What is going on with the racing in Virginia this year? Are cities making it harder to hold races or are promoters just tired of holding races and giving up? So many races are being canceled this year. Just noticed the Tour De Weekend races are off the calendar. Maybe its the racers fault. Have we got too greedy and expect large price list that promoters can't deliver. I know it is harder than ever to get sponsors. Without sponsors prize money comes from the entry fees and essentially takes money away from the clubs. The final Tuesday race at the Sportsplex was canceled due to a field hockey tournament.
Another thing I was pissed at, that also doesn't help the racing in Virginia was the late fee added to the State TT. As most people are aware, what was written on Bike Reg and what was actually done were two different things. The attitude of "you are SOL" by the promoter doesn't help things either. I know race promoting is a thankless job. We do it because without it there are no races. It does give our clubs money and if performed properly can be gratifying. My wife discovered this last year that she LOVES being a race promoter. As soon as we got home from the VBW Smackdown she wanted to promote another race. We looked at the race calendar but it was full. We could have put on more races if we would have known the rest of the season would be canceled. We started the plan for a RR in Suffolk, but the tornadoes put a stop on that.
Here is what I am thinking for next year. My wife and I (and hopefully help from the rest of the team) want to put on a season long Tour of Tidewater. A Poor Man's Tour of Tidewater. No entry fee exceeding $20. We will try to get sponsors for large prizes, but if not maybe we will race for smaller prizes and pride. We are thinking about making it an omni series of about 5 to 7 races spread throughout the season (TT, RR, and Crits). The will be BAR events and prizes at the end for overall winners. Does it sound like you would be interested? Post to comments any ideas or things to make this idea even better. The more comments I have the more likely I would be able to get sponsorship (I a can show how much interest there is).
So I will be at Richmond for GFTL but I will be skipping the TT this weekend. See you at the races.
Another thing I was pissed at, that also doesn't help the racing in Virginia was the late fee added to the State TT. As most people are aware, what was written on Bike Reg and what was actually done were two different things. The attitude of "you are SOL" by the promoter doesn't help things either. I know race promoting is a thankless job. We do it because without it there are no races. It does give our clubs money and if performed properly can be gratifying. My wife discovered this last year that she LOVES being a race promoter. As soon as we got home from the VBW Smackdown she wanted to promote another race. We looked at the race calendar but it was full. We could have put on more races if we would have known the rest of the season would be canceled. We started the plan for a RR in Suffolk, but the tornadoes put a stop on that.
Here is what I am thinking for next year. My wife and I (and hopefully help from the rest of the team) want to put on a season long Tour of Tidewater. A Poor Man's Tour of Tidewater. No entry fee exceeding $20. We will try to get sponsors for large prizes, but if not maybe we will race for smaller prizes and pride. We are thinking about making it an omni series of about 5 to 7 races spread throughout the season (TT, RR, and Crits). The will be BAR events and prizes at the end for overall winners. Does it sound like you would be interested? Post to comments any ideas or things to make this idea even better. The more comments I have the more likely I would be able to get sponsorship (I a can show how much interest there is).
So I will be at Richmond for GFTL but I will be skipping the TT this weekend. See you at the races.
13 comments:
To answer your first question - I think it's a little of both. This is my first year of bike racing, so maybe my opinion doesn't count as much. I have seen races get canceled too this year, races I wanted to do, and it's frustrating. Finding sponsors, it seems, in bike racing is terribly difficult. I come from a background of coordinating triathlons and can tell you that it is just as hard there too.
I'm bummed to hear you're skipping out of the State TT because of how you feel it's being handled this year. I know the promoter, and well, that's my team that's putting it on. Finding sponsors for this race was not easy for us, and the ones we did get we're so thankful for. The awards are going to be awesome this year.
As for your issues about the late fee...I personally think having one is fine. But again, I come from racing tri's so I'm used to seeing this all time. I see one late fee for a bike race I'm doing this year in VA and everyone seems to throw a fit. It's what a couple of extra bucks, right? So sign up early and you won't have to worry about it. Race promoters have the right to do it. I personally wouldn't complain if you decided to add one on to your races, but that's just me.
Your comment about the promoter's attitude wasn't something you cared for...ok, so maybe they could have handled some responses differently, but you'll find the more you do these races, you'll have some people that just don't have anything nice to say at all, and it's all in how you react to the situation. And I've seen some pretty not so nice emails when it comes to race promoting. Putting on races is a learning experience. People make mistakes. I did the race poster for the State TT, so maybe blame me too for the miscommunication on the late fee.
All I'm trying to say here, is I completely understand your frustrations, I do. But let's not let these little things make us not go out and do these races. If we want to see our races not get canceled let's do something about it. Let's do our part and sign up for them before there aren't any left at all. Thanking the sponsors is a good way to keep these races around too :-)
I agree Josh, this year sucks. Everybody loves the Sportplex but I think it can be a negative. Instead of sticking up for what race you have, the Sportplex has been the fall back on venue. Then we are at the mercy of the city. Tues. night crits being cancelled(3 now) are only the beginning. I LOVE your ideas. I know you are not asking for it, but I vote for JOSH as cycling rep. in VA!!
I'd be into it. I can't say I'm pissed. Just disappointed. There's not that many races left on the calendar that I'll be able to attend. And while the Sportsplex loop is a blessing, I'm getting kind of tired of turning circles out there. Yet in my desire to race I finally made it out there Tuesday only to find no race. Bless the promoters though, it's a thankless job.
The other thing about the TT is that it was already priced high enough anyway. Regular registration was still $32.00, then the late fee was $10.00. I mean, come on, $40 for a TT, that is just stupid. I paid my $32.00 and will be there, but it is getting ridiculous.
Your idea for the racing sounds good. I think $20 is fair, and I actually think that $20 should just be the standard price for every VA race. I have been racing for 17 years now, I could care less about the prize list. I just want to race and be competitive.
Josh:
I think that your club does a great job, and I hope that you are able to pull off all those races. And I really hope you are able to get at least one of them as a road race! Have a great time at Braden's race, he also does a great job
KAREN HANSON, AKA- "The promoter"
That sounds like an awesome plan! Not sure how much of a help I can actually be, but I will do what I can for you.
What about holding races in conjunction with allready existing festivals, street fairs ect to draw the spectators and get sponsor recognition? There are races in California that are like this and they seem to be consistantly sucessful.
Karen wrote me a nice email and I may have misinterpreted her attitude in the group email. I know it seemed strange for me to complain about a lack of racing and boycotting a race all in the same blog. Other reasons are keeping me from the TT. It is a very well run event and I wish I could do it. I apologize if stepped on any toes, it was not my intention. I was just venting, its been a rough year.
Hey, it's all good. :-) We still like you Josh!! VBW rulez!
And P.S. I would love it if you and your wife could start up those races you talked about. Always going in circles kind of gets stale. Seeing more road races or circuit races would be cool.
See you on Saturday at GFTL!
I do not support cash prizes for any race other than elite men's and women's races. The vast majority of amateur racers are not in it for the money. Rather than pay out nominal sums ten deep in ten different races, the money can be used to help secure community approval and support, which benefits all bike racers.
Far too many town center races in D20 have been cancelled recently. This tells me there isn't enough community support for bike racing, particularly when we close off streets, and the local businesses feel it hurts the bottom line.
Bike racing needs to sell itself. One way to do this is to partner with charities, and by partner I mean provide that charity with more cash. It will be more difficult for a local community to say no to a bike race when that race can deliver several thousand dollars to a local charity rather than say $1,000 or $2,000.
I know from persepective of promoting races in both downtown Norfolk (8 years) and at Little Creek Base for over a decade, it was not a matter of "sticking up for the venue" as Jimmy says that we shifted to the Sportsplex. It's a matter of so much time investment (for no pay) and volunteer investment that to take a year to enjoy what one city has done--provide a crit course--and use it to promote a race was a bit of a break. Coordinating downtown venues is a lot of work, and showing the city a return on their investment is hard when, no matter how much money you put up, no more than 300 people are going to show up to race a crit in Hampton Roads. You can also spend a full 40 hours per week trying to promote it in free-low cost venues to the public so that bodies show up to watch, but bike racing is still a foreign sport, even when you try to call it "NASCAR on two wheels" as many a season promoter will call it. Anyway, that does not address the thrust of your post.
freedom ride,williamsburg july 4th from freedom park, 5o miles , free!!!!!!any1 can race up hills if they want , but no one will be left behind......i love the series idea...and i really don`t care where a race is put on so long as it is put on!!!!!!
Well I could on for days about the scam some promoters put on compared to others, having been both a promoter and a racer. In the popular mtn biking days....Dan Comber put on a great race series for VA.....he charged $25-$30 for the entry, and paid out a percentage of cash to the elite riders from what he took in. He did this to promote the elite riders to ask their friends and families to come race, along with their teams and fellow competitors....it was great.....until the hurricane hit!
Aside from price jacking at the gas stations, now we have promoters price jacking.....It's like the movie goodfellas! Do you have family events going on, can't register until the last minute?...F You pay me. Not sure if you can get off work, until the last minute?...F You pay me. Have to spend $70 or more in gas just getting there?....F You pay me (don't know what I'm talking about...watch the movie it's great!)
With the State TT, The Twisted tire event, and several others having incremental price raising, less racers will show because they were already not sure if they could get there in the first place. Raising the price only helps their decision to not come out to the race.
How about NO PAYOUT or very little, and 2 hour waits for results! It's not that hard! I have to say, stop scamming people..it's shameful! I race to be competitive as well, but paying in "meat" for 1st place is insane! Can we get an entry fee back...please?
OK OK it's been a few days, so I'll stop.....but you get the picture.
$20 for a race series is a great idea...........have you heard about the Thursday crits?
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