If you have ever stopped and wondered how much of a charity ride’s entry fee might actually go to the charity then Trevor Ward’s Guardian bike blog will make for illuminating (possibly depressing) reading. Ward took a closer look at the Marie Curie Cancer Care Etape Pennines, brand new and a companion ride to the Etape Caledonia, which charges an eye-watering £61 entry fee. Like most of us Ward assumed that at least some of that entry fee would go to the Marie Curie charity; it turns out that every penny goes to event organisers IMG, one of the worlds most powerful (and richest) media and sports talent agencies in the world.
So what do Marie Curie get out of it? Once there are only 500 places left the charity is given these slots as complimentary, although with a little digging Ward discovered that ‘complimentary’ still meant £61 (all of it going to IMG) but with those riders committed to raising a minimum of £250 for the charity and thus becoming Daffodil Team members. Inarguably that means a minimum guarantee of £75,000 for an excellent cause, but if just 30% of the entry fee also went to Marie Curie that £75,000 would be almost doubled and the remaining 70% would surely cover all of IMG’s costs for staging the event? Ward’s actual findings when it comes to costs are, if anything, even more disturbing and you can read more at www.guardian.co.uk
Details of the Marie Curie Cancer Care Etape Pennines, which takes place in County Durham on October 7 can be found at www.etapepennines.co.uk
