This Saturday Ride and Wiggled No Excuses

wish id done the wiggle not Cardiff

You should have swapped tickets with me. I definitely would have enjoyed your day out rather then mine.
Good game though from a Welsh prospective.

So what was Wiggles excuse for cancelling the Epic?!?
Only found out when I got to the start line.

They will likely say "health and safety" but it will more likely be down to their insurers than anything else.

GarethS wrote:

They will likely say "health and safety" but it will more likely be down to their insurers than anything else.

Or common sense maybe G...

geoffrey wrote:

Or common sense maybe G...

From the comments I overheard the "common sense" opinion was that the 80 mile route should have still been allowed to run at the riders' risk ...

GarethS wrote:

geoffrey wrote:

Or common sense maybe G...

From the comments I overheard the "common sense" opinion was that the 80 mile route should have still been allowed to run at the riders' risk ...

i cannot agree more..man or mouse i say/////G

Entirely in agreement Geoff but playing Devil's advocate (believe me the irony is not lost on me) given what I have to do in my job I can see this being entirely a decision based on the insurers and their willingness to cover the risk (or unwillingness to have a claim)

I would find it very likely that UK Sporting Events have it written in their insurance that they are not covered for rides above x distance if weather exceeds y parameters (very similar to crane lifts not occurring above particular wind speeds, though this latter is based on manufacturer guidance rather than insurance limitations).

Also given these decisions are quite likely last minute (after all they set these things up for the punters) it is unlikely they would be able to have disclaimer forms ready and waiting (waste of paper/money) for people to sign as the insurers would want any disclaimer in writing not just a general "if you do this it's at your own risk"

Hi there GS I just wonder if this ridiculous "sportivo" type of event in the UK has gone too far..its mind boggling that organizers will gladly take £20 up to £100 or so (and that's stupid anyway )for cyclist to ride on public roads,,just what has happened to the jolly good "lets meet at freds pub" and go for a sporting 100 mile ride...with social media and internet on tap you do not need much of a brain to find out where these rides could be.I know I am "behind" the times but we did these runs 50 years ago, word of mouth 100 guys pitched up...still what do i know,,G..

That's all well and good Geoff but did you get a goodie bag and a medal?

Don't be silly Mark, someone has to pay for that

Anyway, those that led me astray with the pink shower gel I've found that it's actually aftershave ... darn you Tardus, you foiled me again!

Though to be honest (and please don't feel the following is meant for any of the riders in the club, except maybe me!) I can see Geoff's point of view but this industry has sprung up because of:

a) the casual riders who may not want to join a club but want some form of organised route to challenge themselves on
b) the less casual riders who may or may not belong to a club but want to see their name in a ranking for a time even though "it's not a race"

The prices are pretty much subject to the whims of supply and demand. If there wasn't a willing and paying market then either this event wouldn't exist or the prices would be lower (potentially more events in line with our own well priced sportive last year).

For an organised ride someone has to pay for the signs, feed station (event fee/donation even if club members are willing to donate the food) and all the other inclusive bits and bobs that people who want to attend sportives expect to see. As I remember the only "negative" comment about our sportive was the lack of electronic timing chips but again this would be an extra cost to bring in all the gear that they had at the Wiggle No Excuses (which I presume in THAT case was owned by UK Cycling Events), does the club pay for this when club members are potentially outnumbered by visitors/guests (and quite rightly so, it should be something to showcase our club's organisational skills outside the club). Given the numbers in this (particular) case I feel our approach was perfect.

BTW it's not just in the UK, there's a few on the continent that I have seen, I have been considering the Lac Leman sportive in Switzerland which a few family friends do each year and the cost is around 89 CHF (plus flights etc for me) but again you're paying for the support over a 180km distance including signage, timing, food afterwards, insurances (probably, hopefully) etc etc. Around £60 if you don't use Swiss Francs very often!

Supply and demand in price determination shock?

UK Cycling Events (who organised No Excuses, among other events) have always published their routes publicly in GPX format, as do many other organisers. Don't want to pay? Download the route and ride it solo or organise a group/club run on that route, or even ride it on the day without official timing/support. That's the beauty of choice. Trevor and I rode a published sportive route in Rutland recently without paying any money, and it was great fun and a great way to explore new areas. What we saved in event fees, we spent on mugs of tea and bowls of pasta. You pay your money, you take your choice.

Ultimately, Geoff's right: It isn't complicated stuff to organise a day out on the bike. However, aside from the Sunday club run, the Chain Gang and the TT evenings, how many people in the club are organising the kind of ride that Geoff is talking about? Not many, and we're a cycling club.

So, is there any interest in doing a long ride (80+ miles) once or twice a month during the Summer, perhaps on a Saturday, as a supplement to the Sunday club run? I'm aware we have a 100 miler planned for May, so we could make that the first of a few 100s over the Summer, if people are interested? I'm happy to organise routes, if there's an interest, but as it will all be free you'll have to feed yourselves and forego the swag bags.

-- Andy Mc