Core

Quick History of OBRA

• Founded in the late 1970's as the Oregon Cycling Association (OCA)
  • OCA was a district association for USAC
• Focus turned to assisting promoters make events happen
• OBRA centralized equipment purchasing and insurance
• In 1998, Oregon cycling clubs voted to seperate from USAC
• OBRA is a registered non-profit organization

Quick Overview of the Structure of OBRA

• Board of Directors: 6 member board of directors, each serving a 3 year term and is elected by a majority of clubs
  • Current directors: Glen Gann, Jeff Lorenzen, Meg Mautner, Mike Murray, Clark Ritchie, Brad Ross
• Executive Director: Kenji Sugahara
• Assistant Director: Candi Murray
• Webmaster: Cheryl Willson
• Membership Coordinator: Kenji Sugahara
• Equipment Manager: Dan Carleson

The Types of Events OBRA Sanctions

• Road Events
  • Stage Races (multi-day event)
  • Road Race (including circuit races)
  • Criterium
  • Time Trial
  • Ultra distance
• Track,
• Cyclo-cross
• Mountain Bike
  • Cross-country
  • Downhill
  • Super-d
  • Ultra distance

Cycling Officials Code of Ethics

(unofficial)
The following code is generally accepted by all sports for their officials and is adapted here for cycling officials.

• Cycling officials will maintain the utmost respect for the sport of competitive cycling.
• Cycling officials will conduct themselves honorably at all times and maintain the dignity of their position.
• Cycling officials must maintain impartial and fair judging of sports competitions. Without equivocation, race decisions which are slanted by personal bias are dishonest and unacceptable.
• Cycling officials have a responsibility to continuously seek self-improvement through study of the game, rules, mechanics and the techniques of race management. They have a responsibility to accurately represent their qualifications and abilities when requesting or accepting officiating assignments.
• Cycling officials will honor assignments or any other contractual obligation.
• Cycling officials will strive to achieve maximum teamwork with fellow officials.
• Cycling officials have an obligation to treat other officials with professional dignity and courtesy and recognize that it is inappropriate to criticize other officials publicly.
• Cycling officials shall protect the public (fans, administrators, coaches, athletes, et al.) from inappropriate conduct and shall attempt to eliminate from the officiating avocation/profession all practices which bring discredit to it.

Official Hierarchy at Races

Official Roles

Chief Referee

The chief referee is responsible for:

• Event safety
• Competition fairness
• Race categories
• Prize lists
• Race schedule
• Course issues
• Protests
• The general running of the race
• Feed zones

The chief referee works with the promoter to verify that they have met the commitments that were advertised on the race flier.

The chief referee is the ultimate authority on all issues related to everything except results.

Assistant Referees

Assistant referees fill a variety of roles based on the event. These roles will be assigned by the chief referee.

• Road Races:
  • follow vehicle referee
  • feed zone referee
  • roll out referee
• Criterion:
  • service pit referee
  • lead vehicle referee (on motorcycle or in car)
  • follow vehicle referee
  • roving referee
  • sprint referee
• Time Trials
  • stager/whip
  • holder
  • turnaround referee
  • course referee

Chief Judge / Chief Timer

Is responsible for:

• results
• timing
• competition fairness

The chief judge is the ultimate authority on results and timing.

Assistant Judges / Timers

Starter

Motor Referees

Registrars

Event chain of command

The chief referee will oversee all assistant referees, starters, and motor referees.
The chief judge will oversee all assistant judges, and timers.

The chief judge and referee will both work with the registrars to make sure event flow is maintained and registration is made accessible to the judges.

General Clothing & Equipment

• Helmets are always required
• Riders cannot wear clothes of a team or club they are not eligible to represent
• No headphones
• No radios (except in certain pro/1/2 races)
• Numbers
  • Only those provided by OBRA shall be used
  • Number can't be folded or cut
  • Numbers must be placed properly and be readable or rider may not be placed

General Race

• Races cannot start prior to the time shown on fliers

Conduct

• Riders are responsible for their own conduct
• Any misconduct may be punished at the Chief Referee's discretion

Penalties

• Penalties are specific to the type of event being raced
• All penalties may be appealed to the Chief Referee
• Penalties can be applied to both individual riders and teams

Protests

• Protests can only be made by and against racers in the same event
• All protests must be made in writing
• Order of finish protests will go the the Chief Judge, whose decision is final (no fee needed)
• All other protests are directed to the Chief Referee
• Protests filed by riders concerning events during the race require a $10 fee be paid to OBRA
  • The fee will be refunded if the protest is upheld
• Protests concerning results must be made before results are finalized
  • Results are finalized 15 minutes after posting for all events except stage races
  • Results are finalized at the end of the next sign-in period for stage race events
• Judgments may be appealed to the OBRA executive director with a $25 fee, whose decision will be final

Anti-doping

• No Doping
• Don't have or use any substance banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA)
• Exceptions are made for prescription
  • Upon request, races will need to be able to provide a doctors note or prescription