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: $79.99
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 19th. 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
The Short Version: On-line is the best way to register. In fact, it's pretty much the only way to register! Just click here and it will take you to a secure on-line registration site. You will need a credit card to register. (Yes, you can use a friend's credit card... with their permission!)
The Full Story:
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: if you want the optional transportation to the ride, do you want to buy a racing jersey... At the end of registration you will be asked for your credit card information. Yes, you can use a friend’s credit 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.
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.
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...
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
Our Incredibly Unfair Refund Policy
Once you register, there are no refunds.
Of any kind.
For any reason.
Ever.
(Even if all six of your grandmothers die on the day of the ride and you break your leg while your dog eats your homework and you are in a car crash).
Why the hard line on refunds? Good question. As soon as you register for the ride, we take your money and we go right out and SPEND IT. We buy more Gatorade, we rent more trucks and portable toilets, we sign up for more insurance (we pay per cyclist). We can’t refund your money because it is not sitting in our vault; it is GONE. Thanks for understanding.
Transfer Your Registration to Another Ride
If it turns out that you can’t make it, you can often transfer your registration to one of our other events. Take a look here to see if any of our other events works for you, and then contact us for details.
Do NOT just sign up for another event until you contact us first -- you will need written confirmation from us to make the switch, but we’re pretty reasonable about this. Please note that we need AT LEAST 15 DAYS notice before the event you want to skip in order to transfer your registration. (Why? See paragraph above!)
You can also roll-over full credit for your registration until next year, with our written permission. Again, we need at least 15 days advance notice, and again we’re usually pretty reasonable about this. Your registration credit will be valid through whatever the last event is that we run in ’11.
When you transfer or roll-over your registration to another event we will refund your ride fees in full except the on-line service fees, since we don’t get any of that money -- we are not refunded or credited for them by Active.com. So if you sign up for a ride for $80 and Active.com charges you another $5 in services fees, we credit you $80. (We’re nice enough to roll over your fee to another ride. We’re mean enough that we don’t want it to cost us $5 every time someone does this, since people do it a lot!)
Sell or Give Your Ride Registration to Someone Else
All you need to do to sell your spot is give your name to the new rider. The new rider MUST check in at the start on ride day so we can update our records, even if you bought the 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.
Day-Of Registration
The price of the ride goes UP after August 19, 2010. That means that if you registered for the ride early, you now own a “pass” to the ride that is a bargain. You might want to wait until after August 19 to look for a buyer -- you get your dough back and they get a deal. No matter what you paid for your spot, consider coming to morning check-in, even if you are unable to ride -- we get lots of people who pay the day-of price of $185, so whatever you charge them for your spot in the ride is probably a great deal!
Here are some 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.
Registration Deadlines
Early-bird discount registration: Ends at 11:59 p.m. on August 19, 2010 -- 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.
Advance registration: Ends on Thursday August 26 at noon. (Why do we end 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 -- $185 for all routes and distances. Day-of registration is CASH ONLY -- no credit cards, no checks. Return transportation 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!
Some riders prefer to pay the day-of price, and call it “rain insurance.” They pay a bit more, but since they don’t register until ride day, they are guaranteed sunny weather! Nothing wrong with that.
I Hate Computers! I Don't Have A Credit Card! Why Do I Have To Register On-Line? Why Are You So Mean?
When we did mail-in registration, a bunch of us volunteers would wind up sitting around until midnight every night for about two weeks, opening mail and stuffing envelopes. By the time the actual ride rolled around, we were burned out and cranky and having no fun, and I happen to be pro-fun.
My number-one goal is to take better care of the cyclists AND our volunteers. On-line registration makes life much easier for the volunteers, and that's important. On-line is also more accurate – if you fill out the registration yourself, there’s little chance of typos or lost paperwork!
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.
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