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Tips for Sportives please, Overtaking riders

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  • June 20, 2013 at 2:58 pm #19160
    Leviathan

    So the Great Manchester Cycle is a week on Sunday. I am doing the 52miles, a meaty distance for me, but a stepping stone to full length sportives. Last year I did the 26m two lap event and started in the middle of a thousand riders really of mix abilities. I spend the first lap overtaking people starting in front of me and the second overtaking lapped riders. There was a lot of times I would approach on the right just for the rider to decide now was the time to drift across in front of me. I had to shout out odd things like ‘curb’ or ‘keep left.’ Well I didn’t have a crash but I did get balked several time and have to apply the brakes, sapping my energy and increasing my time.

    This year I hope there will be less problems on the longer event with more people going at a similar speed. If I can survive the sprint down to the Mancunian Way the road should open out and I can keep my own pace. I did the laps in 40min last year and if I can match (or improve) that over double distance I will be happy. Looking at last years results all bar half a dozen finished in 4 hours with 60min laps. My maths says I should not have to lap anyone until I’ve done 3 laps and they have done 2 (or am I missing something?) So now the Question: what is the best technique/etiquette to get past people efficiently without having to brake, slow, crash, shout, etc?

    PS: bonus tip I hope you can reply; what is the best way of avoiding safety pin damage to lycra from race numbers?

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  • June 27, 2013 at 5:13 pm #743685
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    Bhachgen

    I second (third? fourth?) the
    I second (third? fourth?) the TT suggestions. Always a friendly atmosphere and you won’t get looked down on for not having a specialist TT bike/aero helmet/skin suit/rollers to warm up on – even though many do have all of this.

    Or give a Hill Climb a go. Did my first one last night which Horwich CC had organised. Actually finished further from the bottom of the timesheet than I did on the TTs I have entered!

    As far as overtaking riders on Sportives/Mass rides is concerned I think you just need to be considerate and polite and treat others as you would wish to be treated. If people haven’t seen you then communicate with them. And be prepared for the fact that there will be less experience riders there and many who may do a fair few miles on their own or with a couple of mates but are unused to riding in a larger group.

    June 25, 2013 at 8:09 am #743683
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    ilovemytinbred

    Call out early in a friendly
    Call out early in a friendly manor to let people know you are passing. Simple.

    What I think it is fair to say is that events like this attract inexperienced people who are not totally confident or competent (in the nicest sense). Therefore it is always likely that you will have to slow and brake for people and that you should give people a sensible amount of room.

    It is fine to try and do your best, but in the event of getting held up, that is when you should remember it is not a race… call out in a friendly manor and wait for people to move over.

    I do think people are missing a trick by not trying a few club timetrials. A lot of guys here seem to want to test their abilities and tts are a lot better than these sort of events. Not that I have a problem with audaxes or sportives, but they are more of a nice day out with food stops.

    June 24, 2013 at 5:32 pm #743681
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    stepho

    I have been using this forum
    I have been using this forum now for (i think) almost a year. There are some really cool people on here with infinite knowledge of all things cycling and at times it is a right good laugh. The flip side to that is there are also some really sanctimonious, judgemental bell ends who like to leap on to a thread, completely misinterpret the sentiment in it and start an argument.

    This rather friendly chap, is asking for some advice from more experienced riders on the correct etiquette for overtaking slower riders on a sportive. A fair question you would have thought. But we now have him “tear arsing” through greater manchester like some lunatic running down 3 year olds.

    I despair sometimes 🙂

    June 24, 2013 at 2:46 pm #743679
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    dawguk

    I’m doing the Great
    I’m doing the Great Manchester Cycle also (my first event ever), and while I hope to set a time that I am proud of (and lay down a target for next year perhaps), I also fully expect that it’s not going to be a balls to the wall sportive event. If I get held up, then I get held up and … well, so what?

    I expect that cycling the Mancunian Way with a bunch of other cyclists will be the biggest buzz for me.

    June 23, 2013 at 12:03 am #743677
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    farrell

    On the plus side, the later
    On the plus side, the later start time means I can do the 26 miler with some mates and go on the piss after.

    June 22, 2013 at 11:59 pm #743675
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    farrell

    The 12 miler, the one for
    The 12 miler, the one for kids and families etc, starts at 2, I was under the impression it was much earlier (actually given the incorrect start times by someone involved in organising it, which doesn’t fill me with confidence), which I thought meant there was an overlap with the various groupings.

    If you come up behind the 26 or 13 milers you probably wont have been going that fast at all and wont be troubling them a bit.

    I got it wrong, I hope you have a good ride and a good day out.

    June 22, 2013 at 10:34 pm #743673
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    notfastenough

    I did this last year and make
    I did this last year and make no mistake, the 52 mile route is a ‘fast’ event. The front few groups were at race pace for much of it. I was about 15-18 minutes further back, finishing in 2:30 (38min laps IIRC). The roads are closed and they are plenty wide enough for everyone. The cut-off requires an average speed of 14-ish mph anyway, so everyone is making an effort to the best of their own ability, no-ones pootling along with 3-year-olds in tow.

    Bikeboy, look out for Chorlton Velo, and give us a wave!

    #714, and looking to go quicker than 2:30:52.

    June 22, 2013 at 7:54 pm #743671
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    Leviathan

    farrell wrote:Just so we can

    farrell wrote:
    Just so we can stop banging our heads against walls here, are you aware that this course is open to young kids? As in kids from the age of 3?

    Just so you can stop banging on off topic I am entered in the 52 miles event:

    08:00 start on Sunday 30 June 2013

    Who should enter this event? This is for the serious cyclists, who want to challenge themselves to a fast undulating route with some tight technical sections.

    – See more at: http://www.greatcycle.org/about/52-miles#sthash.QnUelqBF.dpuf

    In no way will I be running over 3 year olds. There is a 26m and 13m event later. My original post makes this clear. Why are you trying to read something between the lines and imply I will be inappropriately spoiling a ‘family day out.’

    June 22, 2013 at 2:42 pm #743669
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    KirinChris

    Seems to me you weren’t
    Seems to me you weren’t asking for advice, you were asking for people to agree with you.

    Edit: P.S. This would be a good time to repeat the line about sportives and audaxes.

    Sportives are for people who pretend they are racing, audaxes are for people who pretend they’re not.

    June 22, 2013 at 1:46 pm #743667
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    farrell

    a.jumper wrote:farrell

    a.jumper wrote:
    farrell wrote:

    I’ll refer you back to my original point, which was quoted but apparently not read:

    While you cut my point because you seem to hate the idea that fast riders should be allowed to overtake and that beingfaster doesn’t make them aany less vulnerable as road users. Also, I’m definitelya slow old fart by the standards of this site. It would take me 5h to do that distance. I don’t want you stuck behind me. Go past, please.

    Share the road. Leave space if you’re slow. Overtake witha helpful call if you’re fast.

    Just so we can stop banging our heads against walls here, are you aware that this course is open to young kids? As in kids from the age of 3?

    I’m not talking about getting held up above some bodger having a pootle, I’m talking about young children. I’m also not saying that you cant over take, I’m saying that at certain points, if you get stuck behind a group of children and families you are just going to have bite the bullet, slow right down and pass safely and take the hit on your time.

    June 22, 2013 at 10:58 am #743665
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    Leviathan

    The amount of self
    The amount of self righteousness that has appeared on this thread is ridiculous, especially from the board’s Misinterpreter-in-Chief. I have already told you what speed I will be going and it isn’t excessive. Ask for advise and get condescension. You are telling me I shouldn’t be doing a road cycling event because I don’t want to do it at the speed of the slowest rider, what would be the point, shame on you. Should we have an egg-and-spoon race instead? I shall be at the front with other BC members to avoid these issues, but the problem is more with the route layout than my intentions.

    Thanks to a dose of sanity from a.jumper and darren who went fast than me already.

    June 22, 2013 at 9:42 am #743663
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    KirinChris

    There is one fundamental rule
    There is one fundamental rule when cycling – you are responsible for your own front wheel.

    Nothing else, nobody else and none of the shit they do or don’t do trumps this rule.

    Think about that in the context of getting your front wheel past thousands of other people in an effort to get a ‘good’ time.

    June 22, 2013 at 7:09 am #743661
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    a.jumper

    farrell wrote:
    I’ll refer you

    farrell wrote:

    I’ll refer you back to my original point, which was quoted but apparently not read:

    While you cut my point because you seem to hate the idea that fast riders should be allowed to overtake and that beingfaster doesn’t make them aany less vulnerable as road users. Also, I’m definitelya slow old fart by the standards of this site. It would take me 5h to do that distance. I don’t want you stuck behind me. Go past, please.

    Share the road. Leave space if you’re slow. Overtake witha helpful call if you’re fast.

    June 21, 2013 at 2:05 pm #743659
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    farrell

    a.jumper wrote:farrell

    a.jumper wrote:
    farrell wrote:
    I honestly think that the onus should be on you to be aware and more vigilant of what slower and less experienced riders are doing for this one rather than tear arsing it through. […] An innocent call of “On your left” is going to confuse someone who hasn’t ridden in any way seriously.

    Quite right! If you’re going to ride any non-race mass start event, you should be happy to be there and enjoy the experience of riding your carbon aero road bike at 10mph top speed behind someone who wobbles all over the road. How dare you want to overtake and how foolish to expect the organisers to tell people of the standard calls used by almost every group ride I’ve met, including the slowest beginners rides!

    I’m glad you have got that sarcasm out of your system perhaps we can now crack on with talking sensibly.

    I’ve no problem with people riding fast in the same way I have no problem with people driving cars. However, don’t be a dick about it. You know when a car comes barging past you at a traffic island and you avoid getting wiped out due to luck rather than judgement and you think to yourself “He could have just slowed down, waited a few seconds and passed when it was safe”. Well hooning it past someone who doesn’t ride in any way frequently or a young kid having a potter with their family and shouting at them to move because you want to set a personal best is going to be intimidating in a very similar way and is the same complete lack of courtesy.

    By all means give it some hammer when you can but be prepared to scrub the speed off at many points on the ride, because it isn’t a race and I have my doubts over calling it a sportive.

    I’ll refer you back to my original point, which was quoted but apparently not read:

    “I honestly think that the onus should be on you to be aware and more vigilant of what slower and less experienced riders are doing for this one”

    You know, a bit like on the road when cyclists and pedestrians ask that the onus should be on the least vulnerable road users to make sure of the safety of the most vulnerable road users.

    Or you can do what you want.

    June 21, 2013 at 1:46 pm #743657
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    Simon E

    If you want to ride fast then
    If you want to ride fast then enter a race, not a mass participation family event in a big city.

    If you want to get a ‘true’ time then enter a time trial. It’s a lot cheaper and you can go as fast as you like. But lots of people are too insecure (even though no-one else cares what time you do).

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