Audax Insurance fee

[steady eddy]

Currently if you a member of CTC you don't have to pay the £2 additional insurance fee levied on non Audax UK members for insurance. I see that the National Clarion cycle club now offers insurance cover in with its very reasonably priced membership and it is affiliated to the CTC. Does anybody know if this would this be accepted by AUK for insurance as an alternative to CTC membership. As our little riding group expands and we start exploring Audax events the idea of forming a Clarion club has some appeal if it gives us insurance as part of the deal. It's a lot cheaper option than being a ctc group.

[Heltor Chasca]

Annual membership is so cheap with AUK, it's worth considering just joining. Your renewal year is even cheaper. The personalised calendar and results page on their website is great. I've heard rumours they are upgrading this. Around about a fiver for each event. Each organiser emails out gpx files and a route sheet for each event. I'm very impressed and really happy being part of AUK.

[PH]

Does anybody know if this would this be accepted by AUK for insurance as an alternative to CTC membership. A

No, the standard entry form is clear that it's only CTC membership that's an alternative to AUK membership (The £2 premium is for temporary AUK membership) It reflects their close historical relationship and that many are organised by CTC groups.

[PH]

Annual membership is so cheap with AUK, it's worth considering just joining.

Yes, worth supporting even if you don't need to.

[meic]

If (well actually when) I support Audax I very much prefer to do so by entering local events, even if I end up unable to attend rather than paying for the National membership.

[Dean]

If (well actually when) I support Audax I very much prefer to do so by entering local events, even if I end up unable to attend rather than paying for the National membership.

The organiser has to pay your two quid to AUK anyway.

[meic]

I have the CTC insurance so no £2 payable. I was reflecting on PH's comment about helping to support AUK in general by buying the membership being worth paying a little extra.

I prefer to make sure that my support goes more locally because there is a shortage of riders locally and local rides have been decimated by (deliberate) changes to AUK systems quite a few years ago.
Entering a local Audax (even though I may not ride it) helps to ensure they will run again next year.

[Heltor Chasca]

...Entering a local Audax (even though I may not ride it) helps to ensure they will run again next year.

Good intentions indeed, but recently near me (South West, Mendips, Bristol etc) rides are becoming fully subscribed and entries closed early more and more often I hear.

A fellow AUK member told me recently that about 5 people from his work entered, although he was the only one who actually rode the event. I lost out and was unable to ride. And entry wasn't being taken on the day.

It's great the organiser got 100% of the entry fees, but the ride was only part attended. I was disappointed

[meic]

Absolutely no danger of that happening around here.
That was part of the deliberate policy that I was referring to, promoting the major events and killing off the minority events.

[TrevA]

Absolutely no danger of that happening around here.
That was part of the deliberate policy that I was referring to, promoting the major events and killing off the minority events.

That's not something I recognise. Around here there are 2 very active clubs who promote around 5 events a year each - Alfreton CTC and Bolsover and District CC. There doesn't seem to be anything stopping anyone putting on events. Bolsover have only been doing it a few years and have only been in existence for around 10 years.

Several Lincolnshire clubs also putting on new events. I suppose the problem in West Wales is lack of riders.

[Bmblbzzz]

It's not something I recognise either. AUK doesn't organise any rides itself, it provides a framework and support for local organisers (and ensures they meet certain standards), so if rides in your area are disappearing, it's down to local organisers not a national decision. Round here, more are starting up each year.

[meic]

it provides a framework and support for local organisers

They changed the framework to "penalise" rides that have a low turnout.
The old method of taking a cut from each entry's fee was replaced by a taking a cut from each entry's fee but starting with an assumed minimum number of entries (20?) which made at least two local organisers quit. As they were expected to fork out an amount of cash upfront for each ride, which they probably would not get back, which is s strange type of support. So better to stop paying AUK directly and pay through the organisers instead.

it's down to local organisers not a national decision.

The local organisers had been doing a lot of volunteer work for no reward, they quit in response to changes in national policy. So yes it was down to the local organisers, not wishing to continue under a new national policy changed to penalise them!
This all happened five or six years ago but the lost ride organisers didnt return.
Those of us attending the rides didnt have any complaints about the organisers, it was the changes in national policy that caused all the damage.
As TrevA says we have a shortage of riders, I imagine 8 riders turning up at Carmarthen is actually a larger proportion of the surrounding population than is 100 turning up in Nottingham.

[PH]

So better to stop paying AUK directly and pay through the organisers instead.

I don't know what went on in your part of Wales, but you've misunderstood the finances.
It makes no difference to the organiser whether you've paid an annual membership, the £2 temporary membership (Which Dean has said gets passed to AUK) or don't require AUK membership because you're a CTC member.
EDIT - Full list of 2016 rides here. all 556 of them, plenty with less than 20 riders so some organisers still consider it worthwhile:
http://www.aukweb.net/results/archive/2016/events/
There must come a point where it isn't viable to run a calendar event, but it's never been easier to organise a group permanent instead.

[meic]

I understood the finances you misunderstood my point.

If you wish to make an "additional" payment to support Audaxing, you could do so by paying a £14 annual membership fee (which goes to AUK National) or you could do so by paying a few entry fees for some Audax rides (which you stand a fair chance of not riding but pay anyway) which goes to directly fund an organiser.

Which started off in response to the idea that you could join AUK avoid the insurance fee and also benefit the organisation with a contribution at the same time.

Yes, worth supporting even if you don't need to.

I was saying that as I have CTC membership, I preferred to support the organisation in my other way.

[PH]

I understood the finances you misunderstood my point.

If you wish to make an "additional" payment to support Audaxing, you could do so by paying a £14 annual membership fee (which goes to AUK National) or you could do so by paying a few entry fees for some Audax rides (which you stand a fair chance of not riding but pay anyway) which goes to directly fund an organiser.

Which started off in response to the idea that you could join AUK avoid the insurance fee and also benefit the organisation with a contribution at the same time.

Yes, worth supporting even if you don't need to.

I was saying that as I have CTC membership, I preferred to support the organisation in my other way.

So instead of giving AUK a few quid for membership, you are instead entering events that you wouldn't of done otherwise?
My error, I thought you'd be supporting those events anyway.
I don't know an organiser who's bothered about a fiver here or there, they just want you to ride their event to appreciate they effort they put into making it happen.