BlazingPedals

So far it sounds like an event to avoid. Are you paying them to ride it? What's the riders' motivation for doing the ride, as opposed to just giving money to a charity?

ctpres

Each team will have one or more vehicles for support. Each riders support team will move along route stopping at mapped points to cheer riders on and provide nutrition, water and mechanical support as needed. If a rider does not reach next point within expected time frame - the team can backtrack to help or pickup the rider.

ctpres

[QUOTE=BlazingPedals;What's the riders' motivation for doing the ride, as opposed to just giving money to a charity?[/QUOTE]
That question is answered by the one major point I am withholding for now.

ctpres

Good point for ride map. With focus on older riders - lots of pee stops.

ctpres

[QUOTE=indyfabz;20574460] "charge a registration fee."
Thought about that some more and maybe if team raises more than x$ for charity entry fee waived?

Milton Keynes

Sorry, but the idea of raising a self-supported "team" complete with your own SAG doesn't sound like my idea of fun. I have no idea who I'd try to wrangle to fill that role. If I'm going to pay money to ride in an organized ride, I at least want some basic SAG support that I don't have to bring with me. I could understand if it were a race with cash prizes, but for just a fun ride I don't think this would be very attractive to most people.

Maelochs

I am confused. Since this is a public event, and anyone can join, many riders will not be affiliated with teams or clubs. So ... what are these "teams" you mention? Who organizes them? The riders? A bunch of strangers who have never met? You are going to assign people to "teams" how? If I don't have a team, do I get stuck with whoever?

Suppose some "teams" have unreliable SAG people? If I show up and the guys who promised to bring a van show up in a Miata, then what? if they have a car with a two- or three-bike rack, how are four team members all going to get their bikes on the rack---and their bodies in the car?

If I show up, the team shows up, and the SAG guy calls up ten minutes before the start and says, "Wow, i went to a party out of state and passed out drunk ... I am 300 miles away and I have already started drinking again. Hope you guys have fun!"----then what? I lose? The whole team has no SAG? Sure ... personal responsibility and all ... but then, what are You doing? What is your plan? If two or three 'teams" have their SAG people bail, Then what? You are just going to leave elderly people out on the road? You won't even know anyone is missing until they have been lying on the side of the road in a diabetic coma or in cardiac arrest until a few hours after the even t ends ... except it doesn't even have an "end."

Just for health and safety you had better have at least one emergency support vehicle and one sweeper .... insurance won't save your butt if some old guy crashes and lays in a ditch for three hours before someone notices he hasn't finished .... or assumes he went for the full century even though he had talked about the metric.

Seriously ... the whole purpose of an "Organizer" for most events of this type is to provide the stuff you want others to provide. Planning a route is great, but anyone can do that with any number of apps. The organizer is supposed to take care of everything else---food and drink, rest rooms, medical, support, on-road repair ... stuff that is Really important for the health and safety of the riders, and which most riders aren't going to want to take care of.

Also ... if I am part of a "team" of total strangers ... I am going to count on them to have the parts I might need for my bike? I would assume a person organizing an event would have a repair vehicle with a few different tires (used is fine) in a few sizes, a small selection of sizes of tubes, some cables, a floor pump, some chains and quick links---because anything that can keep a rider on the road as opposed to on the rack and in the back of the truck makes the ride more fun/more successful. Now I have to hope that the people on my "team," who I have never met, actually know what I am talking about when I
say I run 650b 1.5 slicks or my bike takes a max of 25 mm tires? Sure, in 999 cases no one will slice a tire ... but an event organizer is supposed to be prepared for 1001 cases.

Same thing with emergency fluids and food. If rider gets dehydrated or heat-exhausted, will the "I know a guy who knows a guy who might be willing" going to have a big old cooler of water, and another of sports drink, and some bananas, some waffles or something, plus AC, maybe an ice pack .... ?

And if someone on my "team" gets hurt but not so badly it makes sense to call 911 ... does my "team" SAG vehicle Also have first aid stuff? Does the person who actually, hopefully, shows up at the event know what to bring?

Seriously, anyone I know who would be interested, would refuse because no one who would be interested would want to drive the SAG wagon instead of riding ... and with no roadside repair and no sweeper, you'd need Two SAG vehicles per team just to be safe ... if the organizer cannot protect me and the other team members, I had best make darn sure myself. But ... the SAG people have to know basic bike repair, have big enough vehicles to haul bikes and riders, and would have to handle all internal comms ... and there are parts of the route with no cell coverage?

If I crash in the wrong place, I need to crawl out with my broken legs? I cannot call ... and my own SAG crew cannot call ahead or call back? Since the SAG vehicles would need to travel at bicycle speed (say 15 mph) I could be lying in a ditch for an hour before anyone missed me ... if there was a rest stop right at the edge of the no-coverage zone.

Maybe this event will be awesome. Maybe everyone will love it. But the question, asked above, stands: What incentive do riders have to do this ride instead of just donating directly to a charity?

Most "charity" rides succeed if they are fun events, where riders can either go for a longer ride and have support if they need it, or just cruise around, and again, have support, food and drink ... a relaxing time to pedal and chat with other cyclists. Riders don't Want the stress of organizing the event---and it seems you expect them to do half the organizing.

Also, people on a ride don't want to have to think about anything going wrong. They want to show up and ride, stress free. They don't wan't to have to think about support .... the organizer is supposed to take care of lAl that. Events I have worked ... the organizers had to cover medical, police ******* where needed, road closings or traffic cops where needed, volunteers along the route for guidance and support, aid stations, food and beverages .... and medical support as needed.

if someone blows a tire or hits some sand on a quick descent and wipes out four riders from three different teams ... . in the no-cell-coverage zone ..... will your insurance cover you for that? Four people lying on the road for 45 minutes or an hour until someone can ride out of there .. and
... who do they call? Will you have the comm info for every SAG team? And if all you know is that some rider told you a couple riders crashed on a descent, how will you know who to call? At that point you might Have to call 911 just to cover yourself ....

Because you are being so secretive ... my imagination takes off ... but if You are not imagining all this, and making contingency plans ... then what Are you"organizing"? Again, 999 times None of this will happen ... but if any of it does, you had best be ready.

Charliekeet

[Writes reminder to self to never join a group ride event as they sound super, terrifically tedious. Good lord...]

ctpres

Maybe the vision of a "Team" is a bit grander than needed for this ride. In my case the Mrs will be my support driving our car. Only two people involved. Will have spare tire, tube some tools, water, food etc in the trunk and bike carrier on the back for the ride home and potential breakdown or accident. You are welcome to ride with me. If I can drum up one or two more businesses - there will be no or VERY small registration fee.

Maelochs

Wait ... you need advice to organize a solo ride?

ctpres

Lots of good points and questions here. Right now this only an idea with support of most who have been briefed on my "IDEA" and that includes two sponsors. Will the first ride ever even happen - who knows. Emergency support will probably be provided by local SAR and emergency service - both likely benefactors of event fund raising. Maybe I should stop using the term "Team" and find some other term/word. What is incentive for riders? Personal achievement, chance to do something you already are going to do but do it for a charity. If this thing works out at all I don't see very many traveling far just to ride event in the first few years. For the most part new local events have succeeded due to qualified support. In the next week or so I should be meeting some local cycling folks to discuss the basic concept and I will be including a lot of input from this discussion. I have never done anything like this so I have a lot to learn.

Machka 

Fleches and randonneuring in general aren't competitive.

Have you looked up randonneuring or audax?

If you're in the US look up RUSA and find your local rides if they still have some on go ride one. It might help to get a different perspective on things.

​​​​​​​Also look up 24 hour time trials.

Maelochs

No clue what is really going on here, but if it is supposed to work out, i hope it works out the way it is supposed to.

veganbikes

Slightly more detailed stuff and things! Any more suggestions?

Maelochs

Just Do it.

Wcollins00

rm -rf

So I'm going to supply my own group of riders, and my own sag support? What does the event do for me, why would I participate?

Ritalalala

Prepare a first-aid kit, a small amount of drinking water, food, and handle unexpected situations at any time.
Inform all participants to call the first contact in case of an accident.
Pay attention to the hygiene of the diet. Always be vigilant, keep your belongings and personal safety.
Buy outdoor sports insurance for everyone.

Milton Keynes

So how did this pan out? Did it ever become an event or just a pipe dream? Did you ever manage to attract people to the idea of paying a registration fee, assembling their own riding & SAG teams, and donating money to charity vs. going out on their own and riding, then writing a check to a charity once they get back home?

ctpres

It is currently a "work in progress." The community bike club I approached with the idea was interested but felt their three member club was a bit small to tackle the project. They referred me to another much larger club in the next town. It will probably be early next next year before I can meet with both clubs or get enough locals and sunbirds to help the small club.

Maelochs

I don't want to be a drag .... but I would suggest either staying with the normal format (the host provides everything except the bikes and riders) and finding some sponsors. Once you reach the size where you need insurance, you need all the rest---first aid, dedicated support (can't have people riding unsupported, getting hurt, and suing both you and the charity,) and probably you would want to notify the towns along the route, just so the local LEOs don't freak out and cancel the ride on you.

Have you contacted the charity? They might have certain regulations before you can use their name. The charity won't want to end up being liable or even close to it.

I'd say, as many as two dozen riders could just do the ride and no one would care or hardly notice ... but if you wanted to do anything bigger, wanted to print posters, wanted to have actually prepared aid stations along the way, wanted to have everyone end up in the same place and maybe stay there to chat afterwards (which people would probably want to do) then you will need a dozen or more staff just to run the thing.

What is the goal here? Most charity rides try to get big enough to get past the break-even point, where all the prep and support doesn't consume all the entry fees. If you are tying to eliminate all the costs by asking the riders to accept the responsibility, you are asking for trouble. If you keep it really small, then really, it is just a bike ride---maybe it gets a few people to write checks who might not have otherwise. That sort of a "focused" club ride--- after today's scheduled ride we will all make donations to this charity---would be safe, and might get some folks to give when they might not have without prompting.

Anything bigger than a small club ride----you need to get really serious.

Also ... you know i hope that you won't be able to ride any of this ride except for scouting the roue a few months in advance, and the week before to look for changes or pavement hazards? Day of the show, you will be in a car, not driving, on a phone, solving problems. having organized several non-cycling charity events, i can tell you that you will not get much sleep before, because you will be strung out worrying and fixing last-minute breakdowns and covering for people who let you down---the night before will be the worst---and you will have to be up at 4 a.m. to make sure Everything everywhere is ready, organize cooler delivery, table delivery, signs, crime scene tape, whatever ... plus put out fires, fill in gaps, give a brief address to kick it off, rush around helping everyone staff and riders who need help, then cleaning up afterwards so people don't remember your event as the one which left trash behind .... then making sure all the money is collected, counted, deposited .... then crawling into bed exhausted somewhere around midnight. it'as worth it, but it ain't that much fun while it is happening.

if your point is to do a big ride to raise money ... really focus on that. if the point is to do a small ride, hoping it will grow, you will need to reach a certain mass of people to ensure that a certain number show up, and then a sufficient portion of them like it enough to want to do it again. Starting with 12 people and hoping it will grow into a big event ... it Could happen .... I don't want to be negative.

I'd ask myself hard, do I want to raise money or do I want to organize a small ride? Your intended goal determines your path ... and it is hard to take one path to more than one destination.

Joe Bikerider

Don’t use paint for route marking. Colored chalk will work and will be gone a a matter of a few weeks at most. Sooner if it rains. Use the big fat chalk sticks made for sidewalks. RouteArrows, those sticky markers are not really very biodegradeable and will deface the route for months. Take some pride in your area and realize not everyone appreciates your graffiti.

TimothyH

I hope it works out. Don't listen to the naysayers.

If it doesn't work out then at least you tried. 99.9% of people with ideas just dismiss them. The 0.01% give it a shot and some do great things. Regret sucks.

My suggestion is to have the best route possible. Don't add junk miles - useless loops or cruddy roads or high traffic with no scenery - just to reach some arbitrary mileage goal. Have a great route.


-Tim-

EdwinHeadwind

Will there be an afterparty?

fietsbob

Have the Raffle Last , no one sticks around, after the Prizes are handed out.