Newbies Guide to road cycling events /sportives

As I foresee this topic coming up time and time again, I think it might be useful to have a single thread where all the info is consolidated. I was a newbie to cycling events last year, so it's relatively fresh in my mind. Mods can add as necessary...

So you've been on your bike for a while, maybe cycling to work, maybe just getting out on weekends, maybe a bit of both. You've found yourself spending ever-increasing amounts of money on new bits and pieces for your bike and clothes to wear on the bike. You find yourself checking out every bike you see riding past, ignoring (almost) the hot girl on the other side of the road. Thoughts of buying a new bike swirl around in your head (even though you may have just spent €1,000 on one two weeks ago). If you haven't already bought it, you are strongly considering investing in some lycra gear.
It's confirmed; you've got the cycling bug.

The Basics

So what is a sportive?
A sportive (or sometimes Sportif or Randonnee) is the cycling equivalent of a fun run. It's a predesignated course over which you ride, with various stop-points along the way to fill up on food and water. Many sportives have a number of courses of varying length to cater for what different riders want to ride. The key thing to remember is that it's not a race. You will not be under any pressure to go faster or get out of the way and nobody will be standing at the finish line saying, "Hard Luck, maybe next year".

If it's not a race, then why bother?
Cos it's worth it. For many people it's about competing against yourself and putting in the best time you can. Particularly over the longer courses (160km+) for many it's also an endurance test. These may be distances that you feel uncomfortable attempting on your own without company or support or the promise of a BBQed burger at the end. For everyone regardless of their goal, it's also about getting out and having a bit of craic. You talk to anyone and everyone - there's a great sense of cameraderie because we're all in this together.
Making the effort to travel also lets you see parts of the country (e.g. the Ring of Kerry) from a perspective that you don't get if you drive there.

So when are they on?
Well, all the time. A calendar (the "Leisure Events") is usually posted up on www.cyclingireland.ie by the end of January each year. There is usually at least one (and often two or three) every weekend between March and September, in various parts of the country.

What's the best one?
Nobody knows. Best thing to do is find one that suits you, then search on boards for reports/opinions and see what you think. The Wicklow 200 is the biggest, but not the best. It's usually considered as a box to tick off by most cyclists (it's the cycling equivalent of the Dublin Marathon), and will have the largest number of newbie cyclists taking part.
Smaller events (200 riders or less) will be ridden mainly by club cyclists, who will be quick and leave you in the dust. Then you quickly realise that you've paid €30 to spend the day riding on your own. Larger events (400+ riders) will have more leisure cyclists and you won't be forgotten.

What happens if I turn up and find that I've signed up for a race and not a leisure event?
You won't. You need to be licenced to race. You would need to make a serious effort to accidentally sign up for a race.

Am I too slow to ride an event?
No. The slowest 20 times on the Wicklow 100 last year were under 12km/h. That's only slightly faster than walking up every hill and rolling down the far side.

Training

How do I start training?
If you've never done an event before, by far the best way to start is to pick a sportive, book your place (put your money down) and then declare to friends, family and colleagues that you're doing it. If you can get people to sponsor you, even better. This makes it virtually impossible to back out at any stage unless you fall ill.
If you keep quiet and don't book it, then you will probably back out quietly two weeks beforehand, or conveniently schedule something else for the same weekend, internalising your shame and kicking yourself for weeks.
Once you've done your first one, you'll wonder why you were so hesitant about it.

How do I train?
Get kilometres under your arse. That's pretty much it. You've probably never done much more than 60km in one go, maybe 100km if you've been on the bike for a couple of years. These are endurance events, not races. It's about going the distance, not about going there quickly. Enjoying yourself will hinge on not being uncomfortable, no matter what speed you're doing. Aim to get out 3 times a month, increasing your distance by 10% each time.

Can I train alone?
If you want, but it's always easier to train with people. If you're planning on going out on a weekend, don't be afraid to stick a post in the off-topic thread looking for buddies - say where you're going, what distance you're planning and the rough speed you expect to do.

Do I have to have done the full distance in training before the event?
Absolutely not. Just know that you probably can do it without having to call in for an airlift. I did the WW200 when my longest distance beforehand had been 130km. Plenty of events are 100km long, so someone who has only done 60km beforehand will easily make the 100km. But perhaps not 200km. Remember, it's about finishing the distance, not finishing it fresh as a daisy.


Before the event

• Get used to carrying food and drink while training. What people like to eat and drink varies. The rule is to try everything out before the event. You don't want to be puking on the side of a remote road in wicklow with 60km to go because your stomach doesn't like your pineapple & milk flavoured energy drink.
• Try out everything before the event. If you want to buy cycling shoes & pedals, a new helmet, new gloves, new clothes or a new bike use them all for a number of weeks beforehand. You don't need any surprises.
• Know how to carry out basic repairs on the road; Fixing a puncture, replacing a tube, adjusting your brakes. Fixing a broken chain is also very useful to know, but not essential. Most events will have mechanical support, but you could be left waiting for them to turn up. Always best to be able to do the most likely repairs yourself.
• Give yourself a week off from training beforehand. An easy cycle beforehand is fine, it'll limber you up, but any hard training will only make you knackered on the day.
• Carb up the night before. Don't go nuts, but it definitely helps.
• Get plenty of sleep. Common sense, though it actually means to get enough sleep the week beforehand. You can realistically do any ride on 3 hours' sleep if you've slept enough over the previous 5 days. But the opposite isn't true; if your darling child is ensuring you only get 2 hours a night, it will be impossible to make up your sleep deficit the night before the event.
• Check your bike. Give it a full once-over at least two weeks before. This gives you time to replace and bed in anything which needs replacing. Give it another once-over the night before. And again before you leave the next morning. Check your tyres for bits of glass or other debris. These can embed but not puncture, but then over the course of the day can worm their way in and cause a puncture.

Riding the event

Do I need a road bike?
No. It helps immensely but you don't need it. A hybrid is fine, you might be a little uncomfortable on the flat bars. A commuter-style bike will require a lot of effort over long distances. A mountain bike with knobbly tyres is great if you're masochist.

Do I need cycling clothes?
Nope, but again, it helps a lot. Aside from having padding where you will most appreciate it, one big benefit of lycra is that it sits tight to your skin and doesn't move around. Loose clothing which moves against your skin causes chafing. Think of it like having someone rub a tiny, soft but very real hacksaw against your skin for 8 hours. And in some of your most..ahem..precious areas.
Big flappy jackets and tracksuit pants will also make a headwind twice as bad as it needs to be. And after 6 hours in the saddle, every headwind is already twice as bad as it needs to be.

Will I get funny looks?
Only if you've decided to dress up as Barney for a dare. At the big events every kind of rider is there, you won't stand out.

What do I carry?
Effectively the same stuff that you would carry on a training ride;
- Some food for yourself. Events have foodstops, but it's always good to have something on you.
- Water bottles. Two of them. You can fill them up at food stops.
- A full repair kit; A pump (which is capable of fully inflating your tyres), two working tubes, tyre levers, a puncture repair kit, chain breaker & multitool (allen keys, etc). If your bike inexplicably doesn't have quick-release wheels, you will also need the correct spanner(s) to remove them.
- Your phone. The event will usually have an emergency phone number. Make of a note of it in your phone.
- Money. Always useful. Bring some ID too (even if it's just your bank card) so someone knows what to call you if you happen to be found unconcsious on the side of the road.
- A ziplock bag. Throw your phone & money into it and protect them from the elements.
- A jacket is a contentious item. During the summer I don't think it's necessary. No matter how wet you get, you'll never be cold. But it depends on the individual and the temperature that day. Get your self a very small & light rain jacket which fits in a jersey pocket. They seem expensive, but totally worth every penny when you first need one.

How do I know which way to go?
All events will use either signs (on poles or painted on the road), marshalls directing you, or a combination of both.
Most events also give a very basic map at the start to give you a rough idea.
Get into the habit on your training rides of noting your distance every time you enter a town. This way if you do need assistance, you can tell the person on the phone that, "I'm 15km outside of Ballyslabamuckerdagh".

Are the roads closed?
Not unless the event specifically says so. Sometimes you'll be escorted and take up a whole road, sometimes marshalls will stop traffic while you come through, but always remember that you're on an open road - so slow down for every stop and yield sign and expect every farm entrance to have a tractor emerging from it.

Does everyone start together?
Some events do, some events don't.

Should I ride in a group?
Absolutely. Just find any group of people who seem to be going about the same speed as you and tag yourself on. Say hi, chat away. Unless they're all wearing the same club gear, chances are nobody else in the group knows anyone else either. If you're asked to move up to the front, it's rude not to. But don't be afraid to ask the same of others when you get tired.

There are lot of articles about how to ride in a group and some of the specifics can vary from club to club, but the major etiquette is the same all over the world. This article (and the handy PDF at the bottom) is about the best I can find. Group riding can be a bit daunting for the first hour, especially when someone calls "up and over". Don't be afraid to admit to the guy beside you that you've never ridden in a group before, s/he'll quickly explain what's happening.

Can I ride on my own?
Yep. Though it can help to find some people from boards who might be there so you're not standing around feeling lonely before it starts.