High cost of joining a cycling event

General cycling advice ( NOT technical ! )
AlanD
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High cost of joining a cycling event

Post by AlanD »

Hello, it has been some time since I was last on this forum. I have been off doing other stuff and cycling has taken a back seat for a while.
Anyway, I am keen to relight this flame and am considering signing up for a local event.
However, I am now asking myself, “Why should I pay £35 to go on a 40ish mile bike ride” I mean, what am I getting out of this, apart from a couple of cheap freebies, a medal I don’t need and some strangers cheering when I finish?
I don’t mind paying a fiver to join an audax, but this is put on by professional event organisers who carve out a living by getting people to give them money. Am I missing something here?
cyclop
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Re: High cost of joining a cycling event

Post by cyclop »

I came to that conclusion about 10yrs ago.Some closed road events are £70+!!.One local event from Langholm had next to no food left,whilst some food stops are packed out,having to queue.I have to admit doing the Fred once without entering although I did give the ladies at the foodstop a tenner(it is a charity event).Saying all this,I,ve actually enjoyed most of the events and I still might do one a year say .
PT1029
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Re: High cost of joining a cycling event

Post by PT1029 »

Our local CUK group rides are free.
You just pay for what ever you buy at the coffee/lunch stop cafe/garden centre/pub.
You also pay you membership fee I suppose, but that is pretty much in line with what you'd pay for other similar types of organisation.
philvantwo
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Re: High cost of joining a cycling event

Post by philvantwo »

There's a few of these rides take place here in South Staffordshire, a few weeks ago there was the JCB sportive, £35 entry fee and a tacky medal at the end! Okay it was raising funds for the NSPCC but how what is their CEO's salary? Lord Bamford of JCB is worth billions.
Another one is on this weekend, 'The Compton Care round the Wrekin ride' £25 entry fee for that, couldn't find out their CEO's salary but the head of fund raising is on a salary of £50k!! The ride won't even raise that amount!!
The only ride I take part in is organised by Wolverhampton Wheelers 'Ride for Joe' in memory of Joe Guy who was tragically killed aged 16. £10 entry fee which goes to the air ambulance. There's usually around 400 people take part and it's always rather emotional at the start when the organiser thanks us all for attending. Joe's parents are always at the start and it must be heartbreaking for them.
rareposter
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Re: High cost of joining a cycling event

Post by rareposter »

AlanD wrote: 19 May 2022, 3:44am However, I am now asking myself, “Why should I pay £35 to go on a 40ish mile bike ride” I mean, what am I getting out of this, apart from a couple of cheap freebies, a medal I don’t need and some strangers cheering when I finish?
A researched/risk assessed route.
Signage.
A gpx file.
Feed stations.
Mechanical support.
A broom wagon and first aid provision.
Event insurance.
Some sort of "memory" of the day be that photos, medal, certificate, goodie bag...
Riding with other people you wouldn't normally meet, potentially riding in an area you might not normally visit.

You haven't said what event it is but some events might have a section of closed road or private road you wouldn't normally get to ride on.
Again, depending on the event, some will have some stuff going on at event HQ - decent refreshments, showers, a few trade stalls, a connection to a charity...

How important all those things are will vary from person to person - some people almost refuse to ride without such support, some people want the chance to ride a route in an area they don't normally visit / do something a bit different without spending hours planning their ride. Turn up, follow some arrows, have a nice day out with like-minded people.

Downsides:
You have to ride the event on that day, even if it's bad weather.
Potentially, you could miss it altogether if you're ill or injured that day.
You can't decide that "ooh, it looks nice down that road, I'll ride there instead"

AlanD wrote: 19 May 2022, 3:44am
I don’t mind paying a fiver to join an audax, but this is put on by professional event organisers who carve out a living by getting people to give them money. Am I missing something here?
They're providing a service. You don't have to buy it. The fact that plenty of people do buy it, week in week out up and down the country means that event organisers are clearly doing something correctly if it's a thriving business model.

Personally, I wouldn't enter a "local event" because I ride locally most of the time but I'd be happy to pay for an event in another part of the country where I might not normally consider riding, especially if it was something more difficult for traditional route finding like gravel/off-road.
pete75
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Re: High cost of joining a cycling event

Post by pete75 »

Hmmm well try York Cycle Rally. Lots of events, rides and fellow cyclists. Free to enter the rally and the rides. Camping £30 for 3 nights, caravan/motorhome £35.
https://yorkrally.org/
'Give me my bike, a bit of sunshine - and a stop-off for a lunchtime pint - and I'm a happy man.' - Reg Baker
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Paulatic
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Re: High cost of joining a cycling event

Post by Paulatic »

I watched Sarah Round from 'Adventure Cycle Club' (YTube) ride Border Reivers recently. Blimey I thought travelling up from Birmingham and then paying £60 to ride for 40 miles.
Then I remembered, in my 40s, I’d travel down to the Dales, having paid £15 for a weekend of off roading in the Yorkshire Dales Tour. Did that for a few years it was wonderful to ride with other people and have fun on ground away from home. Routes were way marked and access to some , normally not allowed, sections were agreed without upsetting anyone.
Would I pay now? Highly unlikely but when I did I don’t regret it.
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Cugel
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Re: High cost of joining a cycling event

Post by Cugel »

The cycling club I was a member of when living in NW England was £10 per year - and they weren't too fussed about collecting even that if a member was rather short of the dosh. There were three club runs a week as well as a weekly chain gang or two. The roads and routes covered included the south Lakes (and sometimes further north), the western Yorkshire Dales, the Bowland Fells and bit of the Pennines - thousands of miles of roads to choose from, through some stunning countryside.

The club includes racy fellows, who also paid the individual race entry fees and to have their racing license. It also included folk of various abilities, with the three weekly club runs catering to various levels of effort and distance.

Many cycling clubs are like this, even if some aren't, being rather more elitist and expensive. There's also the local CTC runs, which are similarly inexpensive and go at lesser average speeds. These formal associations are also a good way to form informal groups who enjoy riding the same pace/distance, from eager sprogs racing about madly for 100 miles to going at ole-phart speed for 50 miles, including the extended café and yattering stop.

Those expensive events the OP mentions are invisible to such cyclists, since they are generally of no interest at all. Every now and then some club members would enter a long local one, although 200km audax events such as Fleet Moss and the loop through the Dales from Arnside were more popular than those expensive events seemingly for T-shirt collectors and MAMILs with glossy bikes to show off, until they crash 'em into each other. :-)

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reohn2
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Re: High cost of joining a cycling event

Post by reohn2 »

I've never seen the point,I go for a bike ride and don't need the attached junk that goes along with these 'events'.
As for charity,my giving is by direct debit to charities I choose.

From what I can gather(it's been a while since I checked),there are a few people making a lot of money out of these 'events' with a lot of skimming off the top going on before thc charities see any of it.
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Nearholmer
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Re: High cost of joining a cycling event

Post by Nearholmer »

I “don’t get it” either, being a natural solitary cyclist (OK, I quite like very small group riding), but a lot of people seem to get a massive buzz out of “being part of something”, so good luck to them.

The same applies to a host of other events, up to and including The London Marathon, I guess.

Whether the costs are “high” I’m not sure. Compared with cycling along for free, yes, but even at the simple level of way-marking, marshalling, preparing and issuing gpx files etc, there are some costs involved in getting oodles of cyclists across the same route, all on the same day, KO which is why even some very low-key audax-type affairs charge a small fee.

Yer pays yer money (or not) and takes yer choice.

Maybe a bigger issue with these mass rides is environmental impact, in that they encourage long car trips (most people don’t bike there!) and, in the case of gravel and MTB events they put the local physical environment under unusual stress.
audaxjk
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Re: High cost of joining a cycling event

Post by audaxjk »

Paid sportives are not for me:

1. I like peace and quiet when out on the bike, the thought of riding in close proximity with 100-1000+ riders (and paying for the privilege) is not my idea of fun.

2. I am the world’s worst descender - I worry that my erratic braking and nervy cornering would most likely cause a mass pile up behind me.

I do “get” why some (many) people are happy to pay for entry though - it gives you a target to train/aim for, closed roads for some, opportunity to target a fast time as feeding/refuelling are taken care of, no need to sort out navigation, challenge with your friends etc etc. I guess it’s an individual choice as to whether or not the cost is worth the convenience/fun.

Was there not some issue over refunds for the Velo Birmingham? I recall being surprised at the entry cost ? £90ish (!)
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Paulatic
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Re: High cost of joining a cycling event

Post by Paulatic »

There is a different world out there. When people pay £15,000 to enter a 4 day race it makes the cost of cycling events insignificant. https://www.sundaypost.com/fp/highland- ... vandalism/
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PedallingSquares
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Re: High cost of joining a cycling event

Post by PedallingSquares »

Nearholmer wrote: 19 May 2022, 8:41am Maybe a bigger issue with these mass rides is environmental impact, in that they encourage long car trips (most people don’t bike there!) and, in the case of gravel and MTB events they put the local physical environment under unusual stress.
This is also the case with the Three Peaks and Yorkshire Three Peaks walking events.Thousands descending on each event annually.Not for me.I'm sure it will be the same for fell-running events.

I've done a couple of Sportives with friends who had just gotten into cycling.I suppose they are OK for people who feel vulnerable riding alone but they also attract the wanna-be racers despite not being a race :| The pricing is silly now but people will always pay it.Just look at the Prudential ride London/Surrey and how many enter the ballot and actually ride it!

The Fred Whitton Challenge is on my list but I will ride the route on a day I choose with a couple of friends and use cafes/pubs/shops in the villages en-route.
eileithyia
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Re: High cost of joining a cycling event

Post by eileithyia »

This is why I don't do them, a few years ago £25 to ride less than 25 miles around Cheshire lanes I can ride around every week......!!!!

If it's a charity or cause I am concerned about I'd rather give the money direct to the charity than pay for all the excess stuff that is required by these events...
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mattheus
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Re: High cost of joining a cycling event

Post by mattheus »

Nearholmer wrote: 19 May 2022, 8:41am Maybe a bigger issue with these mass rides is environmental impact, in that they encourage long car trips (most people don’t bike there!) and, in the case of gravel and MTB events they put the local physical environment under unusual stress.
I agree these things are worth considering.

- I dont stress about the former too much, as every weekend people drive to do other leisure stuff - a bike ride is no worse!
- Cutting up the trails? Not so sure .. I don't have the experience of MTB stuff ... I guess you'd need quite large numbers to do more harm than would occur over a typical weekend? I don't think the off-road events host anywhere near the hordes you see on the bigger sportives.
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