Team Somerset

Hi gang,

The year is young, but it sure has been a busy one! And the team successes continue to mount:

Members!: We’ve added what, 32 new members?
Pops: Renewing our partnership with Marc and Danny at Pops
Group Rides: Adding group ride options and supporting the local recreational cycling scene
Social Events: Offering more team social events
Charity: Continuing our long history of fundraising and charity work
Social Media: We have expanding our social media and web presence and gained TENS OF THOUSANDS of impressions.
Races: The board and new members have been learning from, reinforcing and helping Joe and Chuck support our local racing scene and administer our races
Coaching: Offering high value coaching at a reasonable price thanks to Coach Rick Danielsen

Areas we are looking to grow into:

Sponsorships: Seeking out more sponsorships and value for team members (hope to have some amazing news in the coming weeks!)
Races: We are putting a bid in for the NJ Time Trial State Championship!
Parties: We’re planning to bring the race to the party… or the party to the race!
Charity Ride: We are working through the details and hope to host a charity ride later this year or next.

And now we FINALLY got to the bonus system.

Did someone say BONUS SYSTEM?

After researching many teams and clubs both local and national, talking with racers and team leaders alike, our Board has finally come up with… something.

But first, this goes without saying, but the sole intent of the bonus system is to help ensure Team Somerset’s success long into the future.

Like 100 years into the future.

So please, if you submit for bonuses, ride with us. Party with us. Volunteer with us. Race with us. Then submit bonuses. The team that endures through generations is more than a jersey. It is a community.

Goals: We’ve made some changes that, in our minds, encourage and reward a variety of levels of participation. A variety of levels of team building.

Key Changes:

Simple: 1 point = $1. Well, that’s the plan, but we may have to adjust to fit our budget.
Per person limit: $400! In 8 months of research, I’ve not found a single amature team that offers anything close. 95% of all teams I’ve contacted offer no bonus at all. And my research has been exhaustive. To earn the full $400, you’ll have to work for it, but the rewards are there.
Reward more than just racing.

Tier 1: Social / volunteering, group rides, meetings and social events.
Tier 2: Outreach / new member referrals, "Team Somerset" in Strava name, Zwift, etc. and social media mentions and tags.
Tier 3: Leadership / Event Director, Assistant Event Director, Ride Leaders and Social Event / Clinic Director.
Tier 4: Racing / We changed the points a bit to serve a couple of needs.
- Finish 5 races and your membership is free. Win or place, and you earn even more.
- We also added bonuses down to 5th place. Watching our crit teams bang away in 60 man fields, we couldn’t help but feel for them.

Travel Expenses: We moved this to discretionary spending. Anyone in need of travel reimbursement to support their racing habit is encouraged to write a letter to the board. It is The Board’s intent to support any rider in need, as budget allows. Need based only please. Annual Awards and Championships: We are moving these awards away from the bonus system. When budget allows, the intent is to hold an annual awards banquet to honor our members. Championships, Category Upgrades, Top Volunteer, Most Improved, etc. Direct Links: