Happy New Year everyone. Get some sleep and rest as you’ll need it in a few months. The 2014 Boston calendar will be posted soon. We have a whole bunch of changes for this upcoming year, the most exciting of which is new the addition of a 200k option to each of the events of a longer distance. Our goal is to facilitate riders who may not feel ready (or have the time) for a 300, 400, or 600k but would still like to partake in the event and ride a shorter 200k option.
One sad change is the loss of Mike Beganyi as the Vermont Ride Leader. Mike has been a tremendous asset to NER and riders up north — with the help of some dedicated volunteers he has organized all the Vermont events since NER’s founding. The Vermont rides always got great reviews and introduced a good number of people to long distance cycling. It would not be a stretch to call them some of the nicest Brevet routes in the country. Mike now needs to devote his time to other volunteer endevers so he’s unable to continue running the Vermont events as he has in the past. He will be greatly missed! If you happen to see Mike on the road, tell him thanks for all he’s done.
As of right now (December 2013) we don’t have any Vermont rides on the calendar but we are hoping to add some as the warmer months approached. Check back here and subscribe to the group if you’d like to be kept informed. But more importantly, if you’ve enjoyed riding one of the Vermont events in the past consider taking it on as a ride leader this year. We can help you organize the event. Contact the RBA for more information.
Other big news is a change in Registration policies. Starting in 2014 we are discontinuing the paper/PDF registration option. The only way to register for an event is online or by paying in cash at the ride start. Only a small percentage of participants registered via post yet it takes considerable effort to process these registrations. If you are unable to register online contact the RBA or NER President. Links to the online registation will appear in March.