Some of you have noticed that your license now shows a cyclo-cross (CX) category that was not there before. In addition, if you look in your membership account, you might think you have purchased an extra license. Don’t worry: You have not.

Beginning with the 2006 season, all licensees have a CX category on their license. You will not see that information until you actually purchase the 2006 license, but the information is already there. This part is the first phase of a new system where CX is a separate category and upgrade points are awarded in CX events for that category.

If you are a new racer, then your CX category will start as a 4. Just as in road and track events, you can upgrade to a 3 by earning points in CX races.

If you had a 2005 USCF or NORBA license, then you were issued a 2006 CX category when you renewed. Here’s how the categories initially translated:

If you had both a USCF license and a NORBA license in 2005, and your USCF road and NORBA XC categories would lead to two different CX categories, the higher of those two was used for your 2006 CX category. This change was made to acknowledge the tremendous growth and specialization in cyclo-cross, and the fact that road categories are often not indicative of CX ability. Given this possible discrepancy, if you feel that your USCF road or NORBA XC category did not translate correctly to your best CX category, you may request a category change online or directly through your upgrade administrator.

For more information on upgrading, please see the information on the upgrade requirements.