Montana Bicycle Racing Association

2004 Annual Meeting

November 21, 2004, McCormick Park, Missoula, Montana

Minutes

Club/Rep          Attending:

Flathead/ Steve Muller

NRO/   Michael Longmire

Stampede-5VV/ John Weyhrich,

Montana Velo/ Shane Mundt

Great Divide/    Byron Deford

MSU/               John Lackey

UM/                 none

Hammer Gel/    none

Highlands/        John Coulthard

GVCC /           none

YVCC/            none

Others: Steve Dolberg, Tim Bechtold, Kathleen Jones, Margie Miller, Phil Hess, Marcel Van Garderen, Tejay Van Garderen, Ernst Visscher, Alex Gallego

1. 1. President John Weyhrich called meeting to order at 1:30 pm.

2. 2. Weyhrich presented awards for the 2004 road and cross seasons.

3. 3. Election of officers. The following officers were nominated and elected by acclamation:

President    John Weyhrich

VP             Byron Deford

CFO          Steve Dolberg

Sec                        Scott Herzig

Asst Sec     Tim Bechtold

4. 4. Financial Report

Current balance is $4374.00

Income for the year was $8298:

      $2552 from Subaru

      $2076 from racer-days

      $481 from raffle tickets

      $1523 from MBRA membership numbers

      $128 from number rentals

      $1390 from USAC license kickbacks

      $150 form E-caps

Expenses were $4918:

      $2090 prize money

      $741 other prizes, jerseys, plaques

      $2070 admin, numbers

      $315 officials’ manuals

      $130 office supplies

5. 5. Non-profit status. Tim Bechtold will apply for 501(c)(3) status with IRS in January.

6. 6. Discussion of road schedule: whether better to have compact season ending in June or to spread season out to August. Whether to compete directly with regional stage races. No resolution.

7. 7. Junior development: Resolved: For all races in Montana, Montana juniors must pay only the USAC and MBRA fees to enter, regardless of field entered. Resolved: MBRA will welcome proposals for rider development programs until February 1, 2005. The MBRA board will review all proposals received and award up to $2000 for development programs by March 1, 2005. Proposals are not limited to junior development programs, but can encompass any type of racer development.

8. 8. Officiating: Resolved: MBRA will pay for one official’s license for each member club and for training seminars for one official from each member club. Each club must provide an official for one road and one cross race.

9. 9. Purchase of an officials’ kit. Resolved: Don Russell shall prepare an itemized list of equipment to be purchased for an MBRA officials’ kit, expense not to exceed $500. Don shall make this list available via the montanacycling listserv for comments, and then MBRA board will approve expenditure prior to Feb 1, 2005.

10. 10. Upgrades: The crux of the discussion involved the upgrade from cat 4 to cat 3, because it is difficult to accumulate enough points in Montana races to qualify for the upgrade. Shane Mundt is case in point. The system in place now allows Don Russell the flexibility to upgrade riders even if they do not accumulate enough points to jump form 4 to 3. If any 4 thinks he or she should be a 3 and the points don’t seem to be accumulating, please contact Don Russell directly. Please do not whine about the harshness or inequities of the system; if you should be a 3 or need to be a 3, Don will make you a 3, but you have to talk to him about it or he will not know that you want to be a 3. For upgrades to 2 and 1, you must earn the points specified by USAC. MBRA will not apply any subjective criteria to help any racer make the jump to cat 2 or cat 1.

11. 11. MBRA racer-day fee. MBRA will continue to assess $1 per racer per day in 2005.

12. 12. Master’s classes. Ecology Center Classic will allow Master A and Master B to be self-selecting with no age or cat restrictions in 2005. MBRA will also have self-selecting Master A and Master B and Master C classes in 2005 with no age or cat restrictions. MBRA will provide helpful suggestions to help racers select their class: In general, if you are under 40, you should race A. If you are under 50, you should race B, but if you’re good, race A anyway. If you are over 50, you can race C, but race B or A if you’re competitive with the young ones in those classes.  

13. 13. Women’s classes. Resolved: MBRA recommends that all women in a race start together. Race promoters have the flexibility to make adjustments as circumstances may dictate. In 2005, MBRA classes for women will be W1,2,3 and W3,4 and Women Masters (for 35+).

14. 14. Should all bike racing in Montana be integrated under MBRA? That is, should MBRA be the local association governing body for USAC mountain bike races in Montana? USAC wants this to happen, and MBRA may eventually be asked by USAC to regulate mountain biking as part of MBRA’s contract with USAC. No resolution was reached. A meeting with mountain bike race promoters was suggested prior to any decisionmaking.

15. 15. Subaru sponsorship of road series. Club reps wanted more timely updates of the series standings. Everyone very happy with Subaru. John Weyhrich will contact Subaru with thanks and testimonials and seek to extend sponsorship.

16. 16. 2005 Road schedule. Club reps converged on calendar seeking to pre-empt dates for club races in 2005. John Weyhrich will post a tentative 2005 road schedule to the montanacycling listserv by Dec 15 for comments. MBRA board will adopt 2005 road schedule by Feb.1. 2005.

17. 17. Adjourned 3:50 pm.

Respectfully submitted,

Timothy Bechtold

Rossbach Hart Bechtold, PC

401 N. Washington

P.O. Box 8988

Missoula, Montana 59807

406-543-5156

406-728-8878 fax