MTB Race Entry Fees....

[Gr3mlin131]

3 hours ago, Ozzie NL said:

^^^^ Entry fees are a great way to keep the rifraf away

Yeah keeps me away for now, so looks like it is working. 

[ChrisF]

3 hours ago, Ozzie NL said:

^^^^ Entry fees are a great way to keep the rifraf away

 

Daar is ryk gomgatte ....

[SSCC]

4 hours ago, ouzo said:

So then the question needs to be asked ? What makes events within our borders so much pricier than outside our borders ?

It cant be all profit/priced for status

Are they? What multi day full service overseas races are you comparing to?

[BigDL]

36 minutes ago, SSCC said:

Are they? What multi day full service overseas races are you comparing to?

I entered a 5 day mtb event in Italy in 2020, which was cancelled due to covid. Cost per person, including mechanical support, bike cleaning, hotel accommodation (not sharing) , pasta party each night and hotel breakfast / food stops etc, was around 400 Euros. Medal and a t-shirt at the end. 

Edited to correct price. Was less that I had remembered. 

Edited August 19, 2022 by BigDL

[SEANSTEP]

9 minutes ago, BigDL said:

I entered a 5 day mtb event in Italy in 2020, which was cancelled due to covid. Cost per person, including mechanical support, bike cleaning, hotel accommodation (not sharing) , pasta party each night and hotel breakfast / food stops etc, was around 400 Euros. Medal and a t-shirt at the end. 

Edited to correct price. Was less that I had remembered. 

I've seen a lot of things at a great price that weren't in stock. Easy to price an event competitively that's not happening. Tongue firmly in cheek, just messing with you.

[The Ouzo]

1 hour ago, SSCC said:

Are they? What multi day full service overseas races are you comparing to?

I’m not, but everyone else seems to be

[SSCC]

20 hours ago, dave303e said:

Speculation but finish Munga and run sub 17min at your local parkrun. Once you have done both let us know which was harder to achieve...

Done both. So what..... 

It's all meaningless really.

Edited August 20, 2022 by SSCC

[Headshot]

So, I heard this weekend that the U 2022 never happened and that only a few people entered. At R9500 pp for 2.5 days it was as elitist as they come, but I still find it surprising because I think there are still enough punters out there with deep pockets.

I think the real reason it was under subscribed is because the trails are too proper and require bike handling skills that other events like the W2W simply do not require. Thoughts?

[Skubarra]

17 minutes ago, Headshot said:

So, I heard this weekend that the U 2022 never happened and that only a few people entered. At R9500 pp for 2.5 days it was as elitist as they come, but I still find it surprising because I think there are still enough punters out there with deep pockets.

I think the real reason it was under subscribed is because the trails are too proper and require bike handling skills that other events like the W2W simply do not require. Thoughts?

I think all of that and also marketing? I think organisers underestimate how much proper marketing can boost your event. 

And then as you mention technical events that require proper skills have a smaller potential market, add the steep entry fee and you will probably kill of your event sooner than later.

[Jewbacca]

36 minutes ago, Headshot said:

So, I heard this weekend that the U 2022 never happened and that only a few people entered. At R9500 pp for 2.5 days it was as elitist as they come, but I still find it surprising because I think there are still enough punters out there with deep pockets.

I think the real reason it was under subscribed is because the trails are too proper and require bike handling skills that other events like the W2W simply do not require. Thoughts?

I think it is a combination of things. 

Difficulty is definitely a thing. Having slogged away there with the back of the field every year, it has always astounded me how unprepared so may people are.

The difference is recovery miles. There, the longest piece of Jeep track is about 1km. So you're riding your bike all the time, not just sitting and pedalling with free hands to eat, drink and actively recover. Ego then stops people from stopping to do this as their average speed already looks terrible.

The entry fee is kind of in line with the overall experience though. Food, drinks, snacks, prizes etc all out of the top draw and all inclusive. But yes, expensive. 

I think there is also a shelf life for events in a niche unless they can break into new markets every year or two.

Coming from someone who runs very long distances, the very long distance races don't last. There are only a handful of idiots who will be attracte to a 400km non stop trail run with a 4.5 day cutoff, which means you need to entice those same people back in order to have enough entrants next year as there definitely won't be another 20 new idiots for next year. These races seldom last more than 2 or 3 iterations.

I think many many return entrants at TheU have run their course, so to say, so the race needed to attract a new market/field. I don't think Wild Air has the marketing pull in the right economic bracket and the right channels to do this, so while the videos are rad, they probably aren't reaching the right people.

Anyway, what do I know... I was bummed

 

[Headshot]

They needed to appeal to normal people, not the rich perhaps? That would have been a new market. I'm waiting for the next trail open day.

[samson99]

On 8/19/2022 at 4:57 PM, BigDL said:

I entered a 5 day mtb event in Italy in 2020, which was cancelled due to covid. Cost per person, including mechanical support, bike cleaning, hotel accommodation (not sharing) , pasta party each night and hotel breakfast / food stops etc, was around 400 Euros. Medal and a t-shirt at the end. 

Edited to correct price. Was less that I had remembered. 

@BigDL out of curiosity, what race was this you are referring to?

[Gary Coleman]

On 8/19/2022 at 5:57 PM, BigDL said:

I entered a 5 day mtb event in Italy in 2020, which was cancelled due to covid. Cost per person, including mechanical support, bike cleaning, hotel accommodation (not sharing) , pasta party each night and hotel breakfast / food stops etc, was around 400 Euros. Medal and a t-shirt at the end. 

Edited to correct price. Was less that I had remembered. 

At R17,67 to the Euro you looking at R7068 for the race, that is pretty darn good. Problem is getting there, then it gets a bit pricey. 

Honestly I would rather pay a bit extra, fly to Europe and ride there, you get to see a new country and that is already a drawing card.

I have done 2 trips to France to go ride for a week in Morzine and the accommodation isn't super cheap (there is way cheaper, depending on your budget) but its still cheaper than most multi day stage races excluding the tickets.

I just think some races/events are overpriced. Look everyone must make some money but daylight robbery isn't cool. But if your willing to pay more you'll probably get a less busy race/ride which is also ok. 

[Shebeen]

1 hour ago, Jewbacca said:

I think it is a combination of things. 

Difficulty is definitely a thing. Having slogged away there with the back of the field every year, it has always astounded me how unprepared so may people are.

The difference is recovery miles. There, the longest piece of Jeep track is about 1km. So you're riding your bike all the time, not just sitting and pedalling with free hands to eat, drink and actively recover. Ego then stops people from stopping to do this as their average speed already looks terrible.

The entry fee is kind of in line with the overall experience though. Food, drinks, snacks, prizes etc all out of the top draw and all inclusive. But yes, expensive. 

I think there is also a shelf life for events in a niche unless they can break into new markets every year or two.

Coming from someone who runs very long distances, the very long distance races don't last. There are only a handful of idiots who will be attracte to a 400km non stop trail run with a 4.5 day cutoff, which means you need to entice those same people back in order to have enough entrants next year as there definitely won't be another 20 new idiots for next year. These races seldom last more than 2 or 3 iterations.

I think many many return entrants at TheU have run their course, so to say, so the race needed to attract a new market/field. I don't think Wild Air has the marketing pull in the right economic bracket and the right channels to do this, so while the videos are rad, they probably aren't reaching the right people.

Anyway, what do I know... I was bummed

 

[While I never did the U, I have done the 1 day event two or three times (all pre covid times).]

The U always seemed like a super premium product, I am sure plenty of return attendees enjoyed it at that price. The rest might have moaned online and elsewhere about the costs and voted with their wallets.

So while many will say that it not happening is just a "told you so" because it was too premium, I think we need to acknowledge that a LOT of events are battling for entry numbers currently.

 

I think they will be back.

 

 

 

 

 

[DieselnDust]

2 hours ago, Headshot said:

So, I heard this weekend that the U 2022 never happened and that only a few people entered. At R9500 pp for 2.5 days it was as elitist as they come, but I still find it surprising because I think there are still enough punters out there with deep pockets.

I think the real reason it was under subscribed is because the trails are too proper and require bike handling skills that other events like the W2W simply do not require. Thoughts?

I have a colleague who rode the U in 2019. She loved it but acknowledged, its really really hard for a newbie or anyone who does not have a good pedigree in technical riding. Many riders walk half the course.

throw in the high entry price, difficulty of the course and you have a recipe for short lived niche event as jewbacca calls it (correctly). Its the type of event that should be pitched at people who are well seasoned in MTB. It also does not lend itself to bikes with low bottom brackets so 120-140mm travel bikes are ideal but the majority use 100mm travel XCO bikes. the majorityof our events in the WC require lost of long easy gravel sections to attract the wallet rollers

[Headshot]

Not sure about the low BB height issue. Trail bikes have notoriously low BB's especially the modern ones - 345-350mm) Could not find any Xc bike specs with a quick search. The trails really aren't very technical but do make use of the terrain and require technical climbing skills. The descents can be as fast or slow as you like. That said, its all tiring and if its hot...