New Forest sportive base moves to Dorset to escape NIMBYs

I rode the autumn equivalent last year, and I am very sorry to have to say, a significant minority of the riders taking part were extraordinarily lacking in road sense and consideration for other road users, including faster cyclists.

Some of the things I came across from people sporting event numbers:

-someone fiddling around with something who wobbled right across the (single lane) road in front of me.
-many people riding four abreast down a nice long descent at a very low speed. Not only was this spoiling other participants' fun, it was making cars coming the other way stop completely unecessarily.
-going up steep hills in the wrong gear, grinding to a halt and stopping in the middle of the road when there was plenty of space to pull over to stop

To UKCE's credit they do remind all riders at the start line not to drop litter and to obey the highway code, and mention that anyone seen disregarding this will not be allowed to continue in the event.

Now you can guess what I think of the saboteurs etc, but to be frank, with the way some of these people were riding, I'm not surprised if the locals get a bit cheesed off.

As others have pointed out, the stuff about protecting livestock is irrelevant to cycling, but I am disappointed that so many cyclists don't give animals more room, including some on some of UKCE's previous promotional videos for NF sportives. There's no need not to give them several feet at least.

I had a much better experience on another (smaller scale) Wiggle sportive in the South Downs earlier in the year. Is there something funny about the New Forest that either attracts loons or turns sensible people into loons? (Be they cyclists or residents!)

PLEASE people, if you ride in events like this that are very sensitive in terms of the image of cycling generally, please keep your brain switched on!

I rode the Wiggle Spring New Forest Sportive last year (http://humancyclist.blogspot.co.uk/2013/04/wiggle-super-series-new-fores...). Just this week the missus was asking what sportives I wanted to do this year, and suggested that I do one in the New Forest as we made it into an enjoyable family weekend last year. Last year we spend in the region of £300, which all went into the local economy - B&B, pubs, cafes, LBS, wildlife park.

Some of the locals (and local businesses) might want to campaign to get *more* events like this held in the Forest, as they're a licence to print money. To give an example, in Brockenhurst I saw a pub with a sign outside saying "sportive cyclists welcome" and it was absolutely heaving with people who were obviously cyclists. That sign probably earned the landlord 10 grand.

Well, some reports have stated 5,000 but I accept the numbers may be less than that, especially if they reduced them from previous years. Either way, it's a big event. Surely people understand that many cyclists drive to the event as well, so vehicular congestion also.

I do understand also that the New Forest may have it's particular brand of second-home-owning NIMBY's, but to brand everyone who objects as unreasonable Nimbys from London is unfair!

The point is, they've moved the start out of respect for people who live in the area, which is not a bad thing, but so nanny of these events are organised without thinking about the consequences and I strongly believe there should be some regulation or central approval coordinated by the authorities, to ensure they're sensibly run.

The alternative is a worsening in relations between road user groups. There is already evidence of lack of understanding of vulnerable road users even on this very forum topic! I had wrongly assumed everyone who cycles would understand to go slowly and considerately around horses..

I can see the problems caused by several hundred cyclists on, let's face it, very popular roads, many of which are narrow with many car drivers thinking they have the right of way, causing frustration not being able to get past for starters, cyclist not indicating, ignoring the rules of the roads etc.
I also see problems with riders going too fast and too close to horses.

I have been on these events and say, in the main, that people are well behaved and respect others. But it only takes a few idiots to spoil it for all.

The key word here is RESPECT.

Rhetorical question alert: may be 5000 riders is too much for the New Forest event?

I did the Fred Whitton last year. The ever was limited to 1600 riders and the locals were great. No problems.

I was out riding up Blissford Hill (the 25%er in the New Forest) and the chap, who presumably lived at the bottom of the hill, shouted a few choice words about a race going on. I was riding in the opposite direction so my reaction was a "uh what"?

Got home and did a search on the net. The "race" mentioned by the local was the Rattler, rider limit less than 200. Moral to story...

Nimby: See bike...moan (nothing you can do)
Rider: See horse rider...smile and wave

Time horses were brought under control in the New Forest! A tragic event

http://www.dailyecho.co.uk/news/10961989.Motorcyclist_killed_in_crash_wi...

The New Forest is ruined for months of the year by tailbacks of cars 10 miles long. Lyndhurst is nothing but nasty little one-way system.

The area has so many car-related problems yet no-one in autority makes the slightest effort to address them.

Fatalities among animals are common, and not unknown among walkers and cyclists, all of them car-related.

I can't comment on the impact of the sportive, but I know there's a massive elephant in the room that these people aren't interested in.