Prize Money

[caleb]

Decided to quit worrying about it. Some people will always complain.

[A.L.Breguet]

To me, the amount is not important. If I can win back my entry fee, I'm pretty pleased. As for merchandise in lieu of cash, gift certificates to web bike suppliers or chain restaurants, or pre-paid gas cards(if such a thing exists) might be better appreciated.
An awful lot of riders around here seem most interested in upgrade points. So, matching the # of places to the finishers that get points might make sense.
Just my thoughts.

[Karin Kirk]

What do you guys think of the prize money system?

I think it's silly. At the amateur, weekend-warrior level, I don't quite get the quest for a $25 check. Sure, it's nice to break even on your entry fee, but it really bugs me when a club does a boatload of work to promote a nice race and then people complain about $25. This is what gives bike racers a bad name.

That said, merchandise prizes are even sillier. What are the chances that someone is going to want/need the random thing they are awarded? Most racers are able to get things from their team or shop, so that de-values the merchandise. Merchandise is great for juniors, but otherwise it's a gamble and is likely to result in less-than-happy racers.

Back in our upstate NY days, I promoted quite a few races. By far, the thing that made people happy and kept them coming back to our races was a well-organized, thoughtful race. Things like a good course, a nice venue, easy parking, bathrooms, good directions, some free food and other nice touches made people satisfied customers. That's way more important than the prizes.

BTW, the absolute coolest prize we ever came up with was an official state champion jersey for the NY state MTB championships. People were lining up to buy them, but they were for the race winners only. It turned out to be a very popular prize.

[92degrees]

I like merchandise. Not gels, but a cool t-shirt or sweatshirt is a lot more significant for me than $15 or $20.

[little.man]

Just had our end of year, low-key crit. Cash prizes were minimal, but, since the race is labelled "Rocktoberfest", we gave out beer bottles with our own "Rocktoberfest" label on them. The Jrs. got a fruit drink labelled "125% adrenaline". Jrs. and Cat 5's got whole food market gift certificates because that's about all the merchandise we had.

http://www.neworleansbicycleclub.org/2008/rock_08_r.htm

Yep, one guy did walk away with 2 firsts, but hey, I said it was low-key.

The stage race we do earlier in the year is one of the most well attended races in the region and draws racers back because it is well run. Total cash prize is well below what other races have, but I would expect turnout to be about the same regardless.

The other type of race that seems to draw regardless of the prize list are the "roubaix" type races. The one in this area is drawing from all over. One of those "have to do" races just to say "I did it".

Mark