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Cycling event - what makes or breaks your participation?

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Cycling event - what makes or breaks your participation?

Old 07-15-19, 08:25 AM
  #51  
ksryder
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Originally Posted by indyfabz
Did the MS 150 City-to-Shore for 23 consecutive years. Never had any problem raising lots of money. Got as high as the 22nd highest fundraiser. Numbers started to exceed 7,000 riders. The last time I did it some knucklehead, who was blocked on the left by the crowd, tried to pass me on the right. I was already so far over to the right that he ended up hitting the foliage on the side of the road. He nearly wiped out in some sand and took me out. I said to him: "If you do that again I am going to knock your teeth out." At that point I knew it was time to retire from the event.
My first and only Bike MS I had a similar experience.

Actually that was the ride at which I decided I was no longer going to do organized road rides, charity or otherwise. Just way too many people who can't ride.

For a few years I would do one century a year, that was my big accomplishment for the year and it was always a "local bike club puts on a century ride for $50" type of deal. The last couple I did were really pretty boring and like I said, after nearly getting taken out at the finish line by some guy who decided to swerve left for no reason at the last minute, I decided I was done.

At the same time I started doing long-distance gravel events. I met a crowd with a much better vibe--both in terms of riding skill and just overall laid back attitude (their riding is not laid back, however, it's very strong.) The only pay events I do now are a handful of gravel races that are within a couple hours' drive, usually because I like the course and I like the organizer and I probably have a couple friends to ride with.

Otherwise if I just want to go ride a century I can step out my front door and do that literally any day.
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Old 07-15-19, 08:40 AM
  #52  
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Originally Posted by Hondo Gravel
The I can’t forget about politics for one day crowd.
This.

These people make me want to avoid everything. And I don't care which side of which political issue you are on. I'm riding a bike to escape that crap for 1 day. Just shut up.
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Old 07-15-19, 08:51 AM
  #53  
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I have done exactly one event - because it was a route I would never attempt otherwise -- right through downtown Boston. Didn't like riding with that many people. Probably won't do another.
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Old 07-15-19, 12:17 PM
  #54  
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Different things, some common to others here:

1-The route needs to be well marked and have attendants at intersections and/or major route turns to allow riders to freely pass. If I wanted to stop all day for traffic, lights, and all sorts of other stuff I'd just do a normal weekend group ride. I wouldn't pay to go do it. Exception, really well pulled off "playing card scavenger" rides and lower level charity rides. If I want to give money, the ride is totally secondary.

2-Chip timing. I'll give charity rides a pass again. But for actual fondos, I say it needs to have timed segments using either a chip or the helmet stickers or bib number sensor things. If I pay that much for a fondo and it doesn't have chip timing, I may as well have just given my money to the charity ride instead.

3-Wave starts for bigger events. I've done AOMM, I feel it's an absolute cluster F of a mistake to send of a few thousand riders at once. Many having zero business in a 30mph peloton out of town the first miles to even 1/2 hour. I appreciated that AOMM had nice parking (#4), a police escort and manned route intersections (#1), and a finisher patch (5c). But, it was a cluster F in the front 1/3 of the peloton going 30mph for like an hour or so with riders clearly not capable of being in a big group at that speed. If I ever do it again, I'll try to be in the front 20 people or so. I flatted around mile 30 because someone dropped some stupid frame pump or other crap that I hit just wrong and lost the entire group. Grrrrrrrrr. 40 miles solo to Marion before a 25mi climb sucks donkey balls.

4-Basic logistics. Like parking for free. If it's a bike event, parking doesn't even have to be close. Within a mile is fine. But free and easy.

5-Pick a fair combo of: swag, experience, finisher award.

5a Swag: I think charity rides usually fall under the more swag and less experience and no finisher award. It's likely an easy ride not needed a medal or patch to commemorate the achievement. It likely is a pretty basic route and not a breathtaking view or mountains. So swag.

5b Experience: I think of things like Haute Route, AOMM, Ragbrai, DK, etc.... You don't need a ton of swag when you've got crazy lovely mountains and routes, the experience of Ragbrai, the scenes and pain of DK, or maybe even if it's a super fun local "poker card" scavenger hunt ride. The experience itself makes lots of swag or finisher awards less meaningful or pointless.

5c Finisher awards: We give out finisher medals at local charity 5k runs these days. OK. Up to the organizers. But I think there should be some kind of challenging aspect if you do. It could be like AOMM or DK 100/200 with a mammoth physical effort to just finish and not DNF. It could be a huge fundraising goal for a charity ride event. It's a fine line between being silly/cute and something for folks who actually accomplished something. Some events are so difficult, the finisher award is justified.
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Old 07-15-19, 12:43 PM
  #55  
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For me the biggest turn-off is when the price is inflated out of sight for fund-raising purposes. I just want to ride my bike, and am willing to pay some for SAG and a few cookie stops. I don't want to finance someone's trip to the moon and am unwilling to ask others to pay for said trip just so I can do a bike ride.

If I want to give money to a charity, I can just donate. OTOH, there's an opportunity to create a lose-lose situation for the charity. A recent one wanted a not-insignificant but still affordable entry fee, but discouraged recumbents. For some reason, that created a bad attitude on my part, making me reluctant to donate to them, too.

Edit: I guess it's a no-brainer that if they don't allow my bike, I'm not going to attend. I would expect that for a licensed race, but why in the world would someone claim their event is a fun event that's open to everyone, then put limitations on what bikes they can use?

Last edited by BlazingPedals; 07-15-19 at 01:05 PM.
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Old 07-15-19, 02:13 PM
  #56  
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'Charity' rides always make me question how much money is actually being raised for the cause.

It's not cheap to stage a giant group bike ride.

Charity runs (as is...running on your feet) have this problem OFTEN. Where the entry fees roughly only end of covering the cost to stage the run. That's why many say the goal is to 'raise awareness' rather than 'raise money'. If they claim to be 'raising money' the IRS is going to insist that some money gets raised and donated. If they say they are going to 'raise awareness' then...well they didn't promise to give money to the cause. They just promised to draw attention to it. See the big "Run against Cancer because Cancer is bad!" banner at the Start/Finish line? That meets the legal definition of raising awareness, so there haven't defrauded anyone by promising to use the money other than as advertised.

I assume charity bike rides are similar. That many of them would raise more for the actual cause by standing on the street corner with a sandwich board just because of the lower overhead.
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Old 07-15-19, 02:19 PM
  #57  
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Originally Posted by Skipjacks
'Charity' rides always make me question how much money is actually being raised for the cause.

It's not cheap to stage a giant group bike ride.

Charity runs (as is...running on your feet) have this problem OFTEN. Where the entry fees roughly only end of covering the cost to stage the run. That's why many say the goal is to 'raise awareness' rather than 'raise money'. If they claim to be 'raising money' the IRS is going to insist that some money gets raised and donated. If they say they are going to 'raise awareness' then...well they didn't promise to give money to the cause. They just promised to draw attention to it. See the big "Run against Cancer because Cancer is bad!" banner at the Start/Finish line? That meets the legal definition of raising awareness, so there haven't defrauded anyone by promising to use the money other than as advertised.

I assume charity bike rides are similar. That many of them would raise more for the actual cause by standing on the street corner with a sandwich board just because of the lower overhead.
To be fair to Bike MS I did some light research on that once and it seems like that ride, at least, is fairly above board on that count, with a reasonable percentage that goes towards the actual charity and the administrative costs and executive compensation were minimal.

But in general I think it's probably more cost-effective to just donate directly.
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Old 07-15-19, 02:28 PM
  #58  
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Oh, and the one group ride I ever went on was a ride through Baltimore years ago.

The course kind sucked. It was through all these residential neighborhoods and some abandoned areas because they had no traffic. Halfway through the ride I got bored and decided to go find my own route. The organizers tried to stop me from leaving the planned route and legally riding my bike on a different public street. (This was not a race where this could have been a shortcut to winning. There was no timing and no racing. Just a casual ride)

Turns out I hate preplanned routes. I like just meandering. Maybe it's my ADD but I see a shiny new road and think "Hmm...that one looks better. I'm going that way." There is no plan to it.
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Old 07-15-19, 02:32 PM
  #59  
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Originally Posted by ksryder
To be fair to Bike MS I did some light research on that once and it seems like that ride, at least, is fairly above board on that count, with a reasonable percentage that goes towards the actual charity and the administrative costs and executive compensation were minimal.

But in general I think it's probably more cost-effective to just donate directly.
Oh I'm not saying they are all like that. But some are.

For certain, if money is actually going to the charity the organizers claim to be supporting, they should be willing and happy to share the financial records proving it. They probably have it professionally printed on nice brochures showing how much money went to the charity in previous years and the exact ways the charity used that money.

If any charity, of any kind, whether they are organized a bike ride or just cold calling for donations, can't or won't produce evidence of what your money goes to and in what percentage of your donation....walk away because it's probably not doing the good you'd like it to be.

Any reputable charity can show you how much money was collected, how much went to whatever cause, and how that money was used.
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Old 07-15-19, 05:47 PM
  #60  
Jim from Boston
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Originally Posted by OBoile
The only real deal breaker for me is fundraising. I don't want to go around asking people for money.
Originally Posted by bruce19
When an event requires that I go out and get pledges of money for people I'm out. I'll pay to participate and usually I donate but I'm not going to be used to scour money from friends. That's a non-starter.
Originally Posted by jadocs
I know what you mean, it can be down right invasive. I have a few friends who seem to live for these charity rides and they bombard your feed with requests with these "canned" statements....almost begging at times:

Charities have the business model they do (establishing a minimum to make it worth the orgs time) because they know cyclists and other sports are prime targets because it gives cyclists a reason to ride.

I know not all people are like that, but if the charity was so important they would be raising money with the same fervor outside of an organized ride.
Originally Posted by _ForceD_
I shy away from events that require the participant to raise a certain dollar amount to participate. That AFTER paying an entry fee

Some of the rides that I'd like to do, but don't because of the fundraising requirement, I feel could get more participation and at least equal revenue if they just slightly raised their registration fee, and dropped the fundraising requirement. I would rather pay a bit more registration, and not have to go out and ask people for money.
Originally Posted by BlazingPedals
If I want to give money to a charity, I can just donate….
As I posted earlier to this thread, in particular in response to a prior rant by @jadocs and others:
Originally Posted by Jim from Boston
I’ve read that the reason such athletic events as Charity Rides, Swims and Runs are popular is because the value of the benefit received by the participant is near zero, and thus the entire donation is tax-deductible. For example if one attends a gala fundraising dinner, the cost of the dinner is not tax-deductible...

Here in Massachusetts the premier fund-raising Ride with an expected donation of around at least about $3500 is the Pan Massachusetts Challenge (Pan-Mass, PMC), about 150 miles in two days to benefit the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. They do take your credit card number before the Ride. It may well be the largest such event in total donations.

When anyone finds out I'm a cyclist, they usually ask "Do you do the Pan-Mass"?


So instead of merely soliciting donations, those organizations provide a tax-deductible experience for a “gallant” cause.
In 2018 the PMC raised $56 million for the world famous DFCI Cancer treatment Institute. It seems reasonable that the mission of such charity organizations is to support their causes, not for the benfit of cylists, though they offer the draw of a well supported distance ride.

So it doesn’t seem unreasonable to seemingly strong arm participants to raise a certain amount of funds, likely (much) more than an individual, unrewarded donation.

Actually the means to raise such funds is not necessarily specified.
Originally Posted by Jim from Boston
Personally, the only charity ride I have done is a local Century, that fits the above description, for Children’s Organizations sponsored by a well-known philanthropist I know personally. There is a minimal $ 1000 donation that I split with my organization, which is also a recipient of his generosity.

It's a well attended, festive affair; hockey legend Bobby Orr was the Honorary Chairman one year…
I too do not like to solicit from private individuals, and can afford a good donation, though corporations may indeed donate handsomely as good will if they are solicited by the participating rider. Again with tax benefits.

So while all these curmudgeonly complaints are legitimate responses to the OP, “Cycling event - what makes or breaks your participation?,” I don’t think it’s valid to chasten such authentic charitable organizations, or consider the willing participants as “chumps.”

Last edited by Jim from Boston; 07-15-19 at 05:59 PM.
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Old 07-15-19, 06:12 PM
  #61  
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Originally Posted by BlazingPedals
A recent one wanted a not-insignificant but still affordable entry fee, but discouraged recumbents.
That's pretty strange for the usual t shirt ride. It's true that they can create logjams going up hills, but so do slow pokes on any kind of bike. Maybe the difference is that the pokes get passed once and the 'bents can leapfrog again and again. Would be interesting to know if the organizers gave a reason.
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Old 07-15-19, 07:09 PM
  #62  
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At the opposite end of the spectrum from the charity rides that require you to fund-raise, are the club-sponsored big events. My club runs several each year. They're advertised, they donate $1/rider to the League of Michigan Bicylists, and they offer SAG/Cookie stops/Lunch. All for $15 each. The difference? They use all volunteers, including the director. They usually make some money, but not always. The main thing is to get lots of people on their bikes. Those are in addition to all the regular club rides done throughout the year, which are totally free to all, but unsupported.

Shelbyfv: This was for a Fondo, which is timed but 'not-a-race.' The reason stated was that recumbents are "too low to be seen." That's horsepucky. The unofficial reason was that the director had a USCF/USA Cycling background and simply didn't want recumbents at 'his' event. I let the organizers know that he was limiting their ridership, and got a 'compromise offer:' I can ride if I use a flag and wear high-vis clothing. I've heard of some fondos that require the 'bents to leave 20-30 minutes after everyone else, too. Can't have an old fart on a bent going and winning the not-a-race! Thing is, I don't feel a need to compromise; I'm not the one trying to raise money.
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Old 07-15-19, 07:30 PM
  #63  
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Location, route, and reasonable overnight accommodation is all i would care about.
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Old 07-16-19, 06:30 AM
  #64  
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Originally Posted by Jim from Boston
As I posted earlier to this thread, in particular in response to a prior rant by @jadocs and others:In 2018 the PMC raised $56 million for the world famous DFCI Cancer treatment Institute. It seems reasonable that the mission of such charity organizations is to support their causes, not for the benfit of cylists, though they offer the draw of a well supported distance ride.

So it doesn’t seem unreasonable to seemingly strong arm participants to raise a certain amount of funds, likely (much) more than an individual, unrewarded donation.

Actually the means to raise such funds is not necessarily specified.I too do not like to solicit from private individuals, and can afford a good donation, though corporations may indeed donate handsomely as good will if they are solicited by the participating rider. Again with tax benefits.

So while all these curmudgeonly complaints are legitimate responses to the OP, “Cycling event - what makes or breaks your participation?,” I don’t think it’s valid to chasten such authentic charitable organizations, or consider the willing participants as “chumps.”
To your first point, agreed, charitable organizations responsibility is to their mission (charity) not cyclists. Yes I do think it is unreasonable to strong arm participants...are you kidding me with this justification? They are a charity.....people give them money for free, they should be grateful for anyone willing to help.

To your last point, re: chasten authentic charitable organizations...I disagree, if it is shown that even when they turn a profit, that it has to be large enough to make it worth their while, as a previous poster in another thread demonstrated.

Nobody called willing participants chumps.
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Old 07-16-19, 06:54 AM
  #65  
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There is an annual ride in Ottawa, Canada that raises millions of dollars for the Ottawa Hospital foundation. I have done this ride twice now as a 'guide' - sort of a 'host' to ensure the people who raised all the money want for nothing during their ride. Anyhow, I found out earlier in the year that the title sponsor, Mattamy Homes, was also a sponsor of a group that was instrumental in misleading people to vote for our current inept provincial government - they were sponsors of a fake 'grass roots' campaign to disparage the incumbent government (who really did have to be removed, to be fair) in favour of the Doug Ford campaign who intended to open up access to protected 'green belt' lands for housing development.

I don't know if I want to participate in their event this year.
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Old 07-16-19, 07:41 AM
  #66  
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Originally Posted by Wilfred Laurier
There is an annual ride in Ottawa, Canada that raises millions of dollars for the Ottawa Hospital foundation. I have done this ride twice now as a 'guide' - sort of a 'host' to ensure the people who raised all the money want for nothing during their ride. Anyhow, I found out earlier in the year that the title sponsor, Mattamy Homes, was also a sponsor of a group that was instrumental in misleading people to vote for our current inept provincial government - they were sponsors of a fake 'grass roots' campaign to disparage the incumbent government (who really did have to be removed, to be fair) in favour of the Doug Ford campaign who intended to open up access to protected 'green belt' lands for housing development.

I don't know if I want to participate in their event this year.
Yeah, supporting Ford would be a deal breaker for me.
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Old 07-16-19, 07:56 AM
  #67  
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Bacon

Bacoon Ride. - they feed you a ton of food on this ride; bacon breakfast burritos, bacon maple donuts, bacon samples, bacon teriyaki burger, bacon maple ice cream, pork chops, and bacon pumpkin bars.
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Old 07-16-19, 08:14 AM
  #68  
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Originally Posted by ksryder
To be fair to Bike MS I did some light research on that once and it seems like that ride, at least, is fairly above board on that count, with a reasonable percentage that goes towards the actual charity and the administrative costs and executive compensation were minimal.

But in general I think it's probably more cost-effective to just donate directly.
Ever since the United Way scandal back in the day major organization are very transparent about things like administrative overhead and fundraising costs. Any worthwhile organization will provide their figures.

As for direct donations, it's the events that spur people to donate. As I mentioned above, I was once one of the top fundraisers for an MS ride. A well-liked woman in our NJ office has MS. And my employer has a 100% matching gift program. Don't think I would have been able to raise as much as I did if I sent letters around asking for donations without participating in the ride or other event.
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Old 07-16-19, 03:43 PM
  #69  
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The biggest charity ride (by far) around here is the Pan Mass Challenge. The entry fees cover the cost of putting on the event so 100% of the money raised in donations goes to the Dana Farber Cancer Institute for the work that they do. They also have a minimum fundraising commitment - and take your credit/debit card number when you sign up so that you will be responsible for any shortfalls if you haven't met that minimum by the day of the event. For the full 2-day event, the minimum is $5000. They can only accommodate so many riders so they don't want to waste slots on people who can't raise the money. There are shorter routes with a lower minimum as well. And a virtual event where you decide how far you want to ride and how much you want to raise and that has no minimum.

It can't be too big a turnoff because the slots fill up every year and they raise more than $50 million. And they are one of the best-run and highest rated charities in the country.
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Old 07-16-19, 03:45 PM
  #70  
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Back in my competitive days I paid organizations to ride my bike. I no longer do that.
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Old 07-16-19, 04:17 PM
  #71  
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I like events that are put on by a local club that isn’t too far a drive. There are several near where I live.

For me I find it interesting that folks find entry fees high. Most rides around here are $25-$70. They have sag support and aid stations. I think that is pretty cheap compared to say running marathons or triathlons or heck even a charity 5K run.

A donation requirement would be a major turn off.
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Old 07-16-19, 04:40 PM
  #72  
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A few things I like to see:
  • A thorough, easily accessible source of event information, ie, a real website. Facebook is clunky for this.
  • If it’s a race, there should be some effort to organize riders by “class” or by perceived finish time, etc. Particularly important for big races.
  • Something to do after (food trucks, beer garden, block party...obviously size dependent). On longer races, friends get separated and one might need to kill an hour or two waiting for the other.
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Old 07-16-19, 06:24 PM
  #73  
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Originally Posted by NomarsGirl
The biggest charity ride (by far) around here is the Pan Mass Challenge. The entry fees cover the cost of putting on the event so 100% of the money raised in donations goes to the Dana Farber Cancer Institute for the work that they do. They also have a minimum fundraising commitment - and take your credit/debit card number when you sign up so that you will be responsible for any shortfalls if you haven't met that minimum by the day of the event. For the full 2-day event, the minimum is $5000. They can only accommodate so many riders so they don't want to waste slots on people who can't raise the money. There are shorter routes with a lower minimum as well. And a virtual event where you decide how far you want to ride and how much you want to raise and that has no minimum.

It can't be too big a turnoff because the slots fill up every year and they raise more than $50 million. And they are one of the best-run and highest rated charities in the country.
I get it, supply and demand...I personally think that is insane.
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Old 07-16-19, 08:45 PM
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Originally Posted by ksryder

At the same time I started doing long-distance gravel events. I met a crowd with a much better vibe--both in terms of riding skill and just overall laid back attitude (their riding is not laid back, however, it's very strong.)
Yes! I think gravel is where it's at for genuinely fun events with a good vibe. Even cranky roadies seem to chill a bit when they get on the gravel (in terms of attitude, not riding).

I've heard that MTB events have a similar vibe; some of my friends got into it and have almost entirely quit road riding. Maybe its the MTB influence on gravel riding that makes it a bit more positive.
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Old 07-16-19, 10:51 PM
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Originally Posted by Jim from Boston
…In 2018 the PMC raised $56 million for the world famous DFCI Cancer treatment Institute. It seems reasonable that the mission of such charity organizations is to support their causes, not for the benfit of cylists, though they offer the draw of a well supported distance ride.

So it doesn’t seem unreasonable to seemingly strong arm participants to raise a certain amount of funds, likely (much) more than an individual, unrewarded donation.

Actually the means to raise such funds is not necessarily specified.I too do not like to solicit from private individuals, and can afford a good donation, though corporations may indeed donate handsomely as good will if they are solicited by the participating rider. Again with tax benefits.

So while all these curmudgeonly complaints are legitimate responses to the OP, “Cycling event - what makes or breaks your participation?,” I don’t think it’s valid to chasten such authentic charitable organizations, or consider the willing participants as “chumps.”
Originally Posted by jadocs
To your first point, agreed, charitable organizations responsibility is to their mission (charity) not cyclists. Yes I do think it is unreasonable to strong arm participants...are you kidding me with this justification? They are a charity.....people give them money for free, they should be grateful for anyone willing to help.

To your last point, re: chasten authentic charitable organizations...I disagree, if it is shown that even when they turn a profit, that it has to be large enough to make it worth their while, as a previous poster in another thread demonstrated.

Nobody called willing participants chumps
.
Thanks for your reply, @jadocs. While term “strongarm,” may be too severe to describe relation between the charity and rider, nonetheless the charity’s mission is to its beneficiaries. They may cultivate the donors (riders), but they still have expectations for donations, even just as a quid pro quo.
Originally Posted by Jim from Boston
Certainly, one of the draws of an organized ride is that usually a nice route is detailed by the local organizers...

So instead of merely soliciting donations, those organizations provide a tax-deductible experience for a “gallant” cause.
Yet many of the subscribers to this thread seemed to consider such donations unduly burdensome. And this reluctantance to donate seems to imply that willing participants are “chumps.” Maybe the term, “tools” is more descriptive.

My understanding is that charities (i.e. tax-exempt organizations) don’t have profits per se, but likely can be assessed by how much of their surplus goes to the beneficiaries.
Originally Posted by NomarsGirl
The biggest charity ride (by far) around here is the Pan Mass Challenge. The entry fees cover the cost of putting on the event so 100% of the money raised in donations goes to the Dana Farber Cancer Institute for the work that they do.

They also have a minimum fundraising commitment - and take your credit/debit card number when you sign up so that you will be responsible for any shortfalls if you haven't met that minimum by the day of the event [strongarm ]. For the full 2-day event, the minimum is $5000.

They can only accommodate [cultivate]so many riders so they don't want to waste slots on people who can't raise the money. There are shorter routes with a lower minimum as well. And a virtual event where you decide how far you want to ride and how much you want to raise and that has no minimum [accomodate].

It can't be too big a turnoff because the slots fill up every year and they raise more than $50 million. And they are one of the best-run and highest rated charities in the country.
Originally Posted by jadocs
I get it, supply and demand...I personally think that is insane.

Last edited by Jim from Boston; 07-16-19 at 11:02 PM.
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