Expense vs Experience?

smiffy

Likes Bikes
Have you ever withdrawn from an mountain bike event due to the expense of travel + accomodation etc?
Is the experience worth more than the expense?
Or is it better to write off the ticket loss but save money from the the other expenses?
Did you regret it when you could have gone?
 

ozzybmx

taking a shit with my boobs out
Not personally but is there another option to do it cheaper ?

Leaving accommodation bookings till the last minute usually always ends up with the expensive options left, same with flights.

If you were going as a family originally, maybe you can drive and swag it on your own.

You didn't give the details of number of people, distance to the event or overseas.
 

smiffy

Likes Bikes
During Melbourne lockdown last year, while being bored shitless, I had signed up to do serveral mtb events for the following year.
One being the Reef to Reef /Triple R single day event near Port Douglas in August.
While the event cost is quite low, the flights (+bike and baggage), accomodation (4 days) and other epenses would push it out to $1200 - $1500 for one of day riding. Thats just for one person.
Refund is only 45% for purchase price.
 

ozzybmx

taking a shit with my boobs out
Again, on personal experience, I have found those events that were always on the bucket list or going to do list either disappear or are now above my fitness level.

The Mont 24 is gone, the Croc Trophy is out of my league now and several other events that we were going to travel to as a family... now kids are at the pointy end of schooling, working, driving... not going to happen.

I would go and do it now or life will get in the way somehow and you will never get to do it.
 

Chamelion

Likes Dirt
Kooralbyn 12h 2008 or 2009... I had paid entry, accom, bought supplies, spares, tools... I was organised and hadn't spared much expense.

Came down with a bad chest infection a few days prior.. didn't want to waste my money so I did it anyway, lasted 2 whole laps sucking on an asthma puffer the whole time... nearly killed myself. Took about 2 years for my chest to recover by which point I'd put on heaps of weight and lost the motivation to ride... that was the end of me mountain biking.

Fast forward to today and I just bought another bike to get back into it.

Might not have been exactly what you were asking, but I felt like sharing.
 

The Duckmeister

Has a juicy midrange
I look at the additional costs before committing to an event, so I can gauge whether I can afford to do it or not.

The only event I've not fronted up to, thus blown my entry fee was an Interwinter (central Victorian interclub) series round that I couldn't get to because my car decided not to play ball that morning. Being a low-key event, the blown fee wasn't too hard a cost to bear.
 

ozzybmx

taking a shit with my boobs out
One of the newer race entry providers called EntryBoss gives you the option after entering to scratch yourself.

Its good, as if anything happens up until their specified date, you can drop out with full refund.

Some of the bigger races will not use this provider.
 

ozzybmx

taking a shit with my boobs out
Ah-hem

Quick run across the border?

https://entryboss.cc/races/12695
We talked about it really seriously :( the issue is I've been off since the 26th Aug, not due back until Friday 16th Sept as I just had the last round off with corona. Got the Oct long weekend booked off to head to Melrose then the next additional 22 days as I'm off to Ireland for a flying visit now the borders are down... back 3 weeks then off to Derby :)

Its a hectic finish to the end of the year.
 
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