Prices
How much is all this luxury and fun going to cost? Less than dinner in a top Manhattan restaurant. Less than a good concert ticket. Less than a bad date. (MUCH less than a bad date...)
The price varies a bit because depending on when you sign up and which options you like most, but here’s a ROUGH guide. Remember that there is NO fundraising required for this ride.
Ride Registration
Adults: The early-price was $79.99 (which sounds much cheaper than $80).
After June 9th at noon the price goes up to $99.99 (which doesn’t really sound that much cheaper than $100).
Kids 12 and Under: Free
Volunteers: Free
Don’t forget that this ride is one-way -- it ends in Montauk, and you’ll need a way to get home again. You can get picked up by a friend, or you can take our OPTIONAL transportation home from Montauk after the ride for your bike and you: $40 - $70 (again, the earlier you sign up, the lower the price).
How to Register For the Ride
We do all of our registration on-line -- there is no mail-in, fax-in, or walk-in registration. We use a private company called Active.com to handle registration. You’ll find this logo on every page of our web site:
When you click on the logo it will take you to the Active.com registration web site. Active.com uses a secure internet site to collect your registration information, so your privacy is safe.
You will be asked for your name and address, plus information on your ride preferences: where you want to go for morning check-in (Manhattan or Babylon, LI), if you want to buy a racing jersey... At the end of registration you will be asked for your credit card information. Yes, you can use a friend’s card (with their permission, of course!)
Note that just like TicketMaster, Active.com charges a modest service fee to use their registration system. We don’t get any of that money.
You have NOT spent ANY money, and you have NOT registered until you click the OK button and see a confirmation message on your computer screen. Be sure to look for that on-screen registration confirmation -- if you don’t see it, you ain’t registered! (Every year a few people get 90 percent of the way through registration, bail out for some reason, and then can’t figure out why they aren’t on the morning check-in list on ride day!)
After you register you will ALSO receive a confirmation via email, sent to the email address you gave us during registration. If you don’t get that confirmation email then something is wrong! Drop us a note and we’ll be happy to help.
Note that you will not receive ANYTHING from us in the U.S. mail unless you chose our OPTIONAL pre-mail service. Some people like this extra service; some don’t. The choice is yours.
You WILL receive ride information sent to the email address that you used during registration. That means that if you have multiple email addresses, you should remember which one you used for registration, and check it from time to time. (You can not believe how often we hear people say that we haven’t been in touch with them... until they remember that they have a dozen Hotmail and Gmail accounts running at the same time...)
After registration, EVERYONE should go back to this web site to read all about where to show up on ride day, when, what to bring...
If you are having trouble registering, it MIGHT be because you are trying to register from your office. Many corporations set up computer firewalls, to protect you from fun at work! Try another computer outside the office. If you get stuck, you can call Active.com customer service at 888-543-7223. Have your credit card ready.
Registration Deadlines
Early-bird discount registration: Ends at 11:59 p.m. on June 9th, 2010 -- prices go UP at least $20 per person after that! That’s not to be mean; that $20 discount is a reward for those who sign up early, since early registration makes our jobs easier.
Advance registration: Ends on June 16th at noon. (Why do we end registration “early”? We need time to print out all the registration info and make copies so it can be ready for ride day, and with so many riders, that takes serious time!)
Day-of registration: Available at all check-in locations at a much higher price -- $185 for all routes and distances. Day-of registration is CASH ONLY -- no credit cards, no checks. Return transportation is included in that price if it is still available. (Check the Home page of this web site right before ride day to find out if transportation is still available -- it usually is). Souvenir jerseys, T-shirts, and socks (if available) still cost extra. The higher day-of price is not to be mean (being mean is just an extra added benefit for the cranky ride HQ staff). No, the day-of price is high to encourage you to sign up in advance, which makes running the ride much easier for us!
Since we ride rain or shine, sometimes people ask us if we sell Rain Insurance. The way we see it, Day-Of Registration IS rain insurance -- since you don’t register until ride day, you are guaranteed sunny weather! We have many riders who use this system -- nothing wrong with that.
Our Incredibly Unfair Refund Policy
Once you register, there are no refunds.
Of any kind.
For any reason.
Ever.
(Even if all six of your grandmothers die on the day of the ride and you break your leg while your dog eats your homework and you are in a car crash).
Why the hard line on refunds? Good question. As soon as you register for the ride, we take your money and we go right out and SPEND IT. We buy more Gatorade, we rent more trucks and portable toilets, we sign up for more insurance (we pay per cyclist). We can’t refund your money because it is not sitting in our vault; it is GONE.
We get occasional emails the day before the ride: “I have the flu and I have a note from my doctor to prove it -- would you like a copy?”
No.
We believe you (and your doctor) but we’ve already spent your ride fee because you asked us to. It’s sort of like asking a baker to make you a 10’-tall cake that states, “Happy Birthday Melvin” on it. Even if you have to cancel Melvin’s party for serious, honest, and legitimate reasons we can’t refund the money because we’ve already spent the money to bake the cake because you asked us to. (Did that make ANY sense at all? Never mind...)
Transfer Your Registration to Another Ride
If it turns out that you can’t make it, you can often transfer your registration to one of our other events. Take a look here to see if any of our other events works for you, and then contact us for details.
Do NOT just sign up for another event until you contact us first -- you will need written confirmation from us to make the switch, but we’re pretty reasonable about this. Please note that we need AT LEAST 15-DAYS NOTICE before the event you want to skip in order to transfer your registration. (Why? See paragraph above.)
You can also roll-over full credit for your registration until next year, with our written permission. Again, we need AT LEAST 15-DAYS NOTICE, and again we’re usually pretty reasonable about this. Your registration credit will be valid through whatever the last event is that we run in ’11. (Probably the North Fork Century at the end of August ’11).
When you transfer or roll-over your registration to another event we will refund your ride fees in full except the on-line service fee that Active.com charged you, since we don’t get any of that money -- we are not refunded or credited for it by Active.com.
Sell or Give Your Ride Registration to Someone Else
All you need to do to sell your spot is give your name to the new rider. The new rider MUST check in at the start on ride day so we can update our records, even if you already have your ride number and registration materials.
Why?
Because if they get smooshed by a truck and they are wearing a numbered wristband that our records show belongs to you, we won’t know the difference (because them smooshed and you smooshed look pretty much the same...) and we will call YOUR family and tell them that YOU are DEAD, DEAD, DEAD! (Try explaining THAT ONE at Thanksgiving dinner!)
When the new rider checks in, they simply say, “I’m riding for Jim Smith, but my name is...” They can pick any distance or check-in location, no matter what you specified when you signed up. They get whatever extra-goodies you signed up for -- if you registered for transportation back home, they get it. If you bought a Medium racing jersey, they get a Medium (only) racing jersey.
The price of the ride goes UP after 11:59 p.m. on June 9th, so if you registered before that date you now own a “pass” to the ride that is a bargain. You might want to wait until after June 9th to look for a buyer -- you get your dough back and they get a deal. No matter what you paid for your spot, consider coming to morning check-in, even if you are unable to ride -- we get lots of people who pay the day-of price of $185, so whatever you charge them for your spot in the ride is probably a great deal!
Here are three other good places to sell your ride registration:
The New York Cycle Club Message Board
Please note that re-selling your ride registration is completely legal, but we do not get involved in any way with these transactions. It is up to you to work out prices and payment with the buyer/seller.
(Continued below)
I Hate Computers! I Don't Have A Credit Card! Why Do I Have To Register On-Line? Why Are You So Mean?
Why do we use on-line registration only? Because since you type in your own name, address, and ride info, there’s just about zero chance that your registration info is wrong! No typos on our end; no pieces of paper or forms to lose in our office. (You don’t want to count on me here -- I’m still looking for the car keys that I lost in ’77.)
Nowadays, most people either own a computer or know someone who owns a computer (and public libraries have internet access you can use for free).
Most people either have a credit card or know someone who has a credit card.
If you really, truly, absolutely feel you can not register on line, you can call the Active.com customer service department at 888-543-7223 and they’ll take good care of you. (But you’ll STILL need a credit card!)
Click here to go to the next page, or use the navigation menu at the top of your screen.
Glen
Your tour director and humble servant
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