Prices
How much is all this luxury and fun going to cost? Less than dinner in a top Manhattan restaurant. Less than a good concert ticket. Less than a bad date. (MUCH less than a bad date...)
The price varies a bit because depending on when you sign up and which options you like most, but here’s a ROUGH guide. Remember that there is NO fundraising required for this ride.
Ride Registration
Adults: $87
Kids 12 and younger: Free
Volunteers: Free
OPTIONAL transportation from Manhattan to the Greenport, NY start/finish line and home again for your bike and you: $70.
Note that these prices go UP after 11:59 p.m. on August 16th. That’s not to be mean; that’s to reward those who sign up early, which makes it easier for us to give you the best service.
How to Register For the Ride
We do all of our registration on-line -- there is no mail-in, fax-in, or walk-in registration. We use a private company called Active.com to handle registration. You’ll find this logo on every page of our web site:
When you click on the logo it will take you to the Active.com registration web site. Active.com uses a secure internet site to collect your registration information, so your privacy is safe.
You will be asked for your name and address, plus information on your ride preferences. At the end of registration you will be asked for your credit card information. Yes, you can use a friend’s card (with their permission, of course!)
Note that just like TicketMaster, Active.com charges a modest service fee to use their registration system. We don’t get any of that money.
You have NOT spent ANY money, and you have NOT registered until you click the OK button and see a confirmation message on your computer screen. Be sure to look for that on-screen registration confirmation -- if you don’t see it, you ain’t registered! (Every year a few people get 90 percent of the way through registration, bail out for some reason, and then can’t figure out why they aren’t on the morning check-in list on ride day!)
After you register you will ALSO receive a confirmation via email, sent to the email address you gave us during registration. If you don’t get that confirmation email then something is wrong! Drop us a note and we’ll be happy to help.
Note that you will not receive ANYTHING from us in the U.S. mail unless you chose our OPTIONAL pre-mail service. Some people like this extra service; some don’t. The choice is yours.
You WILL receive ride information sent to the email address that you used during registration. That means that if you have multiple email addresses, you should remember which one you used for registration, and check it from time to time. (You can not believe how often we hear people say that we haven’t been in touch with them... until they remember that they have a dozen Yahoo and Gmail accounts running at the same time...)
After registration, EVERYONE should go back to this web site to read all about where to show up on ride day, when, what to bring, our incredibly unfair rules...
If you are having trouble registering, it MIGHT be because you are trying to register from your office. Many corporations set up computer firewalls, to protect you from fun at work. Try another computer outside the office. If you get stuck, you can call Active.com customer service at 888-543-7223. Have your credit card ready.
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Photo by Jen Rock
Registration Deadlines
Early-bird discount registration: Ends at 11:59 p.m. on August 16, 2012 -- prices go UP $20 per person after that! That’s not to be mean; that $20 discount is a reward for those who sign up early, since early registration makes our jobs easier.
On-line registration: Ends on August 23th at noon. (Why do we end on-line registration “early”? We need time to print out all the registration info and make copies so it can be ready for ride day, and with so many riders, that takes serious time!)
Day-of registration: Available at all check-in locations at a much higher price -- $200 for all routes and distances. Day-of registration is CASH ONLY -- no credit cards, no checks. Transportation to the ride is included in that price if it is still available. (Check the Home page of this web site right before ride day to find out if transportation is still available -- it usually is). Souvenir jerseys, T-shirts, and socks (if available) still cost extra. The higher day-of price is not to be mean (being mean is just an extra added benefit for the cranky ride HQ staff). No, the day-of price is high to encourage you to sign up in advance, which makes running the ride much easier for us!
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Photo by Susan Cariaso
Our Incredibly Unfair Refund Policy
Once you register, there are no refunds.
Of any kind.
For ANY reason.
Ever.
You CAN often get a credit that you can use for another ride. See below.
How to Transfer Your Registration to Another Ride
If it turns out that you can’t make it to the ride for ANY reason, you can often receive a credit from us that you can use for another of our rides. Just email us as soon as you can and let us know you can’t attend the ride.
Your credit will be valid through whatever the last event is that we run in 2012, but after that your credit is GONE and NOTHING can bring it back.
Your credit is not for One Free Ride -- it is for a dollar amount. How much credit will you receive? That has NOTHING to do with the reason WHY you are canceling -- it ONLY depends on how much notice you give us that you can’t make it:
15 Days or More Notice Before Event Day: 100% credit
10-14 Days Notice: 50% credit
5-9 Days Notice: 25% credit
Less than 5 days notice: No credit
We can not provide any credit for the Active.com on-line service fees. Active.com will not give that money back to us so we can not give it back to you.
Obscure Trivia Note
I’ve been putting on swell rides for more than a dozen years now -- it’s my full-time job, and I expect to do this for another 200 years. But if my poor little company ever goes under or I die in a horrible ice-cream-and-pie related accident, all ride credits will have zero value, OK? OK.
A Brief Word About Illness, Accidents, Death, and Cake
We get lots of emails right before the ride: "Even though you state that you have a no-refund policy, I need a refund. I can’t attend the ride because I am terribly ill and I have a note from my doctor to prove it -- would you like a copy of the note?"
No.
No I would not.
We believe you (and your doctor) but it's like this:
Suppose I'm a baker and you order a 10-foot tall cake that states Happy Birthday Melvin on it.
Then something terrible happens. Melvin gets the flu. Melvin gets drunk and cracks a tooth on a coffee table. Melvin gets whooping cough.
Horrible.
Sad.
We understand why you no longer want the cake.
But since you told me you wanted a cake, I purchased perishable ingredients. I added extra staff. I obtained Cake Insurance (OK... just go along with me here...)
I don't need a note from Melvin's doctor.
I believe you.
Fate has dealt you a completely unfair hand for no good reason at all.
But one of us is about to lose the price of the cake, and it's going to be you or me.
And me being the poor and cranky guy I am... it's going to be you. (There must be a MUCH nicer way to say that, but nothing comes to mind just at this moment...)
Now imagine that I have 2,000 people who EACH order a cake that states Happy Birthday Melvin on it and you get the idea.
Thanks for understanding.
Sell or Give Your Ride Registration to Someone Else
All you need to do to transfer your spot in the ride to another person is give your name to the new rider. The new rider MUST stop by one of our check-in desks, even if you bought the don’t-wait-in-line Express Lane pre-mail service.
Why?
Because if they get smooshed by a truck and they are wearing a numbered wristband that our records show belongs to you, we won’t know the difference (because them smooshed and you smooshed look pretty much the same...) and we will call YOUR family and tell them that YOU are DEAD, DEAD, DEAD! (Try explaining THAT ONE at Thanksgiving dinner!)
When the new rider checks in, they simply say, “I’m riding for Jim Smith, but my name is...” They can pick any distance, no matter what you specified when you signed up. They get whatever extra-goodies you signed up for -- if you registered for transportation to the ride, they get it. If you bought a Medium racing jersey, they get a Medium (only) racing jersey.
Here are three other good places to sell your ride registration:
The New York Cycle Club Message Board
Please note that re-selling your ride registration is completely legal, but we do not get involved in any way with these transactions. It is up to you to work out prices and payment with the buyer/seller.
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Photo by Mark Cariaso
I Hate Computers! I Don't Have A Credit Card! Why Do I Have To Register On-Line? Why Are You So Mean?
We use the Active.com on-line registration system, and that requires a computer and a credit card. (Yes, you can borrow your friend’s card... with their permission).
Why do we use on-line registration only? Because since you type in your own name, address, and ride info, there’s just about zero chance that your registration info is wrong! No typos on our end; no pieces of paper or forms to lose in our office. (You don’t want to count on me here -- I’m still looking for the car keys that I lost in ’77.)
Nowadays, most people either own a computer or know someone who owns a computer (and public libraries have internet access you can use for free).
Most people either have a credit card or know someone who has a credit card.
If you really, truly, absolutely feel you can not register on line, you can call the Active.com customer service department at 888-543-7223 and they’ll take good care of you. (But you’ll STILL need a credit card!)
Glen
Your tour director and humble servant
Not ready to sign up yet, but want to be added to our bike ride mailing list? Just click here.
