UKC

So I have decided on the boardman CX Team

http://www.halfords.com/cycling/bikes/road-bikes/boardman-cx-team-bike

and have changed the front mech to a sram force one, also got road tyres and spares tubes, saddlebags and such like

I am going to look at doing some cx races but not at the minute but am interested in doing some sportives?

Can I do them on a cx or am I going to get left behind?

Any tips or good ones around the preston/bolton area?

Also is it going to be worth joining a club, again I dont want to be left behind or laughed at for having a cx at a road riding club

In reply to cfer:

I wouldn't worry about it. I've only done one sportive, and to be honest, I'm not sure what the point of them is. But everyone was friendly and chatty, you rode at your own pace, but I don't think there was danger of being left alone at the back.

I just go out, either on my own or with a couple of friends, and do a ride with the occasional pub/cafe stop. Where you are you have a good choice of hills to one side or flatlands to the other, go and explore. One thing I'm enjoying at the moment is evening rides to the east (prevailing wind behind me !) and then getting a train back.

In reply to cfer:


Enter the same ones as me, you'll have no worries then!

In reply to cfer:

Some people race in a sportive, but most people are there to enjoy riding at their own pace with some company.

In reply to cfer:


Having crossed paths with some sportives I would say nope.
Sportives generally have a wide range of abilities from those who really should be doing proper racing to those out for a laugh. So you will fit in somewhere along the lines. choose one of the right distance and fit into a group of riders with similar pace and you will be sorted.


Impossible to answer. Depends on your personal preference and if you have any mates to ride with. If you want to get serious about the whole racing thing then you will probably need to join a club at some point. Particularly for road racing to learn how to play well in a group.
As for being laughed at and left behind. First probably not but latter quite possible depending on the club and how fit you are currently.
Check what the local clubs offer. Some will just be for very serious riders but others are likely to offer a set of different rides for different ability levels allowing you to progress up.

In reply to cfer:

I've done a few sportives and seen a massive variety of people and bikes and riding at a massive variety of paces. You see people on £10k bikes gently pootling about all the way down to people on ancient bikes hammering it for all it's worth.

So long as you can reach the end before the broom wagon (if there is one) I wouldn't be too concerned about times and speed.

In reply to cfer:

One of the guys from North Cheshire Clarion always used to come along on his cross bike. Never anything other than respect given to him for that bike choice when others were on lighter machines with road slicks and he was easily doing his turn on the front.

In reply to cfer:

Im fairly new to the area so no friends who cycle, hence the club idea. Will have a look at the local one

Will look at a sportive then as would like to get out and not ride alone

In reply to cfer:

Clubs are a great way to get to know others who cycle (I guess that should go without saying). I don't know the area, but I'm pretty sure there are some good ones around there and most clubs will have rides that cater for different abilities and experience levels. Get some road tyres for your CX bike and, to honest, it won't be all that much slower than a road bike anyway.

In reply to cfer:



You'll be fine doing a sportive on a CX bike, just put road tyres on it - that's what at least one mate of mine does and he's far from last.

I've done a few sportives and there are so many different bikes and riders, nothing really looks out of place.

In reply to cfer:
Quite a few club cyclists in the Lancashire area ride cross bikes with normal road wheels and tyres. They seem to have no difficulty dropping me on hills - but then again most people drop me on hills.

FWIW I tend to steer clear of so called Sportives -- you can have as much fun on club runs - and they do not cost loads of money.

Saying that there are a couple in Lancashire I support which are run by clubs or local charities as opposed to 'commercially' run events.

There are plenty of local clubs who welcome new members and often have different group rides to suit the varying abilities of their members. Now is quite a good time to join, as the racing season is drawing to a close, and rides tend to be of a more sociable nature.

An online cyclists community also exists - Lancashire Cycle Link - and welcomes both club and unaffilliated riders. https://www.facebook.com/groups/126682247491640/

In reply to Lord of Starkness:

I see you are right near me, I'm in Bamber Bridge, are you a member of any local clubs?

In reply to cfer:
I'm in the Southport CC. For a variety of reasons I joined them as I started riding their Thursday evening 10's a few years ago, and found that I could meet up with the regular Sunday run group near Tarleton.

Most of the Preston clubs start their runs on the north side of Preston. The Ribble Valley club has a social meeting on a Monday night at the Bamber Bridge Catholic Club. They are a friendly bunch and often bump in to them at various cafes round the county http://www.ribblevalleycrc.com/

Locally you've also got the Preston CC and Preston Wheelers, as well as Chorley CC and Croston Velo to choose from.

In reply to cfer:

In my experience of Sportives, the bike will make no difference to you at all if you are being dropped - the slowest riders there may have some fancy bikes but they are slow even by my pedestrian standard.