Ok call me a grumpy old fart but I just don't get this

http://www.ratracecrossing.com

£370 to do a 3 day crossing from Whitehaven to Scarborough with an average millage of 60miles a day. For your money someone ferries all your kit from campsite to campsite and even sets up a bar for you to spend any money you have left at.

There was a time when a thought 100k enduro's were hard and I proberbly would have jumped at this. But I just can't help feeling its a bit like taking the adventure out of adventure racing and will proberbly appeal to all those who group riding trail centres and haven't experienced following red dashed lines on a map.

Ok rant over. Just have to remember to steer clear come July

A year or two ago it seemed like a good idea (didn't do it mind) but now I've realised it's not that difficult to cart the stuff about yourself!

Difficult one this. It's a bit like Sportives vs Audax vs just going for a long ride. For some folk (and I've done a few Sportives) there's something about the event that makes it more compelling. It could be the company you meet along the way, the fact that someone else is taking care of all the logistics or the fact that navigation isn't required. It wouldn't represent VFM for me, but I can see that some folk would be attracted to it and might then go on to develop their own skills and do their own rides.

I don't see the problem. I help on some commercial road cycling trips which the customers could do for less money. They don't want to, they'd rather pay an extra few quid and have knowledge that the riding for the day is viable, the route is a safe one, and when they get to the end of the day there is somewhere to sleep.

Commercial adventure racing, like sportives is no different. The organiser marks out a course to "help" you round it. You pay them for helping you out.

£370 to do a 3 day crossing from Whitehaven to Scarborough

I can find some cycling challenges that will cost you many times more than that for one day.

Reckon this is a bit of an odd one ... no right or wrong answer.

On one hand you have people who 'need' everything taking care of. The thought of having to navigate, carry gear, sort out somewhere to stay overnight, etc just doesn't appeal. For those folk, paying £370 would seem a small price to pay to remove any perceived hassle. As SR says, for some there's also the draw of the 'event' and taking part.

The other hand holds (I imagine) many of the folk on here. Navigating, carrying gear and sleeping wherever, are actually plus points, so it's hard to attach any value to them ... in fact we sometimes pay to do them (although it's a tiny sum compared to £370). I think once you're caught up in the world of ITT / bikepacking / self supported it becomes easy to forget that much of the cycling world (or maybe just the world in general) are actually pretty soft ... I'd bet that everyone here knows at least 3 cyclists who think you're a mentalist

My own personal opinion is that taking part in something like the crossing would actually reduce my enjoyment of the ride / route due to the supported nature but it's not in my nature to accept assistance or generally ask for help. £370 does seem like a lot of money but there's plenty of people out there who would consider spending £150 - £250 on a piece of Cuben fibre insanity

I do wonder whether we've maybe become a little 'spoilt' with our underground, grassroots, back to basics, type events?

Not knocking the idea as after someone has done it it may encourage them to get more adventurous for themselves but £370 sounds like a lot of money to me, I could do at least ten three day trips for that.

I'm ambivalent about it. At least they're out riding and you could spend that much money on much less and sh*tter things than a few days riding. Maybe overall price is a bit high but hey ho.

You could also throw in that Chew and FF "leading" groups of folks at WRT is a bit counter-culture. I'm ambivalent to that too. So long as folk get out and have fun I struggle to be too bothered about cost and format. It's there time and money.

God I'm just soooooo laid back and accepting

[quote="s8tannorm"] Navigating, carrying gear and sleeping wherever, are actually plus points, so it's hard to attach any value to them ... in fact we sometimes pay to do them (although it's a tiny sum compared to £370) [quote]

Once you add up the cost of all the bits of gear .... £370 might be cheaper. My biggest fear is that Mrs B might find out the true cost

God I'm just soooooo laid back and accepting

I'd go as far as to say, almost saintly CM ... your tolerance is like a gift to mankind

You could also throw in that Chew and FF "leading" groups of folks at WRT is a bit counter-culture.

That ^ really isn't an experience you can put a price on!

It's official then I'm a grumpy old git!

I must be the yin to CM's yang

TBH I'm an angry little bugger but try to keep it down. I'll die of a heartache no doubt from all the repression

I did their Scottish coast-to-coast (run, bike, kayak) a couple of years back. I did it with my wife as a trip rather than a race and it was down-right odd to be turning up at a designated campsite. And before sunset. And with a tent. All that hanging out when you could have got to the other coast in time for breakfast!

But most of the other participants around us were average joes doing something they would imagine doing unless someone else had organised an event and given them the idea that it was possible.

I wouldn't do one again but, for the crowd it attracts, the money and the support seem to work.

I did the Scotland C2C (run, bike, kayak, run, bike, run, kayak, run) 110m thing a few years back.

Enjoyed it up until the 12 mile run at the end turned out to be more like 16 AND over very hard rocky ground!

Did it in a day so it was a challenge but I think we 'only' paid £120.

A few friends and I did the Whitehaven / Whitby C2C. We carried all the stuff and did it in 2.5days. Would have been less if we had a better route across the Lakes. I tried to get the Ratrun route from them as I know that they spent a lot of time mapping one that was offroad and (as I understand) totally rideable - as opposed to our 16 hour day of hike-a-bike (up hill and down) and Stu-style hilltop 'bridleway' death marches

So just stumbled across this one http://www.acycling.com/tours/welshc2c/ and had a similar reaction. 7 days!

It's like that Cannock to Aberystwyth one Stu... "What are you doing with the other 4 days?"

composite wrote:So just stumbled across this one http://www.acycling.com/tours/welshc2c/ and had a similar reaction. 7 days!

It's like that Cannock to Aberystwyth one Stu... "What are you doing with the other 4 days?"

I'm fairly sure Matt Page can do it quicker than that if he wanted to...

You'd hope an 18 hour crossing would be a a bit cheaper!

Aren't you looking at this in the wrong way?

10 people paying that amount - fit their stuff into a landrover and drive ahead each morning to set up camp while your mate cycles with them to show the way... How long does it take to set up ten tents? Next morning swap places with your mate. Rinse and repeat. At the end of the week split £3700 with your mate!

Okay I might not be totally that simple, but I bet there are some easy routes you guys could work out!

Yorlin wrote:Aren't you looking at this in the wrong way?

10 people paying that amount - fit their stuff into a landrover and drive ahead each morning to set up camp while your mate cycles with them to show the way... How long does it take to set up ten tents? Next morning swap places with your mate. Rinse and repeat. At the end of the week split £3700 with your mate!

Okay I might not be totally that simple, but I bet there are some easy routes you guys could work out!

The WC2C one is all B&Bs. You wouldn't even have to put the tents up!