Dear OBRA Community,

I want to start by thanking the race promoters that put together the outstanding Harvest Cross Series. We got to see two exciting new venues and rip up some old classics. Mother Nature even threw in some awesome muddy conditions for one of them. I also want to thank the racers for respecting the outdoor mask mandate and doing what they can to keep the racing community safe. It is easy to let our guard down when things start feeling a bit more “normal” at the races so please, stay home if you are feeling under the weather, wear your mask when you can’t maintain distancing and if you haven’t yet, please get the COVID vaccine so we can get back to “normal”.

The next quarterly OBRA board meeting is on October 19. The quarterly meetings are open to the public and will be held using Zoom. An agenda and Zoom link will be sent before the meeting. This is an opportunity to ask questions and give input on how the organization is governed. The board and I want to hear from you.

It is time to start thinking of the OBRA annual meeting which will be held in early 2022. I would love to think that this could happen in person again but am not confident that we will be in a situation where it would be safe to do so. If you are new to OBRA or haven’t participated in the annual meeting in the past, here are a few things about how it works:

  • OBRA’s bylaws and administrative rules are set up so that OBRA members can participate in how we are governed. This is the greatest difference between OBRA and cycling’s national governing body. (and, our membership is cheaper, it is way less expensive for promoters to put on races, and our officials are nicer and clad in yellow instead of blue:))
  • Two open board seats are up for election at the annual meeting. If you are a current member and are considering running for the OBRA board, please email me at ckenlan@obra.org, OBRA president Steven Beardsley at sbeardsley@obra.org, or OBRA VP Stacey Westbrook at swestbrook@obra.org.
  • The OBRA racing and administrative rules can be changed, amended, or added to at the OBRA annual meeting. If you are a current member and have ideas that could improve the racing rules or the governance of OBRA, please email me with your thoughts and which rules would be changed. I can help you write into a format that will work within our rulebooks.
  • An agenda with the ballot of board candidates and proposed rule changes will be sent out before the meeting.
  • A representative from each OBRA member team can vote at the annual meeting. Many teams do their due diligence by polling their team members on how they would like to vote for the board candidates and rule changes.

We have an exciting weekend planned for the OBRA CX Championships, I hope to see you there!

– Chuck