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Strategic Planning

Planning races and how to choose the what, when and where

Should you host a race?

You may already know what type of event you want to plan, but just because you have the idea doesnt mean you should do it or that it will be successful. Failing to do your research can doom your event before you even open registration. These are some questions you should be asking before investing time in planning a race, all of which will be expanded upon in this section.

  • Is there a demand for this event? 

  • Do you have the required support to produce an event? 

  • Is the market of racers large enough to reach the desired turnout?

  • Do you actually have time to organize it?

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*Note to readers - this information is primarily centered around putting on mid-sized amateur race weekends. While the same concepts should still apply, this is not geared towards putting on a local Wednesday night crit or major pro level event. We will write additional sections more specific to planning those types of events. 

Determining Demand

If your region already has lots of criteriums, then its probably not wise to add yet another criterium to the schedule. Its important to focus on what is not offered in your regional calendar to have the best chance of success. Does your area have a stage race? How many road races are there per season vs criteriums or time trials? What are the other big or established races and what do they offer (or not offer)?

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General Rules of Thumb Regarding attendance:

  • Road races are the most demanded, but least produced. They are logistically complex and somewhat difficult to organize, so most inexperienced promoters stay away. Across the US, there are fewer and fewer road races each year, but our data from 11yrs and over 200 races has consistently proven that road races draw the most participants and highest revenue per racer. 

  • People travel for road races and stage races. Participants and teams are more willing to travel longer distances if there is more racing being offered. Data has shown that stage races and omniums with 3 or more events have roughly 30% higher attendance than weekends with 2 or less races. 

  • People DONT travel for criteriums. We can drill into the data, but its just common sense and I've seen this hold true time and time again. People are much less likely to travel several hours, get hotels etc for a 30-60min race. If there's no road race or time trial, getting good field sizes will be a struggle. 

  • People DONT travel for time trials. Same reason as criteriums, plus....In the current landscape of racing, we are finding that few people have TT bikes anymore. With no TT bike, the market for participants is very limited because those without a TT bike have a much lower chance of being competitive.

Adequate Support

Organizing a race requires several pieces of support in multiple areas.

  • Municipal - you'll need the local authorities and decision makers support if you want to get anywhere. There has to be some type of relationship or rapport with the local entities in charge of permitting, they have to be aware of what you are doing and want to support it in some capacity. Always remember that you need them more than they need you. 

  • Sponsorship - races are expensive, you will need funding in order to do pretty much any type of legitimate sanctioned race nowadays. You will also likely need in-kind items for prizes, giveaways. More detail on sponsorships will be available in another section.

  • Clubs & Teams - every race weekend needs to have a club partnership in some capacity. Clubs provide volunteer support, resources from sponsors and members, and help promote the event in their community. Personal note - my biggest flops were all races that didnt have a club or team involved. 

  • Operations & Staff - the bigger the race, the more people are needed, but generally you'll need someone to run registration, someone to manage courses/signs, a results/podium/awards person, and someone to handle scoring. DO NOT try to be the race director and also do scoring/timing by yourself (trust me, it doesnt end well).

  • Locals - if you arent local, it is very helpful to have relationships with local residents or business owners. They can really help you more than you know and its fun getting to know new people and forming lasting relationships.

    • Cool Example - My first year in Crockett, TX, a local 10yr old kid showed up out of nowhere asking if he could help us. He was at the race every year after volunteering with anything we needed and even rounded up his friends to help. Also turned out that he knew everyone in town and later came to play a key role in the event operations. He would later receive our first ever race scholarship in 2024, a scholarship we will be offering to local high school students every year now thanks to his contribution. 

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