Promoting AUDAX events

[John M]

Hi,

I am organising 3 AUDAX rides next year.

There seems to be less riders taking part these days.

I would be very much interested to hear from all out there as to any ideas how AUDAX events can be better promoted or their image changed to attract more riders.

I really do not want to organise the events in future years if I can not attract 50 riders for each event….

Yours in cycling
John M

[slowfen]

Why 50?

Surely each organiser needs to sort out how many they need. Dependant on the available facilities, as well as geographical location?

[duncan]

Why 50?

Surely each organiser needs to sort out how many they need. Dependant on the available facilities, as well as geographical location?

I don't think 50 is being suggested for all organisers, just this one, and these events.

[MattH]

Putting a write up in Cycle helped Mike Wigley, to the extent that he had to run a second ride a week later because the advertised one was extremely over-subscribed.

[saturn]

My first criteria is location of course, but if it's within reach I look for.....

1. Pleasant & interesting route avoiding busy roads (will bring me back next year)
2. Choice of distances
3. Decent facilities at HQ (will help bring me back next year)

That's not what you asked though is it? However if the AUK calendar has a link to a web site providing full details and reassuarance that I'll find 1 above (particularly) then you have it cracked. I like to see a reasonably detailed map of the route so I can decide that it's a ride I'm likely to enjoy. If that's no possible, as a minimum I like to see a description of the route on the calendar entry ie key places passed though and highlights to look forward to.

An interesting name for the event helps too  

[valkyrie]

Maybe you could give yourself a head start by naming your 3 rides (and the dates) in this thread!

More serious question - how many riders is a good turnout? Most rides I've done have had between 10 and 50, except for the main PBP qualifiers last year. How many soup-slurping, cake-craming, cyclists can you cram into the average church hall?

[Crystal Tips]

Hi John,

What about advertising them with CTC and with Spokes in Edinburgh? A lot of the people on these rides could certainly cover the distance. I have been trying to get a few of the people on Spokes to come along, but dates just havent worked out yet.
There's also the cycling-edinburgh.org.uk website?

[hellymedic]

Are you sure you'll be able to muster the 'staff' to 'process' 50 people at silly o'clock on a weekend morning?

[Noodley]

I shall be encouraging people over on cyclechat to attend your events (and those of others obviously) 

[teethgrinder]

Hi,

I am organising 3 AUDAX rides next year.

There seems to be less riders taking part these days.

I would be very much interested to hear from all out there as to any ideas how AUDAX events can be better promoted or their image changed to attract more riders.

I really do not want to organise the events in future years if I can not attract 50 riders for each event….

Yours in cycling
John M

What distance and what time of year?
Some of us like to do the longer rides in summer, so the 200s tend to attract the local cycling clubs.
Does your event clash with another?
AUK does have lulls in entries. Especialy the year after PBP.
Where are the events from? Easy to get to?
50 seems to be aiming a bit high to me. I only had 32 riders (about 50 entries) for my 600 in 2003 in a PBP year when people needed qualifiers. That was with a £2.50 entry fee, so no big commitment to pay the entry as a back up plan.
I can see why you would be concerned about low entries if you have overheads though. Maybe run it as an X rated event and upgrade if you get more entries to cover costs? That has problems too I guess, unless you limit your entry numbers.

And yes.

Maybe you could give yourself a head start by naming your 3 rides (and the dates) in this thread!

What are these events? You might get some interest here.

[frankly frankie]

There seems to be less riders taking part these days.

Partly people are spread thinner over more events -
but mainly do bear in mind that post-PBP year has always been a poor year,
look at the graphs at
http://www.aukweb.net/results/gsr.php
and
http://www.aukweb.net/results/gkm.php
they both show quite dramatically how activity falls away after every PBP year.

So although I agree there is a downward trend, its not necessarily as steep as this last year might suggest.

[damerell]

I would be very much interested to hear from all out there as to any ideas how AUDAX events can be better promoted or their image changed to attract more riders.

I am certainly atypical in that most of us aren't fanatical anti-car activists [1], but for my part if an event isn't either near me or starting at a time compatible with getting to the start from the nearest railway station, I've got to want to go enough to shell for a B&B. I do think it is worth event organisers considering how start times interact with the railways.

Of course a 300 is an awkward length here because if you start once the trains are running you will certainly finish when they are not.

[1] On the plus side I get a 90-mile ride on Christmas Day which should make some extra room for turkey...

[Craig]

What about advertising them with CTC and with Spokes in Edinburgh? A lot of the people on these rides could certainly cover the distance. I have been trying to get a few of the people on Spokes to come along, but dates just havent worked out yet.
There's also the cycling-edinburgh.org.uk website?

Also cyclingedinburgh.info, it has occasional mentions of audaxes.
And probably worth promoting it with local clubs (ERC, EUCC, MRCC etc) - mention it on their forum or email list.
Do any local bike shops have noticeboards where you could put up a poster or something?

[frere yacker]

Advertise on television.  Hope that helps.

[perpetual dan]

I'm looking at doing my first audax in the new year. Picking an event is being swung by: not too far / not too many big hills    ,easy reach by train without getting up earlier than I do on a work day *grumpy a**e in the morning smiley* ,and a general "sounds nice" / something to see on the ride description.

[frere yacker]

I got a reasonably good entry field, suspect by:

Coming up with a sensible route for the time of year and likely profile of entrants
Asking local clubs to email members with details
Asking local organisers to hand out flyers at their events
Leaving flyers in local bike store
Posting to topics on forums (not in your face though)
Being enthusiastic and helpful in responding to people who contacted me - especially people new to audax


If your events are on different dates, use the first event to get good word of mouth.

[frankly frankie]

Advertise on television.  Hope that helps.

AUK used to have a Calendar listing on Teletext ...

[Tim Hall]

I'm looking at doing my first audax in the new year. Picking an event is being swung by: not too far / not too many big hills    ,easy reach by train without getting up earlier than I do on a work day *grumpy a**e in the morning smiley* ,and a general "sounds nice" / something to see on the ride description.

<checks dan's profile>

Worthing Winter Warmer, 14 Feb.  100km, nice views, not too many big hills, start at Ashington.   

[Martin]

[Worthing Winter Warmer, 14 Feb.  100km, nice views, not too many big hills, start at Ashington.   

hope to be there (train from Three Bridges again Tim?) Footie permitting.

to the OP; Very much what the others have said; it's never an instant success; There are a lot of non-Audaxers who like doing events; depends very much on when and what your events are; hilly 100's are very good out of season (TT'ing usually fills many club riders' calendars Mar-Oct) club events so a a quick e-mail to the club's webmaster for inclusion in their calendar does wonders; I got a whole load of local club riders re-interested in my event this way,

 a 200 close to a large Continental Sportive might attract a few of that type of rider (although you're likely to hear the defeaning sound of Tumbleweed if you post it on certian places). Find a friendly bike shop that has flyers and posters in the window. Local Press. Once you have a loyal clientelle it's a lot easier with just the odd gentle reminder 

[StanThomas]

I would be very much interested to hear from all out there as to any ideas how AUDAX
can be better promoted or their image changed to attract more riders.

Put it on the Web would be my suggestion. And take every opportunity to plug the website address. That little WWW thing on the left below my name has attracted 6 hits from YACF members in under a week. Together with the other sites I've persuaded to link me, the AUK calendar, plus Google etc., this results in a couple of hundred hits a month. Whether any of them will enter is another matter altogether. But at least people know about it.

The website has to tell people what they need to know and pictures from a sunny day are always a good choice. You might try pitching the ride towards the cyclosport masses as well as the audax regulars. Online entry seems popular but it does tend to encourage late entry; worth a try if you're not a finger-nail biter.

[vorsprung]

Hi,

I am organising 3 AUDAX rides next year.

There seems to be less riders taking part these days.

I would be very much interested to hear from all out there as to any ideas how AUDAX events can be better promoted or their image changed to attract more riders.

I really do not want to organise the events in future years if I can not attract 50 riders for each event….

Yours in cycling
John M

   Cyclosport.org

Bikes, Bike Reviews, Cycling Routes, Race News - BikeRadar
bike england
your local newspapers
ctc listings
listings in C+ mag
contact all local tri and cycling clubs with fliers
ensure glowing review is written in arrivee
local radio
fliers at local bike shops
fliers/posters at local fitness centres/sports halls/gyms
fliers/posters at all cafes/controls on route

[salar55]

Easy   ban perms or make it hard, and have to book and pay in Dec for all perms . Stops its a nice day for some pts.

[urban_biker]

Easy   ban perms or make it hard, and have to book and pay in Dec for all perms . Stops its a nice day for some pts.

I'm not quite sure how that helps promote existing audax events? All it does is discourage long distance cycling, which is hardly in the spirit of the club.

[frere yacker]

Advertise on television.  Hope that helps.

AUK used to have a Calendar listing on Teletext ...

No way.  That is so far beyond awesome it should be at the front of the handbook in commemoration of a very good thing indeed.  Did it have it's own blocky grafix of the auk eagle insignia?

[perpetual dan]

...
Worthing Winter Warmer, 14 Feb.  100km, nice views, not too many big hills, start at Ashington.   

I flatter myself that Mrs Dan might just be expecting me to be about and not knackered / sore in the evening on that day    So ... to the OP - consider obvious non-cycling diary clashes! For me, I might just have a bash at one of the slightly hilly Hailsham rides in the next few months.

PS Sorry about the slow response time, coherent responses take a while to emerge through the fog of the lurgy.