DeathRide registration process changed

I'm tired of being treated badly by Death Ride. I did it every year since '94 but missed out in
2002. This year they required me to be sitting in front of a fast computer at 10a on a Wed to
register. Now I'm invited to a lottery where I have no idea if I can share expenses with friends or
have to go alone. I wonder how many reserved spots they have for the hotel keepers in the Chamber of
Commerce this year?

It's a business and I'm being processed. Who needs it?

Mike Jacoubowsky said:

We maintain a mailing list for getting out info on the Markleeville DeathRide, and have now posted
a page detailing the experiences people have had trying to register for this year's event, as well
as a major change in the process just announced today.

chainreaction.comdeathrideregstories.htmOpen ↗

Please note that we're not affiliated with the DeathRide itself, or the organization running it.
However, we have a *lot* of customers who are interested in it, so we try to get whatever info we
can for them.

--Mike-- Chain Reaction Bicycles chainreactionbicycles.comchainreactionbicycles.comOpen ↗

Quoted message said:

I'm tired of being treated badly by Death Ride. I did it every year since '94 but missed out in
2002. This year they required me to be sitting in front of a fast computer at 10a on a Wed to
register. Now I'm invited to a lottery where I have no idea if I can share expenses with friends
or have to go alone. I wonder how many reserved spots they have for the hotel keepers in the
Chamber of Commerce this year?

It's a business and I'm being processed. Who needs it?I

It's got to be a tough one for the organizers. No matter what, you can't get around the fact that
far more people want to ride the event than will be able to. So do you price the event to demand,
continuing to raise the fee until supply of spaces=number of riders willing to pay the price? If it
were being run as many businesses, that would be how the price was determined. So obviously they're
not charging all that the traffic will bear, and thus are doing a service for those who couldn't
afford to ride if it were done otherwise.

In your case, you've made it a regular part of your cycling life, and look forward to it every year.
But what about the person who's been trying to ride it for some time, but has even less chance to
get in because those who have ridden it at least once in the past three years have a much better
shot at a ride (because they give past riders preferential treatment)? Isn't there something to be
said for spreading the DeathRide experience to as many people as possible?

No easy solutions. Regarding the hotel keepers, it does make some sense to have assurances that
available rooms will be made available to those who are actually riding. And it is, of course, a
Chamber of Commerce event, done primarily for the tourism industry of Alpine County. The fact that
it's a cycling event is incidental. It's all about bringing in bodies and money. And there's nothing
really wrong with that, either.

There surely must be other models of events like this; expeditions so special to many that far more
people want to enter than can be allowed to. How have they been handled? Any examples that most
people would agree to be more fair? But ultimately, if something more fair is found, my guess is it
will be something where the definition of "fair" is determined by *everyone* feeling cheated, not
just people in certain categories.

--Mike-- Chain Reaction Bicycles chainreactionbicycles.comchainreactionbicycles.comOpen ↗

The point is that in 2002 there were riders who were not part of the lottery that got to ride
because they were staying at certain establishments. I personally had that fact confirmed by the
Death Ride office after being told the same at Davis 200.

Mike Jacoubowsky said:

No easy solutions. Regarding the hotel keepers, it does make some sense to have assurances that
available rooms will be made available to those who are actually riding.

I agree that fair is only a goal and may not be a practicality.

Do you really believe that there is any fairness in demanding that a rider access to a computer at
10a on a weekday? Out of 5 of my regular group, two don't even know how to use a computer. I have
several computers and had to be away at 10a.

Fair is permitting those that apply and are not selected by lottery be permitted priority the
following year. That registration not be transferable and ID be required at registration. I wouldn't
like this but I'd consider it fair.

Less fair, but more challenging, is to permit people that complete 5 passes be given priority the
following year. I'd like this but it is unfair to majority of current riders.

Fair would be a high fee to enter that can be raised to benefit a charity. As example, a pledge of
$2500 min. in charitable contributions, due by May 15, to support a rider. I wouldn't like this but
it would be a good thing to do.

Totally fair and rational is that if I don't like the rules I don't have to play. I want more than
being a name in a lottery. I can ride there alone or with my friends anytime I like.

I consider myself fortunate in that I can talk about the 6 pass pin I have, freezing, being blown
over at the Ebbets summit rest area, roasting on the way to Carson, seeing mounds of snow in July,
eating gel packetts 6 at a time, and blowing out a rear tire going outbound and downhill on Monitor
and stupidly using the Powerbar wrapper boot 'til getting back to my car after Ebbets.

Mike Jacoubowsky said:

There surely must be other models of events like this; expeditions so special to many that far more
people want to enter than can be allowed to. How have they been handled? Any examples that most
people would agree to be more fair? But ultimately, if something more fair is found, my guess is it
will be something where the definition of "fair" is determined by *everyone* feeling cheated, not
just people in certain categories.

--Mike-- Chain Reaction Bicycles chainreactionbicycles.comchainreactionbicycles.comOpen ↗

Paul Kopit <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

I'm tired of being treated badly by Death Ride. I did it every year since '94 but missed out in
2002. This year they required me to be sitting in front of a fast computer at 10a on a Wed to
register. Now I'm invited to a lottery where I have no idea if I can share expenses with friends
or have to go alone. I wonder how many reserved spots they have for the hotel keepers in the
Chamber of Commerce this year?

It's a business and I'm being processed. Who needs it?

Lighten up. I did the Death Ride from 1997-2000, 4 years, completing it all but the first year. I
didn't do it in 2001 because I was too worn out from the Davis 1200K. And I didn't do it in 2002
because I didn't get selected in the lottery. And I haven't been selected so far this year either.

But I don't harbor ill feelings about it. I consider it a great ride and, if they can get in, would
recommend it to anyone.

Besides, its on public roads that you can ride any day of the week. That is exactly what I did last
August. My wife provided support at all the usual spots. Surprisingly I enjoyed that as much as the
Death Ride event.

Tom

I've never ridden the Death Ride or even tried to, so please excuse me if I'm butting in... but if
it is so popular, why can't it be offered twice (or three or four times) a year to accommodate
everybody? Why is there a cap on enrollment? It can't be so difficult to find staff to run it,
particularly if volunteers were offered a priority place for the next year.

Mike Tordoff Philadelphia

Mike: The DeathRide requires closure of a couple of major California State highways, which is
something very, very difficult to do. It's amazing they get away with it even once a year! So that's
one aspect. Another would be burn-out. Yes, you can bring in a new stream of volunteers, but the top
people who organize it can't be just anybody.

Why the cap on enrollment? These are very narrow, very twisty roads, with very dangerous descents.
They already have problems with cyclists running into each other at times. Adding more cyclists to
the roads would make things more dangerous, and you'd also have problems at feed stations. Remember,
this is in a remote area, it's not in a city where you'd have schools and such you could locate feed
& water stations. Just about anything you do requires minimal disruption to the environment.

--Mike-- Chain Reaction Bicycles chainreaction.comchainreaction.comOpen ↗

"Michael Tordoff" <[email hidden]> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I've never ridden the Death Ride or even tried to, so please excuse me if I'm butting in... but if
it is so popular, why can't it be offered twice

(or

Quoted message said:

three or four times) a year to accommodate everybody? Why is there a cap

on

Quoted message said:

enrollment? It can't be so difficult to find staff to run it,

particularly

Quoted message said:

if volunteers were offered a priority place for the next year.

Mike Tordoff Philadelphia