This note is directed to any Ride staff who may be monitoring this site:
I'm entering my 4th year as a participant and my 2nd year as a Team Captain. I'm trying to organize my team to start our corporate sponsorship and fundraising effort early, and as part of that I contacted the Ride Guides to verify the estimated size of the 2012 event. The answer disturbs me.
The Guide insisted that there are no targetted numbers for 2012, and that they're looking for "about the same or a little more" in terms of participation in 2012. If that's true, and in light of the greater level of overhead and coordination required for 6 routes as opposed to 2, I'm very concerned that although the money RAISED may be higher, the amount that actually goes to RESEARCH will be reduced by increased overhead.
In light of the recent revelations surrounding the Canadian Cancer Society, I'm very upset at the idea that the Ride organizers may be putting the cart before the horse by increasing the scope of the project without adjusting the anticipated return.
This is, at the end of the day, a fundraiser... and I need to be able to tell potential donors that their money is going to research, not gimmicks.
I too am concerned about the entire set up for 2012. We need to keep it simple and as profitable as possible so that maximum funds are directed to the cause.
Firstly, thanks so much for riding and stepping up as team captain! We really appreciate your concerns and let me try and explain our thinking on the new routes: This past year, we had 4 Ride segments. 100k and 100 miles on Sat, and 100k and 100 miles on Sunday. That's 4 rides and approx 520km to cover. Next year, the plan is to have 3 segments on Saturday (100k from TO to Hamilton, 100k from NF to Hamilton and 100 miles from TO to Hamilton) and on sunday there are only 2 options: 100k from hamilton to NF and 100k from Hamilton to TO. So 5 Ride segments planned for 2012 totalling 560km. So what we are adding is 1 Ride segment and only a total of 40km.
As you probably know, the 100k route was very crowded last year and by adding the extra segment, our hope is that the riders become more spread out. Yes we will add a few riders in 2012, but the net result will be a very safe Ride. Adding 40km of 'rider route' (and new start line) is a small cost relative to the goal for us to keep the event fresh for multiple year riders like you and also avoid having too many riders on one segment at the same time.
We absolutely keep our eye on the event costs and strive towards keeping them as low as possible while at the same time providing a great experience. MysteryBee, your concerns are valid and we are doing all we can to keep costs low. Rest assured that we are always thinking of ways to minimize expenditures while at the same time being creative with our fundraising programs.
We are fully aware of the media around the Canadian Cancer Society and their support of research. While I have some thoughts around the recent media coverage on CCS (another long story), the CCS plays a very important role in funding research at Princess Margaret and they also (which gets overlooked) play a big role in education and prevention of Cancer programs (doesn't get included in their 'research' granting stats).
I hope that sheds some light on your concerns. I'd be happy to speak further with you on the subject of the Ride or princess margaret at your convenience. I can be reached at 416-946-2072 or @ steve.merker@pmhf.ca.
Steve Merker Chief Bike Guy Princess Margaret Hospital Foundation.
Thanks for the explanation, and I appreciate you taking the time to walk us through it. The detail you've provided helps me understand how you intend to offer more options for riders, but it also raises other questions.
The route descriptions on the site fail to clarify that the "Classic Challenge" and "Classic" route are essentially the SAME ROUTE for Day 2. That was certainly not the impression I had when I signed up, and I suspect many other riders will be equally surprised if that isn't clarified. It also presents the additional volume issue of blending the M route riders into the K route, meaning Day 2 will be more crowded than Day 1.
I appreciate the effort that Ride organizers are making to keep the event fresh, but the vague nature of the route descriptions is ultimately risking confusion among participants.
We hear you MB. I'll take your comments back to our team and i'll see what we can do to make it more clear. Please reach out to me anytime you have questions or comments....thanks again for bringing this forward and also for Riding year after year!
