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: 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. When you click here to register, you will be taken to the Active.com 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: where you want to go for morning check-in (Manhattan or Babylon, LI), if 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 or OPTIONAL pre-mail service. Some people like this extra service; some don’t. The choice is yours. [Note: Pre-mail is now closed for 2008. You can still register of course and pick up your stuff at the start line on ride day like most of our cyclists.]
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.
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).
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 ’09. (Probably the North Fork Century at the end of August ‘09)
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.
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 riders check in, they simply say, “I’m riding for Jim Smith, but my name is...” They can pick any distance or check-in location, no matter what you specified when you signed up. They get whatever extra-goodies you signed up for -- if you registered for transportation back home, 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 $15 after June 11th. 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 June 11th 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 $140, so whatever you charge them for your spot in the ride is probably a steal!
Here are three other good places to sell your ride registration:
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 June 11th, 2008 -- prices go UP $15 per person after that! That’s not to be mean; that $15 discount is a reward for those who sign up early, since early registration makes our jobs easier.
Advance registration: Ends on Wednesday June 18th 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 -- $140 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. 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?
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
How to Register for the Ride
Photo by Bill Goff
