AuctionLamb Posted March 23, 2015 Posted March 23, 2015 This year was my 2nd Epic and here is my take on it: 1st Epic - You go completely "bos" to prep for it, you do most MTB stage races to prepare, you get a coach, you spend money on a bike, parts, you spend a lot more hours on the bike, you look at nutrition. You really spend a lot of money and time at your first one out of fear of the unknown. 2nd Epic - Do an hour or two more on weekends to get some "miles" in for Epic, that is it! You then realize that you do not need to spend a lot of money to do Epic except that the cost of the entry. Most people riding the Epic get companies to help sponsor their entry, usually if you beg hard enough you might get two companies to pitch in and at worst you have to pay in a few grand. If you get 2 companies who can give 10K then you 35K short, all of a sudden 17K each is not not bad to ride Epic. But in summary...people tend to over analyse costs etc. to do Epic HDW and _David_ 2
mtbride Posted March 23, 2015 Posted March 23, 2015 I won't pay 30k to hike-a-bike every day ... yesterday it looked like a hiking trail with everyone walking in a row, seems people just accept it that the guy behind them is also walking, everyone walking in the middle of the path ... Does anyone think they actually care about South Africans riding, no they don't, its getting cheaper for the foreigners every year with the rand weakening, so people will line up and pay whatever
EmptyB Posted March 23, 2015 Posted March 23, 2015 This year was my 2nd Epic and here is my take on it: 1st Epic - You go completely "bos" to prep for it, you do most MTB stage races to prepare, you get a coach, you spend money on a bike, parts, you spend a lot more hours on the bike, you look at nutrition. You really spend a lot of money and time at your first one out of fear of the unknown. 2nd Epic - Do an hour or two more on weekends to get some "miles" in for Epic, that is it! You then realize that you do not need to spend a lot of money to do Epic except that the cost of the entry. Most people riding the Epic get companies to help sponsor their entry, usually if you beg hard enough you might get two companies to pitch in and at worst you have to pay in a few grand. If you get 2 companies who can give 10K then you 35K short, all of a sudden 17K each is not not bad to ride Epic. But in summary...people tend to over analyse costs etc. to do Epic Where there's a will there's a way I suppose........
duringd Posted March 23, 2015 Posted March 23, 2015 See Early Bird entries are Closed?? How is that possible before 15h00?
eddy Posted March 23, 2015 Posted March 23, 2015 Yes - you can save costs in places - If you really wanted to save costs you could remove the derailleurs off your training bike and reduce the wear and tear on your drivetrain. You could even ride some of your preparation races like this. Oh, wait........
V12man Posted March 23, 2015 Posted March 23, 2015 Met Eish!!! How much? I think that may be a little excessive. Use your normal kit. Just buy 2 shirts that look the same. Who cares. Couple hundred bucks a shirt. I rode in my pants and my partner in his usual pants. Then we had some shirts made. Normally I agree with you on posts but this one is a little crazy and I have done the Epic 3 times!!If someone else is paying why would you choose 2 shirts over a clean one every day? Personally I am not a big fan of either having my shorts washed with 20 other pairs of shorts of unknown hygiene, or doing the washing myself after 8 hours in the saddle... so - asked for enough for a team for a 10 day event - and got it... I did ask nicely... craft kit is not for free... (and that is not an ad for the craft kit supplier either) Sure you can do it on a 30k hardtail - I hope you are young and strong to take the beating from the HT - you will note I did not suggest you have to have a 130k Spez Epic for the event - and believe me there are plenty of those there - especially amongst the amateaurs. The one thing I am sure about - you CANNOT buy an epic medal - no matter how good/expensive your kit is - you have to do the homework.... a LOT of homework.. but - you can DNF for not making good decisions.... or avoiding risks where you can. eddy 1
eddy Posted March 23, 2015 Posted March 23, 2015 See Early Bird entries are Closed?? How is that possible before 15h00?There must be an Argus type problem with their system. Or they have discovered that at almost R60k per team there is no demand and so they are now frantically discounting their product.
canfan Posted March 23, 2015 Posted March 23, 2015 The real question is, will entries sell out again in less than a minute? Or will it take 2 minutes because of the price increase?
V12man Posted March 23, 2015 Posted March 23, 2015 If you really wanted to save costs you could remove the derailleurs off your training bike and reduce the wear and tear on your drivetrain. You could even ride some of your preparation races like this. Oh, wait........In order to remove them, you would have to have them in the first place.... I started cheap and stayed cheap..... must be my grandmothers scottish heritage influencing me.... eddy 1
V12man Posted March 23, 2015 Posted March 23, 2015 The real question is, will entries sell out again in less than a minute? Or will it take 2 minutes because of the price increase?I think they will last 12 seconds - remember - there are only 100 of them up for earlybirds...
dev null Posted March 23, 2015 Posted March 23, 2015 I think in USD terms the Epic is cheaper this year compared to last year.
duringd Posted March 23, 2015 Posted March 23, 2015 I think in USD terms the Epic is cheaper this year compared to last year. Rand is strengthening this morning. Must be the 40% offshore funds being parked to buy early bird entries.
Plentipotential Posted March 23, 2015 Posted March 23, 2015 I disagree with that part of your comment. We can all afford to run the Comrades. A pair of shoes, a qualifying race, a trip to Durban and a modest entry fee. But we don't all run it because to do so requires a serious commitment of time, efffort and discomfort. The same is of Epic. I wonder sometimes how many of the people who complain about the cost would actually DO the race even if they were given an entry. I bought an early bird entry a few years back, R25 k or just about, got busy training and then after 6 months realised that it required more commitment than I was prepared to give so I sold the entry. It's a huge part of your life for most of the year if you want to enjoy it and at R60 k you would feel that you need to get everything out of it to justify that kind of effort. Well it would be for me anyway. The sacrifices were not worth it in the end. Am I sorry? Once a year when the race comes around for a few minutes, then I get busy planning something else. eddy 1
Plentipotential Posted March 23, 2015 Posted March 23, 2015 (edited) I should add, Kevin Vermark has done well. He started it, built a brand, made some money and had some fun, good luck to him selling the business. And don't forget that, it's a business. He does not get out of bed every morning thinking that he owes the average Joe an affordable entry into a world class MTB event, hell, the Worlds Premier MTB stage race. Edited March 23, 2015 by Plentipotential DIPSLICK and eddy 2
@ndy Posted March 23, 2015 Posted March 23, 2015 It's not so much about the money to make the effort, it's about the cost of not finishing because of taking an economics based decision - putting in 6 months to a year of effort to do the event, spending a fair amount, and then failing to finish because of - lets say making a decision to run a marginal chain/tire for the last day for economic reasons - really bad decision making... And you do see a fair amount of that in eny big event - so doing everything possible to minimise risk is sometimes the best way to go. Let me give you another example - I have done 2 with the same partner (and if we get an entry we will be on the line next year again) - in those 2 efforts we have broken 1 frame and had it replaced under warrantee mid Epic, and broken the rear triangle on the other bike on the final day - and limped home - to be waranteed back home. So - lets look at the decisions here: 1 - Ride a newish bike under warrantee (sure it has cost more) but look at what whould have happened if it had not been under warrantee? DNF... or buy a new one mid ride? what is the cost of that?2 - Ride a brand name bike - (more expensive) - we choose to ride bikes where the manufacturer/importer is on-site at the Epic - see above why.... if the spares are not on site, then you will again be foreced to DNF or buy a new one... even if it is warranteed later, that is of no use to you... Sure you may be able to borrow a mates bike... but whats the guarantee on that? Take a look at the dropout rate amongst the exxaro riders as an example - it is enlightening.Thats a good point. Which brands are supported at the event and do they all have plenty of kit for warranty purposes?. If I can get an entry I need to upgrade my bike and I hadn't considered this aspect.
Rider3000 Posted March 23, 2015 Posted March 23, 2015 With 60K... im sure you can go ride somewhere in europe for a week ! Just my thought.. Anyway i think this will turn into a fully PRO race in the future! (which is not a bad thing)
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