Originally Posted by
shovelhd
Every year we strive to break even or be slightly in the black for Hilltowns. That is the economics of bike racing. Where the club makes real money is Bikefest, a festival of five supported rides in one day. Rides, low cost races like hill climbs and race rides like gran fondos are what pay the bills. How would one feel about being a Cat1 gran fondo state champion? Is that what people want?
This is what I am driving at though. There seems to be this desire to turn the racing scene into a money maker. That is all well and good but from where I stand it just isn't feasible. USAC officials don't really make much, races need volunteers (who aren't paid), and so on. As much as I have some beef with USAC right now, what about them? If promoters say "We want to make a real profit!" why shouldn't the officials say that aswell? Then the "volunteers" will start to expect more than just getting a T-Shirt.
Fun rides are different. I have done a few Gran Fondos and while they aren't exactly my thing, I understand why people like them. Sure, make a profit in a market where you have enough participants to make the expense worth your while and the overhead costs are lower. But it seems like people are upset that races don't bring in the same kind of money that Gran Fondos, novelty Hill Climbs, or other "fun" events bring in. You can't just say: "People ride bikes at my event, thus I can expect to make profit X"