94.7 Entry fees

[LarryMTB]

I fully agree. Looking at the total cost of entering an event like this, it is becoming outrageous. I fully appreciate that there are costs involved in hosting like timing, medals, marshals, authorities, etc. but for cyclists outside of Gauteng it is becoming difficult to support. We are going to see a trend to support smaller events like the Loskop, Kremetart where you can make it a nice family weekend away. Just a thought...

[Vetplant]

What about the goodie bag ? 

The Rooiwal Supermarket is 1.6km up the road, you can buy a Roll-On of your choice and some ricecakes there, pop it in the plastic bag and you're sorted. So, R214 and you have a nice event including a goodie bag... 

 

Oh, I forgot. Number collection is on the day and allot of people just do their entries on the day, but the line can get long, so just enter on the portal beforehand to save yourself some time...

[Jensie]

Well, I am doing Tswane race, the less expensive entry allows me to help with petrol to and back to the event, 480km round trip, food and a couple of lagers all can add up. so at least I am saving more than R200. should I wanted to do the 947 I would have to travel from PTA to JHB as i have free lodging there. Another R100 worth of petrol. So ja I skipped. 

[Skubarra]

 

All I'm saying is that if the organisers went and negotiated with sponsors to get better stuff in there, less people would be complaining about the price. It's really a win-win there, sponsors get more exposure, the organisers have happier customers, and the racers feel they get better value for money.

 

 

You really think in the current economic conditions sponsors are lining up to hand out stuff for free for "exposure"? And somehow organisers just forgot to negotiate a bit better?

 

Reality is that often without the money from sponsors a race like the 94.7 would be completely unaffordable, you would be surprised how little your entry fee actually covers. 

[love2fly]

They can keep the crappy medals, its worthless when all finishers gets one. All we want is just a bit of fairness in pricing. How do they justify R650 per rider?

Why not get more riders willing to enter or can afford to enter and thus also increasing exposure to the sponsors?

Please dont miss the point, we dont want to ride for free and we also dont want goodie bags filled to the brimm.

All we want is affordable entry fees that seems fair....

I couldnt agree more. I suggest all races scrap medals and donate the cost to a charity in the rider's name. The number of awful medals I have fills 2 shopping bags and they keep getting bigger and uglier!!!

[Jase619]

If you think about it, the organisers aren't paying for the items in the goody bag are they? It's marketing opportunity for the sponsors. So the price of the event shouldn't be influenced by it. Barring my comments in the reply to the last post.

 

All I'm saying is that if the organisers went and negotiated with sponsors to get better stuff in there, less people would be complaining about the price. It's really a win-win there, sponsors get more exposure, the organisers have happier customers, and the racers feel they get better value for money.

 

 

Are you saying you wouldn't be happier if you got better stuff in the bag when paying R500 odd for a race?

 

 

I'm almost willing to bet that the race would be even more expensive if they dropped the goody bag. The sponsors and the exposure is subsidizing it to a certain extent.

 

No not at all, everyone loves free things, but would my happiness be influenced by what I paid for the entry? Nope, not at all. For me those two things are mutually exclusive. I decide whether a race is worthwhile based on a number of factors, of which the goodie bags, it's existence and perceived "quality" are completely absent.

 

And I HIGHLY doubt that the race would be more expensive if they dropped the goodie bag, that kind of logic I am unable to comprehend.

 

At least if they dropped it the organisers wouldn't have to go and grovel around for a deodarant and a seed bar

[Mojoman]

Ride for a charity and then the price and effort involved doesn't seem too bad....

[shaper]

Go do a few Ironman events.... then you will not think this expensive!!

[love2fly]

Expensive is actually not defined by what the cost is compared to other events like the Ironman.

It's actually determined by the value and I guess by the profit made by the organiser....

 

The costs are not that bad when you consider that a lot of it is sponsored.....and the organiser has made a lot of money from this and Walk the Talk over the years....

[Frosty]

The costs are not that bad when you consider that a lot of it is sponsored.....and the organiser has made a lot of money from this and Walk the Talk over the years....

Have you been part of a race organizing committee?

[scotty]

Found this on book face, its from 2013 but gives an idea of costs involved, little or none donated. Only cost I find a rip off is where a proportion of every riders entry fee is "donated" to CSA for the "privilege" of sanctioning it. 

 

Your Entry Fee into the 2013 Momentum 94.7 Cycle Challenge is R320.00 - breakdown:

(R275.20 + R 44.80 VAT + CSA rider levy of R 6.00)

 

·         Registration process and year round Race Office to service your Cycle Challenge needs

·         8km of fencing to keep the roads on the route closed

·         4000 straw bales to keep the roads on the route closed

·         3400 orange cones to close the route one block away from the route

·         600 marshals – who need to be transported and dropped off at their points from 03:00 and picked up from 15:00

·         500 JMPD Traffic Officers

·         300 toilets at the start/route/finish and 30 janitors to keep them clean

·         300 security staff on route and at the venue

·         200 medical staff on route and at the finish

·         170 Physio and Chiro students and 12 qualified Physio’s and Chiro’s on route and at the finish

·         120 Start Marshals - Start Team

·         120 Finish Marshals - Finish Team

·         35 Joburg Roads Agency staff to place and pick up the cones and road closure signage

·         30 Traffic Free Flow officers to direct traffic

·         30 Off Road Rescue Units who patrol the route, send communications to the Joint Operations Centre and sweep cyclists abandoning their ride

·         25 Think Bikes patrolling the route and trouble shooting

·         20 Sweep Vehicles with trailers and drivers

·         20 bakkies to transport the 100 casual staff who physically place the fencing and bales in the intersections to effect road closure, from 00:00 – 06:00

·         10 Water points with Powerade, water, ice, toilets, rubbish bins and 50 support staff per point

·         10 Megabus busses to assist with the sweep with drivers and route leaders.

·         Generators - providing power for lights; sound; catering at the Start and Venue

·         Route cleaning and recycling of waste.

·         Feeding and watering of all the staff mentioned above

·         Race number and race pack

·         Commemorative Medal

·         Goodie Bag at registration

·         Ice cold Beverage and water at the finish

·         We allow for 450 complimentary entries to previously disadvantaged communities, the physically disabled cyclists, mentally disabled cyclists, blind cyclists and we support the Fortune Five Cycling team – who last year all finished in under three hours.

[The Ouzo]

Found this on book face, its from 2013 but gives an idea of costs involved, little or none donated. Only cost I find a rip off is where a proportion of every riders entry fee is "donated" to CSA for the "privilege" of sanctioning it. 

 

Your Entry Fee into the 2013 Momentum 94.7 Cycle Challenge is R320.00 - breakdown:

(R275.20 + R 44.80 VAT + CSA rider levy of R 6.00)

 

·         Registration process and year round Race Office to service your Cycle Challenge needs

·         8km of fencing to keep the roads on the route closed

·         4000 straw bales to keep the roads on the route closed

·         3400 orange cones to close the route one block away from the route

·         600 marshals – who need to be transported and dropped off at their points from 03:00 and picked up from 15:00

·         500 JMPD Traffic Officers

·         300 toilets at the start/route/finish and 30 janitors to keep them clean

·         300 security staff on route and at the venue

·         200 medical staff on route and at the finish

·         170 Physio and Chiro students and 12 qualified Physio’s and Chiro’s on route and at the finish

·         120 Start Marshals - Start Team

·         120 Finish Marshals - Finish Team

·         35 Joburg Roads Agency staff to place and pick up the cones and road closure signage

·         30 Traffic Free Flow officers to direct traffic

·         30 Off Road Rescue Units who patrol the route, send communications to the Joint Operations Centre and sweep cyclists abandoning their ride

·         25 Think Bikes patrolling the route and trouble shooting

·         20 Sweep Vehicles with trailers and drivers

·         20 bakkies to transport the 100 casual staff who physically place the fencing and bales in the intersections to effect road closure, from 00:00 – 06:00

·         10 Water points with Powerade, water, ice, toilets, rubbish bins and 50 support staff per point

·         10 Megabus busses to assist with the sweep with drivers and route leaders.

·         Generators - providing power for lights; sound; catering at the Start and Venue

·         Route cleaning and recycling of waste.

·         Feeding and watering of all the staff mentioned above

·         Race number and race pack

·         Commemorative Medal

·         Goodie Bag at registration

·         Ice cold Beverage and water at the finish

·         We allow for 450 complimentary entries to previously disadvantaged communities, the physically disabled cyclists, mentally disabled cyclists, blind cyclists and we support the Fortune Five Cycling team – who last year all finished in under three hours.

but if my maths is correct, R500 x 20 000 entries = R10 000 000

does all of the above equate to 10bar ?

I guess it IS possible.

[Jase619]

but if my maths is correct, R500 x 20 000 entries = R10 000 000

does all of the above equate to 10bar ?

I guess it IS possible.

 

I think you would be surprised how very quickly things add up and reach that mark.

[Frosty]

Contrary to popular rumours, most of the stuff used is paid for and not sponsored.

 

Fencing, toilets, cones, drinks, tables, marquees, generators, the fuel to run the generators, fuel for the vehicles, signage, and and and.

 

Don’t forget that the organizers also have people working full time that need to be paid.

[scotty]

Contrary to popular rumours, most of the stuff used is paid for and not sponsored.

 

Fencing, toilets, cones, drinks, tables, marquees, generators, the fuel to run the generators, fuel for the vehicles, signage, and and and.

 

Don’t forget that the organizers also have people working full time that need to be paid.

True, if an event breaks even its successful. Many races have disappeared due to not been economically viable. Transvaal Galvanizers used to host a MTB event for charity along the same tracks as your race but sadly sponsorship and rising costs make it uneconomic and very little or nothing when they run at a loss left for charity 

[Skubarra]

Contrary to popular rumours, most of the stuff used is paid for and not sponsored.

 

Fencing, toilets, cones, drinks, tables, marquees, generators, the fuel to run the generators, fuel for the vehicles, signage, and and and.

 

Don’t forget that the organizers also have people working full time that need to be paid.

 

I had been cycling for many years (and often had strong opinions here on the hub about entry fees that are too high) before I helped out in organising a race myself (for a local school).

 

Was a real eye opener on how much work is involved (and the costs that the general public is not aware of). Only way that race is sustainable is because loads of parents & pupils give up their time for free (if they had to be paid the race would run at a loss) + we have a free venue. (and even though the race is successful I am convinced there are far easier ways for the school to raise money)

 

Public perception about value for money is what it is though, it is becoming harder to attract entrants and no point raging against it. But personally I will always say to pay R500 for a ride on closed roads through the heart of a large city (while contributing to a charitable cause) should be worth it for anyone who is passionate about cycling.