The price of sportives 2014

Peddle Up!

Getting a bit silly? And yes, I know about Audaxes. And yes, I ride them.

oldbazza

Not compared to bike track days;
http://www.silverstone.co.uk/track/bike-track-days/#

When I had my R1 it cost me over £200 for the last trackday I did including fuel(and that's not including tyre or brake pad wear). The £30 i paid for the upcoming spring saddle seems like loose change after that.

And I just checked the car ones;

http://www.silverstone.co.uk/track/track-club/

mfin

The cost might be a few quid, but there's plenty of other more obvious reasons to not bother riding them.

sloppyschleckonds

Peddle Up! wrote:

Getting a bit silly? And yes, I know about Audaxes. And yes, I ride them.

Then you'll know its always been silly, to pay for a glorified club run.

gethinceri

People ride sportives for many reasons, they are different from a club run.
Yes, they are becoming pricey.

johnny25

I tend to ride the local ones in my area, set up and run by local cycling groups in aid of various charities. These sportives are fairly cheap compared to the Wiggle et al events.

mudsucker

I tend to do the ones on a website called Bike Events which are really well organised and cost less than £20 to enter.

I've seen some that cost about £60. Ridiculous!

marcusjb

I think it is at the point where the middle market is disappearing and they'll be a smaller number of high cost, prestige events in the future, alongside more lower cost/featured events (more club organised events etc.).

There will always be demand for large, prestige events (especially the closed roads events) with all the frills and an entry fee of £50 and up, and there will be a demand for a 100 mile club-organised route with a bit of a simpler approach, for a sensible entry fee (of £20 or whatever), no goody bags, 'free' gels etc..

What I can not see as sustainable is a non inspiring route on open roads and paying £30-40 for the pleasure.

Back to basics and organised by clubs would do more good for cycling in the long run; puts money into clubs who are going to put that money back into cycling.

And, yes, there's Audax as a more extreme model of back to basics - it's not for everyone, but for those of a more independent nature, it's a great way to explore new landscapes.

Pross

They'll keep raising their prices until people stop paying. I recently entered a half marathon for the first time in about 8 years and the same thing seems to have happened there. What's even more annoying is the priority places where you are guaranteed entry if you pay even more!

bernithebiker

Come to France and do one. The price difference will pay for your ferry.

Even the big ones here are very much social, non-profit, as opposed to for profit events.

rolf_f

bernithebiker wrote:

Come to France and do one. The price difference will pay for your ferry.

Even the big ones here are very much social, non-profit, as opposed to for profit events.

We have Audax's over here. Often £4 including food. No need to do the expensive ones.

Still, I think Yorkshire can lay claim to the mightiest charge. Somewhere on the front page - a special for 18 folk to ride TdF stage 1 in advance of the peloton for a mere £19,000 of sponsorship. And they have to do the route at 18mph. I'm booking two places so don't hang around if you want to join me

Pross

Rolf F wrote:

bernithebiker wrote:

Come to France and do one. The price difference will pay for your ferry.

Even the big ones here are very much social, non-profit, as opposed to for profit events.

We have Audax's over here. Often £4 including food. No need to do the expensive ones.

Still, I think Yorkshire can lay claim to the mightiest charge. Somewhere on the front page - a special for 18 folk to ride TdF stage 1 in advance of the peloton for a mere £19,000 of sponsorship. And they have to do the route at 18mph. I'm booking two places so don't hang around if you want to join me

Cheaper than a guaranteed ride in the Dragon Ride

theory900

oldbazza wrote:

Not compared to bike track days;
http://www.silverstone.co.uk/track/bike-track-days/#

When I had my R1 it cost me over £200 for the last trackday I did including fuel(and that's not including tyre or brake pad wear). The £30 i paid for the upcoming spring saddle seems like loose change after that.

And I just checked the car ones;

http://www.silverstone.co.uk/track/track-club/

I don't think you can use this as a reasonable comparison. Trackdays, by their very nature, are on tracks. These are privately owned and need to be rented for the event, at quite some expense. Also a trackday generally comes with Public Liability Insurance, which for motorbikes and cars is somewhat greater than for cycles, and usually has on site ambulance facilities. I've done a couple of track days and found them expensive but worth doing. I've done many more sportives and appreciate the effort that someone has gone to to plan interesting and challenging routes, mark them out efficiently, marshall them, set up feed stations, organise pre ride communications and information, provide tea stops and cake and usually food at the end. It's horses for courses and most sportives are worth the money.

I've also found that on track days there is far less opportunity to chat with other riders whilst you ride :shock: