Tour de France Grand Depart hosts slammed for "outrageous" team presentation ticket prices

As for the claim this is a 'once in a lifetime event' um no it isn't. The tour has been to the UK before (2007) so unless 7 years is considered a once in a lifetime

and in 1994 and so time in the 70's when they raced up and down a length of dual carriage near Plymouth before it was opened to the public.

If you don't like it don't buy it.

When companies claim 'not for profit' they don't mean they are all doing it for free. They mean that anything left after their costs, fees, perks etc are paid for, some may be donated to a business that has charitable status (which is easy enough to get).

Reminds me of Comic Relief (invested in bombs and drugs) or the Etape Caledonia sportive:
http://road.cc/content/blog/71344-etape-caledonia-where-does-money-go
Get past the PR guff and a lot of the money doesn't get to where you might think.

Yorkshire in 'trying to get money out of something which should be free' shocker.

I would be more then happy to pay for a nice seat, a good view in a decent arena but just not at the prices that they are asking. Surely there will be screens and things on in Leeds so that fans can gather and still feel a part of it for free?

This sounds like a lot of money for something people aren't that interested in. If i want to go and see some live entertainment, a band etc. then i buy tickets to go and se a band. If i want to go and see the team presentation for le tour, I don't really care about the 'live entertainment' alongside it and I wouldn't pay between £45 and £80 for it that's for sure. It does smack of trying to part people from their money for no other reason than because they can.
As for the claim this is a 'once in a lifetime event' um no it isn't. The tour has been to the UK before (2007) so unless 7 years is considered a once in a lifetime event then it isn't...unless of course they mean charging people to attend the presentations will be a once in a lifetime event.

"uk" in trying to rip people off shocker.....people in paying said rip off prices...

The cost is pretty outrageous, mind you, if nobody pays and nobody turns up it might change things in the future. If everyone moans then fronts up the cash it'll be the same for every event that ever comes to the UK - vote with your feet and your wallet, it's that simple.

Claiming it is being run on a "not-for-profit basis" seems to be stretching the truth a bit.

Whilst the Grand Depart as a whole might run at a loss, it's laughable to suggest they won't be making a profit from this event. That will presumably subsidise some of the other losses. I'd have more respect if they were simply up front about it.

Giro is free... well done Belfast

I would hope that a proportion of the revenue raised from this event will be distributed amongst the teams.

As others have said above, the cycling "business" model is broken and if we want pro level cycling to continue then expect to have to start paying for tickets for what have previously been free experiences.

Now as to whether £45 - £85 is value for money for this type of event is another question, personally I doubt it.

Remember Blackpool once charged for the illuminations big switch on, what a disaster that turned out to be. I hope the flask and butties brigade do likewise and boycott the rip off, I know I will.

Cycling competes against other sports for sponsorship and marketing - that's what keeps it alive at the pro level.

Taking what is essentially a pretty dull event and jazzing it up to get better TV and press coverage and attract a wider audience gives more exposure to the sponsors and teams.

If that means they have to charge to cover the cost then it is money well spent. Someone will buy the tickets.

Cycling's business model isn't exactly a candidate for being taught at Harvard. It needs to change.

Sounds an eminently sensible decision to me. An outdoor team presentation would be a very expensive event, a lot more than indoors in a free venue, that would take money from the budget for the event itself. I would want the money that is in budget to be spent on important things like spectator control, signage, safety etc. By adding entertainment they justify charging and keep the operational budget intact.

According to the Utrecht organisers, who I contacted, they said theirs is going to be free next year. So this is an attempt to subdue peoples frustration at the Yorkshire organisers!

I like reading the comments about this issue and everybody from both sides is sort of right, it all depends on where you are coming from with regards sport and how it should be run.

I think we will see the TOUR DE FRANCE organisation doing their best to big up the sport as much as possible year in year out as the sport of cycling becomes more and more main stream. But making things more of a spectacular cost money and spectators are going to have to pay, and probably not to cover cost but to make sure the numbers of spectators are kept to a manageable number.

There is no doubt that the start of the Tour in Leeds is going to be different, and set the bar higher for the TDF starts in future years. Not unlike the Olympics each start of the TDF event will be trying to out do the one the year before.

It is only natural that the money men get in on the act of a sport that is growing in popularity every day in every way.

Do I like it .......I am not sure yet, we will see just how good it goes in Leeds as it's more of an experiment for the organisers.
With all the moans of having to pay, it will probably be a success and add gravitas to the whole Tour.

But here's the point I would like to make for those that are yet to really understand the best way to watch the TDF.

I could wax lyrical about just jumping in your car with your bike on top and sleeping bag and tent in the boot, catching the ferry or euro tunnel and following the Tour on as many stages as possible as you get to enjoy the wonderful country that is France.

But when it boils down to it if you want to have the full injection when mainlining the addiction that is spectating at the Tour de France then these following words should be tattooed onto your cycling soul.

"Alpe d'Huez"

The Alpe is the mecca for all cycling fans which allegedly is used as a ski station in the Winter months it is THE PLACE to watch the Tour.

Sadly there is no Alpe d'Huez stage this year but next year ....... many will be booking their hotel soon

They must have Prince or Springsteen performing if £45 a seat is break-even. Not-for-profit, indeed. I bet the consultants are doing okay.

Do people want 'live entertainment' to accompany the beginning of the bicycle race? Or do they just want to see the beginning of a bicycle race?

It seems out of character to make the opening ceremony a private show in a box, when the race itself is such an celebration and showcase of the beauty of the countries it covers; of it's towns and countryside and character, spaces that belong to all of us.

It's one of the few sports that doesn't need a special venue. It uses entire countries as its venue, and any member of those countries can come and see it. It's the most open, expansive sport I can think of.

Which is why it's disappointing to see that it's not sharing its beginnings out in the open. Instead it's hiding away in a box, charging people to come and see it. If nothing else, it's killed a little of the romance... And there's no more romanticised race than Le Tour.

I am repeating myself here but worth pointing out the team presentation for the Giro in Belfast is free.
I'll be poised at my computer at 8.59 on Thursday morning to try and get a ticket!

If you can get cheap flights it may even work out cheaper to go to Belfast than get ripped off by the Yorkshire shysters.

Im sure all the MAMIL, full Team Sky kit wearing, hedge fund manager, weekend warriors who have been into cycling for 12 minutes will snap up the £80 tickets (and claim it back on expenses)

The Tour is a commercial event. I'm fine with that. Given that, any income should be paid back to the various public bodies that have paid out £10m to subsidise this commercial event.

I object to private enterprise profiting from public subsidy (that means you, train operating companies).

I was on the Koppenberg watching the Tour of Flanders. Big TV at the top, bar, friendly policemen, nice officials, no pettiness, great atmosphere, easy to access and all for free. I remember remarking to my brother if the Tour would be similar.

And the opening of the Olympics was a pointless exercise having nothing what so ever to do with sport.
I would love to know why the organisers think that live entertainment is needed.
Oh yeah, the presentation is dead boring.

I can't say I blame the organizers. 90% of a cycling team's revenue comes from sponsorship, whereas in football 10 - 20% of a Premier League team's money is sponsorship based. Cycling lives from hand to mouth, and even then only barely.

Rather than comparing to free events, 45 quid for the opening ceremony of le Tour, compared to how much for the Olympics opening ceremony, would be a better comparison.