Proposal to Increase Race Official Pay in MABRA

For Consideration at the 2026 Mid-Atlantic Bicycle Racing Association (MABRA) Annual  Meeting. ***The MABRA Board strongly endorses this proposal and recommends  Class A member clubs approve it at the 2026 Annual Meeting on January 11. Between  now and then, we ask clubs discuss the proposal internally and plan to send a  representative to the meeting to vote.*** 

Submitted By: Western Howard County Cycling (aka Sportif Coaching Group) on  December 19, 2025  

Overview: We propose a local pay adjustment for race officials working USA Cycling– sanctioned events in MABRA’s territory. This adjustment will ensure that the lowest-paid  officials receive at least the Maryland minimum wage of $15/hour, and that pay for other  officials scales proportionally with this increase. This proposal reflects both the need to  provide fair compensation and the essential role officials play in ensuring the smooth, safe,  and fair operation of our events.  

If approved by MABRA’s Membership, the adjustment would apply to all USA Cycling– sanctioned events meeting any of the following criteria:  

1. Any portion of the event takes place in MABRA’s territory 

2. The event takes place outside MABRA’s territory but officiating assignments are handled by MABRA 

3. The event is part of a MABRA-sponsored or supported series 

4. The event receives any form of MABRA subsidy 

Upon approval of this proposal, the new pay structure would take effect for events held on  or after February 1, 2026 and would increase the Full-Day (Between 4 and 9 hour) official’s  fees by $45 to the amounts shown in the following table:  

Full-Day (Between 4 and 9 Hour) Commissaires Fees  

Event Type	Chief Referee	Chief Judge	Other Commissaires
National-Level Events	$245	$185	$160
Other events	$185	$155	$135

Note: Adoption of this proposal will not change USA Cycling’s current rates for half-day  events (less than 4 hours), mileage reimbursement, overtime, site visits, or other standard 

policies regarding officiating fees and compensation. For reference, the current fee  structure can be found at https://usacycling.org/resources/schedule-of-fees .  

Justification for Pay Increase  

Race Officials are the backbone of competitive cycling. They ensure fair racing, enforce  rules, manage on-site logistics, and safeguard rider and spectator safety.  

While officials are reimbursed for mileage at the current IRS rates, they are not  compensated for the hours spent traveling to and from events. Officials also incur hard costs  to serve in these roles — including their officiating license, mandatory background checks,  and required officiating clothing and equipment. For individuals who only officiate a small  number of races each year, the current low pay rates (particularly for non-chief officials)  make it difficult to justify these out-of-pocket expenses.  

Although most officials serve primarily out of a love for the sport, compensation plays an  important role in recruitment and long-term retention. USA Cycling’s national officiating  pay rates have remained unchanged since 2019, despite significant changes in economic  conditions and expectations. In response, multiple Local Associations, including SCNCA and  

NCNCA, have adopted localized pay adjustments to ensure officiating remains accessible  and sustainable within their regions. This proposal follows a similar approach.  

Currently, MABRA has only one official under the age of 40, underscoring the urgency of  attracting new officials to ensure the long-term sustainability of our officiating community.  Competitive and fair pay is an essential part of making officiating accessible to a wider and  younger pool of participants.  

This proposal is about maintaining the quality and safety of local races by ensuring a stable,  experienced, and well-supported officiating corps - not about creating financial incentives  that replace the passion that already drives so many officials. At Western Howard County  Cycling we feel strongly enough about this proposal that we compensated the officials for  our CrosstoberFest event in October, 2025 using the new proposed pay schedule.  

Financial Impact to Race Events  

Based on the 2025 event schedule and officiating assignments:  

- Total estimated impact: $8,820 across all events if the 2026 schedule is similar to the one for 2025 

- Average increase per CX race day: $216 

- Average increase per road race day: $294 

2026 and 2027 Subsidies to Offset Costs  

Upon adoption of this proposal by the MABRA membership, the MABRA Board of Directors  is directed to take the following steps to help mitigate the first and second-year financial 

impact on MABRA race directors:  

- For year one (2026) allocate $4,410 as part of MABRA’s 2026 budget to offset  approximately 50% of the total cost increase.  

o Set a 2026 MABRA reimbursement for full day events of $22.50 per official  per event day.  

- For year two (2027) allocate $2,205 as part of MABRA’s 2027 budget to offset  approximately 25% of the total cost increase.  

o Set a 2027 MABRA reimbursement for full day events of $11.25 per official  per event day.  

- Officials already compensated directly by MABRA (e.g., through apprenticeship  programs or other subsidies) should not be included in this reimbursement.  

Additionally, upon adoption of this proposal, the MABRA Board of Directors is directed to:  

1. Post MABRA’s local officiating payment structure and the information about 2026  and 2027 subsidies to the ‘Race Directors / Promoters’ section of the mabra.org  website  

2. Send written communication via email to the following parties about the local pay  adjustments:  

a. All race directors who held events in MABRA during 2024 or 2025  b. MABRA’s event services regional manager at USA Cycling (Stephanie Aldrich,  saldrich@usacycling.org)  

c. MABRA’s officials via the mabra-officials@googlegroups.com listserv. Note:  this will have to be posted by someone who belongs to that listserv.  

Conclusion  

This proposal is a fair, sustainable, and necessary step to support the people who make  bicycle racing in the Mid-Atlantic fair and safe. By implementing this pay adjustment,  MABRA will:  

- Align officiating pay with Maryland minimum wage standards  

- Ensure officiating remains accessible to both experienced and new officials  - Address recruitment challenges and support generational renewal of the official pool  - Maintain the quality and safety of local racing for years to come  

We respectfully request the MABRA membership adopt this proposal at the 2026 annual  meeting.