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We used to have this German called Max turn-up at club-run events and expect to participate without paying and not being a club member. Even down to blagging free runs on members-only shuttle days... Some people just have a bizarre sense of entitlement and zero community spirit.
What did you do about Max?
Part of it comes down to Risk Assessments. (road or off-road events).
An organiser has been out and designed a course for a (roughly) set number of people, let's say 300. They've decided that it's as many as the roads / trails can cope with without causing unneccesary grief for other road/trail users, congestion, erosion etc. Part of it will also be down to things like car parking, event HQ size and so on.
But anyway, 300 people turn up and every single one of them has decided to invite a mate or two along with them for a bit. There are now 700 people on the trail / road on a course that was designed for 300. Queues on the singletrack, loads of extra erosion, a landowner outraged by what he would see as the organiser just ignoring all safety advice or restrictions...
OK the above is a bit extreme but you need to look at the bigger picture. Yes if one or two extra people are riding a bit of the route for a bit of the time, that's unlikely to be noticed (in fact it'll be part of the risk assessment that riders may encounter "non-participants" like walkers, other MTBers, horse riders etc, basically "other trail traffic") but if everyone took the selfish "well I'll be alright Jack" attitude to it, the trails would be overwhelmed and everyone's day out would be spoilt.
I'd go with Rule #1: don't be a dick.
The reason the organiser is not allowing on-day entry is usually down to event planning (knowing that 300 people have signed up and therefore how much food to buy etc) but also to avoid the usual weather-related excuses where people give a whole load of promises about signing up and then look out the windown on the morning and decide not to bother (or decide that it's glorious and actually *everyone* turns up). Just gives the organiser money up front and a better idea of how many people will be there.
He finished his studies and took his miserable arse to another town, presumably to inflict them with his freeloading ways
I helped arrange a charity event a few years back, I advertised it on a few Facebook groups to try and get the word out. It was only £10 entry with 2 food/water stops, a really nice route, a van to collect any breakdowns or stragglers etc.
It really wasn't very expensive for what you got but I still got 3 or 4 people messaging me asking when the markers would be out as they liked the look of the route and wanted to ride it but not pay to join the event. I couldn't believe the cheek, it's one thing to take the GPX and ride it a few weeks later but another to want way markers to be set up for you...