The supposedly incredible cost of racing (ridiculous article content)

If you read between the lines you can see that he’s budgeted for a VW van next season… 😀

Milton Keynes Spring Road Race 2003. Rode my training bike and some chump was laughing at the old 105 stuff on my bike. He definitely finished behind me that day. Everyone did 😀 and that was an E123 8)

he finished 22nd overall in the tour of the reservoir, that suggests to me he’s a very strong racer indeed.

Where’s that? He finished 22nd in the Tour of Northumberland, a National B race? Unless I’m missing something he didn’t do the Tour of the Reservoir. Results. He finished 9th in 1998 though.

He’s certainly not doing chipper races, but I remain unimpressed given his talking.

Some tough races there, so not surprising he hasn’t scored points. I was down for the SL stage race and we were targeting points and overall. Obviously, I didn’t ride, but TCC won the first race.

However,

If he can’t win place in a 2/3 road race then I doubt he’s going to win the Masters Road Race Championships.

Is probably true this year. There are plenty of elites in my age group (45-50) and other groups as well! I’m used to hanging onto Martin Smith’s wheel for as long as I can. Never beaten him. Ever.

£2000 gets you an excellent race bike, £400 gets you a good used starter race bike (TCR, of course!). My kit probably does cost £500, including shoes, and one decent crash and it’s new skinsuit and helmet time (£250). But seriously, better off buying a cheaper bike and the services of a coach.

Race entries are not insignificant, about £500/year. Teams pay for national events normally.

‘m used to hanging onto Martin Smith’s wheel for as long as I can

The ex army guy? i’ve been riding with him. He’s a total machine. turned up to our sunday club ride and realised how fit he was when he big ringed it up one of the climbs out of Bristol.

he finished 22nd overall in the tour of the reservoir, that suggests to me he’s a very strong racer indeed.

Where’s that? He finished 22nd in the Tour of Northumberland, a National B race? Unless I’m missing something he didn’t do the Tour of the Reservoir.[/quote]

My Bad! I’m assuming he did the cat 3/4 race then? not particularly impressive. i was going tor ace that, but it was easter….

But seriously, better off buying a cheaper bike and the services of a coach.

Hmm good point, he doesn’t seem to have listed the cost of coaching. Probably knows it all.

mrblobby – Member

We done this one yet?

Second hand TCR and a cheap 99 quid turbo. Job done.

LOL – how many here follow this suggestion?

Seems to me most here are closer to cyclists described in the article than not.

LOL – how many here follow this suggestion?

🙂

Hardly anyone I suspect. Point is you can do it on very little money if you want, or you can choose to spend pretty much a limitless amount of cash on it.

I reckon I’m somewhere around £2k a year. But most of that is nice to have, very little is essential.

Depends on your definition of “closer”. My race bikes aren’t exactly cheap, but at £5k for the pair I’m rather closer to £0 than his spend. The TT bike is the more expensive, but currently costing me £167 a year.

Closer how? I don’t think any spend >12k every year on racing alone, so mathematically we’re all closer to the guy who works in Greggs than we are to Critchlow.

But it’s irrelevant anyway, as he even says he doesn’t actually pay those prices for that kit. He’s done the equivalent of selling a bike and valuing it by listing the retail prices of everything, including the garage it’s stored in.

LOL how defensive are you lot?

Using maths (and an amount already decried earlier in the thread) when I was just pointing towards a principle – most of us spend WAY more than we need to – especially those thinking it will make them faster.

LOL how defensive are you lot?

“You lot”. You mean two of us, who made a very valid observation. 😕

Has all that lol’ing starved your brain of oxygen!?

Of course we all spend more than we need to. No one needs to own a bike, nor race it.

Using maths (and an amount already decried earlier in the thread) when I was just pointing towards a principle – most of us spend WAY more than we need to – especially those thinking it will make them faster.

I don’t think people are decrying the amount so much as what he has included in the claimed “annual cost” (… a Wattbike!!!) And the implication that this is “the incredible cost of amateur bike racing” for all and that people are being priced out as a result. Which is clearly bollocks.

It’s just someone indulging their hobby with extravagant spending.

especially those thinking it will make them faster.

Hold on, I added some <70g new pedals to my bike at the weekend. You mean I won’t be faster? 😯

To be fair to him regarding bikes being an annual cost, for a lot of semi-pros the offer they get is to buy that year’s race bike(s) at a reduced rate, rather than get anything for free – the idea often being that you can sell them on at the end of the season for close to what you paid.

Admittedly this means that his bikes are, in fact, astronomically expensive ( as opposed to just “silly expensive”), but it would mean an annual outlay if he wants to stay with the team.

Hold on, I added some <70g new pedals to my bike at the weekend. You mean I won’t be faster?

Well you will, but not measurably to any degree of accuracy.

To be fair to him regarding bikes being an annual cost, for a lot of semi-pros the offer they get is to buy that year’s race bike(s) at a reduced rate, rather than get anything for free – the idea often being that you can sell them on at the end of the season for close to what you paid.

That’s not how he’s put it though (and many teams running that sort of deal will let you just give the bike back anyway, or purchase at the end of the season, potentially having already sold it). Either way it’s either ‘free’ or you sell it on, so the only annual expenditure would be the trade value of the bike, less it’s resale value.

I used to do that every year until bikes got stupid expensive and even at trade they were £3k+, just too small a market for that second hand.

Of course we all spend more than we need to. No one needs to own a bike, nor race it.

Or chain it to a lampost outside someone’s cafe?

njee20 – Member
Of course we all spend more than we need to. No one needs to own a bike, nor race it.

YAY! Godwins’s law in 1 post!

My point is most of us spend way more than we need to to get the level of enjoyment/performance we want.

Lighten up pal.

Click on his byline and he appears to be a financial journalist by trade.

So I won’t put too much faith in the Telegraph’s reporting on money matters from now on.

Could have been a worthwhile article if it wasn’t for the absurd maths.

Has all that lol’ing starved your brain of oxygen!?

😯 I lol’d, hoping to God/Allah I haven’t starved myself of oxygen, I really don’t want to end up like Al…

FWIW I raced last year on an standard entry level alu TCR, (it had a PM on but we’ll gloss over that…) got some points and even some prize money too. You don’t have to go balls deep.

if that includes helmet, shoes, race cape, a couple of bibs and an jersey you wouldn’t be far off £500.

I don’t know what a race cape is but if it’s what I’m imagining, I really want one.

I lol’d, hoping to God/Allah I haven’t starved myself of oxygen, I really don’t want to end up like Al…

I suspect you’re safe. I wholly approve of the activity. But typing “lol” should be reserved for 12 year old girls on Snapagram or whatever.

I don’t know what a race cape is but if it’s what I’m imagining, I really want one.

It is exactly that!

You’re imagining a clear rain jacket designed so you can still see team kit and race numbers yes?

http://www.rapha.cc/au/en/shop/pro-team-race-cape/product/RNC03

Race Cape

You’re imagining a clear rain jacket designed so you can still see team kit and race numbers yes?

No imagination some people

How that is a race face!

LOL – how many here follow this suggestion?

funnily enough, I did just this; £400 used seven year old TCR and no turbo. The upgraded Propel frame (RIP) only came when I graduated to third cat. The new bike was faster, but not by much.

The replacement will be Marcel’s long lost smaller whiter twin. Promised second cat upgrade, but needs must. It won’t be faster.

Worth a bump to say the author must be a different Andrew Critchlow to the one who dispensed this nugget of wisdom, among others, in the same paper last year:

“
7. Ride a bike that reflects your ability, not your ego. Bikes worth £10,000 are only cool when piloted by racing snakes who can ride 25 miles in under 52 minutes. I won my first race on a £150 third-hand Paganini, which changed gear of its own accord.
“

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/men/active/recreational-cycling/10846828/How-not-to-be-a-fish-and-chips-cyclist.html