Monday Blues: Price Goes Up

 Say you're thinking about entering this event; it is still a long way off, so you waver around a little bit because you just don't know if you can make a commitment for something so far in the future. You always see people who do, and then for one reason or another, have to offer their entry for sale, or even for free, because they can't make it after all. Eventually you reach a point where you start to wring your hands with worry because that magical, mystical date is approaching, the date when the prices increaSE. 

Say your buddy, while out riding the trails one day, up and says he entered this great event with some of the other group regulars you sort of know and suggests you should join 'em, make it a big road trip, camping weekend. Cool, and you say you'll check it out. You do check it out, but not until the next day. You open your computer, go to the event entry page, and ooops, you've missed the early bird special by a day and, though still more than three months away, the price to enter has gone UP.

Say you find out one day that you have to make a trip up north, it could be for any number of reasons. You sigh, but that's the way it has to be. Then you remember that this great event takes place up that way every year at about the same time and so you check and, yes! It's the same weekend you'll be up there. You head over to the registration page only to find out that you're a few days late for the early registration, and you'll need to cough up another 45 bucks plus assorted handling and transaction fees to reserve a spot. The price had to go up, after all, though you can't seem to find a compelling answer as to why. I mean you'll be standing on the same start line as those who registered early, you'll be riding the exact same route, the organizers won't need to pay any more volunteer course marshals, or medics. Sure they might have to buy an extra bunch of bananas, make an extra pb&j sandwich, but... are they really buying foodstuffs three months out?

These "late" registration fees have become the norm, just like those "day of" entry fees for races which I never really understood. I mean, did anyone have to do more "work," did the course have to be altered in some way, did someone have to go out and get more 1st through 5th place plastic medals because you entered on the day of the race? Of course not. Hell, by your way of thinking, the organizers were getting another entry fee to help pay the bills, maybe add to a little profit. Wasn't that enough to make your "late" entry worthwhile to them?

There really is this ride coming up, or as close to "coming up" as three months away can be. It sounds like a really fun ride - forest roads outside of Yosemite, camping, partying, a long weekend, and I still have five no, four no, three days to decide if a long weekend in early June is a possibility, three days before the price goes up.