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16/02/2010 13:23:36
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Dave S
Posts 489
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I'm planning on entering this sportive as a training run for Cheshire Cat. Would like some company if anyone fancies taking part.
ROUTE MAP
JODRELL BANK CYCLOSPORTIVE 80 Mile Route
http://www.bikely.com/maps/bike-path/383336
http://www.triteamwigan.co.uk/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=76:jodrell-bank-sportive&catid=1:latest-news&Itemid=50
Enter online at www.torelli.co.uk
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16/02/2010 13:46:45
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Si
Posts 1352
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Looks like Stephen has already entered and I'm sure there'll be a few more....
http://www.manchesterwheelers.co.uk/events/736/jodrell-bank-cyclosportive-htm
No chance you'll catch me paying £25 to ride the roads that I train on every weekend 
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16/02/2010 14:21:34
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Stu The Wheel
Posts 403
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The name of this event couldn't be more apt.
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16/02/2010 14:44:27
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TomF
Posts 1040
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Si wrote:
No chance you'll catch me paying £25 to ride the roads that I train on every weekend
I think that's the problem for many, as Nick also points out: lots of us ride these roads regularly. However, as a means of warming up for the Cheshire cat, I think that's a good idea, though sneakily riding the route without paying might offer a cheaper training ride experience... 
NickW wrote:
I was reading in CW how many more sportives there are this year compared to last.
It's been an interesting and growing market. They are here to stay and, given the way they have got people out on their bikes and challenging themselves, I think they have a really useful place. They fit a perfect gap between charity rides and racing. My only fear is that their cost seems to be heading ever upwards without any really additional elements to justify it - soon to be the triathlons of the cycling world?
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16/02/2010 16:13:19
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Crazy Pete
Posts 258
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I put this on the Events page, but I'm not entering myself. Think I may do it in stealth mode tho..
I've paid for the Cat but only as I'm hoping to use it to do a bit of charridy fundraising, so thought I'd better be officially entered.
As others have said, for us locals the JB is a bit of a well used route so paying to ride it isn't really an option, we'd probably be riding those roads on that day anyway. I expect clubrunners in the rest of the UK think its worth it though so good luck to 'em. I like the rise in popularity of sportives, but not the apparent rise in prices. Yes audax rides are cheaper, but they aren't as cool & are run by anoraks...
P.
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16/02/2010 17:13:37
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Dave S
Posts 489
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Ok cards on table.
I've no intention of paying the £25 entry fee, however by sheer luck chance fluke of coincidence I will be riding past Woodford Village hall between the hours or 8am and 10am on that Sunday.
If anyone just happened to be riding that way at the same exact identical time of day as me and noting the fact that there's a sportive going on and maybe we should incorporate their 80 miles route into our training ride for that day, well that would be nice hunky-dory sweet.
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16/02/2010 17:39:49
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TomF
Posts 1040
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17/02/2010 12:08:58
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Crazy Pete
Posts 258
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dsgt8000 wrote:
Ok cards on table.
I've no intention of paying the £25 entry fee, however by sheer luck chance fluke of coincidence I will be riding past Woodford Village hall between the hours or 8am and 10am on that Sunday.
If anyone just happened to be riding that way at the same exact identical time of day as me and noting the fact that there's a sportive going on and maybe we should incorporate their 80 miles route into our training ride for that day, well that would be nice hunky-dory sweet.
I like your thinking, may join you on the day.
P.
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17/02/2010 15:55:07
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Sean
Posts 4
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Here's one for you... and this is my first post so go easy, but... yep £25 is a lot of money for a sportive, and I've seen them pricier, however consider this...
In Jan last year I was roped into entering the Etape du Tour by some keen road riding friends. A month later I had managed to purchase my first road bike and up until that point I'd never been on a road bike in my life. (with 20 years of mtb, 8" hope hydraulics, 7" travel etc etc...it took a lot of convincing.) So in order to up the road training motivation I decided to enter some sportives, about 1 a month up to the Etape. This for me was a brilliant decision, instead of having to work up training for a 6mth period I now had one a month to go at. Additionally because I'd paid an entry fee it seemed more like a decent reason to keep the training up and it seemed to work. By summer I was doing pretty well and come Etape it was doddle... well not really but I finished an hour faster than I thought and cleared the Ventoux leg in under two hours (whilst throwing up...) Anyway the point is, whatever works for the individual. That's not to say that all sportives are the same; for £25 I'd expect decent signage/route card, electronic timing, good feed stops (sweet and savoury) and High5 etc. rather than water. Most fulfill this, though some are woefully short.
Anyway this year I'm following a similar pattern but I've also joined the Wheelers (or the application is in the post) in an attempt to mix up the training a bit.
Cheers.
Sean (one of the newbies who came out on the snowed off ride a few weeks ago, and then a week later for the intro ride.)
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17/02/2010 15:57:24
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Sean
Posts 4
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Oh, and in an actual reply to the title of post, I'm doing the Jodrell with my other half (1st time sportiver...)
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17/02/2010 16:28:18
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TomF
Posts 1040
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Sean wrote:
and cleared the Ventoux leg in under two hours (whilst throwing up...)
An hour faster than me, and I also threw up....
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17/02/2010 16:52:30
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Sean
Posts 4
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@NickW
Good points made and to be fair I think I mostly agree with you, and that’s partly why I’ve joined the wheelers this year. Maybe If I’d ridden the roads around Jodrell before I’d be less inclined to pay for riding on my doorstep, though my primary reason is as a gentle warm up for the ‘Cat (also expensive.) Most of my training last year was straight out into the peak (similar to your hilly rides from what I gather) as that seemed a better prep for Etape. Audaxes do appeal, especially the geek side of it (gotta love the listings websites, proper BBC Acorn style) but the navigation seems like an extra burden, especially when the mind starts to fog over after 8 hours etc. Saying that, the entry fee for six sportives would pay for a decent bike GPS.
&tomF
That ‘hill’ was a bit tough. stopped taking on water because i couldn't hold it down - probably not wise given it was 35degrees plus on the lower sections. On the plus side, I didn’t need to stop at Chalet Reynard (SP?) and managed to clear the whole thing without stopping.
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17/02/2010 16:52:35
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TomF
Posts 1040
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NickW wrote:
Our hilly club runs...don't cost £25 a pop.
Shh. You've gone and lost me a valuable revenue rasining opportunity at the Gateway on Sunday mornings.
"Hilly club run? That'll be £25 please"
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17/02/2010 16:56:16
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TomF
Posts 1040
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Sean wrote:
That ‘hill’ was a bit tough. stopped taking on water because i couldn't hold it down - probably not wise given it was 35degrees plus on the lower sections. On the plus side, I didn’t need to stop at Chalet Reynard (SP?) and managed to clear the whole thing without stopping.
It was kinda hard. 4 Wheelers did it this year: Nick, Michael Buchanan, me and Paul Cheetham. I was officially the slowest, but as and when we meet you'll understand that I don't do hills....
I did stop at Chalet Reynard, but only because I went into the café and bought water and coca cola after the water station had run dry.
I'm sticking to flatter rides in future - hence Flanders, which around 1800m climbing over the course. It's just the length of the course that's the problem (260km of trying to hang onto Nick's wheel...).
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17/02/2010 23:30:12
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Mr T
Posts 1429
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For 25 quid you'd expect it to be 250 miles with about 20,000ft of climbing.
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18/02/2010 09:11:19
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Ed
Posts 1084
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TomF wrote:
I did stop at Chalet Reynard, but only because I went into the café and bought water and coca cola after the water station had run dry.
Shouldn't that have been scotch and amphetamines?
Will I'm afraid when you stop being a student you'll discover that £25 doesn't really go that far! I've had some really bad recent experiences of sportives which have put me off, each to their own though.
--
Ed Rollason Photography I Twitter I Facebook
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18/02/2010 10:00:15
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TomF
Posts 1040
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Ed wrote:
Shouldn't that have been scotch and amphetamines?
The thought did cross my mind, and there were some English voices ordering un pression. I figured I'd wait until I got to the top, and then down the other side of, the Géant before ordering a beer, Ice Cold in Alex style.
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18/02/2010 12:25:37
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Sean
Posts 4
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@TomF
liquor and speed might have helped things along nicely, however the foul 'synthetic strawberry' evian handed out at the finish area (by the ski-place) was disgusting. in fact, bombing back down to malaucien was a hazard due to number of discarded (full) bottles!
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