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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 21, 2013 at 1:15 pm #743655
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    a.jumper

    farrell wrote:I honestly

    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!

    Seriously, the nervous riders won’t be any happier if they feel they’re causing a tailback of riders. Give them as much room as you can, but please keep on overtaking.

    June 21, 2013 at 10:55 am #743653
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    farrell

    bikeboy76 wrote:however the

    bikeboy76 wrote:
    however the looped course means whatever you do you will be coming up behind slower riders.

    bikeboy76 wrote:
    You can’t say we will close this motorway for a big cycling event but then people not to go fast.

    bikeboy76 wrote:
    however the looped course means whatever you do you will be coming up behind slower riders.

    bikeboy76 wrote:
    You can’t say we will close this motorway for a big cycling event but then people not to go fast.

    bikeboy76 wrote:
    however the looped course means whatever you do you will be coming up behind slower riders.

    bikeboy76 wrote:
    You can’t say we will close this motorway for a big cycling event but then people not to go fast.

    bikeboy76 wrote:
    however the looped course means whatever you do you will be coming up behind slower riders.

    bikeboy76 wrote:
    You can’t say we will close this motorway for a big cycling event but then people not to go fast.

    But you can always do what you like.

    June 21, 2013 at 5:43 am #743651
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    Argos74

    The bike paramedics (green
    The bike paramedics (green uniforms, 60kg panniers, bikes like tanks) are somewhere around the Salford area. Met one the other day, very nice chaps indeed. Give ’em a wave.

    June 20, 2013 at 9:41 pm #743649
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    darren13366

    I did the 52 last year (in 2h
    I did the 52 last year (in 2h 31m) and I never had to shout, or excuse myself once. I did find my way on to a group of about 20 riders for a while and found the roads wide enough to accommodate everyone comfortably, with the exception of the Salford Quays bottleneck. Looking forward to it again this year. #362

    June 20, 2013 at 9:02 pm #743647
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    Leviathan

    It is a sportive and the
    It is a sportive and the fastest time last years was one Mr. Andrew Steel who did 56miles in 2:12 or 38kph. I did 26m in 1:20 or a pedestrian 31.4kph. The longer distance is supposed to be more competitive, however the looped course means whatever you do you will be coming up behind slower riders.
    The Salford Quays section has been changed, it still has hairpins but they are on the road so there should not be queues to get over a footbridge like last year.
    I am not aiming to be ‘tear arsing’ anyone whatever that is. I want to avoid trouble to go as smooth and fast as I can and get as true a time as I can. You can’t say we will close this motorway for a big cycling event but then people not to go fast.

    June 20, 2013 at 8:26 pm #743645
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    Simon E

    It’s a mass participation
    It’s a mass participation ride for all ages and abilities – everyone is out for a fun traffic-free bike ride in the city so don’t spoil it for them. Patience and politeness win in all circumstances. A courteous “Excuse me” should be fine.

    The participant info states there are different start times for each distance. However, if you’re riding for a fast time perhaps this event isn’t ideal for you.

    June 20, 2013 at 6:54 pm #743643
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    Kapelmuur

    No need to rush when you’ll
    No need to rush when you’ll have to get off and walk at the Salford Quays pinch point 🙁

    June 20, 2013 at 3:18 pm #743641
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    nicstevenson

    I always try and overtake on
    I always try and overtake on the right hand side, cautiously and give an ‘on your right’ call first if I can’t leave an arm’s length gap… And a ‘morning’ or ‘afternoon’ on the way past strikes me as a polite and less aggressive way to overtake 🙂

    June 20, 2013 at 3:13 pm #743639
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    farrell

    Is it a sportive?
    I honestly
    Is it a sportive?

    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. Many people are doing this event because they want to ride in an environment where they feel safe due to traffic. What’s the point if that “danger” is replaced by someone hooning it through them and shouting at them?

    An innocent call of “On your left” is going to confuse someone who hasn’t ridden in any way seriously.

    Probably a boring answer and one you didn’t really want.

    June 20, 2013 at 3:13 pm #743637
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    Gkam84

    Shouting, “Passing on your
    Shouting, “Passing on your right” normally works.

    As for race numbers. Either a belt

    http://www.triuk.com/products/tri-uk/tri-uk-race-belt-number-belt#.UcMbrjsmfTo

    OR

    Sellotape where you are going to put the pins through, you know like the balloon trick??

    June 20, 2013 at 3:11 pm #743635
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    a.jumper

    Isn’t the traditional passing
    Isn’t the traditional passing shout “on your right!”?

    As for the numbers, I favour those little clips which are sometimes used to clip conference badges to shirt pockets and use four to clip my numbers onto my jersey pockets, but I expect tiny bulldog clips or some 3m sticky product would work as well and be faster to obtain enough of them.

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