Help organising a Charity Cycle

greenspurs

I am trying to organise a Charity spin for a local worthy cause.
I have never done anything like this before so i would like to pick peoples brains on here.
i am thinking of an "A" to "B" route, not as easy to organise as a "circle" but the start and finish venues are of family importance to the cause. BUT we have to travel from the finish to the start (125km) and this could put a lot of people off i think
Im thinking Sponsorship cards are better than charging people, OR perhaps give people the choice (raise money via Sponsors or pay E40 ? )
Refreshments ? Water/food Stops ?
Insurance ?

I hope yee can help me ..... Worried now after taking this on !!!

Beasty

If it's mainly for charity I suspect 125km is too long, as it will mainly attract "serious" cyclists who are doing it more as a long spin than with raising money in mind. Most "charity" cycles have much shorter options - say 40 or 60km, with maybe a "family" option around 20-25km.

A circuit is much better than "A to B" - getting people and their bikes to or from the start would be a bit of a logistical nightmare, and quite costly (I know of events in the UK where they do this)

You also need to consider insurance. This can be made available if it's a CI sanctioned event, but that requires a detailed action plan with further details here

It's best done via a club who will have experience of putting on such events

LeftBlank

A to B would not encourage anyone to take part. There is not sportive that I know of in Ireland that runs A to B and the logistics of it would be quite tough I think (How are you going to get the cyclists back to A to pick up their gear/cars?).

Entry fee is my preference, but 40 euro is towards the top end of the scale and you would want to be putting on a good event for that money.

For 125km, I think you would want to have at least one stop a long the way with water/snacks available and then have some hot food/sandwiches at the end.

Another thing to think about is that the calendar for charity sportives is very full during the summer months - I don't think there is a single weekend that doesn't have something on so worth bearing in mind when trying to project numbers etc...

RobFowl

greenspurs wrote: »

I am trying to organise a Charity spin for a local worthy cause.
I have never done anything like this before so i would like to pick peoples brains on here.
i am thinking of an "A" to "B" route, not as easy to organise as a "circle" but the start and finish venues are of family importance to the cause. BUT we have to travel from the finish to the start (125km) and this could put a lot of people off i think
Im thinking Sponsorship cards are better than charging people, OR perhaps give people the choice (raise money via Sponsors or pay E40 ? )
Refreshments ? Water/food Stops ?
Insurance ?

I hope yee can help me ..... Worried now after taking this on !!!

Could I suggest that an A to B route of family import might be better run as a sponsored cycle by a small group rather than as a sportif?
Logistically it would be almost impossible to run as a sportif while covering your costs.

Felloffmebike

The a-b type route you are describing is definitely going to affect your numbers unless you do some real planning about how to get everyone and their bikes back to the start. Not easy unless you have lots of transport, everyone won't finish at the same time, depending on fitness levels and numbers participating there could be a couple of hours between 1st and last in a 125k spin. And if it was a wet day people don't want to be hanging around in wet gear and so on. And a shuttle system won't work too well given its a 250k round trip. You say it's important to the cause, fair enough, but if you were thinking of having an annual spin maybe you could alternate between the 2 locations, every second year? I hope it works out and that the charity raises lots of money but you're taking on a lot. Get lots of help.

In relation to sponsorship/ entry fee I signed up for the cycle4life spin in May, they issue sponsorship cards but set a minimum amount you must pay to enter. In that case it's about €80 but that includes food stops, a souvenir jersey etc. €40 sounds right for a good cause. And you'll need a minimum of 2 stops I think for 125k, one at about 40k and the second at 80-90k. But it really depends on the profile of those taking part. The tough guys won't stop at all...

greenspurs

Thanks guys..
I wasnt labelling it as a "Sportif" , but i suppose given the length of the route, and reading your comments, i guess it could be seen as one.
Just to clarify, i want to just run a Charity spin.
I realise now after the comments above that an A -> B route isnt gonna work..... I wanted to have it long enough to raise more money (my thinking) but not too short to not raise enough... A difficult thing to balance i think !!

Felloffmebike

It's not really about long or short. It's more about having a choice of distances so as to appeal to different groups. Too long the less fit leisure cyclist wont do it, too short the fitter competitve people wont. You want to appeal to as many as possible to raise enough money. A "figure of 8" route can work well if you can manage it so that the start/finish is also a mid point where the leisure guys can stop and the fitter people can keep going if they want. And it makes food stops handier too. If its a really good local cause you'll get local support. Good luck with it.

petethedrummer

greenspurs wrote: »

Thanks guys..
I wasnt labelling it as a "Sportif" , but i suppose given the length of the route, and reading your comments, i guess it could be seen as one.
Just to clarify, i want to just run a Charity spin.
I realise now after the comments above that an A -> B route isnt gonna work..... I wanted to have it long enough to raise more money (my thinking) but not too short to not raise enough... A difficult thing to balance i think !!

How many people do you envisage taking part? An A-B might be fine if there are less than 30 people and you all stick in a group. Or are you looking for more to show up? Ball park figure.

nilhg

Beasty wrote: »

You also need to consider insurance. This can be made available if it's a CI sanctioned event, but that requires a detailed action plan with further details here

It's best done via a club who will have experience of putting on such events

Apologies to the OP for hijacking his thread but this might be relevent to hm as well

Do CI sanction non cycling club organised events, our local Community Assoc want to run a sportive/charity cycle, the most local club is only just getting itself up and running and isn't really in a position to run it.

How does the insurance position differ between a cycle and something like a vintage car or tractor run?

RobFowl

nilhg wrote: »

Apologies to the OP for hijacking his thread but this might be relevent to hm as well

Do CI sanction non cycling club organised events, our local Community Assoc want to run a sportive/charity cycle, the most local club is only just getting itself up and running and isn't really in a position to run it.

How does the insurance position differ between a cycle and something like a vintage car or tractor run?

You'd be best asking CI directly about this. AFAIK it would have to be organised through a club to be covered but this something you can set up a club specifically to arrange.

nilhg

RobFowl wrote: »

You'd be best asking CI directly about this. AFAIK it would have to be organised through a club to be covered but this something you can set a club specifically to arrange.

Cheers, the guys have been trying to get in touch with CI but the reports I'm hearing say they are slow to answer the phone or emails, I'll get them to try again.

Sean02

Forget about going direct to C.I . In my opinion its best contact your local affiliated club and get them on your side. With less than 100 entries a sponsored card event is more likely to raise more money and without a doubt the shorter distance will challenge "non serious" cyclist to find the bike and take part. Regarding insurance CI indemnity seems best way with local club. I used FBD.
Finally if you go for the family type fun run on controlled circuit be strict about not allowing underage cyclist partisapating unless accompanied by parent/guardian. Anyhow good luck if you go ahead, its a nightmare organising everything , but worth it when the last cyclist crosses the finish line.

greenspurs

HI Guys ..Thaks for all the advice.
I have my route - its a 60km loop.
I have to inform the gardai about the route , and ask the Gaa club for the use of its facilities.
Insurance?, I read the C.I page and all its regulations/rules etc, and to be honest Its a lot of red tape, and they want E2 per rider ?!? (i think)
Would it be easier to get it insured through an insurance company ?
I have asked two local cycling clubs for help, and i await a reply
So, any more advice guys ,keep it coming !!

greenspurs

Anyone know how to get a route from my Garmin Forerunner 205 onto a webpage (facebook page) or...
How do you get a map from Google maps onto a FB page ...
Sorry for asking, but i havent a clue !!!

Sean02

Hi Greenspur, Dont understand how informing the Gardai is going to help your cause. unless of course you are request their assistance or for the purpose of taking out your own insurance in that case you will also need proof of first aid and marchaling details. Your latest reply suggest that you did not read my previous suggestions re Insurance. Implying €2 per partisipant from C.I is expensive makes me wonder are you taking on too much, cycling is a hazardous, dont put yourself and friends at risk.

greenspurs

the gardai always require notice , Courtesy more than anything, so if motorists start ringing up complaining about a gang of cyclist 'taking over' the road, they will be aware of the cycle.
I am waiting on details from the cycling club re. insurance.
and yes cycling is a dangerous sport.