ASG - An open letter, a good response, insights about race situation in SA

[Ryinc]

Dear ASG

 

Let me start by noting that I am a loyal customer for your races in the past few years. Amongst others, In the past 3 years, I have consistently cycled the Jock, Satellite Classic, Lost City Classic, Emperors, Capital Classic, Berg en Dale, Tour of Good Hope/Tour de Boland and for the first time this weekend the Sondela race. My wife has done some of the races too, and I have bought the odd cycling kit from your company.

 

Your company runs many of the road races and your involvement in the races is helpful as if you didn't run them i am not sure who would. Some will argue how you came to run them is ethically questionable, but i don't know and couldn't care for the full story. In general i enjoy the races that you arrange and I don't begrudge you making a healthy profit - if it was so easy to make money others would be doing it as well. Introducing a series of races and some tours is exciting too. However, i really get the sense that all your company cares about is making money. Examples of how this has manifested in my personal experience of my experiences at your races are as follows:

• Your races in my view are really very expensive. They are nearly as expensive as mass events that provide a completely more attractive value proposition of full road closure and other perks not offered by your races. You will no doubt argue that the reason it is expensive is because the scale is much smaller and so fixed costs need to be spread over a smaller number of riders and to keep races sustainable the costs are what they are etc, etc. There are two counters to this. 1. Other smaller races such as Race for Victory and Carnival City Classic are small and sustainable, but provide overall value and organisation that is on par and many will argue better than your races. They manage this despite that they don't have economies of scale due to arranging multiple events 2. It is a chicken and egg situation where you are causing volumes to be lower because your prices are high, lower prices would increase volumes.  
• There seem to be clear instances of trying to take short-cuts to save money. Manual timing at the Tour de Boland this year resulting in a total balls up. I have no doubt that the decision to suddenly cancel Racetec timing and let riders know on the evening before the Sondela race this past weekend was a purely economic one too - not enough riders to make it a viable solution to do electronic timing. If it was not an economic related decision , then i challenge ASG to refund riders the money that would otherwise of been paid to Racetec (or donate it to charity). It's pretty disgraceful to clearly advertise one thing and deliver something totally different, with no form of apology - just a sort of "by the way you paid for this we giving you something else." There are a number of hubbers that chose to do the Sondela race on the basis that it was racetec timed. 
• You have a brilliantly efficient system to get in riders money but can't get results up on your website within two days after the race (despite you setting your own deadlines about when race results will be up in the case of the Sondela race).
• At every opportunity it feels as though you are trying to market, cross-sell and bundle products at every interaction. 

 

Unfortunately we are not spoilt for choice in terms of road races, and in all likelihood I and others will continue to ride your races simply because we enjoy riding more than we like the sour taste that your overly strong commercial flavour on the events that you arrange often seems to leave in our mouths. However, the way you are treating your customers is doing nothing to create loyalty with them  so please do not feel surprised when they stop supporting you at the very first opportunity they get.

 

It would be great if you could take an honest look at yourself as a company and ask whether you think you would be a satisfied customer paying premium prices for sub-standard product.

 

I am not one of the "haters" on the hub, but i sheesh enough is enough, you can do better than this.

['Dale]

Hopefully ASG can turn this feedback into an improved customer experience.

 

Let's see....

[TALUS]

Well put. I think that Mr and Mrs ASG was there - I heard the announcer mention something like that. I think the customer base may be at tipping point now. Please don't force us to choose. I prefer win-win.

 

Dear ASG

 

Let me start by noting that I am a loyal customer for your races in the past few years. Amongst others, In the past 3 years, I have consistently cycled the Jock, Satellite Classic, Lost City Classic, Emperors, Capital Classic, Berg en Dale, Tour of Good Hope/Tour de Boland and for the first time this weekend the Sondela race. My wife has done some of the races too, and I have bought the odd cycling kit from your company.

 

Your company runs many of the road races and your involvement in the races is helpful as if you didn't run them i am not sure who would. Some will argue how you came to run them is ethically questionable, but i don't know and couldn't care for the full story. In general i enjoy the races that you arrange and I don't begrudge you making a healthy profit - if it was so easy to make money others would be doing it as well. Introducing a series of races and some tours is exciting too. However, i really get the sense that all your company cares about is making money. Examples of how this has manifested in my personal experience of my experiences at your races are as follows:

• Your races in my view are really very expensive. They are nearly as expensive as mass events that provide a completely more attractive value proposition of full road closure and other perks not offered by your races. You will no doubt argue that the reason it is expensive is because the scale is much smaller and so fixed costs need to be spread over a smaller number of riders and to keep races sustainable the costs are what they are etc, etc. There are two counters to this. 1. Other smaller races such as Race for Victory and Carnival City Classic are small and sustainable, but provide overall value and organisation that is on par and many will argue better than your races. They manage this despite that they don't have economies of scale due to arranging multiple events 2. It is a chicken and egg situation where you are causing volumes to be lower because your prices are high, lower prices would increase volumes.  
• There seem to be clear instances of trying to take short-cuts to save money. Manual timing at the Tour de Boland this year resulting in a total balls up. I have no doubt that the decision to suddenly cancel Racetec timing and let riders know on the evening before the Sondela race this past weekend was a purely economic one too - not enough riders to make it a viable solution to do electronic timing. If it was not an economic related decision , then i challenge ASG to refund riders the money that would otherwise of been paid to Racetec (or donate it to charity). It's pretty disgraceful to clearly advertise one thing and deliver something totally different, with no form of apology - just a sort of "by the way you paid for this we giving you something else." There are a number of hubbers that chose to do the Sondela race on the basis that it was racetec timed. 
• You have a brilliantly efficient system to get in riders money but can't get results up on your website within two days after the race (despite you setting your own deadlines about when race results will be up in the case of the Sondela race).
• At every opportunity it feels as though you are trying to market, cross-sell and bundle products at every interaction. 

 

Unfortunately we are not spoilt for choice in terms of road races, and in all likelihood I and others will continue to ride your races simply because we enjoy riding more than we like the sour taste that your overly strong commercial flavour on the events that you arrange often seems to leave in our mouths. However, the way you are treating your customers is doing nothing to create loyalty with them  so please do not feel surprised when they stop supporting you at the very first opportunity they get.

 

It would be great if you could take an honest look at yourself as a company and ask whether you think you would be a satisfied customer paying premium prices for sub-standard product.

 

I am not one of the "haters" on the hub, but i sheesh enough is enough, you can do better than this.

[Baaisikilist]

Any way you could create some kind of petition, where everybody who agrees with the OP's sentiments can be heard. Perhaps a way to show that more people feel this way than ASG think...

[TALUS]

I suspect the old results that were posted for the MTB race was just to keep appearances up. Definitely not the race I rode in (unless I won by 15min).

[Guest notmyname]

Very interesting and well penned piece. Ball is in your court ASG.

[Tumbleweed]

I suspect the old results that were posted for the MTB race was just to keep appearances up. Definitely not the race I rode in (unless I won by 15min).

 

Did you get prize money? 

 

Add my voice to those saying it's a well-reasoned letter. ASG have a decent enough presence on here that an open letter here is fair.

 

Modes, maybe move it to Rant The Bike Room, though?   

[Patchelicious]

Well said Ryan. I too have supported ASG, and even defended them when it came to creating a sustainable business and being profitable.

I still maintain that they can charge premium prices, but then they MUST deliver on what they promised. I truly feel that if they do not deliver what they put on the box then it's breach and we have recourse.

Mr ASG, Heinrich, was not at Sondela (well this was what the organizer told me). He did however send me a mail as my gripes on the on BikeHub were brought to his attention. I responded with my suggestions and thoughts, pretty much as stated above. So let's see what happens.

The big danger for ASG is that they are opening up a door for a "no mess no fuss" type race organizer to step in and fill this void. Maybe it is this exact healthy competition that they need? Lemmer is already doing it with a race that is competing wth their Tour of Good Hope, much cheaper, but much simpler and less flashy. I am currently entered for much more costly ASG event but if they only deliver what the cheaper event delivers, you need to ask yourself why pay the extra?

Let's hope that they respond to you in the open forum here, as I sense that they are losing even more moral support. It should be a pleasure entering their events, not a grudge purchase.

[Falco]

However, i really get the sense that all your company cares about is making money.

And you have only realised this NOW?

 

To them, cyclists are cash cows, nothing more. I've been saying it for years.

[Patchelicious]

Any way you could create some kind of petition, where everybody who agrees with the OP's sentiments can be heard. Perhaps a way to show that more people feel this way than ASG think...

Fill out their Web surveys. I know that they use that information.

[2 X 2]

What I don't understand, is that there is still people that will defend ASG   

 

What comes to mind is Turning wheel and blind whip.

 

I have stopped supporting them.

[V12man]

Hopefully ASG can turn this feedback into an improved customer experience.

 

Let's see....

Look..... a flying pig......

[Popit]

Well penned letter .

Let's see the ASG reply .

[Patchelicious]

I have made ASG and their CEO aware of this thread.

 

It is only fair to let them exercise their right to respond.

[Skinnyone]

While I agree that races are not cheap, and the expectations have grown to stupidly high levels by the paying rider BUT Perhaps a suggestion Mr OP...try putting on a race yourself it is not as easy as it looks and sounds and the cost of putting on events is extremely high...My 2c

[Patchelicious]

What I don't understand, is that there is still people that will defend ASG   

 

What comes to mind is Turning wheel and blind whip.

 

I have stopped supporting them.

I think often it is more a fact of defending an open market and allowing businesses to make a profit. But this can never be done immorally or illegally....

 

Deliver what you sell. Simple.