You are an active bunch of riders! Over the dozen years that I served as Managing Director we have grown dramatically both in total membership and program participation.

Serving the members is a team effort and I am very grateful to all the chairs and other volunteers who help with the programs.

Below are the stats comparing 2009 to 1997, the year before I became Managing Director of the UMCA.

Here are the highlights:

Membership

• During my tenure annual membership (excluding life members) has grown by 61%, which is quite gratifying given the fringe nature of our sport.

Programs

• Year-Rounder: In 1997 this was the National Points Challenge. We renamed the program and added the Larry Schwartz Year-Rounder, challenging riders to complete a century every month. This is our entry program for attracting new members and since 1997 participation increased from 24 to 195 riders and total miles grew almost 10-fold.
• UltraCup/World Cup: In the late 1990s ultra events were folding due to lack of participation. In 2000 we launched the John Marino Competition as a multi-event race series to encourage riders to compete in more events. The first year just 17 racers participated in a dozen US events. Several years ago we renamed the program the Ultracycling Cup / World Cup to recognize the increasingly international character of our sport. Last year 71 riders competed in the UCC / WC in over 60 races.
• RAAM Qualifying: Last year 182 riders qualified for RAAM in 15 sanctioned qualifiers in six countries. In 1997 there were five RAAM qualifiers, all in the US, and 57 riders qualifying for solo RAAM.
• Records: Setting cross-state and other records is a great way to challenge yourself and test your racing skills. Last year riders set 33 record, treble the number set in 1997.

Publications

• UltraCycling: We established the magazine as the authoritative source of information for endurance cyclists and increased total page count by 25%.
• Web: We rebuilt the website in 2000 and started race webcasts, Twitter postings and Facebook in 2009.
• How-To Manuals: We started publishing Preparing for Long Rides and Crewing with Fuzzy.

Recognition

• UltraCyclist of Distinction: We established the UCD, which recognizes excellence in several programs over at least three years.
• UltraCycling Hall of Fame: We created the Hall of Fame to recognize lifetime athletic excellence, leadership and service to the sport. Honorees are elected by the UMCA members.
• UltraCyclist of the Year: We created the UCY to recognize excellence in the prior year in athletic performance, leadership and service to the sport. Honorees are elected by the UMCA members.
• Volunteers: We inaugurated the volunteer program recognizing multiple levels of service to encourage members to volunteer at UMCA-sanctioned events and for UMCA programs.

Comparative Statistics
1997 (Year before Hughes became Managing Director) to Present