Quote:
Originally Posted by zs3889
I just found out from someone trying to sell/transfer their entry to the Belgian Waffle Ride - a single entry sells for $280...
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Yep, as someone who is lining up Sunday for BWR CA, it is an expensive way to spend the day. That said, I plan to get my share of swag/waffles/beer at the finish and enjoy the atmosphere. I can ride the course any day of the week (and often do) but it's way more fun to do it with a ton of other people....and I'm willing to pay for that.
As for pros lining up....it's cool to have them racing there, but for schmoes like me, we're never going to see them after the call-up and it doesn't affect my ride, so I don't see why it's an issue. As part of the money grab, it's an effort to legitimize the race and draw more people. None of my non-cycling friends would ever come to an event of amateurs, but when you say "hey, some guys who rode the TdF are going to be there" it create an interest you can't get otherwise.
As for the women having separate events....I think that's been tried (basically women's competitive cycling up until a few years ago) and didn't work particularly well. But hey, try again and see what happens. Race organizers have combined multi-day events like BWR into a single day to try and ease conflicts with local stakeholders and residents, so I don't see them going back to multi-day, but if there's a market for a multi-day event, go for it. Just don't be surprised if it doesn't work. Hard to have your cake and eat it too in a relatively fringe sport like gravel.