• What factors go into rider selection?
  1. Rider qualification:  If it is not clear that you have the ability to complete the ride at the pace of the other riders you should have a discussion with the ride leader about whether you should be on the ride.
  2. Trip leader preference:  The trip leader can now designate up to 30% of ride participants at their own discretion.
  3. Lottery selection:  This will come into play only during the lottery period between registration open and lottery close.
  4. First-come-first-serve:  After lottery close any remaining slots will go to the first person that signs up.
  5. Couples:  People can designate a ride partner at sign-up.  When that is done you will either both get on the tour or neither.  You can designate anyone as a partner so long as you are willing to share a room with that person.
  6. Gender:  Where roommates are required, gender balancing can be applied so that the maximum number of people can be accommodated on the trip with minimal cost.
• Are riders always selected by lottery? 
  No.  Only during the lottery period between registration open and lottery close.  After lottery close we will use the familiar first-come-first-served.  Even during the lottery period there are other factors that may be considered — see What factors go into rider selection above.
• How does the lottery work for a ride that is not over-subscribed? 
  There will be no lottery for these rides.  You will be assigned a priority number only because we probably won’t know if a ride is over-subscribed at the time of you register.
• Can I register for a ride after “Lottery Close”?
  Absolutely.  If spots are still available they will be filled first-come-first-served.  If spots are not available than you will be placed on the waitlist based on your registration time.
• When is a priority number assigned during registration?
  A priority number is always assigned whenever you register for a ride.  However it will only be used during lottery selection.
• How does the priority number relate to being selected for the ride?
  First remember that the priority number is relevant only during the lottery period between registration open and lottery close.  During that period people will be selected by their priority number; highest number first.  For example: if a ride has a maximum of 10 riders than the 10 riders with the highest priority numbers will be selected at lottery close.
• How can I find out what my priority number is?
  Go to your personal page and select the “My Rides” tab.  That will give you the status and priority number of each ride that you have registered for.
• How does the “Couple” designation affect the lottery?
  If you designate a partner during registration then you are expected to room with that person and either both of you will be selected for the ride or neither.  In order to achieve this goal, priority numbers of both partners are set to the average of their priorities.  For example: if Joe has a priority number of 900 and Sam has a priority number of 100 and they both select each other as partners than they will both have an effective priority number of 500.  Of course we will still need to consider the priority number of other applicants and the maximum number of riders to determine if they will both be selected or not.
• How does “gender balancing” work during rider selection?
  First, remember that gender balancing does not occur on all rides.  Generally camping tours and Hub & Spokes don’t assign roommates and thus the ride leader won’t do gender balancing.  When gender balancing is done it will affect only the lowest priority single.  If that single is not an appropriate roommate for the next lowest priority single he/she can be replaced by a single further down the priority list that is the right gender.  For example: suppose Sam is the lowest priority single and Alice is just above him in the priority list.  Since they are not appropriate roommates Sam will not be selected.  Instead the highest priority female on the waitlist will be selected to be Alice’s roommate.
• The trip leader has promised to give “trip leader preference” to me.  Do I still need to register?
  Yes, definately.  If you are going to receive trip leader preference you must register before lottery close.  Rider selection begins at lottery close.  You can’t be selected if you are not registered and it would be unfair to hold a place open for someone that hasn’t registered.
• I’m not available during the lottery period.  Can someone else register for me?
  Yes.  Any member in good standing can register you as long as they are willing to pay your registration fee.  However it is club policy that a member cannot register more than two people other than themself.
• Will my priority number change if I register again?
  No.  The system will not allow multiple registrations of the same member.  You can cancel your registration and register again.  However the system will treat that as a re-activation of your previous registration (with the same priority number).

Do you have other questions about registration that have not been answered here?  Send them in to the webmaster and we will try to get you an answer.