Swichio Blog Introducing Race Connect

Traveling out of town for races is exciting! However, making travel arrangements for you and your bike can be overwhelming and expensive. We've flown all of the world with our bikes. I'm sure you've experienced some if not all of these experiences when flying with this uniquely oversized piece of luggage which include:1. Had at least one flight with a small plane where they have limited space for bikes (usually capped at 2 bikes). We have stood by the window at the gate watching to see if our bikes were going to make the flight crossing our fingers hoping to see the giant boxes get loaded on the plane.2. Spent an extraordinary amount of money to rent a full size SUV to fit the bike boxes. 3. Pulled a bike box, backpack and suitcases through the largest airports ever. And then possibly have had to load everything on and off a bus to get to the car rental agency. By the time you get to where you are going, your arms are exhausted. 4. Paid $200 each way for oversized luggage fees. In some cases, it would be cheaper to fly your bike as a passenger! I'd much rather sit next to my bike than the guy who keeps falling asleep on you!5. Dealt with TSA who has made you open your bike box and rummage through everything that you had so meticulously packed. Then in a rush, had to pack everything back up. Fitting a bike in a bike box isn't fun or easy and always wreaks havoc on your back which is exactly what you need right before a race. Or better yet, TSA opens your bike without you and rummages through everything and then shoves everything back in because they don't care that your bike is carbon or that your derailleur gets bent. 6. Shipped your bike via FedEx because you didn't want to deal with the airlines and then had your bike get stuck somewhere. You call on Friday (the day after it was supposed to arrive) and get them to find the bike and get it overnighted to your FedEx location to find out on Saturday that your bike arrived but is now stuck on a delivery truck at a closed facility and scheduled for "Next Business Day" on Monday (Yes, this just happened on our trip to Miami 2 weeks ago).The joys of having to get your equipment to the race. What if...there was a large group of people from your area headed to the same race? Inevitability, some of those people will drive and some will fly. Some may have extra space in their cars or bike racks to accommodate an extra bike or two, or three... Or for the entrepreneurial athlete, s/he will rent a trailer and be able to take more! Chances are that in your community, you will know these people or be connected to them through your friend network...which Swichio just happens to show. Introducing...Swichio's Bike Transportation option! Why just sell your gear? Sell your extra space on/in your car to transport bikes. If you are headed there anyway and have the space, you may as well help fund the gas budget and help fellow athletes! As you can see from our past experiences, it might be easier and more reliable to have another bike-loving friend or acquaintance transport your bike for you. S/he is much more qualified to handle your equipment than the airlines or Fed Ex! Need a ride? Looking to go to a race but don't want to fly and don't want to drive by yourself? Introducing...Swichio's Ride Share option! Sell the extra seats in your car or help pay for gas and meet-up with other fellow athletes from your area. I bet you'll be best friends by the time you get there if you aren't already. Need a room? Have a hotel room with an extra bed? Do you live in an area with a race coming to town and have a room or property availalbe? You aren't going to stay with a complete stranger, but chances are you probably know other people that are going that want to save money and would share a room. On Swichio, we'll show you if you are connected to a potential roomie! Introducing...Swichio's Room Share option! When you are headed out of town for a race, connect with other athletes on Swichio's Race Connect for:1. Bike transportation2. Ride sharing3. Room sharing How do you do it? It's easy! 1. Sign-up on Swichio (if you haven't already)2. Make sure you use our "Find Connections" tool to connect with your friends so Swichio can show you mutual connections with other athletes.3. Have a room, ride or space on your bike rack to sell? Select "Sell Gear" and select the Race Connect category to post it in.4. Post whether you have a spot for sale or whether you are looking for a spot to buy or browse the options people have listed already.5. Looking to see who has made a post in a race you are attending? Select your race under "Race Connect" in the top navigation bar. We have selected a few races to start with:- Eagleman 70.3- Age Group Nationals- IM Chattanooga- IM Tremblant- XTERRA RichmondDon't see a race your race and have a large group from you area attending? Let us know and we will add it! 6. Select one of our Race Connect categories (Bike transportation, Ride Share or Room Share)7. Place a bid on an option that people have listed or review the bids people have made to you. Select the bid that makes the most sense to you! Note: Another unique feature with Race Connect is that you can use Swichio's trade and barter features to offer non-cash options (equipment, services, timeshares, event tickets, etc.). Maybe you can catch a ride and share a room with someone in exchange for that TT helmet and pedals that you have laying around!Happy racing and we hope that you can connect with other athletes to make getting to your next race a little smoother!This is a pilot project so there are no fees associated with listing any items in Race Connect. So start connecting!