensuring I did not lose sight of what it is about cycling that I enjoy. In the end,  I chose 2 goals. Firstly, doing more of my own bike maintenance. Getting my hands dirty was something I enjoyed in my early years playing with cars but which, as with my cars, I've lapsed into paying someone else to take care of. The second was to combine my annual French vacation with an attempt on an epic climb from the Tour de France, the Mont Ventoux mountain climb. Having now the luxury of a car which can carry the bike and two weeks of holiday clothing with ease and security, the bike was always going to be a factor in holiday destination planning, so why not head for Provence in the beautiful and sunny South of France!

On the Sunday 31 May, four days before we set sail for France, I was in two minds as to whether to participate in a local sportive which was to run over a 100km collection of a number of our frequently cycled routes. I'd been a little under the weather earlier in the week, the Roubaix was all prepared for the France trip and the Tarmac not best geared for 1600m of climb. Also, rain was forecast and riding in the rain was not one of my Yr3 goals .. I covered that in Yr2 on the RideLondon! Waking early on the Sunday morning, weather looking a little better and feeling that a local ride with the AVP crew could be a fun thing to do, I dressed and cycled over for the 8am the start in Axminster.

We had a large contingent at the start, a number of yellow jerseys were on display but with the damp and cool conditions many, me included, were starting in a mixed bag of rain capes (one for the kit master to fix for next year). My hopes of us all riding off in an AVP peloton were soon to be dashed. It was more like animals into the Arc as we progressed along the lanes two by two. Again, as I agonised over on my Portland Century, the art of group cycling is something not appreciated by all. So, while I cycled with Kelly for most of the ride, spending many of the hill climbs alone, I do wonder why I should bother with Sportives any more.

Early in the ride .. 2 by 2

I enjoy the marked routes, the well organised feed stations and marshals on hand to ensure we get to the finish, but before I entertain doing another, I need to forgo one of the things I love about cycling and this is the enjoyment of riding with likeminded friends. When out on our AVP rides, we tend to split onto groups, quick riders may break away, but we all regroup at regular intervals. On a sportive this is not so feasible, the adrenalin kicks in, the longer distances mean too many stops for the quick ones and the competitiveness driven by Strava segments and official timings means that personal gains outweigh those of the group. Don't get me wrong, I totally understand this and confess even on our AVP rides to being guilty of racing ahead .. but a lonely 4 - 8 hour sportive is not my idea fun, so if I ever think of putting myself forward for one of these in the future, you have my permission to slap me with a wet fish! Unless, that is, I sign up knowing I'll be riding alone for the duration and remember to pack my iPod to keep me company.