Thinking of racing? Here's what's required

That's a very interesting article. Thanks.

There is one factor not mentioned, which is the recent boom in cycle sportives. In my day (the 70's) they were called reliability trials and took place at the start and end of the season.

Nowadays, I know lots of very fit cyclists, riding top bikes who regularly ride sportives but who aren't willing to take that next step to proper racing. Now, I wonder why that is? Maybe it's the thought of losing ....?

Thanks for your comment.

Of course it's impossible not to be aware of the sportive phenomenon, and I certainly do not understand it myself. It seems crazy to pay a lot of money to take ride in something that's nearly a race when for more or less the same trouble and expense you could take part in a real race.

The only explanation I can suggest is, as I imply in the article above, that Cycling Weekly has a strong influence in these matters. The magazine gives a lot of space to sportives and they boom; it gives virtually no space to time trials and they decline in popularity.

In the past Cycling has responded to complaints about its coverage by saying it can only report what the public is interested in. I would respond - look at the existence of the tricycle in this country. In France it is assumed that trike riders must be disabled (or mad), whereas here there is still a small but thriving trike scene. Now look at prewar 'Cycling' and you can see the influence of the North Road Club - H.H. England was a member alongside the well known trike enthusiast and father of time trialling F.T. Bidlake. Another writer given plenty of space was G.H. Stancer, another trike advocate. I'm not saying there was anything wrong with this - but if I'm right in thinking their influence can still be seen in the existence of trike riders here,in 2010, it shows the wonderful power of the right publicity.
I believe Mark Twain said:' A newspaper consists of as many of its owner's opinions as his advertisers will allow him to print.'