In 2010, I wrote about how it costs, $10,000 to put on a relatively small, simple, industrial park criterium. In 2011, I wrote about why it costs $11,000 to put on an industrial park criterium and now I am writing about how it costs $13,500 to put on an industrial park criterium. When this race first started, costs were around $8K, so that is a 70% increase in expenses over 9 years. That is why we unfortunately had to raise entry fees by a few bucks this year. It is also why we are limited to categories that can fill. I am risking a significant amount of money, and if the weather s great, I should make it all back, and have a little bit to put back in my pocket for all the time expense and risk, as well as put some into the coffers of the SDSU cycling team. If I am unlucky and it rains all day ( as in 2008), I could lose several thousands dollars and have the privilege of standing outside in the rain all day. I really want to thanks all the racers that came out and supported the event, everyone that worked and volunteered at the event. Head official Greg Aden is an easy guy to work with and his crew did a great job. I would especially like to thank Spy for steeping forward as title sponsor for the event.
Wanna know the cost breakdown? Here it is highest expense first, some are rounded to the nearest hundred, and a few are estimated as the final invoices have not come in.
Prize money: $2500
USAC Insurance: $1924
USAC Officials: $1830
Traffic Control required by City of SD: $1800
Ambulance Required by City of SD: $1650
Announcer Ralph Elliot $800 and worth every penny
Toilets: $525
Safety Equip: $500
Race numbers and supplies: $300
USAC Permit Fee $225
Other supplies: $200
Food for officials and race crew $160
Kinkos: $130
City Permit Fee $100
See the 2010 posts for why some of the expenses are so high, and why it is difficult to reduce them. The costs that have gone up the most in recent years: Traffic control has gone up by $1500, and USAC insurance has tripled in cost over the last 10 years or so ( a product of an increasingly litigious society?).
Those are the expenses that have gone up the most. The others have all slowly creeped up and brought us from the $8K mark, to near $14K.
-Sean
