presidents road race

roogster
roogster Posts: 31
edited September 2014 in Amateur race
Hi,for anyone who's interested,I just received an email saying that the event is cancelled due to lack of entries

Comments

  • Pross
    Pross Posts: 43,463
    Heard it was under threat a couple of weeks back. The racing here has been odd recently - some races massively over-subscribed and others being cancelled. Problem is the cost of running races means you need close to a full field just to break even financially. Shame as this race is usually very popular and has been a regular on the calendar for years.
  • Pross
    Pross Posts: 43,463
    Ben Carroll Memorial is also at risk of cancellation now although they still have about 5 weeks to go. The BC calendar for Wales until the end of the season makes depressing reading with 4 senior road races scheduled of which 2 are already cancelled and a third is apparently at risk. I don't understand this as I was turning entries away for my race in May a moth or so beforehand. Maybe the races further west and north are struggling as they are less accessible (a large proportion of my field had come across the border) or maybe it's just down to the time of year and people being away?
  • DavidJB
    DavidJB Posts: 2,019
    That's it mate. The reason I rode in yours was it's just over the bridge and just off the M4 so it's only just over an hour away for me and really easy to get to. Any other welsh races get a bit far and it doesn't sound like you have the number of local riders required to fill up races :(
  • chrisw12
    chrisw12 Posts: 1,246
    A bit late to this one sorry but the title caught my interest and then the topic.

    Very sorry to see this race cancelled and the demise of the road racing scene in Wales as reported here.

    What interested me, for a few years I rode the Welsh 12, just returned back to event cycling and today rode the 5 valleys sportive, John Pritchards event. Tbh I was a bit sad riding around, had a feeling I should have been somewhere else on my bike. Also saw a few local guys who used to support the 12 but were marshaling this instead. Just struck me that the sportive scene and cycling in general is booming around here. Is this the reason that road racing and the long distance tt's are dying? I think so and in my opinion long may it continue. Sportives have a lot more to offer, sorry.
  • DavidJB
    DavidJB Posts: 2,019
    Sportive's have a lot more to offer? haha. What like jelly beans some fruit cake and a medal for finishing.
  • Pross
    Pross Posts: 43,463
    The Welsh 12 is still going strong.

    I don't think the success of sportives has affected the road racing scene to be honest. It's a different market although maybe some people who would have moved from club cycling into racing in the past now never get past the sportive stage. The road scene in Wales isn't in that bad a state, it's not as simple as that as some races (including the one I organise) fill up really quickly and are over-subscribed whilst others are struggling to get enough to cover their costs. I really don't know the reasoning for this - possibly the races in west and mid Wales aren't as accessible and I know the Champs this year were due to be 'closed' which limited the potential field (a reaction to a few years ago when the winner of the Champs when it was open apparently got a lot of help from non-qualified team mates). The regular and successful circuit racing down at Llandow also dominates the local scene a bit.

    Conversely, the cyclo cross scene is Wales has never been healthier with over 100 riders taking part in the senior race most weeks.

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