Some of the Grand Fondos are for-profit ventures.
Many of them charge a lot for the ride.
I suspect other ride organizer see that people pay those prices and increase their fees.
They can justify the higher fee by pointing out they are much less than a fondo.
A lower price requires more people to sign-up, which means more work.
A higher price might mean fewer people but it's less work/cost.
Last edited by njkayaker; 08-20-19 at 04:16 PM.