I have been in weekly contact with a lifelong friend who is the Director for a long running Michigan cycling event. Here are a few of the challenges that he, and his volunteer committee, are dealing with in making decisions for 2020 and beyond.
- Public and private facilities opening schedules
- Changing Food Service requirements
- Pre-paid, unrecoverable marketing expenses
- Pre-paid insurance expenses
- Refund processing expenses
- Volunteers concerned about working in large group settings (and many volunteers are in at-risk groups)
- Participants concerned about large group settings (and many are in at-risk groups)
- Social distancing and group size limitations, and when they might change, and change again
- Extended merchandise delivery schedules
- Supporting businesses and sponsors financial commitments
- Bankrupt/closed business that provide mid-route meals/support
Most, if not all of these events are fund-raisers for a non-profit or small bike club, and few but the largest maintain a large year-to-year reserve of funds. A large financial loss in 2020 might mean a permanent end of the event, or even the supporting organization.
Please remember that most of our favorite bicycle events are volunteer staffed and run, and all of those same volunteers are dealing with the pandemic in their regular lives, just like you are. And as a source of day-long (and longer) recreation, meals and fund-raising purpose functions go, most of these events are already an exceptional dollar value in every aspect. Under normal circumstances, these events require months of meetings and hundreds of hours of preparation. And now they have to make very difficult decisions in a compressed time-line with no more information than you have.
Your "hosts" of these events are just as disappointed as you are, and working hard to find the best solutions they can in these challenging times. Keep that in mind as you contact then and comment about your canceled plans for this year.
Good summary Jay. This is not a good year for large bicycle events. The small tour operators, who mostly cater to non-bicycle club riders, are in serious trouble. Lots to people in tourism related ventures, are not going to have a good year.
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