sportive info

[maratsafin]

hi all,

having just done the tour of flanders sportive (255k) I really have the bug for more. however I can't find a tour of lombardy 2010 website. can anyone help with this? also a milan san-remo too. the belgian, french ones seem easy to find.

many thanks

 

[Race Radio]

hi all,

having just done the tour of flanders sportive (255k) I really have the bug for more. however I can't find a tour of lombardy 2010 website. can anyone help with this? also a milan san-remo too. the belgian, french ones seem easy to find.

many thanks

They canceled the Lombardy one and the MSR race that was the day after the race. RCS, the Giro organizer,used to put them on but it became too much of a hassle. They are different then Flanders they are more of a race with a mass start.

They still put on the MSR full length ride in June I think

 

[LugHugger]

this might be a useful source site for you. it's far from exhaustive though.

http://www.cyclosport.org/

 

[Race Radio]

This is a great site for all the Italian races
http://www.dalzero.it/

 

[maratsafin]

thanks for info that's such a shame. guess I'll organise some mates to do it with. flanders was simply great and well organised. liege, amstel or roubaix next year for sure.

 

[LugHugger]

Roubaix sportive is biannual so you'll have to get the miles in elsewhere next year and be ready in 2012 for the pave

 

[Race Radio]

thanks for info that's such a shame. guess I'll organise some mates to do it with. flanders was simply great and well organised. liege, amstel or roubaix next year for sure.

If you can climb the Maratona is perhaps the best thing you can do on a bike. Also the 10 Colli di Bolgana. Amazing

 

[maratsafin]

thanks for the info. it's the classics I want to do and I can leave roubaix til last! actually as a race I think liege/b/liege or lombardy are better..........

I can highly recommend Flanders to anyone capable but do the preparation before you do the 255km.

 

[Michele]

The Milano-Sanremo granfondo is still done, and it will be on 6th June.
The route is 298km and as already said, they are not cyclosportive, but more on the race side.
I've got some friends who have done it in the past and they ever mentioned to me the high speed (often around 50km/h).

http://www.ucsanremo.it/

 

[maratsafin]

excellent info thanks. on june 6th I'm in sardinia doing the giro route so looks like 2011 for that. reckon I'll do something even with a couple of pals for lombardy. I'm sure the route can be downloaded somewhere. cheers

 

[Ibanez]

I second Maratona des Dolimites...stunning riding.

Just don't do the etape. The Marmotte is perhaps one of the toughest sportives around...would pass for a queen stage of the Tour no doubt.

 

[Le breton]

cyclosportive and granfondo

The Milano-Sanremo granfondo is still done, and it will be on 6th June.
The route is 298km and as already said, they are not cyclosportive, but more on the race side.
.......
http://www.ucsanremo.it/

A cyclosportive IS a granfondo.
The contenders are timed and the results are usually published on some website.

The Marmotte is the grandaddy of such events. The first one was held in 1982. In 1987 there were yet only a few such events (5 in France), but soon after they started mutiplying and spreading, specially in Italy where their development was quicker and more impressive than anywhere else.

Before Yann Contat organized the first Marmotte in 1982, Bernard Piguet in Clermont-Ferrand had been organizing an event of a similar type - not a FFC sanctioned one - but it was a fairly confidential affair. Bernard Piguet is the winner of the 1979 and 1983 Paris-Brest-Paris and he finished 2nd in the 1984 Marmotte.

The most interesting such events (mountain) I know of are
France : Marmotte
Italy: Granfondo dles Dolomites
Austria : Otztaler Radmarathon
Spain : Quebrantahuesos ( a vulture-like scavenger)

Other type of less competitive events in France will be called Randonnée or Brevet. They can be mass-start or not, timed or not.

 

[Michele]

A cyclosportive IS a granfondo.
The contenders are timed and the results are usually published on some website.

I can't speak for France, but I can speak for the italian side.
Years ago the granfondo events started as cyclotouring events, just an excuse for ride togheter with other people in some nice places.
Then it appeared a final ranking (like the true races) and some prizes (no money).
Bigger sponsors came in, elite/u23 riders can take part and they are actually open races (this past sunday the winner of a granfondo in my area placed himself 10th at a Het Volk a couple of years ago).

Correct me if wrong; but Flanders and Roubaix cyclosportive don't have any ranking, right?

 

[Le breton]

http://www.cyclos59.com/pages/roubaix060210.php

I can't speak for France, but I can speak for the italian side.
Correct me if wrong; but Flanders and Roubaix cyclosportive don't have any ranking, right?

Have not checked for Flanders, but there is a cyclotouring paris-roubaix on june 6 .
http://www.cyclos59.com/pages/roubaix060210.php
from the general look of the organizers at their meeting, it does look too competitive

 

[Race Radio]

I can't speak for France, but I can speak for the italian side.
Years ago the granfondo events started as cyclotouring events, just an excuse for ride togheter with other people in some nice places.
Then it appeared a final ranking (like the true races) and some prizes (no money).
Bigger sponsors came in, elite/u23 riders can take part and they are actually open races (this past sunday the winner of a granfondo in my area placed himself 10th at a Het Volk a couple of years ago).

Correct me if wrong; but Flanders and Roubaix cyclosportive don't have any ranking, right?

Flanders and Roubaix cyclos are not competitive but most of the other big French Cyclos are. They have timing chips and rankings. The competition level though is nowhere close to the Italian Gran Fondos which can be incredibly deep in talent.

 

[Le breton]

granfondos vs cyclosportives

Flanders and Roubaix cyclos are not competitive but most of the other big French Cyclos are. They have timing chips and rankings. The competition level though is nowhere close to the Italian Gran Fondos which can be incredibly deep in talent.

I underlined your last statement and would go as far as saying that the competition level in those granfondos can be truly unbelievable. You have to wonder if they serve as laboratory for testing new doping protocols on a few guys, after all, the risks of controls are rather slim.

 

[The other McHoy]

The Spanish legend that is Quebrantahuesos is also amazingly competitive. The winner normally averages around 38-39 kmph for 205 kms in the Pyrenees. I have been there 4 times and the level of organisation is equal to a pro race - everything is thought of including helicopters for emergencies.

In 2010, 2500 riders didn't even make it past the Marie Blanque at the 100 km mark because of wet and cold weather. For those that made it all the way round it was filed away as "the hardest day ever on a bike". I rode with a couple of guys who finish top 20 in UK sportives and they weren't in the first 2000 riders to finish on this one - the amount of excellent amateur Spanish riders is impressive to see.

In 2011 it will take place on Saturday June 18th. Entry is via a draw (8500 got in last year although close to 20,000 tried to get a place). There are some guaranteed places available that you can find if you search the operators. One other big plus point is that the vast majority of riders are Spanish so you don't get an Etape-like situation where you think you are back in the UK.

Try it, you'll love it.