On the surface the LOTOJA (LOgan TO JAckson) race / ride looks great. A double century with a scenic and varied route that's difficult enough to test riders, but the average cyclist who trains adequately can finish it. It's also got history and a bit of infamy (thanks to several freak weather incidents). So what's not to like?
My biggest issue with LOTOJA is the no refund, no transfer policy. It's just wrong. Especially when the cost is $150 (not a trivial amount of money to me, or most cyclists, I suspect). I hoped the organizers would at least adopt a transfer policy this year along with the other changes they've made - but no. I can see refunds being difficult since the organizers spend a lot of the registration money in advance to buy stuff for the race. But why not allow transfers?
STP (Seattle To Portland) is a huge double century that going on it's 29th year - they offer to transfer registrations for a $20 fee. This seems reasonable to me and a good-faith effort to help the cyclist who can't make the ride. Instead of a win-lose-lose situation, it's a win-win-win: The organizers get $20 to cover the administrative hassle of the registration change, the seller gets some (all) money back and another person gets to ride in the event. If STP can handle transfers with 9,000 riders, LOTOJA can with 1,000 riders.
It just seems callous to take $150 from someone who looks forward to LOTOJA and spends time training for it but has something come up. Do the LOTOJA organizers seriously think this ride is more important than a wedding, funeral, health issues, job change/loss, or the myriad other intrusions of real life? It comes down to this: Do the LOTOJA organizers care about cyclists, the people who make their event, or not? Is it just too much hassle to help people out of a jam while also allowing a few hopeful riders to make it in? Tell me how I should see this differently.
And I'll put my money where my mouth is: Since transfers seem to be such a burden, I offer to donate my time to process LOTOJA transfers. That's right, I'll work for free, as long as I can work from home (no reason this can't all be done electronically). And you can keep the whole transfer fee. Maybe a few others will also volunteer. STP has a forum for buyers and sellers to hook up - once the deal is made they just need to contact STP to make the transfer (with some identity checks and other precautions). So what's the excuse now?
It's a shame that a prestigious and popular race like LOTOJA doesn't feel the need to be more fair to the people who support it. But maybe that's the problem, demand is high (LOTOJA has sold out for the last several years) so why change the formula? People seem willing to risk ever higher registration fees just for a shot at LOTOJA. Even though demand is high, it still doesn't make it right. Is it fair to take $150 from a cyclist, who later gets injured and can't make the race, without allowing them to give or sell their registration to someone else? And let's be real, the no transfer policy encourages people to find ways to recoup their $150 investment. Then the organizers have to enforce the policy, which surely gets messy and results in some unhappy cyclists. Wouldn't it be easier to allow transfers?
Parting shot: Cyclists, if you're not racing, do the Desperado Dual instead of LOTOJA. It's two 100-mile loops so you have a bail-out and you end up back at your car. I daresay the scenery is better. Plus, it's only $87.50 and fully supported. And it's put on by cyclists (Color Country Cycling Club), not some corporation. Do you want a double or that LOTOJA sticker on your car?
And one nitpick: For the love of the Internet, lose the website intro! People come to websites for info, not slide-shows. And if the site converted over to X/HTML I'd be thrilled, but as Flash sites go the LOTOJA site isn't bad. But please, dump the intro - it's so 1990's, and even then nobody liked them.
The End
2 years ago
18 comments:
I have mixed feelings on your rant. I think the policy is too inflexible for transfers but you also have to look at downside to being able to do transfers to a sold-out race, it becomes a commodity. What is to prevent three of my friends and I from signing up for LOTOJA for the express purpose of flipping the registration? I could sell it on eBay or Craigslist.
I do see LOTOJA going down the slope of the Leadville 100 where the only people that get in are those that have done it before or can get in with a group of people that have done it before which leaves the rest of us out in the cold.
Mt thought; Why would anyone do it.
LOTOJA is akin to hitting my sensitives with a ball peen hammer, It seems to me to be not much more than a close to double century ride, thinly veiled as a race.
All those stickers on SUV's and big pick ups that run me off the road have not helped my opinion.
So it's better to preventing scalping than to allow transfers? Personally, if I had spent $150 to register for LOTOJA but couldn't ride/race, I wouldn't be consoled by the fact that I helped prevent scalping. But scalping is a concern and a valid point.
I don't see why people get so up-in-arms about scalping. It's free enterprise. The event organizer got their money, the scalper made some money, and the buyer got into the event. If the buyer weren't willing to pay the higher price, scalping wouldn't exist. Are there any victims here? The buyer may grumble, but it must be worth it to them or they wouldn't have paid the higher price. The buyer wasn't forced into it. But ethically it does seem wrong.
STP fights scalping by informing buyers (in the forum) they should not pay more than the registration fee plus the transfer fee, and they should report any instances of higher prices. I imagine this keeps most people in line. It doesn't seem that hard to police.
LOTOJA stickers are a virus. I wonder what percentage of the people driving vehicles with the coveted sticker actually completed the ride/race? Is the sticker part of the swag bag or is it awarded at the finish?
I agree with the scalping issue, it is capitalism at is finest, supply and demand.
You would think the transfer process would be a money maker. If I remember right LOTOJA would charge both people a fee for the transfer.
It will be interesting to see if there is any backlash over this. Judging by the popularity of the race and the fact that Leadville operates this way I doubt there will be.
I hate the LOTOJA stickers, I throw mine away. You don't even have to "earn" it, you get it in the swag bag. Finishers get a medal in the shape of a chain ring. It would be nice to see them do awards with value like the Leadville and the Brian Head Epic used to do.
I'm certainly not in love with the way the race is organized and I agree with the sentiments of those who wish there was a refund/transfer policy.
But this is kind of a one-man show in many ways and it's also pretty hard to deal with individual requests for refunds or transfers that come when he's trying to secure a safe road through Cache Valley for 1,000 bikes.
As for the stickers ... I like them, but agree they should be given out at the finish line, not the start line.
And they're no more annoying than any political bumper sticker (either flavor) on a Prius, Hummer or other vehicle. I'd much rather see 100 LOTOJA stickers pass me on the road than 100 Obama or Mitt Romney stickers.
It's an expensive ride, for sure. But it's not a requirement that anyone ride LOTOJA. The demand, obviously, is there so the price doesn't bother me.
I did the event once. It was fun, but not something I will do again. The safety issues seemed to be out of control to me. I don't know how many times I was nearly run off the road by a car with a "caution bike race in progress" sign on the back, let alone all the big 18 wheelers that seemed not to see us.
Good comments.
Yes, allowing transfers will mean more work for the organizers, but I don't buy that it will be hard. You receive an e-mail from Craig saying he wants to transfer his registration to Joe. You look up Craig's info and send him another e-mail (to the address you have on file) or call him to make sure the request is legitimate then you change the info from Craig to Joe and send Joe an e-mail letting him know it's done. Not hard.
And my offer still stands - I volunteer to process the transfers.
As for the stickers, they strike me as showing off. But I can see how LOTOJA is a big accomplishment to many cyclists so the sticker on the car is their way expressing excitement for completing a goal.
Safety is an issue, but not having done LOTOJA I have no idea if it's more or less safe than other road rides / races.
darn right the stickers are showing off. Kind of like the stickers with mom, dad, four kids, the dog, a cat, etc. are showing off.
that's why I want to EARN one. :)
After that, I doubt I'll ride LOTOJA most years because I'll want to do another ride -- like the desperado duel, the Hoodoo 500 or something along those lines.
For someone who said they would never do a crit, then did one last Tuesday, you sure talk a lot about LOTOJA.
As for me, I am never going to do it. ;-)
If only it was as easy to get into LOTOJA as it is a local crit! :-)
on the eve of LOTOJA registration, I would agree with the unfairness of the "no-refund-too-bad-we-got-your
-money-even-if-you-hurt-yourself-
in-the-name-of-biking" policy. I've never done it, I plan on doing it this year and as for the sticker,I will put it on my car proudly as a constant reminder to myself of the accomplishment. i shouldn't need a sticker to be reminded, but I like it. it creates a sense of one-ness and unity among fellow LOTOJA racers. and if people have them and haven't rode it then poop on them. good post. promotes critical thinking as opposed to the majority of blogs about other people's babies.
Anyone know how to get a Vinyl Lotoja auto sticker? Mine left when I sold my car. Please help
good post, good comments. here's a situation for ya:
My friend was there last year to race. His wife was his support crew and the night before the race went out for a ride around Logan. When crossing an intersection in downtown she was hit by a car and pretty messed up.
So my friend, not knowing if his wife was going to be paralyzed, was at the hospital all night and bowed out of the race.
Did they refund or transfer? They didn't even respond to his inquiries!
Although I rode it last year and was planning on riding it this year (still waiting nearly a month later to know if I'm "in" or not - what a joke) I'm not sure if Lotoja will ever get my money again.
That is a ton of uproar for $150!!!
I am in a group that does this bad boy every year, and every year there is at least one who can't do it for some personal reason. Do we whine about the lost entry fee? No! Are we a little embarrassed to wear the jersey from that year? yes. The rest of us ride on in honor of those who can't make it (one year two were killed in a plane crash).
If losing a $150 entry fee so you can see your 3rd cousins' daughters' shotgun wedding is going to kill your budget, you can't afford bike racing.
My family knows that if they choose to schedule something the weekend after Labor Day, they will do it without me.
I vote to keep the no-transfer policy.
BTW: scalping is capitalism at it's WORST. (Unfair advantage)
As for those "annoying" stickers;
1. You don't have to look at them.
2. Do you really think somone would put one on their car if they didn't finish the race? I would be too worried someone would see the sticker and ask me my time.
I like to see them because I know there is someone else who is ridiculous enough to pay money for a half day of avoiding a crash followed by a half day of pain.
Transfer Fee / Refund : You know the policy before you spend your money. If something comes up, and you think it isn't fair, what isn't fair? That LOTOJA doesn't give you your money back, or that something happened to you preventing you from riding? Life isn't fair, the sooner you learn this, the better off you will be. And, LOTOJA organizers tell you their policy before you sign up just so you can decide for yourself.
I agree with you on Flash site intro's. But this one is quick & snazzy - I like it.
Scalping hurts...when it's something you have to have! People need to do this race. Here's a bad comparison, but highlights a point. How would you like it if a third party bought your utility bill & then collected from you with their service charge...? Wait, lets not go there, most likely is the case! When scalping gets out of hand & an individuals options are reduced to not much else other than scalped goods, how is that not hurting? Don't personally believe that would happen to LOTOJA, but why chance it.
Here's the real reason for no transfer's & it's very smart of the organizers. The Image of LOTOJA is one cultivated on the ability of it's participants to finish the ride. They have an incredibly high success rate with their finisher percentages, & that is good for the event. People like to succeed & doing so under challenging circumstances creates nothing but positive feedback for the race organizers. Rider caps, selective enrollment, long prep. time between register & race day & no transfers all add up to big percentage finishers.
Good for business. Which after all this is. All power to them, wish it was mine.
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