I’ve just spunked over £60 to enter an event. I’m happy about the ride, more on that in a bit, but I feel a bit dismayed events have now got so expensive and are becoming the domain of the affluent.
Going away with my bike has become a bit of an annual thing for me now since I treated myself to a week in Aberfoyle for my 50th birthday. Either away based somewhere or a tour, cycling from place to place. Last year I cycled to Babbacombe near Torquay over a few days and this year I’m off to mid-Wales for a week.
The event
While I’ve been researching routes and rides I found that the Glorious Gravel crew are organising their Cambrian Mountain Gravel Epic event on the Saturday, the first day of my holiday. A quick map check showed me it was only 40 mins from my accomodation. However I can’t check-in till after 4pm so I thought it would be a great idea to go ride the long route and by the time I’ve finished and travelled there I’ll be able to get in. Day 1 isn’t just a travelling day and wasted.
Popping the entry in the shopping cart, it told me it was £62. I initially baulked at paying that much and questioned 1. whether it was worth it and 2. am I just out of touch? Notwithstanding I wasn’t overly impressed with the only other event I rode of theirs last year, the North Wales Gravel Epic @ £50. So I left it.
Changed my Mind
I’m always looking out for events and having decided to get a new road bike recently I went off on a tangent and started looking at a couple of local road races. I’ve been considering dipping my toe back in racing to scratch the itch but I have to say the £32 entry fee for a local 50 mile 3/4 cat RR was a surprise.
I know things have got more expensive (..or clearly I don’t!) but it’s clear the local calendar has been decimated, probably and ironically by spiralling organisational costs. Anecdotally, seeing RR organisers chasing entries to fill their events to avoid cancelling them bears this out too. The road race scene is dead on it’s arse and the sportive scene has took a hit too it seems with lower numbers. I used to race upto 4 times a week. Club TT’s, crits and a road race almost every weekend. If the calendar was as full as it was back then I’d be looking at £200-£300 a month minimum to race + travel. Racing has become the domain of the affluent or sponsored. Bikes are now 4x what I paid + entry fees, licences, travel and accomodation. You almost have to be a sponsored rider or just wealthy just to be on the startline of a chipper race and that’s a shame.
I am Lucky
So road race entry fee’s confirmed to me I was out of touch and therefore the fees for Sportives and other events were justified to a certain extent so I have gone back and entered the Cambrian Mountains Gravel Epic @ £62. I’ll explain why.
- I am lucky, I can afford it
- Day 1 of my holiday isn’t a travel day wasted
- Organising offroad events will always be more expensive than road events
- I would probably pay more for a fully-closed road event a la Velo Birmingham a few years ago just for the (rare) experience of them
However there is still a little part of me that thinks the GG crew are profiteering a little bit but hey, that’s business let’s not forget that. I will go there with an open mind and hope it’s as good they say it will be. 119km + 2400m of climbing is a long day. The feeds better be good!
It’s also left me feeling a bit rubbish that cycling events have become so expensive and less inclusive, so I’ve decided to double-down on my Gravelton Events. Self-supported, no frills rides on the same day. Free to enter and gives everybody a chance to ride an ‘event’ although I don’t bill them as such. I’m going to work on more of these.
Adios for now
problem is we have know better times, remember when the Ventoux Etape de Tour (approx 2010) was £10 to enter. I’ve just done Liege Bastogne Liege sportive 70 euros to enter and 8000 riders didn’t mind paying. Therefore maybe a mixture of supply and demand, increased costs and profiteering!!
I think you’re right Joe, we did have it better back then. I don’t mind paying for an experience but I’m sure the LBL @ 70 euros with 8000 riders and spectators + closed roads was more of one than 250 riders riding around empty forests in Mid-Wales 🙂
I think the cost is a mixture of expensive event insurance plus being run by a private company looking to make a profit rather than just cover costs. I’ve said it before but that’s what attracted me to Audax. Over here it’s a small niche, friendly community and the cost of entry is usually €5-10. You do have to organise your own food (which suits me anyway) and pay extra for a medal (but only if you want one and they’re about another €5 I think).
Audax seems to be the sweetspot in the middle
Just big distances to get used to 🤣