Notes From The New RBA

Greeting PA Randonneurs,

With the excitement of getting three brevets organized and completed in the first five weeks of the new year behind me, I am catching my breath and want to address a few items concerning the organization of PA Randonneurs.  Perhaps most important is that you should see very little change from your perspective.  Long-established club traditions including the ACP SR Series, the monthly R12 series events, the Fleche, and the always popular fall classic 200/150 in October will continue as before.  There is much discussion within RUSA regarding increasing offering of populaires (rides of 100k-199k) which I believe would be worthwhile and likely quite fun.  I would like to be able to offer the 1000k and possibly the EM1240k at some point in the future, but not before my own circumstances permit me to devote the time necessary to assure that the high standard of excellence of past runnings is maintained.  Organizing these events takes tremendous volunteer support.  A small but dedicated group continues to step up to make the current schedule possible.  New volunteer help is always needed, esspecially if we are to expand our offerings.  There are many ways to help:  rider registration and finish check-in, secret control staffing, standby-by SAG support, route development, and even ride organization (YOU organize the whole event).  If you are unsure of what it takes for any of these roles, just ask any organizer at an event or me.

2017 Fleche
Fleche time is upon us!  The Fleche page is up running at :  http://parando.org/PA_Fleche-2017.html
All participants (captains AND team riders) should complete the registration form and sign the waiver that is included with the form.  Deadlines are provided, but earlier submissions are encouraged and appreciated.  This is ESPECIALLY true if you are a new team OR you intend to use a completely new route.

Website (parando.org)
Several of you have noticed and identified several glitches on the website and the event registration page.  The best way I know how to describe these is growing pains.  The website originated with Tom who, from its inception, single-handedly created and maintained its content.  My skills as a webmaster pale in comparison, so I am working with Tom and Chris Nadovich to keep the website up to date.  It will be a work in progress for a while, but our objective is to simplify the site so that updates are less labor-intensive and easy enough for even me to undertake.  Please bear with us and point out any glaring errors you discover.

PA Randonneurs Membership
Many of you have asked about renewing membership in PA Randonneurs.  I have updated the old paper form and posted it on the website:  http://parando.org/ClubApplication.pdf
The on-line form is convenient but, until we can establish an on-line payment system, leaves everyone wondering how to pay and even how much.  By far the easiest way is to renew when registering for your first brevet of the season and many of you have used this approach.  The next best is to print the form and mail it to me along with your payment.  If you are an existing member, please note any changes to your contact information.  If you are a new member, please also fill in the Club Membership Form on the website which feeds the database of rider information.  Club membership remains $20 annually and gains you a free ride in January and a $5 registration discount for all other PA Randonneurs' events for the year.  

2016 Brevet Cards
I am mailing 2016 brevet cards on February 13 for all riders who did NOT complete the 2016 Fleche. You should see those in the coming days.  The fleche certification stickers for Eastern PA and a handful of other regions remain "in transit" for now.  Without them I cannot complete the year-end package assembly.  I will mail the packages for fleche finishers as soon as the missing certifications arrive.


This message board has proven to be the most reliable way for me to disseminate information without disrupting the delicate coding of the website.  It is normally the first location to be updated, at least for now.  You should link this page and check it out. You will also receive periodic email blasts when important notices are posted.   I am always interested in your feedback and am happy to answer any questions.  The best way to assure I see your question or comment is to email me.  Be sure to use a descriptive header so I can ignore it.

Andrew Mead
- Eastern PA RBA