exorbitant racefees that leave you breathless

[leons]

 

 

Why do I feel violated every time I look at an advert for a MTB event? I guess being a student has something to with it. I am of course referring to the price one has to pay for event entry and the fact that it has now become common practice not to include some sort of price indication on flyers and adverts for events. This morning again, an email for MTN Cape Times Vigne a Vigne. Luckly I read the The Hub and know is kaak exspensive! The same thing for The Mast Challenge in Tokai in a months time. Only this time the added insult of making riders pay 145ZAR while runners only fork out 95ZAR. Someone did mention in another thread that it might have something to do with there being more prizes for riders, but on the other hand I guess that pisses of the runners(don't really care about that one)? But the cherry for me is when me and a buddy did a PPA event in Malmesbury. They force you to pay ekstra because you are not a PPA member but at the end of the event they do not have a time or finnishing position for you. I mean whats the point of entering then? I could just as well take my money and go and ride Tokai/Jonkershoek and have money left over to buy lunch.

leons2009-03-13 12:09:44

[ASTANA]

agree with you. MTB event are not expensive to organize and run, unlike road events. Would pay much more for a road event. R80-R100 is enough for a MTB event, can also be much cheaper I guess.

 

Better to hold a mtb race with lets say a Festival or some other attraction then there is no reason for the MTB race to be that expensive. PPL want to come out and have fun/do some serious racing and then chill at the finish at some guesthouse/restaurant or festival tent to make te most of the day.

 

NO need to overcharge ppl and then ineffect make them regret they even came - next year they wont be back

[splat]

I mean whats the point of entering then? I could just as well take my money and go and ride Tokai/Jonkershoek and have money left over to buy lunch.

 

That applies to a lot of events.

But then some events are on land where you cant ride normaly.

Vote with your feet/wheels and choose events carefully or race your mates whenever you ride!

[leons]

splat - I guess thats one way of looking at it. Not that I would like to go and ride Malmesbury again and the Mast is 20 bucks or something on normal days(for the record I don't mind paying the 20).

 

ASTANA - I can see your point. But my next question is why is entry to road running events so cheap? And as far as I can tell they get full results and times.

 

[Gman1834]

Agree it are just to expensive. I can ride at groenkloof for R18.50 and i can ride all day if i want, it has less traffic than in a race and i can braai afterwords. 

[chuck]

Oih this post will get you a good flamin` 

 

IMHO there are many ways that cost for events can be cut (i.e. medals) but according to the organizer this is what the people demand. The solution is options, options , options but this means that more work gets moved to the organizers.

 

[gasant112]

imagine paying for a entry ...18k+ then you are informed your partner has been injured and he cant compete...WELL lets enter another person as a team then they tell sorry bud..you missed the cutoff for changes ...please pay another 8.4k wtf !

 

gasant1122009-03-13 06:36:14

[leons]

 

imagine paying for a entry ...18k+ then you are informed your partner has been injured and he cant compete as a team then they tell sorry bud..you missed the cutoff ...please pay another 8.4k wtf !

 

 

thats harsh! those amounts of cash sounds more at home in a story about drugs, running guns into zim and blackmail.

 

[funrider]

Agree it are just to expensive. I can ride at groenkloof for R18.50 and i can ride all day if i want' date=' it has less traffic than in a race and i can braai afterwords.  [/quote']

 

Do you pay to train? Sorry, but I don't know where/what Groenkloof is

[Aedon]

Oih this post will get you a good flamin` 

IMHO there are many ways that cost for events can be cut (i.e. medals) but according to the organizer this is what the people demand. The solution is options' date=' options , options but this means that more work gets moved to the organizers.
[/quote']

 

Medals,  did you do the Wilde Fruit? Your medal was a plastic button. The Cape Cobra? You got a greenish "livestrong" lookalike rubber band.

Entry to any run marathon, like Knysna, Oceans, Peninsula you get a T-Shirt,  Medal and a goodie bag.  All for cheaper than any road race.

[clinty]

imagine paying for a entry ...18k+ then you are informed your partner has been injured and he cant compete...WELL lets enter another person as a team then they tell sorry bud..you missed the cutoff for changes ...please pay another 8.4k wtf !

 

 

This really raises my blood pressure - last year my partner pulled out but luckily before the cutoff time - when I was informed that if it had been a couple of days longer, full price would have had to be paid I almost lost it - granted there are some name changes to be made on a computer somewhere but how can you justify doubling the entry fee for a genuine reason - like breaking a bone

[MeSuperFast]

I agree .. love races, but have stopped because i feel shafted by the entrance fees. Factor in petrol, lunch etc and you've dropped R300 for a fun ride.. Race organisers are simply greedy; there is no way their costs can justify the price inflation we've seen over last 3 years. I reckon entry prices have doubled in that time.

[Spinnekop]

I see cycling as a "competitive sport" going out the window due to race organizers pulling the rug out from underneath us.

I see myself riding less races and taking the money saved and go to Graskop and Lesotho and Natal and do scenic rides with two or three of my friends.

[Guest Agteros]

I'll only do races (MTB & Road) where there is electronic timing. Paying plenty moolah for a mass fun ride takes the fun out of the ride, and turns mass into gang and the ride to a word in the topic....

Eg: Why ride at Teak Place (GP) for
5km Ride : R40
19km Ride: R70
38km Ride: R90
Entries on the day will be accepted for a R20 penalty fee
Non electronically timed event
 
vs when you can go ride there for R25.00 and go around the trail as many times as you want?

Oh and the runners at the above event?

5km Run : R30
10km Run: R40
Entries on the day will be accepted for a R20 penalty fee.

Why the penalty of R20 in any case? What additional costs do they have to cover by somebody entering 'on the line' vs somebody entering on-line?

Agteros2009-03-13 07:04:11

[Jozanne]

I wrote a Letter to the organizers of the Dullstroom race in November 2008. about the cost of races and what exactly it all covers.<?: prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />

The letter was published in the January 2009 Ride Magazine.

 

Even though they had 2 responses from members of race organizing bodies, they still did not answer my questions.

 

I will post my letter and 1 reply in the next thread.

 

I feel we as a mountain biking community need to step up and take action against substandard races with enormous entry fees.

 

 

[Jozanne]

Dear Organizers of the Dullstroom - Highland Gate MTB challenge<?: prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />

 

We are a keen group of about 10 regular mountain bikers who are looking forward to the Highland Gate MTB challenge. We really enjoyed last year?s event and have therefore organized the weekend well in advance. We have booked accommodation and were thrilled to see we now have the option of a 2 day event!

 

I have just been on the website to enter the event for myself and my husband, and I have found your entry fees quite puzzling. 

 

Dual Long: 70km on Sat 22 November + 40km on Sun 23 November.

 

- Dual Long (2 Days), 70km & 40km (R320 per person)

 

Entre fee for 70km only = R150.

 

 

Could you please explain why the entry fee for the 2 day event is in fact more than double the normal 70km event? Why would the organizers expect the competitors to pay R170 for an 40km ride on the Sunday? We as a group feel this is exorbitant and would the rather opt to only do the 70km on Saturday and go for an informal ride in and around the lovely Dullstroom area by ourselves on the Sunday morning.

 

We do understand that it cost money to organize an mountain bike event and we gladly pay for the medical support and admin cost etc that makes a race great and worth while, but it is hard to justify R170 for a 40km race in especially in conjunction with a race the day before, surely it should not be double the cost for half the distance?

 

One however can?t compare the R640 to be spent per team on the Dual Long with prestige?s stage races such as the Sabie experience, Sani 2 C   and the  ABSA Cape Epic. All with steep entry fees that can be justified because they provide accommodation and some instances food ass well. These races have a reputation of being worth every sent and are fully booked months in advanced.

 

We have been wanting to compete in the Dirty Double series earlier in the year  but was also hindered by the cost of the double race, even though in the advertisement they state it to be a bargain :  ?All of this for just R580 per team, that's just R290 per person. Two days, two riders, 100km ? how can you not be there? ?

 

We feel  R145 for a 40km is still a steep entry fee.

 

The cost of race is becoming a growing concern for our group. In the past we believed to race as often as possible ? every weekend, and sometimes sommer  on both days. Not only do we have fun at races where the course is set out to include variety in single track and technical sections. Additionally we recognize the aspect of added safety when racing compared to a social ride without a support vehicle. To know paramedics and marshals is at hand in case of an emergency makes a big difference.  We strongly believe it is in our interest to support the various race?s, so as to grow our sport and support the organizers!

 

Unfortunately financially this is just not viable anymore because of the cost of the entry fees, not even mentioning the cost of accommodation as well as traveling to the event.

 

We Look forward to an awesome 70km race on Sat 22 November !

 

Kind Regards

Jozanne Louw