Early entry

[Gaseous Clay]

Am i correct in assuming that if an event is listed on the aukweb.net site it is fine to send off an entry form, even if it is months and months and months away?

Twill 'elp me noggin' y'see if i know i am committed to it.....

Anyway, i don't want to give any sensitive sorts reason to complain if there is an unspoken, unwritten invisible protocol lurking...

Cheers muchly

[phil d]

If it's "published", which if you can see it it is, you can enter it.

It would probably help the organiser if you date your cheque a month or so before the event, so it's not out of date when he or she comes to bank it.

[Tewdric]

I  always feel that waiting until the new season starts on 1 Nov is the decent thing to do, although I don't think there's a reason not to enter as soon as the ride is on the calender.  Someone who actually knows will hopefully be along soon!

<edit> cross posted with PhilD!

[Weirdy Biker]

There is no entry window.  Once it appears, you are free to send in your entry.  Every time I've put on an event, there is usually a small number of very keen riders who seem to have some sort of alarm system set up that notifies them when events go live.

My first entry for today's ride was literally 2 days after it was added to the calendar.  I've already had my first entry for a February ride (suspect PayPal made it too easy for them to resist, mwahaha).  For an organiser, I find that the first entry is a combination of relief (ah, at least one person will be doing it) and dread (damn, I actually need to do this now).

Personally I much prefer receiving early entries than those close to the wire.  Those later entries can be a pain in the proverbial (although my own fault, because I tend not to impose a closing date and usually allow entries on the line).

[phil d]

For an organiser, I find that the first entry is a combination of relief (ah, at least one person will be doing it) and dread (damn, I actually need to do this now).

Personally I much prefer receiving early entries than those close to the wire.  Those later entries can be a pain in the proverbial (although my own fault, because I tend not to impose a closing date and usually allow entries on the line).

Indeed.  I second all of that.

[Gaseous Clay]

Thankyou chaps- it is way in advance, but if i enter now it will help get me out of the door during the winter months when i may well give in to sitting in front of the fire with a book and a glass of single malt instead.....

[Manotea]

My Upper Thames and South Bucks Winter Warmer entries are in, and I've a Poor Student perm brevet in the Drawer that needs using up, so that's Nov/Dec & Jan taken care of one way or another.

[frankly frankie]

Sheila has entries for her 400 and 600 events, next May and June.
At this remove, there's a significant chance that an entrant will break a leg, or just take up knitting instead of cycling, in the interim.  In which case the entry fee will be pure profit  

Equally, there's a good chance of Sheila losing her marbles records of these entries, and greeting the rider at the start with a blank look and a "Who you??".

[Ian H]

Equally, there's a good chance of Sheila losing her marbles records of these entries, and greeting the rider at the start with a blank look and a "Who you??".

Me too.

[citoyen]

I entered a load of 2010 events, up to this month, at the beginning of the year. I was worried about the possibility of orgs losing the entry form, and was concerned when my routesheet for the On & Offshore 200 hadn't turned up by a week before the ride, but that turned out to be down to problems with the post at my end, not the organiser's fault.

d.

[Salvatore]

I once entered an event 20 months in advance.

I understand the organiser was not overjoyed to receive my entry.

[L CC]

When I couldn't do the New Forest On/Off Shore the org agreed to hold on to my entry and fee for next year. I don't think it's on the calendar yet.

[Greenbank]

I've entered a 600 in 2011, that's more than 8 months away.

I'll also enter a 400 once I've cleared the date with my own personal events manager.

[Gaseous Clay]

I emailed the organiser, just to be on the safe side, after finding his address through his cycling club (it wasn't on the event info) and he turned out to be a very helpful and accommodating chap indeed.

I just had to date the cheque to nearer the time of the event (i.e. 8 months from now....).

It's good to here that i'm not alone when planning ahead.   

[Fidgetbuzz]

It is that damn French ride - I looked yesterday at final dates for each of the needed SR rides - checked AUK calendar - decided that I could not gamble on a 600 close to final date in case it went wrong - decided that entering a 600 earlier meant that I could not gamble on that one ride only - and so before you know where you are - i am working out how to enter 2 600's in the window that closes on 17th June. same applied to 400s too.

AAARGH !!

[Manotea]

On Monday posted a late entry for a local 100km on Saturday. On Tuesday discovered I would be a DNS. Bother.

Edit: On Wednesday I discovered I would not be a DNS, hurrah!

[mikewigley]

If it's "published", which if you can see it it is, you can enter it.

It would probably help the organiser if you date your cheque a month or so before the event, so it's not out of date when he or she comes to bank it.

Actually, I prefer cheques dated correctly.  I bank my cheques as they come in, otherwise I'll lose it.  Even better are online entries (not on-the-line entries which is something else entirely)