Costs

[Doo]

Hi Folks,

Back in the day audax events were cheap as chips. It now appears they are becoming quite pricey. Anyone else noticed this phenomena?!

Doo

[Hot Flatus]

There are 4 audaxes running today. All but one are £5. The one that isn't is £3.

[Doo]

^well that's great to hear

[Hot Flatus]

http://www.aukweb.net/events/

You can see the prices on the calendar page. £5-6 is the norm.  My local rides are £6 and include breakfast. Some organisers strike a deal with venues in order to use them, and include some free food.

There may be a few outliers, but I think they are rare. Sometimes organisers give proceeds to local causes. I dont think many are in it as a get rich quick venture.

The only ride that I think has grown considerably in price is the BCM. IIRC it has gone from £17.50 to £37 over 10 years. It did change slightly when all food was included (IIRC it went to £25). I dont know the history of the finances, and how it was funded 10 years ago, but even so despite the price increase, it still represents very good value in comparison to what is available in the commercial world.

Frankly, any event requires a significant amount of work, and I wouldn't begrudge an organiser having a bit left over by way of remuneration, whether it be the price of a few pints or a decent meal out. I dont think any of them can retire on it.

[whosatthewheel]

I'm not be-grudging organisers anything. I just looked at the snowdrop audax, a great 120k audax which costs £8.50 plus £4 to ece it = over 12 squirrels for a 200k event. I know it's a great ride and includes food but is still a cost. There is a Bristol 200k in December that is £10.50 to enter, again includes food but is still costly. Perm cards are what, 4 quid a shot nowadays?! I'm really not moaning but I guess you'll see folk enter less events due to financial constraints. I'd like to enter a bunch of rides but am skint, so I guess it's Mark Rigby's January Sale (1 pound) for me.

Times are hard, thrills are cheaper...

Inflation... assuming an inflation at 2% average, in 10 years prices rise nearly 30%... so your 8 pounds become 10.50. Any hobby costs money...

There are ways to make some extra cash with your cycling... I have "guided" folks around the Surrey hills, ahead of their London 100 charity ride a few years ago. 100 quid to cycle 60 miles (and free lunch)... there are worse ways to spend a saturday morning. Get in touch with one of the gazillion charities that rule these events, they often look for experienced cyclists.

[Hot Flatus]

I'm not be-grudging organisers anything. I just looked at the snowdrop audax, a great 120k audax which costs £8.50 plus £4 to ece it = over 12 squirrels for a 200k event. I know it's a great ride and includes food but is still a cost. There is a Bristol 200k in December that is £10.50 to enter, again includes food but is still costly. Perm cards are what, 4 quid a shot nowadays?! I'm really not moaning but I guess you'll see folk enter less events due to financial constraints. I'd like to enter a bunch of rides but am skint, so I guess it's Mark Rigby's January Sale (1 pound) for me.

Times are hard, thrills are cheaper...

Just enter the £5 ones then and dont ECE them. Or alternatively just go for a ride by yourself....tremendous value for money.

Sorry to hear about you impecunious predicament.

[essexian]

Blimey! 

Well lets look at the other side of the coin shall we.... I am currently trying to get CBH to agree to let me do the Etape Loch Ness next year.... I don't think she is taken by the fact that I will be away for three nights. However, the cost for the 110km ride on closed roads (the only reason I want to do it as there is no way I would ride on the main road to the north of the loch if it was open to traffic!) is likely to be north of £65.

Then I was reading in Tri220 this month some of the major triathlons cost well over £300 a pop.

So, at mostly less than a tenner a go, I think Audax are great value... okay you don't get an energy gel half way around or a medal at the end, but I can live without that. 

[citoyen]

I set the price for my 200 at £9, based on not really knowing how much it was going to cost me to run it (as it was my first time organising) but wanting to ensure I didn’t make a loss. I’m aware it’s towards the higher end of the spectrum but most of it went on the catering - I took a quality over quantity approach. Because that’s my preference.

As it happens, I overestimated my costs and ended up with a surplus, which I donated to charity. I could have kept it for myself but I’d have to declare it on my tax return which isn’t worth the faff for the sums involved.

If I were charging at my usual professional rate, the amount wouldn’t have even paid for a full day of my time.

I’ve set the price the same for next year’s event and plan to allocate more funds to laying on more support at controls.

I see no evidence at all that rising prices for audax events is affecting numbers - quite the opposite, in fact.

[Philip Whiteman]

My events fall within this range but are charged at cost. During my tenure fees rose by £2 over a period of 7 years to reflect costs. Per rider, costs exceeded an individual’s entry fee and had everyone turned up on the day I would have been hit with a large financial loss which AUK does not cover.  My  recent Autumn Rivers event, cost £6.50 to enter and it ran at a loss after hall fees, AUK charges and costs of providing a meal for all finishers was deducted.  When considering fees for next year, one has to consider inflation which usually hits food costs either directly or via cafe food vouchers, so for 2018 I have increased fees to counter that threat.  All this compares starkly to sportives that or more but provide considerably less than an audax.

[Paul H]

I'm really not moaning but I guess you'll see folk enter less events due to financial constraints. I'd like to enter a bunch of rides but am skint, so I guess it's Mark Rigby's January Sale (1 pound) for me.

While finances have at times been a constraint on how many I enter, I don't think I've ever done one where the entry fee has been the largest cost, I've always spent more on travel and cafes.  Money was tight for a while last year when I was between jobs, £16 for six DIYs and take sandwiches, sorted that.  I appreciate all the organisers do, given the above, the difference between £6 and £10 isn't going to make any difference to whether I enter or not. 

[citoyen]

A lot of the smaller sportives are run on similar lines to Audax events, by volunteers and not for profit (although often with a charity donation built into the price since they are often run specifically as fundraisers).

Big commercial sportives need to make enough money to pay the staff a reasonable wage but there still aren’t many people getting properly rich off them.

[whosatthewheel]

A lot of the smaller sportives are run on similar lines to Audax events, by volunteers and not for profit (although often with a charity donation built into the price since they are often run specifically as fundraisers).

Big commercial sportives need to make enough money to pay the staff a reasonable wage but there still aren’t many people getting properly rich off them.

And even those few left that are run by volunteers always cost in excess of 20 pounds... which is 2 to 3 times the average cost of a BR 200.

[Wycombewheeler]

I rode the cambridge autumnal yesterday. £8.50 with food included at start and finish.

I spent £5 at each cafe and it was a 170 mile round trip to the start

entry cost of £6 or £10 is really neither here nor there, audax events represent incredible value as far as I am concerned.

[citoyen]

And even those few left that are run by volunteers always cost in excess of 20 pounds... which is 2 to 3 times the average cost of a BR 200.

I can think of at least three local sportives off the top of my head that cost £15 or less to enter.

[Ian H]

A friend has financial constraints which put non-essential things like cycle events out of reach.  Food and travel are the main factors.  Reducing the cost of entry would have little bearing in most cases.

When I was running the K&SW it was a repeated hassle to find suitable halls at reasonable prices, and setting the fee was difficult as entry numbers varied considerably from year to year.  My current set of events are simple to organise and run.

[whosatthewheel]

As I said, it is unthinkable to reduce the current AUK fees even further. Some of these Brevets cost the same as an inner tube. If the OP wants to ride brevets, he'll have to find a way to make some extra cash or to save it somewhere else.

When I needed a bit of extra pocket money, I always found a way to raise it...

[Peter]

Steady, now - that sounds a bit Tebbitt-ish.....

[whosatthewheel]

Steady, now - that sounds a bit Tebbitt-ish.....

Maybe it is a sign of the times... when on the one end you have keen cyclists who cannot afford a 10 pound entry fee and at the other hand you have cyclists who collect bicycles worth several thousands and are happy to spend 500 pounds for an 80 grams carbon saddle that comes in a wooden box with the signature of the artisan who made it.
Surely this is one for May or Corbyn to sort out, rather than AUK

[Peter]

Sure.  But I've met Doo (I think) and I hate to think of him on hard times.  I've ridden hundreds of Audaxes and helped on loads as well and think they are absolutely marvellous value for money.  I certainly don't see how the prices could be reduced on most events.  But I feel great sympathy for anyone who is in Doo's position.  It really isn't that easy to just find extra cash.  I'm pretty sure he doesn't have the kind of collection to which you refer!

Peter

[hellymedic]

I'm on various cycling group committees.
Seems to me that room/hall hire is very variable.

Some places we use cost 'peanuts'. Others have seen major price hikes over the last few years. I'm sure this is a major factor, with some churches/community organisations attempting to maximise income by charging 'competitive' commercial rents.

Our meetings take only a couple of hours.

An Audax event might need to book a venue for a LOT longer.

I'm sure this is a major factor on events with any facilities.

[whosatthewheel]

Sure.  But I've met Doo (I think) and I hate to think of him on hard times.  I've ridden hundreds of Audaxes and helped on loads as well and think they are absolutely marvellous value for money.  I certainly don't see how the prices could be reduced on most events.  But I feel great sympathy for anyone who is in Doo's position.  It really isn't that easy to just find extra cash.  I'm pretty sure he doesn't have the kind of collection to which you refer!

Peter

Obviously...

My point is: AUdax prices cannot be reduced without them becoming "saturday club rides", where people meet outside the local pub. Pay squeeze is a real problem... I think I lost about 20% of my disposable income over the past decade. At the moment I am fine, but I went through periods where I needed to raise some extra cash if I wanted to buy a new pair of tubeless tyres or I wanted to enter an expensive sportive. The 10 pounds were never a problem, but the 50 or 100 were a bit harder to find.

There are ways and even just cycling, it is possible to raise cash and make turning pedals work for you

[Delph Cyclist]

I dont think many [organisers] are in it as a get rich quick venture.

I am.  It doesn't work.  Other ideas for getting rich I've seen include busking outside LEL control venues.  That didn't seem to work either.

[De Sisti]

But I've met Doo (I think) and I hate to think of him on hard times. 

If Doo wants to enter a particular Audax ride and can't afford the entrance fee, I'm sure we can all chip in
and cover the cost?

[Veloman]

I dont think many [organisers] are in it as a get rich quick venture.

I am.  It doesn't work.  Other ideas for getting rich I've seen include busking outside LEL control venues.  That didn't seem to work either.

Might have something to do with the quality of entertainment provided!

[Terry2wheelz]

I've come across a few un-savoury types busking outside audax controls - one strange bloke can sometimes be seen plucking a ukulele  -  I find him most strange indeed.

Now then back to Doo's original thread -  times may be hard & whilst Doo openly admits to being skint just now, fear not & it may be best to direct your sympathy or sniping comments elsewhere as for sure he's rich in other areas of life if not the wallet just now.  I've ridden many happy miles with Doo & often his famous footnote to LEL has me tittering & smiling profusely - 

Doo has done as much to attract me to audaxing as anyone else on this planet has - excluding that strange bloke with his ukulele ...

P.S - I'll openly admit that I'm "as tight as cramp"  where money is concerned.....but don't mind shelling out a tenner or so if it means i ride with blokes like Doo.