Cycle Race fees

[pbp2007]

I speak under correction, but the riders (those who have not already paid CSA via clubs/PPA) pay us > we pay CSA on their behalf. (The entry fee under Income includes this amount; it's not just the race entry fee.)

 

The R2 200 is a R2 a head levy imposed by CSA.

Edited January 28, 2011 by pbp2007

[andydude]

Thank you for this pbp2007.

 

It works out to a net profit margin of 43% which I guess is on the high side, but in your case you allocate it all to the Lions Project Fund

[Tankman]

okee dokee.

we're talking about joe hubber here. these races are large financial undertakings to compete in and while a certain portion goes towards the race most of it towards the hype surrounding the event. Just the other day there was someone here selling an epic entry as a 'once in a lifetime opportunity'. do me a favour, love.

 

sure for semi-pro sa mtbers(who don't pay the entry fee anyway) its pretty rad to race with the euro pros, but joe hubber only sees them at the prizegiving. Don't think prizemoney lures them here either, they're here for training and/or for sponsors/uci points. if me and my buddy piet do a shitload of training and mainline epo everynight and take a few shortcuts and we win a stage and come 4th overall...we will cover our entry fee. platt and sahm will get 5000euros each if they win...hardly compensation for pro riders who dedicate their year to this event.

 

now it's not all bad and these events have done a helluva lot of good for the sports, but they have definitely raised the bar for entry fees and directly helped other races justify larger than inflation increases. and ja, i haven't done either of them mainly because i think the entry fees are unjustified in terms of value so i go elsewhere.

 

 

Well said!

 

Some of these stage event tjops think they can charge you Epic prices for a ... umm ... not so epic ride!

 

Now look at this:

3 NIGHT Stage Race

 

Team of two - entry fee R600 - that is right R300 per person!

That is more like it! Works out to R100 per person per stage!

 

Take you tent, your food, lots of beer, fire wood and off ya go!

[pbp2007]

Thank you for this pbp2007.

 

It works out to a net profit margin of 43% which I guess is on the high side, but in your case you allocate it all to the Lions Project Fund

 

Take away the sponsorships and then see if it still makes a good business plan

 

At a race organisers' meeting a few years back I was shocked to find that most were either breaking even or making a loss - service organisations like Kirstenbosch Lions. We're just lucky to have a couple of cycling nuts to keep things going, a bunch of people who give up their time and money for no reward other than a job done well, and of course generous sponsors.

 

But it's getting harder and harder for us little guys. The red tape is busy choking us. From City Events Office to PPA, local councillors to traffic police... one day when we've got nothing left to choose from but a few big rah-rah events costing a fortune to enter, we might just look back with regret, and wonder how we could have allowed those irritating little rides to get squeezed out.

[Eldron]

The Olympic Cycles/Pres Les/Foord Asset Journey 4 Sight n Service is organised by the Lions Club of Kirstenbosch. I am a volunteer assistant to the convener.

 

As financials for this year’s event are not yet finalised, I’ve provided figures for 2010, which offered both a long and a short ride. In 2011 we were allowed to run the event on condition we had only one ride. As a result, this year we lost income from an estimated 200 riders.

 

Although financial details involving paper cups, string and Prestik may be of interest to some, I’ve extracted only the more significant numbers.

 

Bear in mind that we see this as a fund-raising venture for charity. Others might use the income in other ways, for instance to profit themselves, or to offset the entry fees.

 

Suffice it to say that the event’s viability is significantly dependent on sponsors and volunteers – some of whom only come in not because of cycling, but because of the association with Kirstenbosch Lions.

 

INCOME

Online entries: 29 881

Late entries: 41 515

Sponsorships: 42 450

Total income: 120 686

 

EXPENSES

Pedal Power fee: 11 500

Late entry “premium” paid to PPA: 1 712

Temporary numbers/CSA licence fee: 495

CSA fee (R2 per rider): 2 200

CSA licence fee: 1 274

Traffic department fee*: 8 630

*Reduced after representations – they quoted close to R20 000

Medical team: 3780

Venue hire: 3 500

Marshals*: 12 100

*NSRI, service clubs, Hamnet, etc

Medals: 12 350

Total expenses: 68 541

Profit (allocated to Lions Projects Fund): 52 145

 

You need a new calculator/financial controller - you're still using the R20,000 quote from the traffic department - real expenses are R57,541 which means your profit is R63,145. Thats a healthy 52% profit - far better than 99% of companies in South Africa.

 

Personally I think raising money for a good cause is excellent - the only problem I have is the forced charity that you make Mr. Joe Public pay. Effectively you could half the entry fee and break even but instead we're paying once to ride the race and once again to help charity.

 

Like I said - I have nothing against charity work - the problem is that people like me raise loads of cash every year for charity (I raised more than your race - goooooo ME!) but are forced to pay double to enter races in the name of charity.

 

Me? I like choice. Forced double entry is not choice.

 

Edit: Thank you for posting the open book though - I for one am really (dis)pleased to see how much races actually cost to put together....

 

Edit number 2: How much was the race to enter?

Edited January 28, 2011 by Eldron

[Tankman]

 

Medals: 12 350

 

 

I see a very easy way of raising another R12 350 for your charity.

 

Drop the medals! There has been many discussions about this and you feel really special the first time you ever receive a medal.

But after receiving your 138th medal you dont really know what to do with them any more or where to put them.

 

Is anyone really going to look at those medals one day and say "WOW look you did the Bokkie race in Kleinbrack in 1938, what place did you get 398th or 674th? "

[nathrix]

okee dokee.

we're talking about joe hubber here. these races are large financial undertakings to compete in and while a certain portion goes towards the race most of it towards the hype surrounding the event. Just the other day there was someone here selling an epic entry as a 'once in a lifetime opportunity'. do me a favour, love.

 

sure for semi-pro sa mtbers(who don't pay the entry fee anyway) its pretty rad to race with the euro pros, but joe hubber only sees them at the prizegiving. Don't think prizemoney lures them here either, they're here for training and/or for sponsors/uci points. if me and my buddy piet do a shitload of training and mainline epo everynight and take a few shortcuts and we win a stage and come 4th overall...we will cover our entry fee. platt and sahm will get 5000euros each if they win...hardly compensation for pro riders who dedicate their year to this event.

 

now it's not all bad and these events have done a helluva lot of good for the sports, but they have definitely raised the bar for entry fees and directly helped other races justify larger than inflation increases. and ja, i haven't done either of them mainly because i think the entry fees are unjustified in terms of value so i go elsewhere.

 

[pastapouch]

okee dokee.

we're talking about joe hubber here. these races are large financial undertakings to compete in and while a certain portion goes towards the race most of it towards the hype surrounding the event. Just the other day there was someone here selling an epic entry as a 'once in a lifetime opportunity'. do me a favour, love.

 

sure for semi-pro sa mtbers(who don't pay the entry fee anyway) its pretty rad to race with the euro pros, but joe hubber only sees them at the prizegiving. Don't think prizemoney lures them here either, they're here for training and/or for sponsors/uci points. if me and my buddy piet do a shitload of training and mainline epo everynight and take a few shortcuts and we win a stage and come 4th overall...we will cover our entry fee. platt and sahm will get 5000euros each if they win...hardly compensation for pro riders who dedicate their year to this event.

 

now it's not all bad and these events have done a helluva lot of good for the sports, but they have definitely raised the bar for entry fees and directly helped other races justify larger than inflation increases. and ja, i haven't done either of them mainly because i think the entry fees are unjustified in terms of value so i go elsewhere.

if I was interested in MTbing, I would have gone for that Epic entry

[428 others]

Kremertart is also good value, ignore the goodie bag which in itself is tops, the cost includes meals during the race and a potjie after. Acommodatiion varies from choice of dirt cheap hostel and camping to luxury.

 

+1 Hell you can live on that goody bag for a week!

[Cheese]

Hey,

 

i am doing the Grey discovery Race in Bloemfontein tommorow.

R60-00 Entry fee, for the 100 km . Will collect goodie bag & number tonight. Will cycle to start tommorow to save money.

 

I also have an issue with this when I go up to Gauteng for a race . normally stay in the Vaal triangle then I must do around 100km to venue and back to collect number and next day again to do the race.

[pbp2007]

You need a new calculator/financial controller - you're still using the R20,000 quote from the traffic department - real expenses are R57,541 which means your profit is R63,145. Thats a healthy 52% profit - far better than 99% of companies in South Africa.

As I said in my original post, my list excludes sundry smaller items.

 

The TOTALS include these items.

 

I'll take your comment about profit margin as a compliment to our business acumen. Or to our foolishness in not claiming for the scores of man-hours, out-of-pocket expenses, donations, etc accumulated by the Kirstenbosch club members. And to the generosity of our sponsors.

 

Personally I think raising money for a good cause is excellent - the only problem I have is the forced charity that you make Mr. Joe Public pay. Effectively you could half the entry fee and break even but instead we're paying once to ride the race and once again to help charity.

As I said in an earlier post, organisers could use the profit for themselves, to offset fees, or - as the Lions Club does - for charity. We make no apologies for this.

 

Like I said - I have nothing against charity work - the problem is that people like me raise loads of cash every year for charity (I raised more than your race - goooooo ME!)

Fantastic. I wish there were more people like you.

 

but are forced to pay double to enter races in the name of charity.Me? I like choice. Forced double entry is not choice.

Our fees are in line with PPA recommendations - similar to other rides. This year, pre-entry was R75/R85 for PPA/non-PPA. Late entry was R105/R125.

 

Riders are free to vote with their wallets; there are alternatives.

 

One alternative is to support other events - many of which are more expensive.

 

Another is for riders to organise alternative events themselves. See my original post to find out what you're in for.

[pbp2007]

Drop the medals!

It was the 25th running of this event and the convener deemed it appropriate (sorry, awfully posh sounding) to strike commemorative medals. A bit of an indulgence, I know. But we got a sponsor.

 

In any case, many riders complain when they don't get a medal.

 

You guys up at the head of the pack just don't hear all the muttering at the back.

 

P.S. I like a medal. Guess that tells you where I end up.

[Tankman]

Just out of interest, how many medals do you get for R12 350?

Ordering the correct amount of medals must be tricky?

Do they have year dates on them, can you use them in another year as well?

 

Yea I know people are sentimental about these things, but if it was an Olympic (no pun intended), Worlds, National, Provincial or UCI event a proper medal is expected for the podium finishers.

 

Not everyone participating in the Olympics gets a medal, only first, second and third....?

[Eldron]

 

 

Our fees are in line with PPA recommendations - similar to other rides. This year, pre-entry was R75/R85 for PPA/non-PPA. Late entry was R105/R125.

 

 

The R80 entry changes everything - at that price I'm happy to enter - double charity entry or not!

 

The fact that you can put on a race AND make a good donation to charity at R80 entry only makes me more depressed though when I think about how much I normally spend on races...

 

Big ups to you for going public with the numbers and making no apologies for doing so. If only more races were R80 a pop I think most cyclists would be much happier people!

[TriGuru76]

I am of the opinion that the organizing cost is "fix" regardless of the amount of entrants.

 

So why charge i.e. Xterra this weekend R300 per entrant + R100 late entry charge.

No road closure needed. Rehidrate is the sponsor so they pitch with large quantity of drinks.

So no need to plan for 5 or 5000 athletes. they do it anyway.

 

Comrades marathon charges +- R200. Great goody bag, Excellent water stations.

etc.

 

They get 15000 plus entries.

 

Race organizers have seen this is a way of gertting easy cash.

 

I think this sticks.

Was gonna race tomorrow but now.... me thinks not.

[pbp2007]

Just out of interest, how many medals do you get for R12 350?

Ordering the correct amount of medals must be tricky?

Do they have year dates on them, can you use them in another year as well?

 

I haven't got the numbers handy, but it's about R10 a medal. Undated: we haven't got the luxury, like the Argus, of knowing beforehand how many riders to expect, so we did a thumbsuck. Our usual turnout fluctuates between 800 and 1100 riders. Because of smaller numbers this year, as a result of only having the long ride, and some medals left over from last year, we were able to economise on medals this year.

 

I hear what you say about the worth of medals. We often kick around ideas of alternatives that are both meaningful and useful. But many of our riders do like the medals: the first-timers trying out their Christmas gift bikes, the easy riders using occasional summer rides as prep for the Argus, etc.