I posed this question earlier in a longer post, but didn’t get much of a response.
Where does the money go from registered riders? $150 spread out over 10,000 official, along with day passes sold as well, seems to be a pretty hefty hunk of change.
Besides the SAG’s, baggage trucks and staff, and the few support vehicles I saw, they’re seems to be little overhead for this event. Plus they seem to be making money at the merchandise booth as well.
Is this a for-profit event?
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I’ve heard they contribute money to overnight and pass thru towns to help with expenses and then a chunck is donated to charity, or so I’ve heard. Also what’s wrong with making a few bucks to keep the ”party’ going year after year. Oh, they might have a huge liability insurance bill too.
FROM the FAQ:
20. Where do profits from RAGBRAI go?
After expenses are met, funds are given to nonprofit Iowa programs
and organizations through the Register’s community investment program.
21. What is the focus of the Register/Gannett Foundation contributions?
Each year, approximately 20 charities receive contributions on behalf
of RAGBRAI, Des Moines Register Media and the Gannett Foundation. For
example in 2010, Central Iowa Shelter & Services, Big Brothers Big
Sister of Central Iowa and Variety, The Children’s Charity benefitted.
Additionally, we provide financial support to the eight RAGBRAI
overnight host communities.
The primary geographic focus is the greater Des Moines area and
central Iowa. Additionally, we support unique statewide initiatives with
the potential to benefit all Iowans. We focus our contributions on
programs that address the following priority issues:
* Families and Children
* Community Enrichment
For more information, guidelines and an application form visit http://www.desmoinesregister.com/help
Profit is good.
What do you suppose the services of 16 Iowa Highway Patrol cost? Plus vehicles, plus fuel, plus lodging, plus meal allowances??
What do you suppose a doctor and four staffed emergency vehicles cost for eight days??
RIDE RIGHT
Excellent point sandaltan,
Probably pays for this website too
The budget to put on this ride would most likely blow peoples’ minds. There are just so many costs that don’t meet the eye. One of the reasons I sincerely believe that it would be hard to continue putting on the show should the Register ever decide to give it up. Just getting all the communities aligned to allow the route to go through (and yes, I know they benefit from our presence, but it’s still a crap shoot), then the support to make sure everything goes smoothly. Even the twin routes for riders and support vehicles must be a nightmare. If there’s much money left over, I know they donate it to charity. That’s why when someone rides bandit, they really are stealing from the rest of us.
People that complain about entry fees for events really have no idea of all the endless costs and fees incurred, even for a small event. Just the simple stuff like extra rolls of toilet paper add up when you multiply times 10,000.
I look at it like any other consumer decision such as buying movie tickets, you determine if the amount is something you want to pay. If you decide it is too much then you either don’t go or you steal it by riding bandit. sneaking into the second movie after paying for the first movie, or dine and dash.
The fact that the “profits” go to charity is nice and helps with the buying decision but really should not matter too much as a consumer deciding if they received appropriate value for their purchase.
So much BS trying to defend the outlandish fee. The apologists must assume nobody has ever done a budget nor can they look up and notice how low the overhead for such an event is. Ragbrai is not non-profit, and you can bet anything you like that if they were somehow cutting it ‘close’ they would jack up the fee.
Some of the funds go to charity, or so they claim. However, there really is nothing to substantiate this aside from their word.
Though there is a simple solution for anyone who doesn’t like it. Just don’t pay it. Easy as that. The apologists may invent any lies they like why that would somehow be ‘bad’, but it’s just an invention of their imagination, nothing substantial. I don’t roll that way, but it is a valid option.
“blow peoples’ minds” hahahahaha, what a crook.
Noontidal – I assume from your response that you don’t ride RAGBRAI, correct? Clearly you wouldn’t want anything to do with a ride so outlandishly priced, run by crooks and and defended by ‘apologists’.
Just to clarify, I don’t think the $150 is outlandish at all. The baggage truck was worth that alone.
Again, I would love to see Ragbrai sponser some official riders, with maybe official jersey’s of some type, that are on the routes helping riders when needed with simple bike fixes, and radio’ing locations of riders who need SAG assistance.
That’s not too much to ask is it?
Again, I would love to see Ragbrai sponser some official riders, with maybe official jersey’s of some type, that are on the routes helping riders when needed with simple bike fixes, and radio’ing locations of riders who need SAG assistance.
That’s not too much to ask is it?
They have a “RAGBRAI Ambassadors” program through Ride Right. Orange & white jerseys but I only saw 2 others during the week. They should have basics with them, tube, tlre lever, pump, basic tools.
For the sag it would be nice if it could be called like a cab but probably would never work. Best ways/places to find one, turn bike upside down on left side of road, entrance to a town before it gets crowdwd and the van & trailer can’t navigate through, town firestation, they can provive first aid while you wait( water, shade, cooling, a place to lay down if needed). If you get behind the closing time of towns then you could be in trouble although this year I saw sag wagons in those towns a half hour or more past the stated times. If one fils up 10 miles into a day, it could be 2 hours plus and over 100 miles of driving and get back behind the riders after going to the overnight town and unloading. Hopefully a couple more were behind that one.