Maybe we just weren't elitist enough for the ride?

[Andrew_P]

"paying to ride on public roads" which is just nonsense - .

Sorry but they are public roads with the public on them in any form of transport at the same time as the event. They couldn't stop me turning up and following their route on the day in the groups of paying riders as long as I do not free load at the stops. The route will appear on Garmin or Strava anyway so its safe to assume the £52 is for sponsored refreshments, bananas flapjacks, some free muc off and medal and time chip. Next nugget should be why time them anyway?

I've just consulted the spreadsheet for the event I ran earlier this month. Nope... however hard I look, I just can't see any entry that relates to a payment for riding on public roads.

I could give you fairly precise details of exactly what the entry fee did cover, but since the route was freely available online to download and I had no way of preventing anyone from riding it, there's absolutely no way you can claim that riders were paying to ride on public roads.

Out of interest how much did you have to pay to run the event on public roads? Do you have to consult at all with the local authority, would be surprised if you didn't?

 

[smutchin]

Out of interest how much did you have to pay to run the event on public roads?

I'll give you two guesses. To make it even easier, the answer is already contained in at least one of my earlier posts.

 

[Andrew_P]

I'll give you two guesses. To make it even easier, the answer is already contained in at least one of my earlier posts.

Shoot you gonna make me go back and look?

 

[ianrauk]

*Mod hat on*

Alright guys, keep the convo civil please.

 

[jiberjaber]

The "lycra clad cockwomble and £2k + bikes and branded attire" quotient will be low on an audax. And there is always a range of speeds. The minimum speed required to get round and appear on the list of finishers (which by the way does not include time and is ordered alphabetically by surname) is 15kph. There is no 'broom wagon' no support and there are no signs (except at the start/finish gateway). Everyone on the ride starts together, at the advertised time. The organiser may say a few words (last minute info or whatever) and then say 'well you may as well go then' and riders roll away.
There's one near you in a fortnight, in memory of Richard Ellis, a friendly and capable audax rider. The East Anglia calendar is here - entries from one and all welcome. Also I think you'd find the ACME crowd pretty welcoming (Audax Club Mid Essex).

You beat me to it! I shall be there in my #ACME lycra and expensive bike, happy to provide a tow (for a small fee, with commemorative selfie picture at additional cost)

That or going a bit Tobermoray.

(Birthday card from my sis)

 

[GilesM]

Sorry but they are public roads with the public on them in any form of transport at the same time as the event. They couldn't stop me turning up and following their route on the day in the groups of paying riders as long as I do not free load at the stops. The route will appear on Garmin or Strava anyway so its safe to assume the £52 is for sponsored refreshments, bananas flapjacks, some free muc off and medal and time chip. Next nugget should be why time them anyway?

I agree, but I'm sure that significantly adds to the appeal for many.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

Most of us have GPS, timing for an event is hardly a big sell. Most of a sportive cost is profit for the organiser.

 

[Stevec047]

To clarify I wasn't specifically saying all sportives were like this i have done a few pre this one both through clubs which have always been very inviting and also some larger set up ones.

The point i was trying to make which may not have come across in my initial post was the attitude of said club. Surely any club would want to encourage new members for the benifit of the hobby/sport as a whole.

Another club local to me is very accommodating to all capabilities from first time group riders to the seasoned speedy lot and has a wide range of rides, tt, sportifs, audex rides which cater for all. This club is no bigger than the other but just seem more accommodating and understanding.

Each to their own and if the club prefer to stick with serious riders only then thats fine but to look down at those that don't fit in seems to me a bit rude.

Hey it is what it is not going to let it get to me.

 

[smutchin]

Most of a sportive cost is profit for the organiser.

Another popular misconception right there. It might be true for some of the big commercial events but I doubt that many sportive organisers are making a living from it. Don't forget that many sportives are in aid of charity and run by volunteers, so no individual is making so much as a single penny of profit from them.

Also, don't underestimate the admin costs of running any organised cycling event which can account for a large chunk of the entry fee. Audax UK charges organisers £7 to register an event, plus the cost of brevet cards and validation fees etc. British Cycling charges a £50 registration fee for non-competitive events, plus a levy of £1.20 per rider. These fees cover event insurance, so if you choose not to go down the AUK or BC route, you will also have to pay for that separately. Then you've got other things to consider like the costs of producing signage, and marketing/publicity (assuming you want people to actually know about your event), plus all sorts of other miscellaneous costs and expenses.

If an event is held on closed roads, the running costs will be considerable.

 

[Stevec047]

I interpreted that as something which could have rescued the ride, rather than necessarily a flaw itself. It also suggests that making @Stevec047 and friend start in the last group wasn't any sort of attempt at grouping similar-speed riders together - possibly even the opposite, putting them in with a load of racing snakes on glam bikes to get them dropped near-immediately and isolated.

I wonder whether the organiser did indeed "make sure [they] got to the rest stop" and whether there was any attempt to find out what happened to the lost entrants. I'd expect a sportive not to abandon riders unless the riders abandon the sportive or it's been explicitly described as a no-prisoners or race-the-broom type event.

From what we were able to gleam from the event a large number of people left at around 8.30 as we had passed a fair few on the way over. In this group there was a fair mixture of cycling types from full blown top notch kit to a couple of mtbs and a guy that looked like he had finished his service at the local church on what looked like a classic town bike.

When we asked we were just told well they were here so we let them go?

Being dropped by the group wasnt really an issue at all to eaither of us. In terms of checking up on us at the feed stop well the feed stop wasn't there when we arrived at the pub so the answer was no they didnt.

 

[GilesM]

Another popular misconception right there. It might be true for some of the big commercial events but I doubt that many sportive organisers are making a living from it. Don't forget that many sportives are in aid of charity and run by volunteers, so no individual is making so much as a single penny of profit from them.

Also, don't underestimate the admin costs of running any organised cycling event which can account for a large chunk of the entry fee. Audax UK charges organisers £7 to register an event, plus the cost of brevet cards and validation fees etc. British Cycling charges a £50 registration fee for non-competitive events, plus a levy of £1.20 per rider. These fees cover event insurance, so if you choose not to go down the AUK or BC route, you will also have to pay for that separately. Then you've got other things to consider like the costs of producing signage, and marketing/publicity (assuming you want people to actually know about your event), plus all sorts of other miscellaneous costs and expenses.

If an event is held on closed roads, the running costs will be considerable.

I am sure that most are run in a not for profit (much profit) way as you describe, but it doesn't change the basic fact that in a Sportive on normally open roads, people are being charged for riding on a public road, you cannot argue with that, I accept that there is other stuff around it, and people seem happy to pay and take part, which is cool.

 

[GilesM]

Each to their own and if the club prefer to stick with serious riders only then thats fine but to look down at those that don't fit in seems to me a bit rude.

It's not good,and it's not right, but it does happen a lot in cycling, I'm sure I was guilty of the same back in my light weight, fit racing days, just ignore it, and have fun on your bike.

 

[Ajax Bay]

Another popular misconception right there [money making]. It might be true for some of the big commercial events but I doubt that many sportive organisers are making a living from it. Don't forget that many sportives are in aid of charity and run by volunteers, so no individual is making so much as a single penny of profit from them.

Can you (or another contributor) provide a link to the accounts of a sportive showing how little or much organisers are 'making', whether as a profit for the commercial organising company or the charity (and I acknowledge there's sometimes overlap)?

 

[GilesM]

As "basic facts" go, it's pretty good. Except for the minor detail that it's wrong, but we won't split hairs about that.

It's very not wrong, think of these two questions:
1. Is a Sportive a bike ride on Public Roads
2. Are you charged an entry fee to take part in a Sportive

Now I'm off out for a free bike ride on some lovely public roads, although I'd pay a few quid right now if somebody could turn the wind machine off.

 

[smutchin]

I accept that there is other stuff around it

If it weren't for that "other stuff", I wouldn't need to charge an entry fee for my events. QED.