LA Tourist Race $30: 1 surprise aid station somewhere along the “route” and then beer & burgers (plus shots) at the end. Probably one of, if not, the best value races in Southern California
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Spain and the fields are typically between 100-170. Road racing is a way of life. Ages are all mixed, and there are no categories so everyone starts together but it’s not a fondo. Lots of races though
Edit, I should also mention that you’ll need tons of fitness (more than I have for sure)
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That is great to know. Spain is a potential retirement destination for me.
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Yeah, road racing is a shell of it’s former self around here. It still happens, but less events and the fields are much smaller. Our local crit series is still strong, but just too many serious wrecks for my taste these days. The gravel scene is strong and the strong road racers are using them as a replacement for road racing. On the less technical courses, the dynamics and tactics can be very similar. Yes, it’s gets blown apart more than a typical road race (which I personally love), but sprint finishes from groups of 5-20+ have become much more common as road tactics prevail. They are certainly competitive for the folks racing (pro and elite riders) and then there is a big group who is just in it for adventure (which is cool in my opinion). They also feel like closed courses because most of the roads have nearly zero traffic. Not sure if any of that matches the gravel dynamic in UK, but might want to check it out. As you can tell, I’m one of many old road racers who is very happy with the transition to gravel.
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My most local XC series (Southridge Winter Series) is $70 each for the Pro category, $60 for the others. 6 rounds if I remember right.
The other small local series in summer is I think $55 each for Open class. I can’t remember.
Main series, which I’m mostly skipping this year is $100 a race I think.
I don’t really road race, so just the local practice crits and Tuesday Worlds, which are free. I bandit and local fondos because I don’t need support.
Local 6 hour “backyard” ultra is $130. See how many miles I can get in 6 hours.
Price isn’t technically my limiting factor, but value is. If the race doesn’t have value to me, then I’ll pass. No offense, but Leadville has zero value to me. I wouldn’t go if it was free. True Grit Epic is $170 and totally worth it.
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Hey,
280 USD for the Rift https://www.therift.bike/ and 175 EUR for the Mallorca 312 Mallorca 312: More Than A Gran Fondo
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The US prices seem really high especially for the high level events, this year it is
80 Euro Berner Rundfahrt ( 70k Road Race)
50 Euro GF Vogese (170km UCI GF)
130 Euro Marmotte Alpes
115 Euro Alpen Brevet Gold (220k 5000m)
80 Euro Gravel Ride & Race Bern (50k)
Then I will probably go to the local Crit that is on Wednesday nights (whicht is more a points race on the road) , which costs either 12 per entry or 60 for the whole season (11 Races)
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$100 max tends to be my red line per individual entry and I tend to be able to hold to that for the northeast US stuff I go for be it gravel or road fondo. Bucket list rides that I may or may not eventually take a crack at like mt. washington or the vt monster might see that rule broken but that’s for a one off experience. It’s funny because my wife often pays more for her runs ($100+) but her swag is way better with chunky finisher medals and micro fleece pull overs and such where as my entries hopefully get me a beer and infrequently get me a t-shirt.
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I’m 48 in the States and compete regularly in local gravel races in the 40-49 yo mens masters divisions. Some events are $65 up to $150 US.
I consider myself fit and fancy myself a slightly above average cyclist. In my last gravel race (50 miles) my age group had a field of 42 riders and I came in dead last. Don’t let the age group fool you, there’s some studs with a lot of miles and experience out there. Go out have fun, meet some cool folks and race your race.