Events are getting too expensive

[leet22]

What is starting to get my goat is the price of the merchandise. I know its not that important but sometime its a nice to have but

R220 now for a T-Shirt as a reminder of the ride. Why do we import a t-shirt from Aussie land and have to charge R220 when it could be made here?

[GrumpyOldGuy]

I want to know how this whole sponsorship deal work. Surely if stuff gets sponsored the price must go down. I did a inaugural MTB race a few months back and it was really cheap and you did not just get a great route but a t-shirt and lunch. Now they got sponsorship for the event and the price almost doubled. An personally I don't see when the price for a half distance lap event is reasonable they have to double it for the full distance. It's the same course so it's not like you need double the marshals or double the drinks tables. They should be the same price at the half distance price not same at the full distance price.

 

Sponsorships are really a double edged sword because its almost always tied into a charity benefit. Major sponsors in SA also have major social obligations, so to secure a big enough sponsor an organiser will need to align himself with a recognised charity / benefit - no sponsor will hand over finances where the beneficiary is "FRED FARMER'S CYCLING CLUB" but raising funds for a recognised charity by means of a cycle race will generally secure a financial sponsor who can align his social responsibility with this charity, via a cycle race.

 

However, the organiser cant just decide how much / if anything he wants to hand over to the charity, a big financial sponsor will almost certainly require a minimum PRE ARRANGED donation if they want his support next time,and it will generally be more than what he sponsors in rand terms,they will also demand certain minimum requirements in advertising, branding etc, so, yes, organisers use this sponsorship as a means to attract more entrants and give their event credibility, but it has a downside in that costs are certainly increased for the organiser.

 

Big athletic events like Comrades, Two Oceans, Om die dam etc have the same problem, but local Athletic / running events are generally a lot cheaper simply because many events are just organised at club / social / school / business level for the local runners, they have no alignment with charities, no benefits to support, they use club members to organise and the costs are kept to a bare minimum, their sole income is from the entrance fee and maybe a small donation of prizes etc, but because its run as a local no profit event, usually R40.00 will get you an entry, a medal, a drink and sometimes a T shirt.

 

Mind you, this was also common in cycling a few years ago as well, when local schools, and church committees etc organised races for really very cheap, but they got hugely bad publicity for poor organising, no facilities etc and as far as I can see they have simply stopped running them now.

 

The bottom line is the cyclists themselves were instrumental in forcing small, cheap local events from the calender, but, sadly, big events have big responsibilities and this costs big money - a double edged sword - maybe its time to bring back the small school events again.? I usually enjoyed them.!

[Guest Frail4Life]

Yes this Topic has been raised before but, that does not mean it was or ever will be resolved without alot more of Our complaining / debating / staying away.

 

Just because I am riding the latest Carbon Fibre bike or want to prove my enjoyment for the sport am I going to pay these Entry / Licensing Fees. I cycle to 99% of the Races that I attend, try to save on All my Weekend expenses as I also do all my own servicing and repairs to my bike.

At times I feel we the Cyclist are just a number and have no opinion or a means to voice our concerns.

 

If I do not Ride, someone will just fill my place.

 

When will CSA come forward and start to make some improvements to the fantastic Racing Calendar?

[GrumpyOldGuy]

Yes this Topic has been raised before but, that does not mean it was or ever will be resolved without alot more of Our complaining / debating / staying away.

 

Absolutely agree. Nothing is ever achieved without discussion. Discussion leads to action. Not the other way around.

 

As one person, how many people can you talk to, 5 maybe 10 over a period of sometimes days, a forum on the other hand provides access to thousands instantly - there is no doubt forum discussions can lead to willing change - in the USA forum discussions are so powerfull, many of the major companies, etc hire people to just sit and moniter them 24/7 - one bad experience posted on a forum can bloom into a huge issue in hours as people pile in, and 9 times out of 10 the supplier will immediately come to the board and correct or explain the issue.

 

Fair enough, we have'nt reached that position here in SA yet, BUT already sites like "Hello Peter" have had a major influence on the way companies do business, like them or not, agree with them or not, they can, and do, sway public opinion.

[pablo]

I'm a student and want to enter stage races...not gonna happen. They are seriously over priced!Maybe they can give a student discount??Ha!

[niklasvm]

I'm a student and want to enter stage races...not gonna happen. They are seriously over priced!Maybe they can give a student discount??Ha!

 

I agree, just having a bicycle is already barely affordable.

[_Daemon_]

Wanted to do the Freedom Challenge next year. Got my provisional entry email - R16500 - WHAT??

They must be smoking something, that for a self supported race? For that price I would rather go to Europa

and do a race or two there. SSWC 2011 comes to mind...

[Unicycle]

Races are becoming more expensive but I think many of them are also getting better and I am happy to pay for better races. I am looking for great singletrack and effort with the route, a seeding system (batch starts) so that I don't experience congestion etc

 

Race organisers pay huge amounts of money to CSA for riders levies, day licenses, calendar fees etc, so we are funding the sport's administration. They also need to pay land owners etc, so I think it the R150 - R200 for a MTB event is justified. If you compare it to a round of golf it is actually cheap.