Originally Posted by
CommuteCommando
They are called charity rides. I do them if I support the cause. I've done about half dozen, and not once was I forced to buy the jersey, and at two of them the "free" t-shirt was pretty cool.
I know these are charity rides, but for $100 they should offer something more than a peanut butter sandwich and a lousy looking jersey (agreed, "forced" might have been the wrong word, but they use the jersey as an excuse for the price). So, I'm afraid I'll have to side up with Rooftest again - that seems greedy.
I've done a few charity rides in AZ (Tour de Mesa, Tour de Tucson) and I like the way these events are organized and the flexible, no-nonsense pricing: so much for the ride, so much processing fee, minimum donation (usually $10-15) to the supported charity, etc. It costs me quite a bit more (to put it mildly) than the $100 for the Bigring century, but I get something in exchange for my money, and I still support a good cause. I'm sure the organizers of these rides (PBAA) raise a lot more money for their charities than any of the local rides. Hell, people drive all the way from CA to participate in their rides.
