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The new, different and extremely exciting Armidale Cycling Club, Road Racer of the Year competition awaits racers of all ages and abilities and kicks off this weekend with Round 1 of the 2014 handicap racing on Dangarsleigh Road.  

Unrelated to the Club Championships which will remain untouched as a single day event for all grades later on in the season, the Road Racer of the Year competition is designed to recognise riders who turn up and compete in handicap races week in and week out without requiring them to necessarily be top of their grade to win.[/info_box]

Every ACC member who has a racing licence for the year is automatically included in a league table of riders.  Riders receive points for any individual handicap event simply by turning up to race, or if they are rostered to manage a race or put out signs.  Further points are awarded for the top 5 placed riders.  The points for each race and the updated league table will be published with the weekend results and maintained throughout the season.

The success of this new competition relies heavily on the handicapping system being fair which in turn relies on riders being fair about their own performance which may wax and wane throughout the season.  The role of handicapper is a tough and often thankless job and we are fortunate to have someone in Col Maciver who is both committed to this role and also very good at it.  Please give Col your support and by all means suggest adjustments to the handicapping if you believe they are required.

We may need to fine-tune the points system over the first few weeks and of course it is just a bit of fun so bear with us if the whole thing is a little chaotic to start with.  Please feel free to share your views and make any suggestions either using the feedback form, or publicly by commenting on this post.

Good luck to you all!