2021 Meeting Minutes

DCR Board Minutes December 13, 2021

Meeting convened at 19:00.

Attendance: Duvall, Hillas, Felker, Mazur, Counts, Nicholson, Readinger

Board previously approved November minutes by email.

Prior to the meeting, the board unanimously approved by email the following motions:

  • All Mason Dixon riders will be required to show proof of current covid vaccination.
  • All Mason Dixon volunteers will be required to show proof of current covid vaccination.
  • DC Randonneurs will inform riders and volunteers of any applicable state or local covid requirements prior to the ride start.

1. Annual Meeting.

After discussion, the board voted not to hold the 2022 annual meeting in person for health and safety reasons.

2. 2022 Schedule

Gardner reviewed the RUSA approved schedule for 2022 with the board. That schedule includes an ACP super randonneur series, team events, and an Audax brevet in the fall. Other events, including a gravel series, will be added to the schedule later as RUSA events.

Gardner and Chris Readinger are working on finding a more affordable replacement for the Hampton Inn for rides starting and finishing in Frederick.

3. Mason Dixon 1200

More website content is being developed, including a volunteer sign-up page.

Gardner is organizing a pre-ride to be led by Mimo DeMarco the weekend before the event.

4. Budget

Jack is finalizing actuals for 2021 and a budget for 2022.

2021 numbers are running close to budget with membership higher than in 2020. The club lost money on this year's 300s and 400, but not much. As always, riders who sign up for rides but do not start help pad the club's finances.

The 2022 budget, which will be approved by the board before being distributed to members in advance of the annual meeting, makes the following assumptions:

  • Rides will be run as touch-free events with the lower pricing the club uses for such events.
  • The club will, as it did in 2021, pay the RUSA membership fee for riders registering for the International Women's Day populaire, but it will not pay for swag. In general, the board tries to run all events close to break-even so as to avoid favoring any one group of riders over others.
  • The Mason Dixon 1200 budget already approved by the board will be included in the overall club budget as a single item and not line-by-line.

5. DC Randonneurs Website

The board gave its approval to deploy the media page Roger developed for the dcrandonneurs.org website.

Meeting adjourned at 20:15.

DCR Board Minutes November 8, 2021

Meeting convened at 19:15.

Attendance: Duvall, Hillas, Felker, Mazur, Counts, Nicholson, Readinger

Board previously approved October minutes by email.

1. President's Report

Roger opened the meeting by congratulating the RBA on the excellent turnouts for the fleche and dart and looking forward to the new rouleur series in November developed by Bill Beck.

Roger discuss the annual meeting, which will take place at Glen Echo town hall on Saturday, January 8.

Four board members (Felker, Mazur, Nicholson, Readinger) are up for re-election in 2013 and none are term limited. All four have agreed to serve another term if nominated and elected.

The board discussed circulating a budget and YTD financials before the meeting, rider and volunteer recognition, and the non-business parts of the meeting.

Ed Felker requested that the meeting start earlier and finish before dark.

2. RBA's Report

Gardner summarized the significant work he has been doing to prepare for the 2022 season, including:

  • Developing a new early season 200 out of Warrenton.
  • Fixing the traffic issues at the southern end of the Warrenton 300.
  • Locating a hotel in Frederick less expensive than the Hampton Inn and more hospitable than the Day's Inn. Chris Readinger will follow up.
  • Creating a new Day Two for the Many Rivers 600 that avoids the traffic issues of the current Day Two.

The board agreed to the following proposals for the Mason Dixon 1200:

  • Price the ride at $500 with some portion of that money to be refunded to riders if the ride significantly exceeds the club's break-even point, which Gardner and John Mazur currently figure as 40 riders.
  • A link will be sent to those on the interested riders list that will allow them to register before registration is opened to the general public.
  • Because of the limited number of hotel rooms available to the club, all riders will be required to show proof of covid vaccination.
  • The pre-ride will take place on Memorial Day weekend.

3. Mason Dixon 1200 Website

Bob announced that the MD1200 site has been updated with separate pages for each day of the ride.

Forthcoming features include sections on the ride's geology (Nicholson) and meterology (Readinger) and a merchandise page.

4. Treasurer's Report

Jack announced that he has completed refunds to riders who registered for fall rides at the full service price ($15 for a 200) rather than the covid discount ($7).

Club membership is currently 143 vs. 105 at this point last year and 149 in 2019.

Jack and Gardner will prepare a budget for the board to discuss at its December meeting before distributing to club members for the annual meeting.

Meeting adjourned at 19:59.

DCR Board Minutes October 4, 2021

Meeting convened at 19:03.

Attendance: Duvall, Hillas, Felker, Mazur, Counts, Mazur, Readinger

Board previously approved September minutes by email.

1. Treasurer's Report

Jack submitted Q3 financials and noted that the club ran slightly in the black through the summer, with membership stronger than expected.

The board agreed with Gardner's suggestion that the club return to covid pricing ($7 for 200 kilometer brevets) for the remainder of 2021, with refunds to riders who had already registered at a higher price.

2. RBA's Report

Gardner reported a successful September with both the ACP centenary ride and the fleche run under clear skies with healthy fields.

Gardner has submitted the club's 2022 schedule of ACP events to RUSA for approval. This includes the Mason Dixon 1000 and 1200.

Gardner has developed a 200 kilometer permanent that riders completing the MD 1000 can ride to return to the start / finish.

Gardner has developed a route for an audax 200 in September 2022.

Two members have approached the club with a proposal to run a series of gravel rides in 2022. The board discussed some of the issues raised by gravel rides, such as the lack of ACP / RUSA algorithms for opening and closing times on gravel rides, as well as the possibility of running gravel rides at increasing lengths that would qualify riders for the new RUSA rouleur award. The board supports this iniative and the members who proposed it.

Michele Brougher is busy with work, which has delayed the rollout of the final MD 1200 website. Gardner and Bob Counts are optimistic that the rollout will happen soon and excited about the site's final form.

The board, motivated by the high cost of rooms at the Hampton Inn, discussed other hotel options in Frederick without reaching a final decision. Chris Readinger will research further as part of arranging room blocks for 2022 rides.

Meeting adjourned at 19:59.

DCR Board Minutes September 20, 2021

Meeting convened at 19:10.

Attendance: Duvall, Hillas, Felker, Mazur, Counts

Board previously approved August minutes by email.

1. RBA Report

Gardner discussed pricing for the Mason Dixon 1200 and gave the board a breakdown of the club's profit or loss on ride fees between $450 and $500 and rider numbers between 30 and the maximum 60.

The board voted unanimously to require registrants to pay a $100 registration fee with a final cost between $450 - $500 depending on how may riders register. The more riders, the lower the cost, as the fixed costs for the ride will be spread over more riders.

Gardner has been distributing drafts of the ride description to various readers. Bob has been working with Michele to publish the final content of the site as well as open online registration.

Gardner circulated a draft ride schedule for 2022. Board member suggested improvements to several of the rides on the schedule.

2. President's Report

Roger announced that cue sheets for club rides from 2008 - 2019 have been posted to the website and can be accessed by clicking on About > Pre-2020 Cue Sheets.

Meeting adjourned at 20:00.

DCR Board Minutes August 2, 2021

Meeting convened at 19:15.

Attendance: Duvall, Readinger, Hillas, Felker, Nicholson, Mazur

Board previously approved June minutes by email.

1. Treasurer's Report

Jack announced the completion of Q2 financials. The club ended the quarter at a slight deficit.

2. RBA Report

Gardner is monitoring the COVID statistics as we approach the club's fall riding schedule, including fleche.

The MD1200 committee has found a new hotel for the third overnight. It is right at the 1000 kilometer mark for the ride, which facilitates running a joint 1000 / 1200.

The committee is firming up planning for the controls and will soon be able to finalize pricing.

Bob and Michelle are close to publishing additional material to the ride website. Gardiner will take the lead on producing additional historical material for the site.

A pre-ride is planned for Memorial Day weekend 2022. The board discussed potential riders and support options.

Meeting adjourned at 19:45.

DCR Board Minutes June 14, 2021

Meeting convened at 19:02.

Attendance: Duvall, Readinger, Hillas, Felker, Nicholson, Counts, Mazur

Board previously approved May minutes by email.

1. RBA Report and Discussion

Gardner previewed the fall schedule, with 200 kilometer rides each month, including the ACP centennial on September 11, as well as a fleche in September and dart in October.

Gardner also previewed a draft schedule for 2022, with the pre-ride for the Mason Dixon 1200 pencilled in on Memorial Day weekend.

The board discussed the impact of Northern Virginia Randonneurs' Treasure Cove 1200 on our 2022 schedule.

Gardner discussed several potential outreach initiatives:

1. Reaching out to the membership of Potomac Pedalers and Velo City.

2. Contacting new members directly in addition to the form letter they receive from our website.

3. A rider survey or some similar attempt to solicit rider input and opinions. Ed Felker took an action item to create a strategy for this.

2. Treasurer's Report

Jack is currently doing Q2 numbers and reported that club revenues are running about even with expenditures, in part because of very limited hotel use by the organizers of the 400 and 600.

3. John Mazur has been at work on MD 1200 logistics and will report to a meeting of the ride committee on Thursday.

4. Ed Felker is working on an overarching narrative that will take our social media content from now until the running of the MD 1200 in a year.

Meeting adjourned at 20:30.

DCR Board Minutes May 3, 2021

Meeting convened at 19:01.

Attendance: Duvall, Readinger, Hillas, Felker, Nicholson, Counts, Mazur

Board previously approved April minutes by email.

1. Annual Meeting (Roger Hillas)

The club has reserved the Glen Echo town hall for its annual meeting on January 8, 2022. Many thanks to Andrea Matney for procuring this wonderful venue for the club.

2. Financial (Jack Nicholson)

The club is in the heart of its ride schedule, so there is significant cash flow.

3. Rides (Chris Readinger)

The hotel block for the Four States 400 closed at 9:00 on April 30. Several club members were forced to make reservations at a higher rate later in the day.

4. MD 1200 Website (Bob Counts)

Bob is learning WordPress and monitoring Michele Brougher's work on the ride website. The site has been collecting the names of interested riders. The board discussed publishing that list as a form of advertisement but will contact riders first to make sure they don't mind appearing on the list.

5. MD 1200 Hotels (John Mazur)

John has signed contracts with all the hotels that will serve as overnight controls on the MD 1200.

6. RBA (Gardner Duvall)

Gardner and Mimo DeMarco have preridden the Four States 400 and found no major route issues.

The club will experiment with a 5:00 starting time for this year's 400 and 600.

Gardner plans to run an Audax-style brevet in September 2022. The route chosen will be suitable for group riding.

The club still plans to run a fleche in late September 2021 and a dart in late October.

Gardner pre-drove the first day of the MD 1200 and found several issues with the draft route which he is addressing.

The start / finish hotel for the MD 1200 is in an historic district in Leesburg that restricts social activity after 22:00. Gardner and John are in dialog with the hotel to make sure that this won't restrict ride activities.

The overnight hotel in Stanton VA requires that food consumed on premise mut be supplied by the hotel. Gardner and John are working on the details.

7. Social Media (Ed Felker)

Ed continues to post to Facebook and Instagram.

Meeting adjourned at 19:43.

DCR Board Minutes April 5, 2021

Meeting convened at 19:05.

Attendance: Duvall, Readinger, Hillas, Felker, Nicholson, Counts, Mazur

Board previously approved March minutes by email.

1. Financials (Jack Nicholson)

Jack walked the board through the club's Q1 balance sheet. Income from memberships was particularly strong for the quarter. Overall, club reserves are down about $1K but still sufficient.

The board discussed Directors and Officers Insurance and concluded that while this constitutes a major cost,

a. It and similar fixed costs, such as the website, are covered by income from memberships.

b. This cost is worth bearing because it allows members who don't have their own liability insurance to serve on the board without risking major legal expenses. The board considers a diverse and representative board important to the club's long-term health.

2. RBA Report (Gardner Duvall)

Gardner reviewed upcoming events and discussed in particular the plan that he and Theresa Furnari had developed for touchless food at the start and finish of the Soldiers Delight 300.

The club has organizers for this year's 400 and 600. which will be run out of Frederick MD. Chris Readinger reported that the club has hotel blocks for those events at favorable rates as well.

Gardner reported a good response to the launch of the Mason Dixon 1200, including the ride website. As of the meeting, 58 riders had already expressed interest in the ride. He and John Mazur are working on getting the cost per rider down to a target $435. They are also developing plans for a supported pre-ride.

John Mazur was on the point of signing contracts with the hotels that will serve as overnight controls on the 1200.

3. Social Media (Ed Felker)

Ed reported posting to Instagram and Facebook but not engaging much with other users. Traffic to the sites is relatively light but steady. Please send Ed photos of other riders taken from your bike, if possible. Action sells.

4. Mason - Dixon Website (Bob Counts)

Pages are being added to the ride website as content is developed. Bob went over some of the technical background to what appears at this point. The ride site has a valid security certificate and operates securely.

Ride registration will be handled by the club's main RideStats site (the dcrand.org site).

5. From the Floor

Ed Felker asked that people be able to join RUSA and register for the Mason - Dixon 1200 in a single step. RideStats already allows riders to join DCR and register for a ride in a single step, if the club so chooses. The club will explore adding RUSA membership to that process.

Meeting adjourned at 19:59.

DCR Board Minutes March 1, 2021

Meeting convened at 19:00.

Attendance: Duvall, Readinger, Hillas, Felker, Nicholson, Counts, Mazur

Board previously approved February minutes by email.

1. Social Media Update (Ed Felker)

Ed gave an overview of club activities on Instagram, Facebook, Strava, and a little Twitter.

Members are encouraged to submit ride photos (preferably showing other riders) either by emailing Ed directly or by emailing photos to dcrandonneurs"at"gmail.com.

2. MD 1200 Website Update (Bob Counts)

Bob discussed where the club is in the process of designing and building a dedicated site for the Mason Dixon 1200 and some of the choices the club will face as it moves forward on those tasks.

3. RBA Report (Gardner Duvall)

Gardner announced that he and Theresa, as organizers of the Soldiers Delight 300, would offer touch-free food to riders before and after the ride. Ride pricing was adjusted upwards slightly to offset the greater cost.

Chris Readinger is in the process of reserving room blocks for the Spring 400 and 600 rides. Savings will be slight, so riders are encouraged to reserve rooms on their own if they prefer.

Gardner discussed a high-level budget and pricing for the Mason Dixon 1200. After discussion, Gardner said he would run the numbers again in an effort to lower pricing somewhat. Pricing goal will be to break even or run a slight profit, as well as cover upfront development costs.

4. At the urging of Treasurer Jack Nicholson, the board discussed how much of a financial cushion it sought to maintain year-to-year. The board concluded that it would aim to keep a reserve of around $12K, allowing that figure to fluctuate some year-to-year depending on circumstances.

Meeting adjourned at 20:20.

DCR Board Minutes February 1, 2021

Meeting convened at 19:00.

Attendance: Duvall, Counts, Readinger, Hillas, Felker, Nicholson

Board previously approved January minutes by email.

1. RBA Report

RUSA is currently not placing any limitations on the club's ability to run events.

The RBA is considering individually packaged food at the start and finish for the Soldier's Delight 300, the first 300 of the year.

The RBA is working on finalizing the route for the Mason Dixon 1200.

2. The board welcomed new member and club secretary Bob Counts.

3. The board agreed to waive the registration fee and contribute $200 towards running a RUSA populaire in celebration of International Women's Day on March 6.

4. Ed Felker suggested creating an interest list for the Mason Dixon 1200 sooner rather than later. The board concurred.

Meeting adjourned at 20:00.

DCRandonneurs Annual Meeeting January 23, 2021

Meeting convened at 16:05.

Attendance: Bill Beck, Bill Smith, Gardner Duvall, Theresa Furnari, Ken Zabielski, Roger Hillas, Andrea Matney, Bob Counts, Jack Nicholson, Chris Readinger, Ed Felker, Mary Gersema, John Mazur, Cindy Piotrowski, Kelly Smith, Leslie Tierstein, Steve Whetstone, Tom Reeder, Michael Howie, Michael Rawny, Emily Lawrence, Emily Ranson

1. President's Remarks

a. Most of the ride schedule for 2021 has been posted to the DCR website but is not yet open for registration, pending RUSA (and state and local) approval to run events.

b. Theresa is taking the lead to plan an International Women's Day event on March 6/7. Contact Theresa if you are interested in helping. Members are encouraged to plan other events.

c. DCR will join the worldwide celebration of the 100th Anniversary of the Audax Club Parisien on September 11, 2021.

d. While voting online, members raised questions about the following:

i. Insurance costs. DCR carries two types of insurance: accident insurance and Officers and Directors' insurance. The former is paid through RUSA and is mandatory if we want RUSA and the ACP to accept our results. The club has carried the latter since 2005. The board reviewed its pricing in 2020 and will review terms and need in 2021.

ii. Processing of paper brevet cards. The club has returned homologated brevet cards through 2018. Very few people chose to use brevet cards in 2020, and their future is uncertain.

2. Voting

25 unique members voted online. 1 voted during the meeting. This constitutes a quorum of the club's 79 members at the time of the meeting. The following were elected to the board unanimously:

  • Gardner Duvall as CBA
  • Roger Hillas as President
  • Bob Counts as Secretary

Mary Gersema noted that with Emily Ranson leaving the board, none of the seven board members are currently women.

The 2021 budget proposed by club Treasurer Jack Nicholson and endorsed by the board passed unanimously.

3. Recognition

The following ride organizers were recognized: Gardner Duvall, Bob Counts, Roger Hillas, Mimo DeMarco, Mike Binnix, Bill Beck, Chris Readinger, Emily Ranson, and Earl Janssen.

4. RBA's Remarks

a. Gardner discussed the 2021 schedule, its challenges and its highlights.

b. Gardner discussed the Mason - Dixon 1200 planned for 2022 and gave an overview of its route.

5. New Members

Two new members (Emily L. and Michael H.) discussed how they found the club and introduced themselves to existing members. Existing members introduced themselves to new members.

The club is very grateful to all those who participated in this meeting and the voting that preceded it.

Meeting adjourned at 18:00.

DCR Board Minutes January 4, 2021

Meeting convened at 19:03.

Attendance: Duvall, Mazur, Readinger, Hillas, Felker, Ranson, Nicholson

Board previously approved December minutes by email.

1. Annual Meeting

a. No additional nominations for board positions were submitted by members. Candidates nominated by the board are:

  • Gardner - CBA
  • Bob - Secretary
  • Roger - President

b. Board unanimously approved the proposed budget for 2021 developed by club treasurer Jack Nicholson.

c. Recognition - Club members should nominate others for awards in the following categories:

  • Helping Hands
  • Digging Deep
  • From the Floor

d. 1200 announcement with volunteer outline. Looking to identify overnight captains.

2. Ride Schedule

a. Schedule set, routes largely prepped for the beginning of the season.

b. RBA considering overnight rides during Summer 2021.

c. RBA solicited ideas about advertising the Mason - Dixon 1200 in 2022 and suggested taking out an ad in American Randonneur.

3. In order to host club administrative records and other material that cannot be stored on the main, ridestats website, the board agreed to use the Google drive associated with the dcrandonneurs.org ID the club already uses for social media.

Meeting adjourned at 19:50.