You’ll Take It and You’ll Like It:
A Race Promoters Guide to Customer Service
by Cogley's Cogset
Is anyone else a tad perplexed with the turnaround time on getting results
posted after races, in particular the GA Cup, an event series we’ve all grown to
love dearly? For an event that is so well run from the beginning of the races to
the end of the last race, I find more than just myself scratching my head
thinking, “How hard is it to get results posted?”
Perhaps we should start from the beginning, at least from the registration
standpoint. I know inflation has been rising ever so slightly in the U.S., but
at a 50% clip!? Late fees doubled from 5 bucks to 10 in most races around the
southeast since last year. Not to mention the outrageous increase in entry fees.
CAT 3’s, 4’s and masters are all paying only $5 less in entry fees than the
Pro/1/2’s with a fraction of the payout. Gene Dixon charges $40 for a $15,000
payout in one race. Under the GA Cup, a masters or CAT 4 rider who pays their
registration and late fee totaling $40 because they were unsure if family
obligations was going to keep them from racing, stands a slim chance of even
getting their entry fee back. Often times, participation in the entire Omnium is
the only way to guarantee a rider has the remote possibility of making their
money back. You might want to give your team mates wrong directions to the race
because that forty bucks you just won is gonna get split up six different ways.
We all know we’re not going to get rich in this hobby of ours, but the thought
of making enough money to pay for entry fees, gas, and lodging is often
motivation enough for guys to try even harder. Sadly, it seems we’re moving
closer to the raking over the coals the triathletes go through who typically pay
fifty to a hundred dollars for one race and receive a punch in the mouth and a
goo as a consolation prize. A kiss on the back of the neck would be nice before
you guys stick it to us like that! Cycling seems to be heading the same
direction as Tri’s.
I’ve heard the argument made by a local promoter, “We give most of the prize
money to the Pro/1/2’s because that’s where the exciting racing is and that’s
the group people come to watch.” (A cup of water being thrown into the dreaming
promoter's face.) C’mon guys! Joe Citizen usually can’t even tell the difference
between a masters race and a Pro/1/2 race or a Cat 4 except that there are more
riders in a CAT 4 race. Last time I did a race in Griffin, the townspeople came
out in droves. Both of ‘em were bored to tears. Unless it’s Twilight or the TdG,
the fan base is composed almost entirely of family and friends. Stop using the
lower categories to pay for your races!
Oh, but this is where the promoters try to make you feel bad and say things
like, “If you can do a better job, then you do it” or “I put in all this hard
work only to hear people like you complain”. Ain’t buying it any more, mi
compadres. If promoters want to charge professional fees for all categories,
they need to step up their output and provide professional level service to the
riders who support their races. I’d be fired from my job if my output was
similar to some of the races being put on.
“It’s not my job, it’s a service we perform for the racers”, they’d fire back.
Nooooo, once you assume the responsibility of putting on a race, it is a job and
you should perform it in the same manner. If your website says to check the site
for payout breakdown, it had better be posted well in advance of the race. If
KOM or MAR points are on the line, the number and value of each should be posted
as well. When the race is over, the results should be posted to the website
within a day, two, max. I’ve heard the track guys race on Wednesday and by
Thursday afternoon, the results are posted. Now that’s professional quality
service! I’ll bet they even know who won before they leave the track. People
love to see where they stack up against their competition or their friends. They
paid good money and trained hard for that right. Don’t deprive them of that.
Yes, we all know how much work goes into putting on races, and we’re all
grateful for the work promoters put in. There are some well run races in Georgia
and throughout the southeast. The best run races are those where you don’t even
realize an administrative function even existed at a race. You simply raced and
everything else just happened. Savannah and Tuscaloosa come to mind. (Whatever
the GA Cup boys did at Savannah…that’s the one where you got it right…duplicate
it!)
Bike races and bike racers are not mutually exclusive. Without racers, the
promoters would not have a justifiable means to secure sponsorship or a race.
Without a promoter, the racers cannot have a race. Odds are, promoters are or
once were riders and need to remember the small things that need to be done to
keep the family happy or at least content. (Let’s face it…racers are only happy
when they’re complaining.) The riders should not be at the mercy of the
promoters and just be accepting of poor service. Sadly, the trend seems to be a
downward one in terms of service and people are growing to accept this
mediocrity. Promoters, you have an obligation to your customers as do the racers
to you. Please reverse the negative trend and begin fulfilling these
obligations. The great thing is, almost all of the riders’ complaints are simple
fixes. (See complaints above). Do those few things and riders will be much
happier.
“If you think you could do a better job, then go for it!” (See, I thought of all
of their retorts) I never take on anything I can’t handle and put out the best
quality product possible. You volunteered for it; it’s your baby, not mine.
Don’t get me started.