seypat

The main reason you should care is because you overcooked the second part of that blind S curve. You and your bike/gear are down at the bottom of the ravine next to the road injured. The race/ride is strung out. Nobody witnessed your accident. One of the two bandits, either the OP or Mr. Sellerz took your spot in the head count at the checkpoints. Maybe there are some more bandits on the ride which means there might be some donut chewers/picture takers still behind you that will come by eventually. I'd start making some noise if I were you. Otherwise, we might be reading/hearing about you on CNN/FOX/etc as a missing persons file. Well, until the search parties come upon you and we get the update.

Paul Barnard

Is that something that has happened before or is that imagining up a reason to concern yourself with bandits?

Paul Barnard

Would the bandit be entitled to insurance coverage if something went wrong?

seypat

This ride is capped because of the number of participants allowed on the Blue Ridge Parkway in an event.

https://www.ymcacva.org/storming-thunder-ridge

himespau 

If you have planned out doing this in advance and have to come here to ask if you're the jerk, you probably are.

shelbyfv

I figure if ride organizers didn't see a downside to poachers/freeloaders they'd probably say "Our ride is $150 but if you think you are special enough that you should ride for free, come on out!"

Koyote

Yup. Like when someone starts a sentence with "I'm not a racist, but..." And you know they're going to say something that's super racist.

livedarklions

Doesn't matter--the group could not be constituted without the insurance, so it's part of the cost of the group that the bandit is so eager to ride with.

Also, I'd reckon that the coverage is probably conditioned on the organizers keeping the event capped, so the bandit might be screwing up your coverage.

You understand that if this becomes real common, people won't be able to organize the events, right?

WhyFi

It should be rather obvious, but it was an epiphany to me in my early 20's when the thought occurred, "if a behavior can't scale without the system breaking down, it's probably an assholish behavior." Unfortunately, it seems as if many others either don't understand or don't care about this.

GhostRider62

Out on my normal Sunday training ride and what comes around a sharp down hill corner, wide into my lane completely out of control. A pack of wannabe racers on an organized ride, probably thinking they owned the road for the entry fee. Spring already? Urgh. Looked it up, smallish 700 rider organized ride. At least they did not paint arrows on the pavement. My route crossed the ride's route about an hour later for about 2 miles and the dozen or so riders took up the entire lane. Both sides of the road. After my training ride, my wife returns from church to tell me there is an organized ride going on. How can you tell? "They won't move over to let you pass."

GET OFF MY LAWN. lol

SpeedyBlueBiker

You can put on these events for just 10 euros and Gran Fondos for only 20-30 euros? That's about $11 USD and $22-33 USD. You must get a lot of donated items or big sponsors to cover all the costs.

caloso

BF's version of AITA.

Bulette

Serious inquiry. Spectators will sometimes bicycle along the Tour de France stages, both ahead of and behind the race, correct? Should we bounce them for taking advantage of the organizers route and signage?

WhyFi

This is only relevant if you have the intent to ride the course either before the event has started, or after the event has ended. Is that the case?

livedarklions

Serious inquiry--why is that relevant? No one's saying you can't ride the route of an organized group ride either before or after the event is run. Your question was about riding with the event crowd.

I would think the TdF thing would be a timing issue--as long as they're not in the way of the race, the roads are either open for cycling or they are not.

Also, there's just a basic question of norms here. The French business owners are probably appreciating the bicycle tourist trade.

I get that you're trying to turn this into a grey area with the "take advantage" thing, but it entirely misses the point--riding with the group is the thing that constitutes taking UNFAIR advantage of the organizers and paid participants.

70sSanO

I would imagine the insurance company will want to deny coverage to non-participants. If there are injuries, I would guess the event liability would cover the participants and the bandit would be on his/her own.

As for the OP’s reference to the Tour de France, the woman who caused the crash with her Opi-Omi sign was convicted of reckless endangerment. She was only fined, but could have faced jail time.

I think the OP needs an “I’m with stupid” T-shirt.

John

shelbyfv

We,eh? I guess if you, the Creeper or anyone else puts on a ride you can run it the way you like. Seriously.

AlgarveCycling

The sponsors are usually the supermarkets, local businesses etc. Here is a typical example of an upcoming MTB race:
https://apedalar.pt/eventos/info/2898

Entry is 10 euros and if you want lunch, add 9.50 euros.

This is one of the more expensive Gran Fondos - 40 euros but look what you get for that: https://granfondoserradaestrela.com/...ions/?id=13290

Portugal is cheaper generally than the USA, UK etc for many things with the exception of housing in the tourist hotspots which is comparable with any sought-after area in the EU and motor vehicles, which are hideously taxed.

indyfabz

Dumb questions but...

It's permitted as long as there is no potential interference with the race or unless it's otherwise not permitted for other reasons. I rode parts of a few '95 Giro stages on days before the race came through. In one instance, I was coming back down into town from a climb when I was, in fact, directed off the course by the Crabinieri because it was getting close to the time when the riders were expected. When we rode the hilly time trial stage we started early enough that we made it to the finish way before the first rider hti the course. The only thing we were not permitted to do was ride through the finish area. We had to walk around and continue riding after we had bypassed it. I made the climb to the finish at Gressoney-St. Jean well before the riders were due. On the way back down I had to pull over for them as they came by in various groups.

In any even, I hope you are getting whatever satisfaction you hoped to get out of this thread. I understand that if you don't give a border collie enough to do it might make trouble.

livedarklions

Is it fair to say that the insurance costs are less or non-existent because they don't have to deal with American-style torts liability?

Rolla

If so, it’s an unflattering glimpse of your ability to make analogies.

AlgarveCycling

True, I think, any liability costs will be far less onerous, nothing like what the USA has become used to.

In terms of all round insurance for accidents, injuries and liability, there is medical assistance at all events, but medical insurance is borne by the participant, usually in the form of our UCI licenses which covers that specific insurance as well as personal liability. More than that, we have free state healthcare comparable to the UK's NHS and many of us have Private too. So medical insurances etc are covered that way. However, the organisers will have their own liability insurance in place too but to what degree I have never looked into but it is fair to say, tort liability costs/awards will be nowhere near as much.

Camilo

Lest there be any uncertainty, he definitely wants to make clear what kind of person he is. Of course, taking good pulls totally negates the asshollery.

tomato coupe

I'm going to write to a bunch of ride organizers and ask if it's okay for me to ride without paying ... as long as I take some good pulls. I think they'll all be cool with that.

Camilo

Yea, I don't think they'll even require you to take good pulls. As long as you just stick with the fast riders to whom bows and genuflections are made, it will be welcomed, I'm sure.