Westport Gran Fondo - Race or Sportive?

Donie75

Hi,
I am interested in doing the Westport Gran Fondo in March. http://www.westportgranfondo.ie/
However, I was on the club spin yesterday and one of the guys said that it is a race rather than a sportive. I am definitely not a racer, I'm into sportives and club spins. Does anyone know what this event is?

Thanks.

markusz

its both... its a sportive but the people wanting to race it can and there are prizes afaik.

equivariant

I'm guessing from the website that this will be much like the etape Connemara in spirit. The front group(s) will be flat out racing but there will be slower groups that will be non competitive (or at least less competitive).

I'd guess however that even the less competitive groups will be a little more intense than your average charity cycle. As long as your comfortable with riding in a bunch it should be fine.

I didn't know about this so thanks for the heads up. I'll prob do it myself

daragh_

Not to be negative but it's a timed Sportive. Actual Races don't have food stops.

iwillhtfu

From their website.

"Some cyclists will ride for the satisfaction and pride of just making it to the finish line. Others will want to compete against each other, the clock and themselves in a personal endurance challenge. And there are those who are out to win it! Which one are you?"

Seems as though it is open to either category. Most of the early sportives are used as races by cycling clubs. The Junior Tour Trust sportive is another one that each year cycling clubs like to flex their muscle.

equivariant

daragh_ wrote: »

Not to be negative but it's a timed Sportive. Actual Races don't have food stops.

food stops are optional you know.

pedro_colnago

I suppose everyone sees them differently and therefore they cycle them differently, some want to just complete it, some want to do it as fast as they can, there a bit like a marathon I reckon. I've both raced and done timed sportives and Id regard grand fondos as events rather than races tho. Good fun, tough cycles and great training but I don't see the point in hammering it like in a race, get a race licence and race if you want to do that. My take on it is do it to enjoy it rather than race it.

seanin4711

dont think i can be called a gran fondo on open roads?
afaik

Esroh

seanin4711 wrote: »

dont think i can be called a gran fondo on open roads?
afaik

Majority of Italian Gran Fondo are on open roads( in the same way Road Races are here ). Some have a limited time rolling road closure for the front group who are racing and those top rated ones have full closure .

DaithiMC

Esroh wrote: »

Majority of Italian Gran Fondo are on open roads( in the same way Road Races are here ). Some have a limited time rolling road closure for the front group who are racing and those top rated ones have full closure .

Yes, the original intent was as a race but also chip timed so others could race against themselves. The terms "Gran Fondo" and "Cyclosportive" are the Italian and French equivalents. Most events in this country that use the term "Sportive" are touring events, strictly speaking.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gran_fondo

shaydy

I'm thinking of heading over to do this, I had a look at the route and some of the roads on the climbs look terrible from streetview (Im guessing worse now after the storms we've had recently). Anyone any idea if this is an enjoyable route?

Whats the total elevation on it?

dastardly00

Are any Boardsies doing this? Last chance to enter is tomorrow (Friday 4th).

I was planning on driving from Galway city to Westport on the morning of it. But I've read on the website that you have to register/sign-on the night before.

Not so sure now that I will go. It's a bit annoying to be honest. It is organised by the Westport Hotel Group so you can see why they are doing this...

Don't Chute!

I've signed up for this and was going to make a weekend of it with my wife but now her sister is over that weekend so I don't really fancy staying down there on my own so I might have to give it a miss. Disappointed.

markusz

dastardly00 wrote: »

Are any Boardsies doing this? Last chance to enter is tomorrow (Friday 4th).

I was planning on driving from Galway city to Westport on the morning of it. But I've read on the website that you have to register/sign-on the night before.

Not so sure now that I will go. It's a bit annoying to be honest. It is organised by the Westport Hotel Group so you can see why they are doing this...

what a load of ****e... thats bad form from them. they owe the whole bloody town!

joeyboy12345

dastardly00 wrote:

I was planning on driving from Galway city to Westport on the morning of it. But I've read on the website that you have to register/sign-on the night before.

dastardly00 wrote:

Not so sure now that I will go. It's a bit annoying to be honest. It is organised by the Westport Hotel Group so you can see why they are doing this...

Thats what put me off 2!an expensive wkend if u have to put an expensive hotel room on top of the 55 euro entry!

harringtonp

joeyboy12345 wrote: »

Thats what put me off 2!an expensive wkend if u have to put an expensive hotel room on top of the 55 euro entry!

Was down for Ras Mhaigh Eo weekend just gone and stayed here:

https://www.tripadvisor.ie/Hotel_Review-g186627-d1180754-Reviews-Mulberry_Lodge-Westport_County_Mayo_Western_Ireland.html

Good value, few mins walk from center, friendly and comfortable. Even if online is showing full, she holds one room separate so always worth ringing.

fat bloke

I'm going with a bunch of lads, about 5 or 6 of us. Looking forward to it. Haven't had too many 3 figure spins yet this year and I've never cycled those roads before.

Spaniard14

fat bloke wrote: »

I'm going with a bunch of lads, about 5 or 6 of us. Looking forward to it. Haven't had too many 3 figure spins yet this year and I've never cycled those roads before.

Oh, take it easy, just enjoy, don't kill yourself. I am not going, I don't like to register the previous day as I live in Galway. Looks good though, sum other time for me.

Slogger24

As a cycle route , the Gran Fondo is that something similar to that of Stage 2b from Ras Maigheo last weekend, with the Medio Fondo heading in the same direction without the loop after Leeaun and Turning At Ashleigh Falls.
Super route on quiet roads, with unreal views .I cycle them alot and id never get sick of it.. Fairly flat route with the exception of Sheffry Hill and a little climb shortly after going thru Drummin. With good weather it will be super !!

fat bloke

Just got an email from the organisers. Apparently you cannot participate in the event unless you have the following with you on your bike :

Helmet (check)
Mobile phone (check)
Puncture repair kit (check - all pretty sensible so far)
Photo id (... emmm, ok, fair enough, check)
Foil blanket (....! err....ah....!??)
First aid kit (wtf!??)


What kind of sh1t is that!?? Message says there will be spot checks and if all the above mandatory kit is not present, entry is disqualified.

:eek::rolleyes:

Leroy42

Foil blanket - bring some tin foil with you and claim it is a blanket for your pet mouse
First aid kit - bring a plaster.

yop

fat bloke wrote: »

Just got an email from the organisers. Apparently you cannot participate in the event unless you have the following with you on your bike :

Helmet (check)
Mobile phone (check)
Puncture repair kit (check - all pretty sensible so far)
Photo id (... emmm, ok, fair enough, check)
Foil blanket (....! err....ah....!??)
First aid kit (wtf!??)


What kind of sh1t is that!?? Message says there will be spot checks and if all the above mandatory kit is not present, entry is disqualified.

:eek::rolleyes:

Gaelforce used to do the same sh(Te and no one heeded it.
U can though get them well cheap and might be handy, though if u need a foil blanket its curtains!

Yarisbob

Foil Blanket reminds me of Jimmy Saville - Not Good

Id just ignore it.. First aid kit the size of a cigarette box are available but any more than a papercut and its nigh on useless!

Enjoy BTW

harringtonp

fat bloke wrote: »

Just got an email from the organisers. Apparently you cannot participate in the event unless you have the following with you on your bike :

Helmet (check)
Mobile phone (check)
Puncture repair kit (check - all pretty sensible so far)
Photo id (... emmm, ok, fair enough, check)
Foil blanket (....! err....ah....!??)
First aid kit (wtf!??)


What kind of sh1t is that!?? Message says there will be spot checks and if all the above mandatory kit is not present, entry is disqualified.

:eek::rolleyes:

Yes as said above this comes from adventure races where people obtain foils that would fit in a jersey pocket along with a few other bits and bobs.

I laugh always when I hear "disqualified" or "prevention" (Ring of Kerry) in relation to Sportives. They always maintain roads aren't closed, therefore they have no legal right to ever stop you using the road.

Leroy42

Its an insurance thing I would wager.

They need to be seen to be doing everything they can to avoid issues and the lists gives them them cover they need. If you ignore the list and something goes wrong then they are covered. They need to be 'seen' to do spot checks to fulfil their obligations.

In some continental sportives they require a medical cert, although I have never heard of anybody actually being questioned about the cert itself. It is just a box ticking exercise.

Esroh

Lads considering how the weather can be in the Mountains and how isolated parts of the route are and that the participants will probably be well spread out . A foil blanket that weighs less than 2 gels will be alot more use if someone is unfortunate enough to have a fall and cannot continue.
Asking you to carry a foil blanket may sound nanny state but at this time of year if you are back in Tawnyard Valley waiting 20min+ for the support, having one to keep you warm would not be a bad thing
A FB is something you hope you will never need but you will be happy you have when you do.

Lumen

Yarisbob wrote: »

First aid kit the size of a cigarette box are available but any more than a papercut and its nigh on useless!

It's not a bad idea to carry a couple of antiseptic wipes. If you fall off (or more likely, someone crashes into you) you don't have to spend the rest of the ride worrying that you're going to catch some horrific skin infection.

(I say this as someone who spent a weekend in A&E getting IV antibiotics for cellulitis from a minor fall off the bike last year)

Leroy42

Don't be fretting about it.

I've watched enough MacGyver to know that all you need is a paperclip and a can do attitude.

kavanagh_h

fat bloke wrote: »

Just got an email from the organisers. Apparently you cannot participate in the event unless you have the following with you on your bike :

Photo id (... emmm, ok, fair enough, check)
Foil blanket (....! err....ah....!??)
First aid kit (wtf!??)


What kind of sh1t is that!?? Message says there will be spot checks and if all the above mandatory kit is not present, entry is disqualified.

:eek::rolleyes:

Yeah don't get me started. Did 9 sportifs last year and had none of this crap! if they start trying to enforce that I definitely won't be doing it again!
H.

Mercian Pro

Leroy42 wrote: »

Its an insurance thing I would wager.

And I would wager it's got a lot to do with the inexperience of the Hotel Group in matters cycling. I strongly suspect this, and the mixed messages about race; grand fondo; sportif, would not be happening if a cycling club was involved.

midlands1

Donie75 wrote: »

Hi,
I am interested in doing the Westport Gran Fondo in March. http://www.westportgranfondo.ie/
However, I was on the club spin yesterday and one of the guys said that it is a race rather than a sportive. I am definitely not a racer, I'm into sportives and club spins. Does anyone know what this event is?

Thanks.

€55 way too much ,

harringtonp

midlands1 wrote: »

€55 way too much ,

Very nice hotel rooms, full package including dinner, no entry on day, token charity (unless a website really persuades otherwise always assume token). You can see the market it is aimed at. And the market does pay, you see cost of entry go up year on year in the likes of ROK and Tour de Burren without any negative impact on numbers. The demand is there !

Rob Thomas

harringtonp wrote: »

Very nice hotel rooms, full package including dinner, no entry on day, token charity (unless a website really persuades otherwise always assume token). You can see the market it is aimed at. And the market does pay, you see cost of entry go up year on year in the likes of ROK and Tour de Burren without any negative impact on numbers. The demand is there !

I did this today. It was enjoyable enough as it always is around that side of the country, apart from a cruel headwind in the first half of it.

Plenty of recreational cyclists like me but I'd say the numbers were well down on what they expected when they set it up. The bad winter probably didn't help. 122k is a test when you've nothing done all winter

fat bloke

Back to the OP's title question. Race or sportive? Well - "both" is the answer. Was pretty goddamn racey at the front for me for the first 30k til I got dropped . 33kph average into a fierce headwind. After that it was transformed into a delightful sportive. Stunningly scenic route, great road surfaces, frankly awesome and comprehensive marshalling. Having a headwind out and a tailwind home was the making of the day, cos the opposite would've made for a miserable day! Connemara is like one big series of wind-tunnels. To give an idea of the tailwind home advantage, my little gruppetto finished with a 31 kph average, four hours, no stops. -It's great to be tipping along the last 30k home at 30-40kph with the wind at your back, thinking your a great lad altogether

There were some people giving out about the food stops, that there wasn't actually any food at them. It certainly wouldn't be giving the ROK any cause for concerns in terms of mounds of sandwiches and tarts etc. I understand that some particpants would need more sustenance than others, but in my opinion four picnic stops in 125k is ludicrous anyway, the food in your pocket should be ample for anyone doing a reasonably amount of cycling to prepare. Anyway, that's another argument for another day. -Fair play to the organisers, they made a super effort to cover all the bases and I can't say enough about the level of organisation - cops, motorcycle marshalls, photographers, static marshals standing all day at all junctions. You couldn't fault them, and it really made you feel like you were part of a significant event.

fat bloke

Photos coming up on the Facebook page now.

seanin4711

What is a Gran Fondo?

An authentic Gran Fondo is a mass participation cycle sport competition organised like a bike race at the front and a leisure ride at the back. Think of any of the big city marathon running races around the world and you have the right idea. The front is made up of people who are racing to win while the rest of the field are out to test themselves or just enjoy the chance to ride on closed roads with friends.

The term originates from its Italian roots with the term meaning ‘long distance’ or ‘great endurance’. These type of events have a huge following in Italy with many riders taking part for a range of different reasons. Some are salaried riders who race week in week out; some like to challenge themselves on a variety of different courses and some just like to enjoy the more leisurely side but on the same course as the top riders. All riders are timed so there is a competitive element available for all.

Authentic Gran Fondos are run like professional road races with closed roads, lead cars, judges, and technical and medical assistance along the route. Riders at the front are gridded according to being holders of racing licenses and their Masters Age / Gender Classification. Feed stations along the route take the place of back up cars and while the top riders choose not to stop unless essential, most other riders take full advantage of feed stops to have a rest and refuel along the way.

There are many events claiming to be Gran Fondos but to really experience what it is like to ride like a professional and sample the authentic atmosphere and infrastructure like you would on mainland Europe, especially the Italian events, they must meet the criteria above.

Found this in mamotte ecosse.