From time to time, I've found myself on a brevet or Permanent so magical that I hated to see it come to an end. But with the distance covered and the time elapsed, it's off to the next adventure. So it has been with my time on the RUSA board. I ran for the board in 2002 after learning more about it from Jennifer Wise at Boston-Montreal-Boston that year. I joined the board at the beginning of 2003, starting the clock on the six year time limit for RUSA board members.
In that time, two great delegations have represented us well at Paris-Brest-Paris. Our membership continues to grow. Ridership is strong. Our calendar offers a wonderful selection of events all over the country. In 2007, I had the opportunity to ride with quite a few different regions and saw the strength of the local randonneur communities.
It has been a wonderful ride. We like to say that friendly camaraderie is the hallmark of randonneuring. Nowhere is that more evident than among the many volunteers that produce our rides. It's been a privilege to draft behind a great group of national RUSA volunteers and to work with the RBAs and the local volunteers that create our events and grow our sport. Randonneurs USA should be viewed as a co-op, an organization run by its members for their own benefit. As always, I encourage all members to help out.
Thanks for the opportunity to serve and see you on the road.
—Mark Thomas