Hmmm but the Whistler GF is also expensive - starts at $300, going up to 400 next year. Granted, that’s CAD so cheaper to Americans, but still expensive compared to Europe. Yet Cdn insurance is nothing like in the US. 
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Sorry I’m not sure I understand the question?
I can’t speak on behalf of CA or Whistler specifically. I’m sure there are other factors in the U.S besides insurance that jack up the prices. Not sure what other expenses there are. I’ve met some of the organisers of these things and they’re not exactly rolling in cash. Maybe I should reach out for a response.
My guess is, and I could be completely wrong, is that racing in the US requires a USAC license. And paying for the race license pays for the insurance. So a race might be $35 because I’ve already paid for the insurance. Though I would think that it doesn’t totally bridge the gap, seeing as the insurance cost per race is less than $5-10.
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Response from Mammoth California Fondo
I could not speak for any other gran fondo events but for the Mammoth Gran Fondo the event serves as a fundraising event for the Mammoth Mountain Community Foundation which supports athletic and educational programs for youth throughout the Eastern Sierra…so all the proceeds from the event go to fund that programming.
Our ticket cost is primarily covering costs of running the event (insurance, permits, agency fees, paid staff to manage/run/organize, rider resources (including the free photos, rest stops, etc.)…not sure your experience with running events but these items add up…maybe these services just cost more in the states vs Europe?
We purposefully offer pricing tiers to allow riders to commit early and have a lower cost entry fee and from our research of comparable gran fondo events in this section of the US, we feel our pricing is very fair.
I mean i can understand differences in the overall price of things, and cost of living,etc… But to go from 50€ to 200$+ dollars it’s a lot. I don’t think the difference in the cost of things is that much to justify this huge gap in price… But that’s just me hehe…
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One thing to consider is if a ride has police support, escorts etc. I know around here hiring detail officers is very expensive and they always have a 4 hour minimum and some departments require paying for 8 hours even if you only need them for a couple
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Does anyone know if events like BWR are run by the same promoter in different locations or if the events are BWR branding is licensed to local promoters?
Courses and events are done by locals with course approvals by BWR, it sounds like the BWR help sculpt the events to try to be the same experience no matter the location.
I hate to pile on the organizers since I know they had a rough go during COVID but………
I registered for the 2020 Truckee Dirt Fondo in October 2019 and the event was cancelled, postponed three times, initially pushed to fall 2020, then fall 2021, then July 2022. I was patient, but got excited to finally do the event, which I had heard great things about, done the course a few times myself, etc.
In some odd coincidence, I ended up getting COVID right before the actual event. When I asked if I could push my registration fee forward to 2023, they said I could have gifted my reg spot to someone else and stopped responding to emails. 
. You’re welcome for the $150 donation, or whatever i paid in 2019, I can’t remember exactly. So it may have been great, but I wouldn’t know. I would just think that I should be offered the same opportunity that I gave them…three times.
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In Texas our GFs are usually used as fund raisers for a non profit. Towns support these groups with volunteers on course and at the start and finish. Our fondos could be as small as 150 or the biggest at 13,000 riders at the Hotter than Hell Hundred. Most of these fondos are 35-60 USD. Usually a T shirt and sponser goodies are given. On course feeds and sometimes an event will have food post ride. The majority of the money goes to the charities and the goodies come from sponsorship involvement. Overall they do a really good job.
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