Velo Birmingham anyone applying?

[User33236]

it's a way to get zillions of cyclist's email addresses .... loads of people tried to enter without knowing the cost before hand .... you will now be bombarded with marketing emails

Unless, like me, you used a disposable email address for it which is now set as a blackhole

 

[mjr]

One the people from a club I'm a member of just contacted me whining about the website crash. It's like it's the end of the world or something.

Folks, that's who you'll be riding with. Explains why they can't hack being a second behind their overoptimistic schedule and go for gaps that aren't there, doesn't it?

Sounds like they've overpriced the event to me when you look at other closed road events like Ride London (£58, with an Olympic park start and Buckingham palace finish) and Tour of Cambridgeshire (£65ish and more relaxed despite being a UCI Gran Fondo World Championship qualifying race - it's a real closed-road race with the fun-riders following behind, like in major marathons). Can the sights of Bewdley really compete with Hampton Court? Guess we'll see, if Velo Brum is still around in three or four years.

 

[vickster]

I would like to do this, but being self-employed I can't book it until the last minute as I don't know where in the world I might be.

I am going to try and contact them tomorrow to see if there is a refund situation in case I can't make it

Still....£80 is a lot to pay to ride me bike, money that could be better spent on hard drugs and prostitutes !!

If it's anything like Ride London, you can defer your place to the following year (for illness / injury specifically) but you have to pay again. So I'd be surprised if you'd get a refund. Presumably you'd be remunerated for the work which would go some way to cover the cost or you preplan to take annual leave at that time

 

[steverob]

It is on the expensive side, but then, with 10,000-ish less riders than RideLondon over the same length course and I'm guessing the same amount of set-up costs, it was probably to be expected that it would be dearer than RL. And of course, given that there are less riders, surely it should be less crowded on the roads than RL as well?

Having said that, I probably won't be entering - despite being about halfway between London and Birmingham, it's actually more of a pain for me to get to Brum than to the capital, so I'll give it a skip this year and think about 2018, assuming they run it again and reviews are good.

 

[mjr]

It is on the expensive side, but then, with 10,000-ish less riders than RideLondon over the same length course and I'm guessing the same amount of set-up costs, it was probably to be expected that it would be dearer than RL. And of course, given that there are less riders, surely it should be less crowded on the roads than RL as well?

They'll just set riders off in fewer waves, won't they? So it may thin out, but I doubt it'll be that much less crowded early on. I assume that's why it looks like it's probably using what should be a fairly straight run along wide roads to Halesowen at the outset, like how RL starts with the wide A12/A13 roads into central London.

Also, they're not trying to hold a series of races over the same weekend, plus I suspect closing the likes of Broad Street and Paradise Street is a bit cheaper than closing Whitehall and the Mall, so is it really having the same amount of set-up costs?

 

[Stonechat]

Did not manage to get into the website yesterday.
Got in today and OUCH! the cost. Puts me off straight away.

 

[User33236]

Did not manage to get into the website yesterday.
Got in today and OUCH! the cost. Puts me off straight away.

I think the fact you can still get into the website today and buy a place pretty well sums up other people's thoughts on the cost too.

 

[Milkfloat]

Its seems that they have 11,000 people signed up already, so I think it is fairly likely they will sell out. The key question is, can they recover from such a bad start. It looks like they ditched the initial company hosting the registration - they managed that within a day.

 

[User33236]

Its seems that they have 11,000 people signed up already, so I think it is fairly likely they will sell out. The key question is, can they recover from such a bad start. It looks like they ditched the initial company hosting the registration - they managed that within a day.

There were an alleged 25,000 preregistrations which means 56% of those have either now decided not to proceed or have not yet gone online to secure their place. I personally know 14 people (15 in you include me ) who preregistered and did not sign up once costs were finally disclosed.

 

[robgul]

There were an alleged 25,000 preregistrations which means 56% of those have either now decided not to proceed or have not yet gone online to secure their place. I personally know 14 people (15 in you include me ) who preregistered and did not sign up once costs were finally disclosed.

They were claiming 30,000+ pre-registered - I spoke to 30 people yesterday who had registered and then declined the invitation.

- AND watch this space as it's highly possible that a REAL, genuine 100 mile charity ride may be taking place in the Brum area on the same day with an entry fee at about £25 (and better countryside too!).

Rob

 

[Dogtrousers]

But if they sell out, it doesn't really matter how many pre-registered then changed their minds, does it?

 

[ukbikes]

Pre-Registrations were above 30,000 and as of yesterday, they had 11,000 entries. Prices are absurd. The difference between the General Entry (£75) and Fast Track Entry (£115) is £40 and for that you get, 1) Rider Pack sent out in advance, 2) Guaranteed to depart in the first three waves, 3) Parking close to the start. Wow. #fail

 

[ukbikes]

Here's the latest farce. Under Section 6.8 of the Event T&Cs, Velo Birmingham forbid the use of certain triathlon equipment. This includes aero bars, tri-bars, disc wheels and saddle bottles but there is no explanation of why. In addition, fixed gear and single-speed bikes are also forbidden. #fail

 

[mjr]

Here's the latest farce. Under Section 6.8 of the Event T&Cs, Velo Birmingham forbid the use of certain triathlon equipment. This includes aero bars, tri-bars, disc wheels and saddle bottles but there is no explanation of why. In addition, fixed gear and single-speed bikes are also forbidden. #fail

Same as Ride London.

I'm pretty sure aero bars, tri bars and disc wheels have to be banned if you want British Cycling to list any sportive. I think fixed gear may also be banned. It's a hangover from BC stodgily starting from their inappropriate racing rules when writing their rules for sportives.

I don't remember seeing single speeds or saddle bottles banned before, but if they can get away with effectively discriminating against disabled riders by banning recumbents from non-competitive rides, then anything goes. First they came for those who couldn't balance an upright and you said nothing...

 

[robgul]

Same as Ride London.

I'm pretty sure aero bars, tri bars and disc wheels have to be banned if you want British Cycling to list any sportive. I think fixed gear may also be banned. It's a hangover from BC stodgily starting from their inappropriate racing rules when writing their rules for sportives.

I don't remember seeing single speeds or saddle bottles banned before, but if they can get away with effectively discriminating against disabled riders by banning recumbents from non-competitive rides, then anything goes. First they came for those who couldn't balance an upright and you said nothing...

The aero-bars/tri-bars etc is a safety thing . . . and fixed is deemed to be a safety issue too (although often waived if the bike has brakes front and rear) - makes sense to me.

Rob