09/24/2018
Dear Midnight Ride participants
When the race was started in 2011, the goal was always to put on an event that is worthy of New England Cyclocross. We know your race calendar is crowded, and you have to make choices on where to spend your time and money. The Wednesday night race the first year was a big risk, and had a decent turnout for a first-year event. We knew we had something going, and the drive to grow it was there.
It has always been an expensive race to put on. Light towers, fencing, prize purse, lantern trophies all add up. The cost was high, and help was needed. In stepped NEBRA and ENGVT to help out make a crucial year happen. This allowed the race to get on more solid footing. Around 5 or 6 clubs have rotated through the 8 years of the race, but the goal never changed.
When Holy Week happened, we were excited to be in the same company of other massive events. Being part of that 6 race series was very tremendous, and it drew world-class competition to our humble venue. The race continued to grow.
After Holy Week ended as the calendar was reworked, the stress of a mid-week race compounded. It is very difficult to put on a night race during a work week. If you want ot see how stressful, there are plenty of dates on the calendar to try it out. While we loved doing it, it was not personally sustainable. We considered passing the race off, or ending it completely.
Then a Saturday date opened up. We knew it was a risk moving the race. But even if we went back to a smaller race, it would be worth it if the impact on family was lessoned. So we made the switch, and hoped for the best. Again, our goal has always been to put on an event worthy of New England Cyclocross. Regardless of how many participants we have, the goal remains the same.
This Saturday exceeded our wildest expectations when we started this event. Rough 550 of you signed up for the race, to spend your time at the Fairgrounds. We like to think of Midnight Ride as the Mario Kart of NECX. You want to ride fast, rip corners, drift in woodchips, and generally fly around grass fields. Based on your feedback, we succeeded in giving you a course that you want, and an experience that you deserve. We launched the Kids Craft Area, a kids' course (which many of the adults enjoyed as well). We battled traffic, and one another in friendly competition. Lots of smiles, no major incidents, and an overall successful night.
The race wouldn't happen without the volunteers. From Russ parking folks, to Mike and Chris and Dan and Russ helping to set things up, the GLV crew working to break things down, and everyone else not mentioned. The race wouldn't happen without all of you. Always remember to thank a volunteer!
If you have any suggestions to make the race better, we are always eager to listen. We look forward to next year. Some have referred to Midnight Ride as a New England classic. We hope we continue to earn that title as the years ensue.
Sincerely,
The management
