I used to be an amateur bicycle race organizer.
For about ten years, I organized weekend races, all without the proper permits. The reason why I was so bold in doing such a dangerous activity was because I love bicycle racing. That’s it, for the love of racing.
I didn’t understand the risk involved and I believe that most of the cyclists who joined the race also had no inkling of what the consequence was if something tragic happened. A few years ago, in a race in Batangas called the Tour of Matabungkay, an African participant of the event died after a wayward car got into the race column. I can only imagine the top it took on the organizers of the race- emotional and financial.
That’s why I sometimes shudder at the thought of those things happening during my watch. The good thing about those days was that I partnered with the latter Mark Ylanan and he had the logistics to put up a cycling event.
Road racing is a public event, it is held mostly on public roads and therefore the odds of something happening that is not part of the race equation is always present- cars and pedestrians. Even the Tour de France is not immune to fans wanting their 15 second worth of fame just to get into TV and at the same time endanger the riders.
As I have said at the start, I love racing and in those days, there were only a few bicycle racing organizers who I thought weren’t doing it to the benefit of the cyclists and so I decided to dip my fingers into the racing pie.
Money is the biggest hurdle when it comes to any event and cycling is not a very popular sport, no one wants to put money on it, especially with the potential risks involved. This isn’t basketball, you know. But once you have the sponsorship cash, the next cement wall you will meet is the permits- police, LGU, and even the businesses in the area have to be consulted. A lot of promises will be made by these folks like complete road closures, presence of the police and medics and in most cases, the bureaucracy is something else. Imagine getting your property titled…
Finally, the right people to run the event will be the most critical. People who will stand up to the scrutiny of the participants. We all have heard of Mr VIP Athlete complaining about the rules and regulations they just violated and want to get a pass. You need a calm and strong willed Marshall who can be fair and constant during these times.
I forgot about the athletes, these are the people who are going to complain about the high cost of registration and at the same time the “low” prize money. They just don’t realize that race organizers don’t make a lot of money, that is if they make any at all. They often have to dip into their wallets, and this is what makes race organizing a thing I can live without now. I want to go into a race with a racing mindset, finish the race and go hope in a happy mood. I don’t want to go home hearing about somebody filing a protest, or read the bashers on social media.
I am racing now.