Sportive entry fee?

[wintonbina]

Come down to Wareham and try the Dorset Knobbler for only £15 in April(includes a free feed station & a goody bag!) and a free massage at the end!

 

[EltonFrog]

You can ride the public road anywhere in the UK free of charge. But with an organised sportive, as already mentioned, you get to ride an event with like minded people on a route that has been planned by like minded people. What do get for your £30/50?

A lot of that budget is spent on marketing the event

So

Marketing
Route planning
Route signs
Marshals
Venue HQ/Parking Hire
Public Liability Insurance
Volunteer expenses
Staff Wages
Administration Costs
Food Stops/Staff
Timing Chip/administration
Sweeper/Rescue Vehicles & Crew
Mechanical Support
WebSite/Results Service
Portable Toilet Hire
En-Route Village/Community Hall hire for rest stops/toilets
Registration Services
Bike Number
Medals / Certificates

According to the wiggle site helpers salaries and benefits are
£60- £100 Per day dependant of duties and age. Event clothing will be provided.

Thats where your money goes on all or some of the above.Oh yes an the organiser would like to see a little return on their investment of time and recourses.

If you don't want to spend the money don't go.

 

[Herbie]

I was reasonably happy paying £25 /£30 for a sportive but some are charging £50 plus now which I think is taking the p. As long as they keep selling out the prices will continue to rise .

An even cheaper way to ride with other cyclists is to join in a cycle chat informal event somewhere.

i agree...the etape caledonia is a prime example of taking the P i did it 3 times and each time it was more expensive...great event but a big rip off

 

[totallyfixed]

I think I will forever struggle with the concept of paying someone I don't know to ride my bike on roads of their choice.

 

[Psyklon]

I don't know if anyone has followed the link I posted earlier in this thread, but it's only when you finally get to the sign-up bit that you discover how much it costs....£63!!!

 

[billy1561]

Was talked about in this thread Kev http://www.cyclechat.net/threads/etape-mercia-£63.123447/

Ridiculous i agree. Hides under the banner on 'Marie Curie' but in fact not a penny goes to MC you have to raise that yourself.

I always feel a little agrieved about paying the £25 - £30 for a sportive ride but i do love them. The routes are generally great with lots of other cyclists to chat to. Saying that, anyone who is fortunate enough to own a garmin can save any routes thay have done on sportives as a course in their device and then ride again whenever they have the opportunity.

 

[Philip Whiteman]

I have been tempted to try audax but not sure if you get the same ''mass-cycling'' effect as you do on a sportive, that's probably the best attraction for me personally. Also, you can always save the route on your GPS etc or just memorise the ride and do it again as many times as you like for free.

The 'mass cycling' aspect of an audax depends upon which event you enter. Barry's Bristol Ball Bash (now full) attracts over 500 participants and is in every sense an 'event' - I suspect that the same will apply to the 1100 strong London-Edinburgh-London. Some other basic events may only attract a handful. The way to target a 'mass' audax is to view the results for last year to establish the number of riders (look for over 50) and whether more than one distance is provided on the same day.

 

[Philip Whiteman]

Was talked about in this thread Kev http://www.cyclechat.net/threads/etape-mercia-£63.123447/

Ridiculous i agree. Hides under the banner on 'Marie Curie' but in fact not a penny goes to MC you have to raise that yourself.

I always feel a little agrieved about paying the £25 - £30 for a sportive ride but i do love them. The routes are generally great with lots of other cyclists to chat to. Saying that, anyone who is fortunate enough to own a garmin can save any routes thay have done on sportives as a course in their device and then ride again whenever they have the opportunity.

There are some important issues around fiduciary arrangements and so called charitable sportives. Some may be de facto commercial operators spinning a gloss of charitable enterprise where no part of their actual surplus is donated. There are sportives where the fiduciary arrangements can be trusted and where the charitable label has substance rather than gloss. A good example of the latter is http://www.macride.org.uk/

So if your entry is motivated by the charitable element, ask the organiser some clear questions about fiduciary arrangements before submitting your entry.

 

[robgul]

There are some important issues around fiduciary arrangements and so called charitable sportives. Some may be de facto commercial operators spin a gloss of charitable enterprise where no part of their actual surplus is donated. There are sportives were the fiduciary arrangements can be trusted where they charitable label has substance rather than gloss. A good example of the latter is http://www.macride.org.uk/

So if you entry is motivated by the charitable element, ask the organiser some clear questions about fiduciary arrangements before submitting your entry.

If I can add to that [I organise the MacRide Events series of rides - starting back in 2005] Our Sportive rides are at www.shakespeare100.org.uk for SPRING (7 April 2013 - almost full) and AUTUMN (8 September 2013) - we also run the original MacRide leisure/pleasure ride and the completely different MacRide Tour (www.macride-tour.org.uk)

We are an official "volunteer fundraising group" for Macmillan Cancer Support ... by working hard on technology to increase efficiency and in-kind and financial support we raise a lot of money for this great cause [As at today, with 4 events still scheduled for 2013 - we have raised about £330,000, net of costs, since we started in 2005]

What hacks us off is exactly what has been discussed many times : events that have a high entry cost that either ALL goes to a commercial organiser with charity fundraising expected - or charities that spend upwards of 45% of the entry price/revenue on costs.

That said : I have no problem with the purely commercial sportives (Kilo to Go etc) - they put on great events ... and that's their business. That's fine.

Rob

... oh, and our jerseys (as in my avatar - we've sold over 1,000 in the past 6 years) are great - through the generosity of our logo sponsors 100% of the sale price (£29.50) goes to Macmillan. We only sell them to event entrants .........

 

[billy1561]

There are some important issues around fiduciary arrangements and so called charitable sportives. Some may be de facto commercial operators spin a gloss of charitable enterprise where no part of their actual surplus is donated. There are sportives were the fiduciary arrangements can be trusted where they charitable label has substance rather than gloss. A good example of the latter is http://www.macride.org.uk/

So if you entry is motivated by the charitable element, ask the organiser some clear questions about fiduciary arrangements before submitting your entry.

That was my point but you sir, are far more elequent than me

 

[Ningishzidda]

Sportives are for cyclists who don't belong to a British Cycling affiliated club, don't have BC membership and don't have a BC race licence. Just pay the money and go.
If you have these three prereques, enter a 'closed circuit' event on the BC calendar.
If you don't have them, enter as a non-member and pay the extra lolly for a single day licence in addition to the entry fee.

They are 'closed circuit' full-on races, not a half hearted ride round public roads which have the Road Traffic Act thrown in for free.

 

[EltonFrog]

I think I will forever struggle with the concept of paying someone I don't know to ride my bike on roads of their choice.

No need to struggle with the concept there is, quite easy, it is, either do it or do not. Yeesssssss.

 

[Peteaud]

Sportives are for cyclists who don't belong to a British Cycling affiliated club, don't have BC membership and don't have a BC race licence. Just pay the money and go.
If you have these three prereques, enter a 'closed circuit' event on the BC calendar.
If you don't have them, enter as a non-member and pay the extra lolly for a single day licence in addition to the entry fee.

They are 'closed circuit' full-on races, not a half hearted ride round public roads which have the Road Traffic Act thrown in for free.

Link ?

 

[Psyklon]

Was talked about in this thread Kev http://www.cyclechat.net/threads/etape-mercia-£63.123447/

Ridiculous i agree. Hides under the banner on 'Marie Curie' but in fact not a penny goes to MC you have to raise that yourself.

I always feel a little agrieved about paying the £25 - £30 for a sportive ride but i do love them. The routes are generally great with lots of other cyclists to chat to. Saying that, anyone who is fortunate enough to own a garmin can save any routes thay have done on sportives as a course in their device and then ride again whenever they have the opportunity.

Cheers Billy, didn't see that thread! Thanks for the heads -up mate!

 

[PaulB]

I don't know if anyone has followed the link I posted earlier in this thread, but it's only when you finally get to the sign-up bit that you discover how much it costs....£63!!!

I know! And to sug people in to it by pretending it's alright because it's all 'for charity'!