- This topic has 15 replies, 14 voices, and was last updated 8 years ago by dragon.
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£49 for a gravel /cx sportive.. Expensive?
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slowjoFree MemberPosted 8 years ago
I should say so.
For an ‘on the doorstep’ event I would say it is expensive. From another perspective, if I were to travel from a long distance away then maybe it is a better deal. I wouldn’t have local knowledge so I would put a value on the fact that someone has thought it all out for me, marked the trail etc. Those are the criteria I apply to events, unless they are put on by local clubs (on my doorstep) to raise funds for themselves – and these are usually only a tenner to enter.
RorschachFree MemberPosted 8 years ago[grumpy]Any more than £15(£20 tops) for riding your bike is too much.[grumpy/]
stoooFree MemberPosted 8 years agoMight be amazing value…. hard to tell, given that the link tells me zero about the event. All I have is a title, date, location.
Would be nice to have a description of the route, perhaps some pictures, an elevation chart…. a rough map (I understand they may not want to give details). What do I get for my £49? Are there feed stops? How many? Do I get a completion T shirt?
On the whole though, still sounds like a lot.
Entry for the Selkirk MTB Marathon was £35 (pre book)
I did the 75km on saturday… brilliant event.
Great course, Loads of amazing feed stops, with cake and powerbar energy stuff, and cheery marshals.
Showers etc at start and finish… timing, and a free T shirt on completion. Great value.PickersFull MemberPosted 8 years agoHmmm given that the event on my doorstep (the excellent HONC) is £15 I would need a good deal more info before putting an entry in.
bikebouyFree MemberPosted 8 years ago£49 ! sheeze… thats a lot even for me to turn down. I’d guess you do get support, feed zones, maybe a cup of coffee at the end, but £49 ? I’m ooooot.
And, well I like these events. To me they are a great way of seeing the UK and places I’ve never visited and yes I know I could (and do) make my own routes up but sometimes it’s just nice to turn up and ride a pre-GPX’d event.
Best of luck to them, look forward to reading whats included for the £49… 😕
thisisnotaspoonFree MemberPosted 8 years ago£49!
You could do a round of golf for that!
I’m off to a sailing event this weekend. 2 days of racing with 3 races each day. A shore team of people to help with launching and recovery, car parking, boat/trailer storage, safety boats, race officers, changing rooms, a curry on Saturday night and prizes (because it’s a race not a sportive) on the Sunday.
The grand total of all that? £20.
If I wanted to go for a bike ride I’d buy a magazine or guide book. If I wanted company I’d do an audax (which is only a smidgen more than a guide book).
Considering the percieved elitism and cost of sailing, cyclists do seem to be prepared to take their trousers down and pass the soap far more regulalry.
PaineyFree MemberPosted 8 years agoThese types of thing are getting stupidly expensive. I’m sure there’s valid reasons why but I recently saw something similar on the South Downs close to where I live. It’s 30 odd miles and costs over £30, for a route that’s pretty dreadful considering the area.
2 or 3 years ago this type of thing was usually £13-£15.
TheSanityAssassinFull MemberPosted 8 years agoThis weekend’s CVMBC is £17.00 pre-booked (£22.00 on the day).
Challenging 30 mile route, 4 feed stations (with SiS drinks), free refreshments before and after, certificate, vehicle recovery if you can’t get round, a free goody bag with branded products AND a free t-shirt too.
People complain that £17 is ‘a lot’, but £49????FunkyDuncFree MemberPosted 8 years agoThe Tour de Yorkshire Sportive was £49… to ride a bike on the road in the pouring rain 😯
aPFree MemberPosted 8 years agoThe thing is that adding the two special words Gravel and CX to the title means that the price doubles.
This coming weekend we’re riding the Tour of the Black Country which cost £25 each. Whilst it’s not the cheapest ride, having been a promoter of CX and road races and a course marker for club sportives and actually a UCI cat race I know how much time it takes to do this. When its something that benefits the club then people don;t mind donating their time, but when its a commercial event then the costs start to ramp up.
When I was chief marshal for the Archer GP I used to end up driving over 450 miles in order to be able to sign the course, then support the volunteer marshals during the race and then to remove the signs once the race was complete. I didn’t get paid 42p a mile for this or even get a contribution to my petrol expenses, that’s life, but I would definitely expect recompense if it was a commercial operation.
Does seem a lot of money for that event though.cookeaaFull MemberPosted 8 years agoThis is surely due to the rise of the MAMIL and their branching out into CX/Gravel.
PickersFull MemberPosted 8 years agoThe Tour de Yorkshire Sportive was £49… to ride a bike on the road in the pouring rain
^^^ Blimey! I did Paris-Roubaix Sportive last month, €30 (£22). To ride in rain again though!
iamsporticusFree MemberPosted 8 years agoAs the same people want £350 for two 50 miles bike rides, a bike fit and some tips on mending punctures (plus your own B&B as extra) then this event seems good value in comparison
http://www.pembrokeshireactive.co.uk/product/peakdistricttrainingcamp/
dragonFree MemberPosted 8 years agoThere is a road sportive organised in the Cairngorms for September at £70. Nuts IMO, especially when you can ride around those roads for free any day of the week.
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