The Cost Of Bike Racing? (Podcast #56)
So you're thinking about racing a bike, but you're concerned about the cost.
You're not the only one, apparently.
Recently, an article in the UK based Telegraph caused a little bit of a stir in the cycling world, claiming that the cost of racing was approximately £25,000. £25,000!! Adjusted to USD, that's around $39,000! That's a salary for a lot of people!
And that's completely insane.
There's no earthly reason racing a bike needs to cost that much. In fact, if you read other articles by the same author, you get a different impression: the author is racing at an elite level, attempting to recapture a lost opportunity of his youth. He's not starting off racing a Cat 5 criterium, or a weekend stage race where you're competing against other guys who are coming out to have a little fun and maybe sprint for a pair of tires. We're talking two different worlds here.
But the article did get me thinking about what IS the cost of racing a bike? And if you wanted to start racing a bike today, what would you need to lay out in terms of dollars and cents. That's what I'll explore in today's podcast, along with some helpful tips to get you ready to race for the first time.
Click through for a breakdown of what it takes to race on the elite level, and what you need to race on the local level:
