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Women sportive riders.JPGThe rise and rise of the Sportive: 2015 a record year for participant numbers
A record number of British cyclists will take part in organised non-competitive rides this year as the sportive market grows exponentially.
Research by the market analysts Mintel (who coined the phrase ‘MAMIL’) has found huge growth in the number of cyclists taking part in sportives - figures backed up by British cycling.
Last year, 380 sportives were registered with British Cycling, with more than 100,000 people taking part. That’s three and a half times as many as were held five years ago, and this year will be a record breaker, based on the 76,500 people who have already entered an event this year.
That’s a big boost for retail, says Mintel - as participants often upgrade to a road bike to take part. It’s thought to have led to the 10 per cent of total bike sales in 2014 which were road bikes.
Because of the higher price tag for performance bikes, that represents 25 per cent of the market by value - a total of £950m in 2014.
“Rising average selling prices reflect recognition on the part of consumers that they get what they pay for,” Michael Oliver, Mintel’s senior leisure and media analyst, told the FT.
In the last three years British Cycling has also seen its membership rise from 42,500 members to more than 100,000.
Two thirds of those members said their annual spend on cycling equipment was less than £1,000, but four per cent said they spend £3,000 to £5,000 annually.
More than one in three adults now classes themselves as a ‘current’ bike rider, and among the 18-34 age group that rises to half of respondents. However only 18 per cent ride every week.
“All the ingredients are in place for market growth” over the next few years, said the report.
Last year we reported how British Cycling stated that sportives need to regulated to avoid issues such routes clashing, which have led to collisions.
The governing body points out that while strict regulations surround races held on public roads, the regime is looser when it comes to sportive rides.
A spokesman said: “Over the last three years, there has been an unprecedented growth in the number of sportives with an almost 200% increase in the number of events that were registered through British Cycling alone.
“We’re asking the government to take action to ensure that cycling events on the public highway are better co-ordinated through an agreed process.
“These measures would aim to reduce the risk of clashes, improve event standards and provide an environment where both competitive and non-competitive events can run in harmony to meet increased demand.”
If you’re looking to upgrade your bike for a 2015 sportive, check out our latest Buyer’s Guide.
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15 comments
Why daft? The sportives I enter (Scottish sportives such as Bealach Mor, Ullapool, Oban, Lord of the Lochs etc.) all offer something I couldn't possibly get otherwise, i.e. riding with large numbers of other riders on spectacular routes.
I could (and often do) ride similar routes by myself or with friends, but for me (and I'm certain for many others) the feeling of being in an 'event' and the hundreds of other riders on the road *always* motivates you to ride harder.
The entry fees are usually less than I would spend on a decent meal out so not 'paying through the nose' in my book.
I wonder just how many have occured: "British Cycling stated that sportives need to regulated to avoid issues such routes clashing, which have led to collisions."? One? Two? Has anybody actually been hurt? When there are so many serious issues that need to be tackled, the last thing we need is more regulation in this area.
There's been one reported here where a sportive was running against the direction of a road race, and a few years ago, if i understood correctly, one road race had its permission withdrawn after the Police found a later-scheduled sportive was going to clash. BC may well view the latter as being more of an issue.
A few examples are mentioned here:http://traumfahrrad.com/2012/07/05/real-race-cancelled-by-not-a-real-rac...
With an increase in the numbers of sportives then the more likely it is to happen without someone - and it probably ought to be the sportive organiser - checking for existing race permission. But as to BC having responsibility for something that's eff-all to do with them, I'm not convinced - do you then extend it to charity rides, club reliability rides, ctc events, audax... ?
If you enjoy a ride in the Devon countryside, there's a great ride which raises lots of money for charity.
http://forcecancercharity.co.uk/fundraising/the-nello-charity-cycle-ride
The Nello is not a sportive; it is a charity bike ride, raising vital funds for a local cancer charity. The ride is NOT chip timed; it is NOT a race. All cyclists are welcome to enter this event but should bear this in mind when entering.
We're launching a charity non-competitive sportive in which all the entry fees - from £8 to £12 - go to the charity (The Myton Hospices). Our local councils are now getting involved because they recognise that a well organised sportive, with a choice of good routes, is an excellent way to encourage new and less confident riders to get out, and to introduce confident riders to new routes without the hassle of planning them yourself. Having discovered sportives myself a couple of years ago, I have now taken the plunge and joined a local cycling club. There is no way I would have done that without discovering through non-competitive sportives that I had the stamina to keep up on club rides. Come join us, 28th June! Https://cycleformyton.wordpress.com.
Paying through the nose to go on a glorified super-club ride on public and (for nearly all sportives) *open* roads.
Daft in my book.
It's immensely frustrating that British Cycling see Sportives as a 'land grab' opportunity rather than simply allowing these perfectly safe and well run 'gateway' cycle events to remain under adequate self governance. Almost all accusations levelled at sportives and sportive organisers boils down to 'inconvieniance' for the motorist, nothing more, there's simply no valid case for regulation of sportives.
That, and the fact that BC membership numbers have increased greatly in the last few years. A woman in our small/new cycle club at the gym - after someone on the club facebook group trying to 'up' the number of BC members - came out with the line 'you should join BC 'cos it represents all cyclists' ! FFS
So far I've bitten my lip.
The CTC has it's issues - particularly the charity clusterfuck- but its a bloody sight more relevant than BC who didnt seem to have heard of the 'c' (campaign) word before summat like 2012..
Now I'm not a huge fan of paying stupid amounts of money to ride on open roads for food I can carry and 'free' shit I don't need, but...
Recumbents? - well, BC is a partner for the VelothonWales race and sportive, three guesses whether 'bents are allowed on the sportive (tho' its also a uci- sanctioned event, the Berlin event bans them too.. ). Plus some other sportives seem to suffer from 'computer..ok, dimwit on an upright says no..'
There is a fallacy prevalent amongst road cyclists and many on this board that sportives aren't 'proper' cycling events, and that if you are taking things seriously you should be in a race. Well these figures prove that most people want a bit of that but don't have the time, money or fitness to dedicate to racing and there wouldn't be space for them anyway. So sportives fit the bill for many a weekend rider; long may they be on the rise.
But when some bellends treat them like a race then they should be in a race.
Taking things seriously is different to treating a sportive like a race.
I've done less sportives of recent, but the few times I have I've overheard riders in the car park/feed stations/groups saying how they're going to 'attack on blah' 'lets catch and drop that guy up the road' and so on, as well as riding like idiots, then blabbering on about 'rankings', you can't race someone who doesn't know they're in a race.
A huge generalisation there - vast majority of participants I've encountered on them are just out for a personal challenge. one particular sportive I've done had a separate timed 'king of the mountains' 'competition' within the event - I don't see a problem with that, it's a bit of fun testing yourself against other riders. Does that mean they should be racing rather than entering such events? No, not at all.
If you look behind the anti sportive comments it's frequently either a nimby motorist talking, or a bit of snobbery from other cyclists who see sportive participants as clueless newcomers and not 'proper' cyclists. Often nothing is further from the truth - there are some seriously quick and talented guys out there doing something that's pushing their limits of endurance
That's you told then. Despite your insistence that these are 'not races' many of them at timed and have some sponsored element and competitions such as on the climbs. All you have to do is look at the typical times at the front from previous years or similar events to know that people will be going fast. And yet how often do you hear about crashes and pile ups compared to amateur road races? Is the London Marathon not a race as much for the people at the back as for the elite athletes up at the front? Find your level and let those dicks drop you.
Thought they were a dying breed. Most saying they are poor value and events being cancelled. If they are still expanding I'd hope the "charity" ones actually benefit the charities for a change.
I think the "Sportives are a dying breed" argument is based largely on the fact that the number of new events is outpacing the increase in interest.
This is the reason that some events are being cancelled, because participation is becoming more diluted across many events.
This is likely also the reason that the poorer value events are being increasingly found out.
The benefit to the charity ones invariably comes from people getting sponsored. The entry fees go on organisation, feed stations, marshals, etc.