carpediemracing 

Not sure about others but I've never gotten a kit or bike or equipment or anything for free. Wholesale, yes. Team cost, yes. As a side benefit to sponsorship (i.e. one pair of shorts and a jersey cost me $7500), yes. But for free? Never.

My equipment costs exceed any other cost by far, at least in sum. Equipment means bike, kit (helmet shoes etc), parts, and, now, camera stuff.

sdgrannygear

A gouge as in a superficial scratch from sliding or an actual break or crack in the carbon? If it's the latter, how can you tell it's structurally fine? Tapping?

shovelhd

Back in the day, I got a lot of stuff for free. Frames, tires, entry fees, parts when I needed them.

gsteinb

I've gotten a couple of free frames. I get most of my clothes for free. A lot of entry fees as well. I usually feel kinda bad about it.

McTufferton

As of yet, I've gotten nothing for free. My team this year gives better benefits to those who are A.) in a higher category, or have B.) been with the team longer. If I make my way to Cat2 next year, being my second year with the team, I think I'd get free kit, some race reimbursement, and some pretty sweet deals on gear.

Beaker

Holy cow Eric, to think I was feeling grumpy about being about $1K out of pocket from my collarbone.

carpediemracing 

I always wondered what "good" racers get. I had various discussions about this a long time ago. Basically, even locally "good" racers, we're all doing this at an intramural softball level. No one outside our immediate world really cares. There's no real news coverage, no regular interviews with the papers. Any sponsorship will be kit publicity out on training rides, maybe some other minor stuff (like a safety day at a school, in your kit).

To me, as a regular business, this means that it doesn't justify giving money to help racers race.

Which means that most sponsorship comes from cycling enthusiasts that don't mind writing off a bit of money. Team members may be pitching in, or a contact at a business may be throwing money that direction. Even ProTour cycling falls under this spell - High Road, Slipstream, BMC, Mapei, these are huge teams that exist/ed primarily because a cycling enthusiast underwrites/wrote the team.

So although I've never gotten anything for free, I also don't expect it.

On the other hand I've met racers that think that because they're whatever category they deserve free kits, frames/bikes, entry fees, even transportation costs. Most of these don't understand that the money that pays for all their stuff is supposed to be making the sponsor money, directly or indirectly (i.e. in increased sales or increased publicity).

gsteinb

I should point out that my whole team gets mostly the same stuff.

Our team, formerly formerly Sony Music, has always been pretty well funded. Back in the day some high profile domestic riders rode for Sony. Over the years it got unwieldy and eventually, as guys aged the decision was made to be a masters only squad. Our title sponsor developed the original team and wants now to give something back to the sport. Other teams with decent budgets have similar benefactors who enjoy and can afford to give something to a sport they appreciate. No one expects it to be well placed advertising dollars, and in our case our team is simply named after our sponsor. Our previous title sponsor has been one of my absolute best friends for 20 years. He was my first best man. When the prior sponsor stepped out, he stepped in. Again, he loved the sport. His career was in a place where he couldn't race as much as he might like, and he wanted to give back something.

There are numerous teams in the region with similar arrangements, and many more that have little or no budget. Neither influences my decision as to who I race with. I can afford a bike (though the ones I've gotten have placed me in the role as advocate for particular shops and bike companies), clothes. etc. I race with my team because we're friends. We get sponsorship because it's a likable group of guys who have leveraged some personal relationships to get someone else to pay for part of their hobby.

Want to buy some girl scout cookies?

aham23

so true. my last training ride is going to cost me close to $5k. later.

carpediemracing 

Thanks for the explanation.

And that's why I bought 15 boxes of cookies. The dad was my leadout man, best man, training camp host, etc, and the mom met him through my shop.

shovelhd

Very well put, gsteinb.

In the past, my major sponsors were bicycle manufacturers (Fuji, Basso). Back then, they did more than just sponsor factory teams, they spread their wealth around to good, strong regional teams. There were also very few, if any, associate sponsors. The title sponsor wanted their name on the jersey as large as could be printed within USCF rules (there were rules about that) and no clutter. Associate sponsors were found on the sleeves, neck, places like that, if at all. Remember, pros were very few and far between in the 80's until 7-Eleven came along.

Nowadays I race for a local club. My jersey is covered with sponsor logos, to the point where they overwhelm the club name and logo. It makes it hard to read unless you're standing still (like, on top of a podium). The sponsors are local and regional businesses that mostly could care less about racing, but love what cycling represents to the area and want to be a part of it. We do quite a bit of local non-racing events that appeal to the general public, awareness, fun stuff, etc. Good clean fun, and what sponsor doesn't want that associated with their name? My club pays cash at the end of the season to racers who meet certain qualifications. It's not a grand sum but it helps.

I think that the rise of the domestic pro teams has changed the sponsorship landscape for Cat1/2 amateurs. If you are a national sponsor, would you rather sponsor a pro or an amateur? Some do both, as a development activity, but that leaves the rest looking for more local or regional sponsorship.

I don't need sponsorship to race, but I sure appreciate anything that helps defray the costs. I pay for this sport on my own. No household dollars are used. Not one dime. So I am basically racing hand to pocket. Everything helps.

carpediemracing 

One thing that came up in the early 90s was the ridiculously low rate the best women warranted. I think Marianne Berglund got $21k a year. I joked with my boss (shop owner) that we should sponsor her instead of spending $10k on the somewhat large club that the shop sponsored.

I forgot about the logo size limitations for amateur racing. That and white or no socks, black shorts... I suppose we have something to thank in Cippolini's antics.

MrTuner1970

Not a good thread for a beginning Cat 5 to read.

Last weekend I took my kids and me to my first race about 5 hours away. After hotel, food, and race fees, it added up to $350.00. !!!!

So, next time I'll be looking for a campground in which to stay. I'll end up sweaty and smelly anyhow, so I figure I can do the tent thing. Any other ideas for racing on the cheap? (Obviously, sharing hotel rooms with teammates.) Bring a loaf of bread and make PB&J's?

A stupid crash on a 2/25/12 training ride resulted in a separated shoulder. Cost was about $1,100, assuming all the bills are in...which they seem to straggle in forever. Still struggling with the shoulder, but I think it can be fixed with strengthening exercises.

carpediemracing 

I guess living in northeast Mississippi forces long travel to races. That's the biggest expense if you're staying somewhere - I don't think I've ever gone to just a race and stayed in a hotel. I've gone and done races while on trips where I stayed in a hotel, okay, but I kind of merged the race cost into the trip cost.

Travel kills budgets. It's the main expense for some domestic pro teams (based on conversations with team personnel).

For me it's a matter of:
- entry fee control, i.e. pre-reg. If you have time pay by check and send it to the promoter directly (if they do that). This saves any online reg fees.
- car pool to save on fuel
- try not to eat out (this is my main expense when I race - $40-60 sometimes, and this for a crit only an hour away)
- bring lots of spares - a teammate and I drove to Bethlehem for a crit. I didn't bring extra wheels so had nothing for the wheelpit. Flatted a couple laps in. I blew a 4 or 5 hour drive each way because I didn't bring wheels. Bring an extra dropout, wheels, maybe tube, the link for the chain, etc. A current teammate of mine actually carried a saddle around for a while, and the first week he didn't? My saddle broke. If you get to the race, make sure you can race. I typically carry an extra helmet, extra kits, shoes, a lot of clothing (+/-40 deg weather range), lots of valve extensions, tubes, tools, etc.
- merge races with trips (seems like you did).
- if you have a large vehicle, you can get Action Wipes, maybe a rinse bottle or two (like a gallon jug), and get pretty cleaned up without a room or whatever.
- look for race hosts. When a friend and I went to Michigan for a 10 day, 8 race series, we stayed at a youth hostel the first night. After that a racer put us up for the remaining nights, and we stayed at his house the following year. He and his wife had volunteered to host a racer or two and it worked out great.
- and yes, youth hostels are inexpensive. Not the best accommodations but you can cook your own food (or eat out), it's inexpensive.

Right Said Fred

$350??!! Oh, noes! As someone who intends to start racing this year as a Cat 5 after 15 years of racing cars and motorcycles, I can say that the budget associated with bike racing is very appealing. $350 wouldn't cover my typical gas bill for the tow rig for an out of town race! I could afford to buy three new carbon/Ultegra bikes for what I spent in a year just in tires, entry fees and engine maintenance road racing a formula car, and that doesn't even include travel expenses and all the dozen other things that racing entails, like crash damage. Even if I travel, I won't be towing a 20-foot trailer with a truck that gets 9mpg, so I'm looking forward to my healthy and cheap new racing fix!

MrTuner1970

Excellent suggestions, CDR. Thanks!

I brought extra wheels, but little else. Will take more things next time. Extra helmet makes sense, especially being in "Crash 5." Yes, several hours of travel to most races. It's fun to race, and addictive. I'd do it more often if I could. But being a Cat 5, there's no chance of recouping anything unless there are primes. Now if I had unlimited funds...but I don't make a bunch of money.

Right Said Fred, yeah I hear you. Just that $350.00 is a significant chunk of change in my world. I've been delaying buying a replacement dishwasher for my aging one. Then after race weekend was over, realized that I'd spent half a dishwasher's worth "just riding around." More fun for sure.

carpediemracing 

The cost of motorsports is a reason I never got into it. I seriously looked at karts for a while (a light wheel costs $10 or 20, but you have to buy four of them), but $8k? for a nice kart, plus trailer/vehicle, tools, multiple spares, etc started looking expensive. Plus a helmet, suit, etc costs a good $1k or more.

Suddenly a $100 pair of shorts seemed cheap.

Spares - helmets - I wouldn't necessarily keep racing after slamming your head into the ground, at least not that day, but you never know when you put your helmet on and the size adjusting rig in the back snaps or a buckle gives or whatever. I did a race once with a broken adjuster thing - probably not the smartest thing in the world but fortunately I didn't have to test my helmet's stability. I've done other races wearing borrowed helmet. One was the state champioinships, which was also our engagement photo shoot, and packing the extra set of clothing ("dress clothes") distracted me enough that I didn't pack either helmet. So I borrowed one from a friend.



Other things - a good floor pump (or two - I usually bring just one, but I've replaced broken hoses on mine, the main problem with any floor pump. I've fixed a broken hose just before a race, in the parking lot.

Knowing how to work on your bike is valuable, not just for making sure your bike works, but for diagnosing problems just before or during a race.

kleinboogie

I can also confirm that photography can easy eclipse cycling. GL

Jancouver

Dont think so, as a somebody who got photo equipment worth at least $20K I can say that unless you are shooting medium format Hasselblad etc and upgrading every year, competitive cycling is way more expensive. You need multiple expensive bikes, wheels, powermeters, clothing, accessories, travel etc. Also I made quite a bit of my photo gear expenses back as I do sell images online so in my eyes, photography is cheap because even those expensive lenses can be used for years and years and have high resale value.

shovelhd

That's a great shot of you, CDR.

carpediemracing 

Well me at 190 lbs, under a borrowed helmet, with a camcorder + 8 AA batteries + a mess of cables in a camelbak.

But I have my AKI cap on. So thanks

kleinboogie

We must shop at different stores.

AzTallRider

Underwater photography was an addiction of mine for several years. Housings, three camera rigs, the scuba gear, etc. All that was expensive, but it paled in comparison to the costs of getting to where you wanted to go to take the pic's. My cycling 'hardware' is probably more of an investment than I had in camera/diving 'hardware', but the soft costs of cycling (entry fees, maintenance, a bit of travel) aren't even in the same ballpark as live-aboard boat trips in the South Pacific. That was pre-digital too, and film/processing added up quickly. But neither compare to sailing. If you want to really throw money at something, try yacht racing. Anytime I feel like I'm spending a lot, I salve those feelings by remembering my sailing days.

badhat

replacement cost TBD but so far this season in one crash i'm out a supersix frame (~$3Kish new), a aliante vs saddle (~$140ish new), a biemme kit and gloves (~$150ish), and a uvex helmet (~$120ish).

plus probably another 50 in painkillers and wound dressing.

my Rx sunglasses have a nasty scratch on the lense too but i dont think i am gonna replace them, just live with it for a while.