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Collegiate Riders nationwide,
I hope everyone is having a great summer and anticipating
the collegiate seasons to come. I will try to make this a brief update to
highlight some items that I believe you need to know in preparation for the
coming seasons within your respective conferences and Nationals.
All Collegiate Rules referenced below can be located with
the collegiate rulebook found here, http://www.usacycling.org/forms/collegiate/collegiate_rulebook.pdf.
*TRACK*
The 2008 USA Cycling Collegiate Track National Championships
will be held in Colorado Springs, CO on September 11th-13th.
Details will be posted on USAC’s championship page as they
become available.
Riders must meet the eligibility requirements outlined in
Collegiate rule 11.1 (basically full-time student in good standing in the
current fall semester), general qualification outlined in 11.2, and the
specific Track requirements stated in 11.7. This includes incoming
freshman that have enrolled but may not have started the semester yet.
Qualifications are at the discretion of the Conference Director for Track
championships so if the conference establishes any form of conference track
season, additional requirements may be established. To compete in the
championship, riders are required to hold a USAC-Track category 4 or
above. To compete in the Points Race, all riders are
additionally required to hold a USAC-Track category 3 or above.
Track category requirements are firmly established with
experience, starts, and results; so if you plan to attend the championship, it
is recommended that you pursue these requirements over the summer months.
Track upgrade guidelines can be found on page 9-10 in the USAC rulebook, here.
Each collegiate team may bring a 8 men and 8 women.
Each rider is limited to competing in only three individual races.
Collegiate Track Championships will be ran under USA Cycling
Track Rules and regulations. Please review them in section 2 of the USA
Cycling Road, Track, and Cyclocross rulebook, including bikes that can be used
for each event in section 1J3.(a), here. The
Collegiate Team Pursuit is explained in rule 11.7.11.
Most conferences do not have conference competitions for a
Track season, but I encourage leadership within the conference to challenge
this. If there is a Velodrome within your conference the opportunity
exists to contact the manager and establish some races that may better prepare
your riders, teams, and conference to compete on the track and ultimately at
the Collegiate Track Championships. Best of luck and hope to see
all the trackies in CO in September!
*Mountain Bike*
The 2008 USA Cycling Collegiate Mountain Bike National
Championships will be held in Banner Elk, NC on October 24th-26th.
Details will be posted on USAC’s championship page as they
become available.
Riders must meet the general Eligibility and Qualification
requirements established in sections 11.1 and 11.2 and the additional Mountain
Bike requirements outlined in rule 11.8 in the Collegiate Rulebook.
Basically riders must be full time students in good standing in the current
fall semester and must have raced as a Category A rider at Conference
Championships and one other race OR as a Category A rider in their final 3
conference races in that discipline. This applies to both Endurance and Gravity
races.
The requirements for racing Collegiate Categories is
well-defined and is highly correlated with the USAC-Mtn guidelines. Full
explanation of all category requirements can be found here. To
compete at Collegiate Mountain Bike Nationals, you MUST be a Category A rider.
If you currently do not meet the A category requirements (basically being an
Expert level rider) and plan to attend the championship, it is recommended that
you pursue these requirements over the summer months. Mountain bike
upgrade guidelines can be found on page 12-15 in the USAC rulebook, here.
Teams may bring a total of 8 men and 8 women to the championship
event, but 2008 guidelines regarding the number of riders that may start and
score points are outlined in rules 11.8.8-9.
This is the final year in Banner Elk for the Championships, so
if your school/team is interested in hosting the 2009 and forward championship,
contact USACs Director of Mountain Bike Programs, Kelli Lusk (klusk@...). The bid
application is found at, http://www.usacycling.org/forms/mtb/09_National_Champ_Application.pdf.
*Cyclocross*
The 2008 USA Cycling Cyclocross National Championship will
return to Kansas City, KS on December 11th-14th for its
final year. Details will be posted on USAC’s championship page as they
become available.
Riders must meet the general Eligibility and Qualification
requirements established in sections 11.1 and 11.2 and any additional
Cyclocross requirements outlined per the Conference Director. Basically
riders must be full time students in good standing in the current fall
semester.
Teams may bring 8 men and 8 women to the championship event.
Not all conferences have conference competitions for a CX
season, but I encourage leadership within the conference to challenge
this. As of now at least 3 conferences are hosting a CX season with a
combination of stand-alone Collegiate CX events or piggy-backing on existing
races by convincing the promoter to add collegiate categories. If this is
something of interest within your conference, please contact your Conference
Director or myself. See you crazy crossers in Kansas!
*Petitions & Suggestions*
These rules, requirements, and qualifications are designed
with as little ambiguity as possible, but if something is in question, riders
may petition the Collegiate Board of Trustees. That process is outlined in
Collegiate Rule 2.3.3. If any suggestions to these rules are on the tip
of your tongue, the Collegiate Board of Trustees always welcome input.
This process is outlined in Collegiate Rule 2.3.4.
*Upgrades*
All upgrades are processed through online support requests
that are created/submitted through your personal My USA Cycling Page.
Please submit all upgrade requests in a timely fashion to allow adequate
processing time so you will be able to race in the category where you are best
suited based on your experience. Note that racing outside of the category
that is indicated on your annual USAC license is a rule infraction (USAC Road,
Track & Cyclocross Rule 1H1.) that is punishable as defined within Rule 1C.
Please request upgrades in advance to ease early season registration
hassles and to avoid any penalties.
Ride on,
Daniel
Matheny
National Collegiate & High School Cycling
Manager
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