"Ironically these Grand Frodo idiots charge such a massive entry fee (hundreds) they can afford things like computer timing chips"
The last couple of times I rode the Hotter-n-Hell 100 (massive charity ride with like 12,000 people), timing chips were like $5 extra, and I think the following year, they were just automatically included. There may be a big set-up cost, but that would relate more to the size of the crowd than the entry fee. There may also be reliability issues. On a charity ride, if the thing doesn't work, they could just give you your $5 back, it's not like you miss out on valuable prizes or anything.
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"be careful this rando stuff is addictive and dan's the 'pusher'."