As a woman 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 don’t get a chance to race against them. Promoters also know how difficult it can be to justify the inclusion of a women’s race, much less individual women’s categories, when the field sizes are so small.

The MABRA Mid-Atlantic Women’s Race Series is a points series to help fix these problems!

A season-long bicycle racing series for beginner and intermediate women.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:

What is a Points Series?
By working with promoters to provide a separate Cat 4 Women’s field, and some Cat 3 or 3/4 races in their race event, we are able to put together a series where 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 10 women with the most points.

Points are tracked for Category 4 (beginner) and Category 3 (intermediate) women racers.

You do not have to do all the races on the Series schedule; just do as many as you can. But by doing more races and showing promoters that a separate field is needed, you support women in the sport in a bigger way. Your points will grow more quickly if you do more races, and all finishers receive series points.

Does it cost anything to join the Series?
The Series is free to all participants. Completing any of the races on the Series Schedule automatically enrolls you.
Although there are no fees for participation in the Series, there is 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 bigger events.
Who is Eligible to Participate?

The Series is open to all Category 4 & 3 women racers of all ages. You do not have to live in the MABRA region (MD, DC, DE, No. VA) to participate in 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 as long as each category is awarded their own prize list. 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.

For Cat 3 BAR events where the Cat 3 women are picked from a combined field: Please indicate your race category and what BAR you prefer to participate in (Senior Women or Cat 3) at the time of registration.
For Cat 3 Series races (non-BAR) where the Cat 3 women are picked from a combined field: Please indicate your race category at registration.
Any Cat 3 woman finishing in the top 3 places of an open or 1-2-3 race is ineligible for series prizes, but can still acquire series points.

If I’m new to racing, is there anything special I have to do at a race?
No, showing up and racing is usually enough! Plus, always finish your race…don’t drop out! You will still get series points for finishing the race. But if you have any questions, look for an Artemis member at the race. They can direct you to the web site, or provide information on who to contact.

How many points do I get for each race?
It depends on how high you finish. All participants get points just for finishing. The top finishers of a race get the most points, and all finishers get a decreasing amount of points. The points system is independent of the MABRA BAR points system. Because the Cat 4 BAR awards limited points, we needed to be sure that all women who participate get recognized and counted towards the success of the series. We want ALL of the women to feel competitive in the Series so they will keep racing!
For the Cat 4 women, the top 15 finishers of a race get the most points, but all finishers get at least 25 points. (Cat 3 women’s points are scaled on 10 places and receive less participation points).

What happens if I upgrade during the season?
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 provides growth within the sport! If you’ve earned an upgrade, you will keep any accumulated points you have prior to your upgrade, and will be awarded a 100 “Bonus” points.

Bonus points will be awarded only if the upgrade occurs within 2 weeks of reaching mandatory upgrade requirement.
No bonus points will be awarded after the 3rd week in August, or sooner, based on the number of remaining series events and at the discretion of the Series Coordinator.
Participants can upgrade at any time by contacting the Local Representative. Upgrading information is also available at the USA Cycling web site.

MABRA Upgrade Coordinator: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it . This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Do I have to upgrade?
No, it’s 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, (including points earned from the previous 12 months period and any other races that meet upgrade requirements) is considered to be automatically upgraded to the next category and is no longer eligible to compete for additional Series points in the Cat 4 category. (USCF automatic upgrade, per rulebook). However, the points accumulated through that time will be retained for overall standings.

Rule applies to Cat 3 women acquiring 60 upgrade points.

What if I upgrade from Cat 4 to Cat 3 during the Series?
Riders who upgrade from Cat 4 to Cat 3 will keep their points in the 4 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.

How do I know how many points I have?
The accumulated points totals will be tallied and communicated throughout the season. Series points and upgrade points will be available on the Artemis web site on our results page.

What happens if I’m disqualified from a race?
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. The officials and the race promoters provide all results, and those results are final. The Series Coordinator can work with Race Officials, but their results are final!

What happens if I finished but my name is not on the results list?
Use the protest period (15-minutes after results are posted) to make sure you’re included! The promoters and officials will provide results at least 15 deep (10 deep for Cat 3), but it’s 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 15th place (10th for Cat 3) and don’t see your name on the posted results, just be sure the Series Coordinator has you on the finishing list, as “participation” points are awarded after 15 (10-cat 3) placings.

What are the Prizes?
Thanks to our sponsors we have excellent merchandise prizes for the top 10 in the Cat 4 field and the top 8 for the Cat 3 Women. 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. In 2003 & 2004, a FUJI road frame was raffled off to the novice participants who raced in (and finished) 10 of the Cat 4 Series events!

We will also hope to have a Series Leader’s Jerseys for the individual with the most points at the end of each 3rd of the season (March-mid-May, May-July, Aug-Sept.)! The winner of each segment will receive a Leader’s Jersey and be presented with their Jersey “on the podium” at the conclusion of the portion of the race season. Winners’ pictures will be posted on the Artemis Race Series Web Site!

What is Cycling Made Real?
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 www.cyclingmadereal.com to link to all the regional efforts.

How do I learn more?
Send me an e-mail at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it . This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it  and tell me to sign you up for the mailing list for Mid-Atlantic information. When there are Series announcements throughout the season, we’ll send an email!

Thanks for your support of women in cycling and GOOD LUCK!
Evelyn Egizi
Artemis Team Coordinator