USA Cycling
Encyclopedia
USA Cycling or USAC, based in Colorado Springs
, Colorado, is the national governing body
for bicycle racing
in the United States
. It covers the disciplines of road
, track
, mountain bike
, cyclo-cross
, BMX
and collegiate racing. In 2009, USAC has a membership organization of nearly 66,800 members
USA Cycling is associated with the UCI
, which governs international cycling and the United States Olympic Committee (USOC). The organization is also a member of the continental body Confederacion Panamericana de Ciclismo
(COPACI).
The office of USA Cycling, Inc. remained on the United States Olympic Training Center campus near downtown Colorado Springs until March of 2009. Thanks to the generous support of Nor’wood Development group and the El Pomar Foundation combined with the collective efforts of the City of Colorado Springs and several local organizations including the Colorado Springs Economic Development Corporation and the Colorado Springs Sports Corporation, the national governing body secured office space on the city’s north side. USA Cycling’s new headquarters now consists of a 26,000-square-foot building on nearly two acres of land near I-25 on the northwest side of Colorado Springs.
the United States, including road, track, mountain bike, BMX, and cyclo-cross. The
organization has a two-part mission: To achieve sustained success in international
cycling competition and to grow competitive cycling in America.
As a membership-based organization, USA Cycling comprises 2,400 clubs and teams; and nearly 70,000 licensees which include officials, coaches, mechanics, and competitive cyclists of all ages and abilities across all five disciplines of the sport.
2003 inception.
USA Cycling maintains development programs for men and women in all disciplines of competitive cycling, providing a structured pathway to the top tier of the sport. In 2010, 266 individual riders took part in USA Cycling’s National Development Program, gaining valuable race experience through 1900 fully supported race days.
Upgrading from category 5 to 4 can be done after 10 mass start races. Category 4 to 3 can be requested when a certain amount of points is earned in races within in a 12-month period or race experience, 25 qualifying races with a minimum of 10 top ten finishes with fields of 30 rides or more. 30 points in a 12-month period is an automatic upgrade to category 3. Upgrades from 3 to 2 and 2 to 1 are based on a number of points in a 12-month period. Category 3 to 2 requires 25 points to be eligible and 40 points for an automatic upgrade.
Upgrading in cyclo-cross follows the same upgrade pattern as road but with different points requirements. in this case it is 10 points in a 12-month period to upgrade from category 3 to 2 and 20 points from category 2 to 1.
Upgrading from track category 5 to 4 is done by taking a velodrome
safety course or 4 race days, and as with road is done by points, but with the add requirement of 5 race days.
Riders may upgrade to category 2 as fast as they want. After 5 top-5 finishes as a category 3 rider, a rider must upgrade to category 2. After 2 top-5 category 2 finishes, a rider may upgrade to category 1, and after 5 top-5 finishes a rider must upgrade to category 1.
Colorado Springs, Colorado
Colorado Springs is a Home Rule Municipality that is the county seat and most populous city of El Paso County, Colorado, United States. Colorado Springs is located in South-Central Colorado, in the southern portion of the state. It is situated on Fountain Creek and is located south of the Colorado...
, Colorado, is the national governing body
Sport governing body
A sport governing body is a sports organization that has a regulatory or sanctioning function. Sport governing bodies come in various forms, and have a variety of regulatory functions. Examples of this can include disciplinary action for rule infractions and deciding on rule changes in the sport...
for bicycle racing
Bicycle racing
Bicycle racing is a competition sport in which various types of bicycles are used. There are several categories of bicycle racing including road bicycle racing, cyclo-cross, mountain bike racing, track cycling, BMX, bike trials, and cycle speedway. Bicycle racing is recognised as an Olympic sport...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It covers the disciplines of road
Road bicycle racing
Road bicycle racing is a bicycle racing sport held on roads, using racing bicycles. The term "road racing" is usually applied to events where competing riders start simultaneously with the winner being the first to the line at the end of the course .Historically, the most...
, track
Track cycling
Track cycling is a bicycle racing sport usually held on specially built banked tracks or velodromes using track bicycles....
, mountain bike
Mountain bike racing
The Union Cycliste Internationale recognised the sport of mountain bike racing relatively late in 1990, when it sanctioned the world championships in Purgatory, Colorado. The first mountain biking world cup series took place in 1991. Its nine-race circuit covered two continents—Europe and North...
, cyclo-cross
Cyclo-cross
Cyclo-cross is a form of bicycle racing. Races typically take place in the autumn and winter , and consists of many laps of a short course featuring pavement, wooded trails, grass, steep hills and...
, BMX
BMX racing
BMX racing is a type of off-road bicycle racing. The format of BMX was derived from motocross racing. BMX bicycle races are sprint races on purpose-built off-road single-lap race tracks. The track usually small a starting gate for up to eight racers, a groomed, serpentine, dirt race course made of...
and collegiate racing. In 2009, USAC has a membership organization of nearly 66,800 members
USA Cycling is associated with the UCI
Union Cycliste Internationale
Union Cycliste Internationale is the world governing body for sports cycling and oversees international competitive cycling events. The UCI is based in Aigle, Switzerland....
, which governs international cycling and the United States Olympic Committee (USOC). The organization is also a member of the continental body Confederacion Panamericana de Ciclismo
Confederacion Panamericana de Ciclismo
The national federations of the UCI form confederations by continent. In the Americas, this body is the Confederación Panamericana de Ciclismo , also shortened to COPACI....
(COPACI).
History
The Amateur Bicycle League of America was organized in 1920 and incorporated in New York in 1921. In 1975, the name was changed to the United States Cycling Federation. In 1995, USA Cycling, Inc. was incorporated in Colorado, and on July 1, 1995, the two corporations merged, with USA Cycling the umbrella corporation.The office of USA Cycling, Inc. remained on the United States Olympic Training Center campus near downtown Colorado Springs until March of 2009. Thanks to the generous support of Nor’wood Development group and the El Pomar Foundation combined with the collective efforts of the City of Colorado Springs and several local organizations including the Colorado Springs Economic Development Corporation and the Colorado Springs Sports Corporation, the national governing body secured office space on the city’s north side. USA Cycling’s new headquarters now consists of a 26,000-square-foot building on nearly two acres of land near I-25 on the northwest side of Colorado Springs.
Organization
USA Cycling is the official governing body for all disciplines of competitive cycling inthe United States, including road, track, mountain bike, BMX, and cyclo-cross. The
organization has a two-part mission: To achieve sustained success in international
cycling competition and to grow competitive cycling in America.
As a membership-based organization, USA Cycling comprises 2,400 clubs and teams; and nearly 70,000 licensees which include officials, coaches, mechanics, and competitive cyclists of all ages and abilities across all five disciplines of the sport.
Local Associations
In effort to grow the sport domestically, USA Cycling supports grass-roots initiatives through its 34 local associations (LA). Each year, USA Cycling reinvests a significant portion of its membership dollars back into these local programs, having distributed $2.5 million since its2003 inception.
Local and National Events
Each year, USA Cycling sanctions over 2,900 events across the U.S. Additionally, the organization administers eight national-level calendars and manages 17 national championship events for all ages and skill levels in road, track, mountain bike, cyclo-cross and BMX.A Decade of Growth
USA Cycling has seen steady growth over the last decade as participation in cycling has continued to grow across the nation. The organization’s 69,684 licensees in 2010 represent a 63% increase over the 42,724 from 2002.USA Cycling maintains development programs for men and women in all disciplines of competitive cycling, providing a structured pathway to the top tier of the sport. In 2010, 266 individual riders took part in USA Cycling’s National Development Program, gaining valuable race experience through 1900 fully supported race days.
Regonal and National Development Camps
Serving as entry points into USA Cycling’s National Development Program pathway, the Regional and National Development Camps aim to identify talent and, in some cases, name riders to USA Cycling rosters for major international competitions.International Race Camps
USA Cycling takes dozens of juniors on international racing trips each year. These riders gain race experience at the world’s top junior events, including Junior Paris-Roubaix and the Tour de L’Abitibi.European Resident Programs
Nearly 200 American cyclists live and train out of USA Cycling’s houses in Belgium, Italy, and Germany each season. This allows them to be fully immersed in European race culture—a necessary element for advancing to the top tier of professional cycling.Racing levels
USA Cycling racing levels are called categories, sometimes refereed simply as cats. The lowest category for road and track racing is 5 for men and 4 for women, 4 for cyclo-cross, and 3 for mountain bike racing. Decreasing categories represent higher ability levels with category 1 being the immediate step below professional level.Road
Upgrading from category 5 to 4 can be done after 10 mass start races. Category 4 to 3 can be requested when a certain amount of points is earned in races within in a 12-month period or race experience, 25 qualifying races with a minimum of 10 top ten finishes with fields of 30 rides or more. 30 points in a 12-month period is an automatic upgrade to category 3. Upgrades from 3 to 2 and 2 to 1 are based on a number of points in a 12-month period. Category 3 to 2 requires 25 points to be eligible and 40 points for an automatic upgrade.
Cyclo-cross
Upgrading in cyclo-cross follows the same upgrade pattern as road but with different points requirements. in this case it is 10 points in a 12-month period to upgrade from category 3 to 2 and 20 points from category 2 to 1.
Track
Upgrading from track category 5 to 4 is done by taking a velodrome
Velodrome
A velodrome is an arena for track cycling. Modern velodromes feature steeply banked oval tracks, consisting of two 180-degree circular bends connected by two straights...
safety course or 4 race days, and as with road is done by points, but with the add requirement of 5 race days.
Mountain bike
Riders may upgrade to category 2 as fast as they want. After 5 top-5 finishes as a category 3 rider, a rider must upgrade to category 2. After 2 top-5 category 2 finishes, a rider may upgrade to category 1, and after 5 top-5 finishes a rider must upgrade to category 1.