Dear Jaques, <?:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /> With an attitude like that, I'm afraid you won't be hosting very many successful cycling events in the future either, Neither Road nor MTB!!! I'm one of the people that was critical of the Tzaneen Tour Entry Price, and justifiably so. I very much enjoyed the last Tzaneen Tropical Tour, and for one rated it as one of the top three races on the racing calendar. Huge was the disappointment when the Tzaneen tour was back on the calendar, but at three times the price of the previous editions. At R 1200.00 or even reduced to R 930.00 a rider, the Entry Fee WILL NOT FLOAT, as you have learnt at you own considerable expense. When we tried to bring that point to your attention however, you chose to ignore that and your replies were arrogant, dismissive and impetuous!!! The math is pretty simple, at R 1200.00 per rider you barely managed to get 40 riders to enter. (120 Riders!!!! What do you also think cyclist can?t count either???) Halve the price to R 600.00 per rider and you would have had a minimum of 120 - 150 Riders enter guaranteed and would have had a much better chance of getting 200 riders to the line. At R 1200.00 per rider and your arrogant attitude??? NO CHANCE!!!! You want to get families involved, that?s great and that?s how I want to be involved in cycling too, but at R 1000 per person with a cycling family of 3 (or a TCS cycling family of 8) plus accommodation and toll fee?s, petrol, traveling, etc, etc you ARE NOT going to get families involved. Did you think that cyclist are all that gullible and easy to part with their money without expecting value for money??? What makes you think that roadies do not ride MTB as well either??? There are only so many active cyclist in the country, road or MTB, and a lot of them ride both road and MTB, and we speak to one another as well, and now we also know that RealityEvents is only in it for the Money and is actually the one that behaves like a spoilt brat because very little people could eventually afford the high cost of the tour that was going to be your cash cow!!!!!!! By the Way? What have you done for cycling, or to develop cycling in <?:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" />South Africaon>?? I?m sorry EduardoBianchi, you unfortunately do not speak for the wider cycling community in this regard, as everyone that I have spoken to about the Tzaneen Tour felt pretty much that the cost was excessive and that the Tzaneen Tour would not get the necessary numbers together at that price to make it viable, otherwise there would have been in excess of 200 riders Oh! By the way? Cruxpearl is called Carel Smith and my email address is carel@tcsn.co.za (all very easily accessible on my nick as well) and Cell no is 083 325 1575 Oh Yes, one last thing? you are very much mistaken if you really believe that road cycling is a dying sport? maybe bitter because the roadies didn?t support your event, but it is most certainly not dying!!! I for one really really hope that it would be possible to sort out the logistics and organization to be able to host this grear event at a reasonable cost of R 500 ? R 600 per rider, as I still think it is a great venue to have a GREAT 3 day stage race, and would very very much like to enter our club members and be there en masse, but it has to make some financial sense!!!! Kind Regards Cruxpearl Carel Smith
