POLL: Have you competed in a paid event in the last 12 months?

Boltby and Ard Rock last year. I'm booked in for Boltby again this year.

It's a "No" from me regardless, but I wonder if you meant competed or participated, the latter taking into account the likes of sportives and other non-competitive events?

(I've paid to run in events)

Do you count paid uplifts but not racing in this?

Yep. Boltby. North Yorks Moors 300.

I ended up not being able to do it, but entered the last gt7. Didn't pay for it mind you, we got free entries because of much previous volunteering and trailbuilding and such but we expended some favours. But maybe it still counts? Used to do a lot, when uk enduro was at its height, I slightly wore it out for myself doing too much and then about the same time it all fell apart so I just stopped.

(the favour economy in racing is pretty funny, it's almost jarring when you go outside of your own little scene and all of a sudden people expect you to <pay for stuff> and turn up on time and things like that. But equally, "I want to race this one" "Oh but we really need someone to stand and blow a whistle" "Oh OK")

Yep, 2 ten mile timetrials. 

I won them both!!

I find this hard to follow. I paid to do a glorious gravel event. But I didn't really think of it as competition. I also did Oxduro which is free but is also an organised competition in which i chose to not compete

I just ticked them all to be sure 😀

Other seems to cover a wide range. 

Could add charity rides, bikepacking, and gravel which would probably cover most people who are ticking it

Just the one for me, "Heaven of the South" in the Cotswolds which I do every year with mates as a camping/social weekend. My son is nagging me to do some enduros but I keep bottling it. Too old/fragile/unskilled!

So, if you paid to do something on your bike then you'd be ticking yes...if you didn't pay then it would be no...

It is that simple, isn't it? Just ate being stw we need to pick at everything...

It's not being picky, it's a suggestion. The fact that this has been split into categories rather than yes and no suggests there is a value to knowing the type of events in the data so it's just feedback.

A multi day event, 60% off-road and a mix of MTB and gravel bikes doesn't fit neatly into any category, when I saw XC I imagine people that are racing.

Voted yes, other.

Bmx racing.

Was an organised British cycling race event. 

Our kids have too, quite a bit.

Does this include paid but not yet participated?

Posted by: DickBarton

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So, if you paid to do something on your bike then you'd be ticking yes...if you didn't pay then it would be no...

It is that simple, isn't it? Just ate being stw we need to pick at everything...

Rather depends on the purpose of the poll, hence my competition vs participation question. 

Someone asked about paying for uplift. What about paying to park?

Posted by: seriousrikk

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Does this include paid but not yet participated?

The wording is very clear.

No, but have entered Etape Caledonia this year. Have thought about entering more social gravel/xc events but not fit enough for racing.

Boltby, Ard Rock, Batch Burner.

Did a Glorious Gravel at cannock the other week, which was a kick up the arse to ride to work/get some miles in,  back in january.

And the Snowdonia mtb challenge last weekend in Betws y.

Posted by: ScotRoutes

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The wording is very clear.

Depends if you read the post or the poll question. The poll clearly says participated, the post says paid for. 

Posted by: blokeuptheroad

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Just the one for me, "Heaven of the South" in the Cotswolds which I do every year with mates as a camping/social weekend. My son is nagging me to do some enduros but I keep bottling it. Too old/fragile/unskilled!

I didn’t count that fantastic weekend as the last thing it is is competitive unless it’s trying to sneak extra isotonic cider at the top of the last climb

'other' for me - results could be a more informative if there were Gravel and Bikepacking/multiday event options?

Yes, a gravel option would be useful. I did Etape Caledonia and Gravelfoyle 10, so had to choose Road and Other

use them or lose them as they say.

a gravel option would be good, i've done a few of the mills & moor and alpkit/sonder winter gravel series, but they are more social / charity donation.. although guys at front always seems to be competing.

Depends if you read the post or the poll question. The poll clearly says participated, the post says paid for

The difficult word is 'competed', which implies some kind of race. So sportives on road or gravel and events like HONC or Batch Burner don't count. But if the key word was 'participated' then they would.

No, but are you logging individual responses to this for remarketing purposes?  Just checking

POLL: Have you competed...

Posted by: grahamt1980

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Do you count paid uplifts but not racing in this?

What, were you racing the other uplift bus to the top?

This is classic STW 

Its a poll asking if you paid to enter an event. No baby robins will die if you interpret it a bit differently. 

No, but why do you ask?

Posted by: Blackflag

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This is classic STW

People can't just tick "no" ! Er, but what if I paid for a new wheel a week before going to a trail centre and paying for the car park then I raced a pigeon down a trail that was flying next to me and awarded myself with a chest to pin it on at the bottom? Which one does I ticks den??

So, if you paid to do something on your bike then you'd be ticking yes...if you didn't pay then it would be no...

It is that simple, isn't it? Just ate being stw we need to pick at everything...

I'm with desperatebicycle on this one, it's not great wording.

Does an Audax count the same as a Cat4 race? Does an audax count at all when it's only £5? What about a Sportive? But a sportive is just an audax with £70 entry fee and a profit margin. What about a trail center, that's really just a very short off-road audax (there's a £5 entry fee, a cafe, a prescribed route, and you kid yourself you're not being competitive with those around you). What about velodrome SQT? It's about as expensive as a days parking at a trail center which I wouldn't say was an event, but is something I put in the calendar, so is an 'event'.  Tuesaday night time trials are even cheaper, and definitely a competitive event through. 

Posted by: desperatebicycle

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Posted by: Blackflag

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This is classic STW

People can't just tick "no" ! Er, but what if I paid for a new wheel a week before going to a trail centre and paying for the car park then I raced a pigeon down a trail that was flying next to me and awarded myself with a chest to pin it on at the bottom? Which one does I ticks den??

Other - that is surely obvious from that description. 🙂

So, if you paid to do something on your bike then you'd be ticking yes...if you didn't pay then it would be no...

It is that simple, isn't it? Just ate being stw we need to pick at everything...

If the question had been 'Have you participated in a paid event in the last 12 months?' or even 'Have you paid to take part in a cycling event...' then it's straightforward. As already pointed out several times, it becomes complicated because of the word 'competed' in the question. By using the 'competed' word, the question implies that you've actually raced, not just entered your local charity faux-sportive to the pub.

Posted by: thisisnotaspoon

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I'm with desperatebicycle on this one, it's not great wording.

Not me mate! I highlighted HAVE YOU COMPETED! which is clear as anyfink to I

No. 

But I’ve paid to enter an Audax, but that was definitely not competing. 

@Mark. You’ve ask a question but then muddied the waters by using another word. Plus this is STW, so we wouldn’t be able to agree of the colour of mud. 

I don’t actually care 

🙂 

Ooh, I forgot about the Flandrien sportive which was last Easter, so just sneaks in timewise. 

Rendering all stats invalid. 

(None of these are strictly classed as racing) I've definitely paid for and competed in several Mountain Bike Orienteering events. I've also participated in a bike-packing ultra and have 3 more lined up this year! 

I've paid to enter races...I'm not sure my performance counts as competing though.

I'd have totally entered the SES Ballo enduro except I can't go 🙁 Pro racing is going to have to live without me. 

@mark that makes it worse. In which direction don’t you care. The paying or the competing?

Yup, doing macavalanche tomorrow, ticked downhill but don't know what format it'll be tomorrow.

Does SSUK come under xc or other? 😆

I don’t have huge experience with questionnaires and statistics, but I’d have thought that people who have paid are much more likely to respond. People who have not are much more likely to simply ignore the thread. So certainly based on the total number of mountain bikers who I even vaguely know, this does not seem indicative of the real world to me.

Yes, I did the last Colne Valley Challenge which was ironically massively popular as it was the last one ever.

Prior to that the big Enduro's in the North of England but rather that inspiring me to do more, it feels more like that box is ticked.

I paid to do the Calder Divide Trail and Jennride over the last couple of years too. 

These days my money and time is much more likely to go on the occasional uplift day or a longer multiday offroad ride. Or this winter my first ever Costa del Sol bike trip with Sierra MTB. I think I loved the camaraderie of a good BB or Ardrock more than the riding. Instead of those I now get that by us all going up to Inners for a long weekend.

In fact, I might donate one event fee to the TVA.

Boltby & Bolly enduros last year, South lakes bike fest too. Same this year. Though tbh I keep thinking about not bothering with the enduros and just heading to Scotland/Wales for the weekend instead. Its all fun though.