my58vw

I am in a delema.

Feburary 5th is the Tour de palm Springs and it is 50 dollars to ride the century. This will be my first century blah blah blah. Here is the problem...

I AM BROKE! Well not quite but I am a starving student and I just paid tuition. I have very little discressionary income and 50 dollars is a little, way over, what I can afford for a ride. Some club members have said they are going to ride without paying the entry fee. I guess if you take your own supplies (like 2 water bottles and a camelback and lots of food) could get you away from the sag stops for eating (you could stop but not eat).

Has anyone done something like this? Is this really a viable option. Fifty dollars is quite a bit of money for someone in my situation right now.
Thanks as always

Chucklehead

i would say talk to your mom or something. otherwise, if you aren't going to pay, then why not just ride 100 miles somewhere else?
for me, the allure of the pay-to-play fun ride is the fun of riding with so many other people, but i don't think i would join without paying. it just doesn't seem right, especially if part of the proceeds are going to a charity of some sort. that's just me, though. i mean...the roads aren't private or anything...

ggg300

I seen it done an a charity ride....no sahme!

I think you can do it on other rides unless they are going to have guy check to see if you have a number on you bike...some rides like the one I'm doing in mexico has gus who check. If they are closing down roads and stuff like that your gonna find guys checking.

DXchulo

Yeah, I would think either pay or just go do your own century.

It seems odd to me that they would let you ride without paying. How do they keep track of that? "Hey, I remember you. You didn't pay. Quit eating!"

Clubs put a lot of effort into these rides (planning the route, marking the route, finding volunteers, getting food, and other extras) and it seems unfair to take advantage of their work without paying.

Maybe there's a cheaper century next month or something.

enduro

Maybe you can get sponsored...ask people to donate towards your entry fee as charity. I assume the proceeds from the ride do go to charity?

feltdude

Every organized century I've done has handed out numbers to the riders when they register.

People put a lot of work into running these events, usually for the sake of charity or to support local cycling. If you're going to ride, I'd find a way to pay.

Trekke

I think you could find 50 Bike Forum guys to donate a buck each for a fellow cycler and hard working student. I would help for certain. even if you got 25 that would sure help. What da yo all think?

feltdude

set up a paypal account for donations. I'll chip in a buck.

LordOpie

they keep track with a wrist band or a number on your jersey.

My opinion is, life is a rollercoaster. Don't feel bad if you can't afford it when you don't have the money, go do it. When you do have the money, definitely pay... perhaps donate more than the minimum or volunteer on occassion.

That said, this is your FIRST century... pay the fee cuz if you bonk at 80-90 miles, you'll need them. Without the experience, you may not carry enough food and/or water... and you'll need them.

There are 50-65 mile rides here that I won't pay for... I'll do 'em only if my friends want my company and I'll carry my own supplies. And there are supported rides that I'll pay for either cuz I need the support or I like the organization.


FYI: "2 water bottles and a camelback"... is very likely not enough fluid.


EDIT: Ask the support peeps if they have starving student discounts

zonatandem

Riding as a 'bandit' is not the kosher thing to do.
How would you like it if you threw a party/event and gate crashers came in to freeload?
Hey, you can ride your own 100-miler with the other free-loading friends the following week. The road markings will still be there to follow and bring your own food/drinks/sag support.
Pedal on!

monogodo

My former cycling friends and I used to go on organized rides every 3-4 weeks, and just ride, most of them w/o paying an entrance fee. We wouldn't stop at any rest stops or take advantage of any other 'perks' of the ride (other than the course). We never rode a distance longer than 50 miles.

On the other hand, I will never ride the Hotter 'n Hell Hundred in Wichita Falls w/o paying. After suffering with dehydration one year (8 miles from the finish), I am very grateful for the level of service I received for my relatively small in comparison entry fee (2 units of saline and an air-conditioned ride with just me, my bike, and an attandant in the back of a mini-van).

I'd highly recommend finding a way to pay since it's your first century.

Serpico

Riding without paying sounds unethical to me.

Is there someone you could steal the money from?

'nother

Hell, I'd chip in a buck just to see you avoid the negative Karma points you would accumulate by joining an organized ride without paying.

LordOpie

^ winner!

blue steal

Join a bike club. Mine is $15 a year. When we do volunteer work for the organized rides, we can ride the route either the day before or as sweeps after the ride. My two cents anyway.

slvoid

I'll chip in a buck too.

cjbruin

Didn't know that ride existed...now I'm thinking about doing it. I'll give you $10 toward your entry fee...don't invite the bad karma by doing it without paying.

John00

I'll contribute a couple $s to the
Tour de Palm Springs Charities

Animal Samaritans, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, California Highway Patrol, Cathedral City DARE, Cathedral City High School Band and ROTC, Christian School of the Desert, Coachella Valley Latino POA, Coachella Valley Rescue Mission, Community Blood Bank, Debbie Chisholm Memorial Foundation, Desert Springs Middle School, Kings School, Nellie Coffman Booster Club, Palm Desert High School Athletic Department, Palm Springs High School Band and ASB, Palm Springs Police Drug Intervention, Parkinson's Research Center, Pathfinders, Community of Risen Christ, Piranha Swim Team, Police Activity League of Palm Springs, Police Activity League of Palm Desert, Rotary Clubs, Saint Margaret's School, United Cerebral Palsy, and others.

roadfix

I missed registration deadline for my first Solvang Century long ago so I figured I can pay on the morning of the ride but they refused to take my $40. Most riders were bundled up due to the cold and their bib numbers hidden anyway, I went ahead and did the ride, including all the sag stops. There will always be dishonest riders like myself at any ride.

Trekke

I would have sent the 40$ later to the organization that was sponsoring the event or to the charity they supported. You made an honest mistake by missing the registration. No reason to turn it into a dishonest act on your part.

Mojo GoGo

Sounds like you can get the $ you need from forum members but there's got to be a way to scrape together some spare cash if that doesn't work out... In NYS we have to pay a bottle deposit fee ($.05 per can/bottle tax) when buying soda, beer, etc. When I was in college you could get a fast $10-20 dollars by agreeing to take away cans that people (or a dorm floor) were too lazy to return. Anything like that where you live?

Regardless, pay for the ride as most registration fees go to a charity and not to SAG support. If you can't afford it, do a different ride that's cheaper or go on a training ride for your first century and do it next year.

A02

Have you though about even asking a LBS for a little assistance? Try saying it's your first attempt, you love to cycle, but college tuition payments take too much out of you. Ask if they would consider covering your entry fee or matching other donations in exchage for wearing a shirt or something with their logo on it. I dunno... I guess what I'm saying is don't under-estimate shops, friends, and family.

Bontrager

I'm sure you'd have the $50 if it was for a date or beer or something else that you know you couldn't get away with. Riding without paying is just as wrong as stealing $50 from someone's wallet.

Don't do it.

Edit: Just saw your sig with you bikes. You get no mercy from me for not having $50.

LordOpie

If you use none of their services, how is it wrong?

Granted, I think he will need their support. I suspect only some riders in this forum can carry ALL their own support for a century. (I'm not one of 'em, yet.)

Trekke

If everyone thought it was ok to "ride along" then there would be zero organized and supported rides. It is just wrong. It is called stealing.