The general classification an athlete earns at a race determines the amount of points they earn. Depending on your local organizing body of USAC, there are additional opportunities for Novice and Cat 4 racers to get extra upgrade points in ways that will make them better racers. A Category 3 or higher racer can mentor a race in an effort to teach lower category racers race craft and bike handling skills. This provides an opportunity for these lower category racers to earn an additional USAC upgrade point for a mentored race.
In order to earn that additional upgrade point, you need to finish the mentored race and attend its post-race meeting. If you complete all three sections of the BRP, you can earn 5 upgrade points as a Novice racer or a Cat 4 racer. USAC sanctioned clinics are usually organized by your local organizing body and can be a great way to learn bike handling skills and race craft.
Cat 4 athletes can earn up to 5 points through clinics. Once you have accumulated the required points for your next category upgrade, it is your responsibility to send documentation of the races and events in which you earned those upgrade points to your local USAC organizing body.
In most cases, there is a specific individual in charge of category upgrades. In order for the upgrade request to be accepted, it must be sent through your online USAC account and follow the format in this example:. With the above structure, choosing your events carefully and having the right focus can be hugely beneficial. Here are a few things to consider:. It can be tempting to aim for smaller fields that allow you a better chance at winning, but if your goal is to upgrade categories, this is not the best strategy.
Racing with more people awards more points to top finishers, but it also gives you the opportunity to learn more and get faster.
Races that favor your strengths with large fields are exactly what you should be looking for. Stage races almost always have large fields and are a great way to build experience. They are also a good way to double dip on upgrade points. A whole season of chasing upgrade points can be shortened to just a few stage races if you pick events that favor your strengths, have big fields, and fair competition for your abilities. In many cases the constant chasing of a category upgrade can cause desperation and a lack of focus for a racer.
Try different tactics, learn to recognize signs of fatigue or anxiousness in competitors, learn your limits in a breakaway, but above all learn to be a proficient bike racer. It could be argued that this is the fastest way to upgrade categories. After all, the objective of categories in road racing is to help you safely learn what you need when you need it, so sticking around in your current category could actually be the best approach.
It can teach you what is needed to actually win bike races, instead of just shooting for a good placing. For more cycling training knowledge, listen to Ask a Cycling Coach — the only podcast dedicated to making you a faster cyclist. New episodes are released weekly. Over 12, reviews in the App Store. An average of 4. The highest rating of any cycling training app. Over 16 million workouts completed and counting. All because we focus on one thing: helping you get faster.
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Your email address will not be published. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed. Do upgrade points roll over from category to category or do you start over at zero again after each upgrade? Nicely done, Jonathan. Allowed up to 10 points. Maximum 5 points. Maximum 3 points. If I, as a norwegian, were to race as a amateur in the US, would i end up in a cat 5 group? Our Favorite Gel Alternatives for Cyclists.
Are you sure you want to delete this family member? Find activities close to home. Activities near you will have this indicator. Within 2 Miles. Activities near you will have this indicator Within 2 Miles. To save your home and search preferences Join Active or Sign In.
To save your home and search preferences. Great merchants! If you're planning to race outside of the United States, you may need an international license and a Foreign Permission Letter. Check with the event organizer for more information. Make sure to pay attention to the weather and dress, hydrate, and protect yourself from the sun appropriately.
Making sure your equipment is up to the rigors of racing is a very important aspect of racing and often one of the more overlooked areas for new racers.
Be sure to check everything from your helmet to the cleats on your shoes to ensure nothing is cracked or on the verge of breaking. The passion of the open road. The speed and unbridled power. Rolling hills, endless climbs, and winding descents.
An Olympic sport since , road cycling has the deepest roots of all disciplines. While road racing typically happens during spring and summer months, the occasional race pops up in fall and winter in warmer states.
Also known as a TT, this race can be done either individually or as a team depending on the event in a race against the clock. This race does not allow for drafting and everyone starts on their own in 30 seconds to one minute intervals. Some events come in standard lengths, whereas ultra-endurance events allow riders to ride as far as possible within the time limit.
This is likely the longest of the single day race types, and begins with a staggered mass start — where everyone in a specific category starts together. These races are created based on distance instead of time, and typically range from miles in length. Drafting is allowed and team tactics will definitely come into play!
Criteriums crits are another mass start event, but are set up on a closed not open to car traffic course that is typically a mile or less and may include sharp corners. Racers do repeated laps of the course for a pre-determined amount of time - usually 30 to 90 minutes.
These races allow drafting and tend to be quite fast. Racing with a team allows for more strategy and blocking tactics over the course of the race. A stage race is a combination of the previous events, held over several consecutive days, with one race type on each day. It may include road races, criteriums, a time trial, or a circuit race which is basically somewhere between a road race and a criterium.
Each day, the time it takes you to complete that stage is recorded, and the rider with the lowest total time over the duration of the race wins. Some race stages receive time credits for wins. This favors the rider with the best all-around ability, but you can always shine on the stages that suit your skills and talent! What is this crazy sport your friends have been talking about? Cyclocross is kind of like a steeplechase, but on a bike, with courses that can consist of grass, dirt, mud, pavement, short, steep hills, off-camber sections and a few obstacles.
Obstacles may include low, wood planks called barriers , stairs, unrideably steep hills, or logs. These force the rider to get off and remount their bike multiple times a lap. There is a technique to dismounting and re-mounting your bike quickly.
This takes some practice and patience. Cyclocross races begin with a staggered mass start — where everyone in a specific category starts together.
Depending on experience level, racers compete for minutes by racing multiple laps around a short course typically 1. Track cycling takes place on a velodrome, which is a closed, banked oval. The Novice category replaces what was the lowest numerical category in each disciplines.
For the present, the old numerical category and new Novice designation are completely interchangeable. This includes any policies or regulations that apply to races or race directors.
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