Originally Posted by
MJH2
The randomness I was referring to was the race for the first row. Of course, that's usually the only thing I get right at a race.
When did the late fee start? I get that prices will rise as sponsors cut back and insurance goes up in these hard economic times. Seems a shame that the rising costs won't be offset by the (seemingly, anyway) increased rider numbers?
In that case MJH2 you would have been top 10. My experience is that Chicagoans don't really enjoy it unless they pay for it. Hence the $10 bump in prices. The cross cup has had fairly minimal sponsorship anyway, so that's not really an issue. Insurance went up by $1 a head.
I would really like to see payout linked with attendance. $185 total to the Elite field when 404 people attend at an average of $25 or so a head (after insurance and bikereg fees). Do the numbers. Nobody begrudges promoters making a healthy profit. But there are good reasons why the quality of elite racing in Chicago is pretty poor - making it a bit more worthwhile for people to travel to the better-attended races would help.
The late fee was made up by the cross cup committee. I let them know that this contravened USAC rules - all extra fees must be clearly advertised in the USAC-approved flyer. They didn't charge the late fee at JP, but they are now going to amend the flyers. I think the only fair thing to do would be to donate ALL late fees to World Bicycle Relief.