Announcements

Administration
-- Rules
-- RBAs
-- Records

RUSA Online Store Opens

RUSA's Online Store has re-opened for business. In addition to our standard lineup of apparel, reflective gear, and logo items, you may purchase ACP brevet medals that you have earned.

The store accepts instant payments via PayPal; personal checks and money orders are also accepted.

Select "Online Store" in the menu bar to visit the store.

Missing or Incomplete PBP Packets

The ACP has mailed out packets to 2007 PBP participants. Although the packets were mailed out from France at the end of January, some are still trickling into riders' mailboxes. The packets include a finishers medal (if appropriate), the rider's brevet card, a DVD of the event, and a results booklet.

It appears that the mailing supplies used by the ACP did not, in all cases, protect the contents well. We have received numerous reports of missing medals. We have also heard about other materials being lost or damaged. In addition, some riders report that no packet has arrived.

Mark Thomas is working with the ACP to obtain replacements for missing or damaged items to the extent possible. If your packet has not arrived or has arrived with missing or damaged items and you have not already contacted Mark, please do so.

If you have not received anything at all from the ACP, please let Mark know as well.

Share your Ride Photos

Hello RUSA members,

In an attempt to freshen up the photos section of the RUSA website (which currently only contains photos from PBP 1999), we are enlisting the help of anyone who has had the courage to bring a camera along on brevets - either as a rider or a volunteer. We are seeking quality images that represent the experience and spirit of randonneuring across the USA. We will initially use Flickr to gather photos and link to them through the photo section on the RUSA website.

There are two ways that you can submit photos:

1. You can upload photos to Flickr, join the RUSA group, and add the photos to the group. When submitting photos to the group, please make sure to tag each photo with the name of your randonneuring club, event distance, event date and any other pertinent information to help out with user searches in the pool.
2. You can email photos to me at rusaphoto@gmail.com and I will upload them to the RUSA group on Flickr. If possible, please send photos that are at least 72 dpi, are at least 800x600 pixels and file size should not exceed 1.4mb. Also, be sure to include the name of your randonneuring club, event distance, event date and any other information about the photo that you'd like to include.

Please email me with any questions. I look forward to seeing some great images from around the country!

Nate Armbrust
RUSA Photo Editor

ACP Brevet Medal Sales

In 2008, Randonneurs USA will have a new, more streamlined process for members to receive the ACP brevet medals for brevets of 200km, 300km, 400km, 600km, and 1000km. The medals will be new too, because the ACP changes the medal design after each PBP. The new medal designs can be seen in the medal gallery.

As in prior years, Regional Brevet Administrators may pre-order medals for distribution to finishers at the conclusion of a brevet. However, if your RBA chooses not to do this, you will now have the option of ordering your medals directly from RUSA.

RBAs will no longer handle post-season orders and sales; if you don't purchase your medals at the conclusion of each event, you will need to get them from the RUSA store.

This revision in the medal program comes in response to suggestions and complaints from both riders and RBAs. Riders would order medals, pay the RBA, and then wait many months or possibly until year's end to receive them. A few RBAs prefer not to have to deal with medal sales at all.

Under the new procedures, members will be able to go to RUSA's online medal store and order ACP brevet medals and other RUSA awards that they have earned. Medals for an event will be available once the results for that event have been processed.

ACP brevet medals will be $8.50 each with a flat $3.00 per order for shipping. We expect to receive the 2008 ACP brevet medals in early February. The medal store will open approximately April 10. The store location will be announced.

RUSA volunteers will handle the shipping of medals and other items ordered through the online store. While they will strive to fulfill orders as quickly as possible, there may be times when they are away on business, vacation, or even out on a brevet. Please allow 2-3 weeks for processing your orders and if possible, order all of your season's medals together.

Election Results

Thank you to Randonneurs USA members for voting in record numbers this year. The results are in. Mike Dayton and Lois Springsteen have been elected to serve for terms from 1/1/2008 to 12/31/2010, replacing retiring board members John Lee Ellis and Tim Sullivan. Eric Vigoren will serve out the remainder of the term (1/1/2008-12/31/2008) vacated by Terry Zmrhal's earlier resignation. Susan France has been re-elected as RBA Liaison. Mike, Lois, Eric, and Susan join continuing board members Don Hamilton, Mark Thomas, and Jennifer Wise.

Thanks to John Lee Ellis (current RUSA VP) and Tim Sullivan (current RUSA Treasurer) for their years of terrific service to US randonneurs and to RUSA. Their presence on the board will be missed and their counsel will continue to be sought.

Randonneur-5000 Award

The ACP has let us know that they will accept R-5000 award requests this year. In the past, they have not done so in PBP years. Information on the award is HERE and the application form is HERE. The time period is tight. Please wait until official PBP results are posted. Also if you are using a 2007 Fleche, please wait until those certificate numbers are available on the RUSA website. Then send your application in to RUSA by 10/21 (or you can wait and apply in 2008).

RUSA Members PBP 2007 Roster Online with frame numbers and more

RUSA members frame numbers, inspection times, and start times are now listed at http://www.rusa.org/rusa-at-pbp2007.html

Announcing the Long-Awaited Arrival of the Official RUSA Wool Cycling Jersey!

Just in time for those chilly all-night brevets, the woolies have arrived! New in stock, and in limited quantities, is the Official Randonneurs Wool Jersey, in long-sleeve and short sleeve. Make a bold retro-randonneur fashion statement by being the first in your region to wear the wool RUSA jersey. (see attached photos.)

Beautifully made by United, this jersey comes in short-sleeve and long-sleeve in sizes M-L-XL-XXL for men. It also comes in short-sleeve and long-sleeve for women in sizes S-M-L. Sizing runs true to size. You can use the same sizing chart on the RUSA Souvenir website to determine your size for this jersey.

Makes a great Mother's Day or Father's Day gift for the female or male randonneur in your household.

Use the newly updated RUSA Souvenir Order Form to place your order today.

New Version of Rules For Riders

A new version of the Rules For Riders document has been posted to the web site. These new rules immediately supercede the previous version. You can view the new rules HERE.

Free 3M Scotchlite for Randonneurs USA Members

3M has donated a generous supply of Scotchlite Reflective Adhesive Material, which Randonneurs USA is now offering to its members free of charge. For more information: http://www.rusa.org/Download/rusa-scotchlite.pdf.