ITV TdF Competition

There's always the postal entry option, that's just the cost of the stamp and nothing for the production company.  Takes more effort though.

These competitions are self funding so it probably gives you the odds on winning too.

If I remember right it cost £2 to enter if the prize fund is £20K once 10,000 people have entered all further entries are profit.  They won't be running these each year if the don't make a profit so the odds of winning in my hypothetical case are less than 1 in 10,000.

It is a gambling ad (in the same way as the National Lottery is gambling) in the middle of a sports highlights program.  The cricket highlights on C5 have the same model.  It is just additional revenue for commercial broadcastrs.

One of the benefits of recording and not watching live is that I can fast forward through the request for funds.

On a lighter note, good luck if you have entered.

I post a pic of my C64 when I win it

This sort of thing does get won - there's a thread over on Piston Heads where people post when they've won a Ferrari in one of those airport raffle competitions.

I suspect competitions like these, well, any competitions really, like the ones here on road.cc are entered by a majority who just enter to win the prizes to sell them on.

Aren't there even apps/sites that aggregate comps? It's even a hobby, and call themselves compers. If that's the case you're unlikely to ever hear anyone who actually cycles has won the bike.

Competition ends on the 5th I think so I still have my sucker/idiot fingers crossed that I will win...