Wiggle Dragon Ride 2011 Timings...
Comments
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BruceyboyNotts wrote:I can understand why the Dragon Ride organising team are keen to point out who the providers of the timing system are, but my dealings have been with the Dragon Ride organisation, not with Raceahead. So I think for them to say just say~" The email address for you to contact Raceahead or state your complaints about the timing is dragonride@raceahead.net " isnt quite right IMO.
+1 basic trading standards etc..
+1Brakeless wrote:I think the Dragonride organisers are behaving appallingly. The only thing on thier website is passing the buck to the timing system suppliers.
Nothing about the ridiculous queues at the start which led to people who had paid and trained for the long ride not being able to do it because the organisers were too dimwitted to extend the cut off time.
This was purely the fault of the organisers and they really should at the very least be apologising.
They have taken peoples money in return for a service that has not been provided, they may not be technically responsible for the timing issue but the contract (and if money has been exchanged for a service then a contract has been entered into) is between the riders and the organisers.
Legalities aside the organisers really should show some form of 'goodwill' here..
A Dragon Ride email is
info@dragonride.co.uk
but expect if you wrote to poorserviceforlotsofmoney@dragonride.co.uk it might also get through!0 -
despite the issues I expect this piss poor event will be fully subscribed once again next year...0
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deal wrote:despite the issues I expect this wee-wee poor event will be fully subscribed once again next year...
Sold out in 22 hours this year. May take a day or two to sell out next year after all the bad press.
Hopefully they will take all the criticism on board and get it right next year.
I still enjoyed the day but was lucky enough to start early (without barging in) and get to the Bwlch junction before the route closed .
My constructive criticisms are
1, Parking. More marshalls needed to open up several parking bays simultaneously.Instead of just filling one at a time .
2,The start, Start medio and Gran Fondo at different times to reduce queing.Also more control to stop que jumpers. If the barriers were cable tied together they would have found barging in harder.
3,Wash the water bowsers out, water tasted strongly of plastic.
On the plus side Signage was good in my opinion and food plentifull.
I am certain the timing fiasco wont be repeated.To be honest, the lack of timings didnt worry me so much, I knew within a minute how long it took me from my wristwatch and dont really care if its published or not.I know its important to some people and they are justified in their annoyance.
Will probably do it again next year if I can ,will get there real early with some disposable extra clothing and a book.0 -
I think it's high time the Dragon organiser bigged up and sent an apology (or whatever) - but then he'd be admitting liability kind of , so probably won't fo it.
Be interesting to see whats in Cycling (very) Weakly and/or C+ about this fiasco.
To me I can probably live without a time as I had my garmin (altho set to auto puase so only gives my ride time).
But I would be mightly pissed off if I had paid for the 20kk event started late (through no fault of my own) and missed cu-off and been made to do the Medio. To me this is simply unforgiveable and (as someone has already said) dimwitted on the part of the organisers.
Come - big up !0 -
Hopefully they will take all the criticism on board and get it right next year.
Err, didn't I see the same comments about parking, queueing and the after event food "party" last year?0 -
itisaboutthebike wrote:I think it's high time the Dragon organiser bigged up and sent an apology (or whatever) - but then he'd be admitting liability kind of , so probably won't fo it.
Be interesting to see whats in Cycling (very) Weakly and/or C+ about this fiasco.
To me I can probably live without a time as I had my garmin (altho set to auto puase so only gives my ride time).
But I would be mightly pissed off if I had paid for the 20kk event started late (through no fault of my own) and missed cu-off and been made to do the Medio. To me this is simply unforgiveable and (as someone has already said) dimwitted on the part of the organisers.
Come - big up !
If you upload your garmin to something like mapmytracks - it will actually show you the total time, not just the auto time, therefore giving you your actual time as if it was recorded properly by the event organisers.0 -
Vote with your feet, fellas. I did the dragonride in 2007 and due to the shambles it was then I said never again. The organisers are laughing all the way to the bank, you will get little or no satisfaction from the event director. The event is simply run on a shoestring to get as many paying punters and do the bare minimum. There are complaints every year about this event, just don't do it, simples.
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dmclite wrote:Vote with your feet, fellas. I did the dragonride in 2007 and due to the shambles it was then I said never again. The organisers are laughing all the way to the bank, you will get little or no satisfaction from the event director. The event is simply run on a shoestring to get as many paying punters and do the bare minimum. There are complaints every year about this event, just don't do it, simples.
+1
If an employer didn't pay you your full salary, reneged on your terms and conditions and didn't give you the job you agreed to do, would you....
a) Carry on working there in the hope it will suddenly all improve or
b) Start looking for another job :?:
and are the UCI watching this feed back do you think :?:0 -
It may, of course, be one big social experiment on the honesty of cyclists. By visibly failing with the timing mechanism, and asking particpants to input their own time, the UCI/Cycling mafia can undertake an experiment to cross-check these self-input times with the actual timings that they have squirrelled away. They can then report on honesty and egos in cycling. My guess (rose-tinted) is that we will learn:
- 70% of cyclists upload their correct time
- 20% exaggerate by 2-5mins
- 5% exaggerate by 5-15mins
- 5% take anything up to an hour off...
Look out for the results of this research in a cycling magazine next month.
...or was it just a cock-up?0 -
For those dissatisfied with the service you received, if you can identify specific things that weren't as the organisers claimed they would be, write to them asking for a refund (or partial refund).
If no joy within a couple of weeks, write a 'letter before action' giving them 7 days to pay up, advising them you'll take court action against them if they don't.
http://www.tradingstandards.gov.uk/wirr ... htm#letter
On day 8 file a small claims action against them, for the claimed amount + claim costs, at:-
https://www.moneyclaim.gov.uk/web/mcol/welcome
If they don't quickly settle, publicise your claim online, and the reasons for it, to create a load of bad PR.0
