As a women bike racer, you know how hard it can be to jump into a USCF event when all categories 1-2-3-4 are lumped together in one race. You also know how hard it can be to measure your progress against competitors of similar ability when you dont get a chance to race against them. Promoters also know how difficult it can be to justify the inclusion of a womens race, much less individual womens categories, when the field sizes are so small.

Now there is a points series to help fix these problems!

By combining existing races on the New England and New York racing calendars into an overall series, we can keep track of performance and award points to all women who finish each race. The higher you place in each race, the more points you earn. The points are accumulated and tallied at the end of the series. The person with the most points wins the series, and prizes are awarded to the top 25 women with the most points.

Points are tracked for Category 4 (beginner) and Category 3 (intermediate) women racers, as well as Masters 35+ racers.

You do not have to do all the races on the Series schedule, just do as many as you can. Your points grow more quickly if you do more races.

The Series is free to all participants. Completing any of the races in the Series Schedule automatically enrolls you.

Although there are no fees for participation in the Series, there are normal race entry fees associated with registration for each race, and those are the responsibility of the participant. The promoters of the races typically charge $15-25 and higher for some big events.

The Series is open to all Category 3 and Category 4 women racers of all ages. You do not have to live in NY or New England to be a part of the Series. Simply register for (and finish) any of the races on the Series schedule and you will be included. When categories are combined, the results for the different categories will be separated. Often the Category 3s race in a combined Category 1-2-3 race. For purposes of calculating series points, only the Cat 3 finishers will be awarded points.

No, showing up and racing is usually enough! But if you have any questions, look for a Series Ambassador at the race. There is always at least one person there who represents the Series. Look for the Cycle Loft tent, or a person wearing a Cycle Loft cap or shirt. They are at each race to answer any Series questions, tell you how to get on the Series mailing list, attend to results, post the standings, take photos of winners, award the winners jerseys, and make any announcements. Just ask around the women racers and someone will point you to a Series Ambassador.

Another great reason to look for a Series Ambassador if youre new is to receive a gift we call "The Cycle Loft Goodie Bag for New Racers". This is a gift from the Cycle Loft for the women who are trying bike racing for the first time! In exchange for letting us add you to our Series email list, youll get a gift bag with good stuff!

It depends on how high you finish. The top 15 finishers of a race get the most points, but all finishers get at least 25 (we have increased this from last year, when it was 20 points for finishing!)

1st)	100 points	6th)	75	11th)	64
2nd)	95	7th)	72	12th)	62
3rd)	90	8th)	70	13th)	60
4th)	85	9th)	68	14th)	58
5th)	80	10th)	66	15th)	56
				16th+)	And below	25 points

Yes! Thanks to Vintage Etc. the shoe store at 1798 Mass Ave in Cambridge, we are having a Masters 35+ series again but were trying something new. For 2002, all the races in the series will count for Vintage points. So if youre 35 or older, you will automatically join the Vintage Series and see your results accumulating in the separately tallied standings. But here is the rub in order to jump up in the Vintage 35+ series, youll want to also race in those separate 35+ races that appear on the Series schedule. Those Masters racers who do the additional Masters races will be rewarded with extra points (using the usual 15 deep formula). At the end of the year we will have a modest prize list for the top 10 in each of the Cat 3 and Cat 4 Vintage 35+ standings.

Upgrading to a higher category is a great accomplishment, and is one of the goals of having the Series. We hope that more women will graduate into the higher ranks and more women will try it as beginners. This grows the sport! If youve earned an upgrade, you will keep any accumulated points you have prior to your upgrade.

Participants can upgrade at any time by contacting the USCF Regional Coordinator or the Local Representative. Upgrading information is also available at the USA Cycling web site.

http://www.usacycling.org/membership/?riders/upgrades.html

Regional Coordinator: Judy Miller 1605 Cardinal Drive, Bethlehem, PA 18015

Telephone: 610/866-4051 Fax: 610/867-1134 Email moto2@ptd.net www.usac-midatlantic.com

Local Representative: Diane Fortini 91 Hillcrest Road, Hanson, MA 02341

Telephone: 781/293-2383 Email rdfortini@aol.com

No, its up to you. But if you race often enough and are often in the top 6, you might bump up against the mandatory upgrade rules. During the Series, any Cat 4 with 30 or more USCF upgrade points, or any Cat 3 with 60 or more USCF upgrade points (including points earned from the previous 12 months period) is considered to be automatically upgraded to the next category, and in no longer eligible to compete for additional Series points in the lower category. (USCF automatic upgrade, per rulebook). However, the points accumulated through that time will be retained for overall standings.

Riders who upgrade from Cat 4 to Cat 3 will keep their points in the 4s Series, and then begin to accumulate points in the Cat 3 Series. The two totals are not combined. Riders are eligible to win prizes in both series.

The accumulated points totals will be tallied and communicated throughout the season. Primarily, they are announced via an email on the Monday following a race. They are also posted at the web site, and often posted at race venues.

All races follow United States Cycling Federations rules (or the rules of another race sanctioning body). If you are disqualified either during or after a race, you will be removed from the Series results and not awarded any points for that event. You should check to see if there is a protest period or protest procedure if you disagree with the officials. All results are provided by the officials and the race promoters, and those results are final. The Series Ambassador is not the arbiter of the final results!

Use the protest period to make sure youre included! The promoters and officials will provide results at least 15 deep, but its not always possible for eyes or cameras to see everyone. Make sure you are listed on the posted results and bring any discrepancies to the attention of the race officials before the end of the protest period. If you finished but are below 15^th place and dont see your name on the posted results, just be sure the Series Ambassador has you on the finishing list.

Thanks to sponsors such as The Cycle Loft, Vintage Etc., Terry Precision Cycles, Fuji Bicycles, Brave Soldier, One-Off Titanium, Bike Stuff Jewelry, .we have excellent merchandise prizes for the top 25 in each group. The prizes will be awarded at the end of the Series. In addition, most promoters offer race prizes to the top finishers on the day of their events.

Thanks to The Cycle Loft, we have Winners Jerseys for the individual winner of each Series event! The winner of each race will receive a Winners Jersey and be presented with their Jersey "on the podium" at the conclusion of each race. Winners pictures will be posted at The Cycle Loft New England Womens Race Series Web Site!

We are usually able to provide "fun" prizes throughout the year too. These have ranged from "Half-Way" Primes for Leaders at mid-season, to "Brave Soldier" prizes for the person who took the most dramatic spill! Well announce these as we go along.

Cycling Made Real is the name we give to the national effort to help regions throughout the US to implement similar Series and Clinics. Under the umbrella of one effort, we can approach potential sponsors on behalf of all regions and achieve economies of scale. We maintain a web site at http://cyclingmadereal.tripod.com to link to all the regional efforts.