Most expensive weekend cycling?

LOL, in a roundabout way I know the organiser.

It’s really not for me that event, I am definitely NOT the target market.

But the £3k cost isn’t in the cycling bit. No idea how much Phillipe Gilbert costs, but I’ve heard of the amounts being paid to celebrity types in their respective fields elsewhere, just to turn up and be a name on the billing and it’s crazy money at times. Their first event was Isle of Wight with Wiggo. Then there’s the food…

It’s not cycling, but this event 💩 all over that price tag

https://www.highland-kings.com/luxuryultra-marathon

£9k 120 mile run in Scotland.

I know someone who spent many £k on a 3 day event in Switzerland, and that was just entry fees. Architect and doctor wife ie target audience for this kind of event. Fully serviced event for the cash rich time poor.

Blimey, I think the workmates trip I go on, ride the same areas and actually watch the pros race costs about 500 quid including travel and all you can drink and that's probably the most expensive weekend trip I do.

I don't think I'd enjoy all that pretend pro bollocks.

I'll cite the story of a guy on a fully supported tour (cost, approx £1800) who got a mile into it, fell off on a wet roundabout and broke his wrist. No tour for him.

Given all the other costs in the run up to the event like training events, bike, kit etc as well as the travel to the start point, that's probably the most expensive mile in cycling history!

Wonder what 'butler service' entails?

I don’t think I’d enjoy all that pretend pro bollocks.

A few years ago out in Italy, we encountered a group like this. American. Cannot for the life of me remember the company name - something weird like galbalfa or gazango.

Merc support cars with Pinarello bikes and a motley group of very obviously dentist/stockbroker type people all on identical Pinarellos. The cars would park up at various points and the drivers get out and cheer the punters up the climb, all "whoo, yeah, come on, you got this, you the man! (needs to be said in an American accent for full cheesiness effect).

Basically what had happened, some rich guy had bought himself a spot on an American team for a year so he could claim to be an "ex-pro", paid a load of cash to the team who'd then given him a bit of publicity as he set this company up - elite level guiding run by an "ex-pro", all luxury etc.

Was chatting to one of the punters at the top of this climb, he was dead enthusiastic about it all. Freely admitted that with cost of flights from the US plus the guiding and accommodation it was about $15,000 for 5 days of riding. I looked at their riding schedule online - max of about 85km a day. It was very much a luxury holiday with a bit of cycling thrown in rather than "a cycling holiday".

Got chatting to guy in a pub (only pub from memory) in Shieldaig a few years ago and he told us that he worked for a rich American (owned Macies department stores) who was on holiday in his yacht (moored within sight and it was a big bugger).

This guy's job was to drive behind his boss as he cycled as support. Stocked with chilled drinks, energy bars, first aid kit (c/w defibrillator), spare clothing, spare bike etc.

And the guide he had arranged for himself was Mark Beaumont.

Sounded a bit overkill but I suppose I'd do the same if I was a billionaire.

Personally? The five day return trip to Brazil for the 24hr World Champs in 2019.
Daren't add that up but not cheap. Whatever it was it was worth every single penny, what an experience!

Back in 2009 I was tail end charlie for a group that did a weeks tour of Corsica*, I've no idea how much the event cost them but most of them arrived by private jet and turned their nose up at a 3 course meal where the starters were 50 euros a pop (all paid for in advance as part of the package & clients went elsewhere so the organiser, masseuse, back up driver & I dined in luxury instead).

*Conversely it cost me the some total of 9 euros (price of 2 beers) & I got tipped 500 euros to boot 😀

it was a very expensive weekend when my bike rack fell off the car on the M1, no cycling either!

I don't think bikes were ridden but my LBS had the head of a chain in Brazil call in after a night the adjacent hotel and spend north of £20k on a couple of rather nice bespoke road bikes.

It would be funny if you had enough cash to go on one of these holidays on the cheapest bikes you could, talk to everyone in your thickest regional accent, blatantly steal as much as you can from the posh hotels then first to finish each day on the rides!

Breaking my collarbone when I was self employed ended up costing me about 4k when I’d added everything up.
That was an expensive weekend’s cycling.

A few years ago out in Italy, we encountered a group like this.

Yep, seen similar in Spain, group of smelly sweaty mountain bikers suddenly sharing a CP with a group of very obviously very wealthy folks on v fancy road bikes. Support car was very high end Merc 4x4s towing a support trailer with what looked like a pretty well stacked workshop. There was one of those fancy luxury mini-coaches for the punters. They were just getting ready to go up the road climb that we'd come down (in the trees obvs) There was much matching gear and serious looks.

Guide said that a week's tour was 7-8000 euros plus, but they stayed in all the nicest hotels and had dinner prepped by their own chef.

2017 UCI Masters World Championships fell over my 50th birthday. That became a two week stay in the South of France in a nice villa. But the cycling wasn’t cheap. Some of my club mates stayed over for the race and it was a great birthday.

£9k 120 mile run in Scotland.

It does include several months of training support plus some thrudark clothing which, cos its spec ops stuff, would probably cover the cost in itself. There is also the garmin watch but considering they needed to spray arrows everywhere I am not sure I would trust it to guide me anywhere.
I guess it depends on how much you consider okay for a weekend away and how much you can be arsed to spend on professional training.
Being a cheapskate my limit is rather lower although thinking on it I did have a week at plas y brenin where a couple of people decided the accommodation was a tad expensive so went the non b&b approach. One was fine with a nice camper van but the other in a tent regretted it somewhat given the conditions.

Most expensive cycling weekend I ever had was when I had to buy a new rear mech in Keswick bikes at full RRP. About £90 iirc.
Accommodation at campsite was £5/night so that balanced it out.

Ps I do not understand these events. Even if I could afford it, it sounds absolutely shite. Not my scene at all.