Bike racing season set to get underway in March
 The 2010 bicycle racing season has arrived all over the country. There's a race for everybody as USA Cycling sanctions over 2,500 events per year. So if you're itching to get out and race, be sure to check out the "Upcoming Events" tab in your "My USA Cycling" account to find races near you.
Regional mountain bike racing gets underway this month with races one and two on USA Cycling's American Mountain Bike Challenge (AMBC) calendar. The Southeastern Regional Championship Series #1 will kick things off in Gainesville, Fla. on March 14 while the AMBC will continue with the Chickasaw Trace Classic in Columbia, Tenn. on March 28. Pro mountain bikers will kick off their season with the USA Cycling Professional Mountain Bike Cross Country Tour (Pro XCT) opener on March 27th - the U.S. Cup - Fontana in Fontana, Calif. USA Cycling's National Racing Calendar (NRC) also gets underway in March. The nation's premier Professional-Amateur road racing series will get started with the Redlands Bicycle Classic in Redlands, Calif. on March 25.
If you haven't renewed your license yet for 2010, make sure you do before heading out to the races. You can renew online by logging into your "My USA Cycling" account now.
Get your '09 Masters World Championship Jersey
 Why not surprise your masters cyclist with a commemorative 2009 Masters World Championship jersey? The Voler jersey features the USA Cycling logo and the words "2009 Masters World Championship Team" in the upper right corner.
The jersey would make a great gift, and the price has been reduced to $29.95. There are only 17 jerseys left, so click here to order yours online now. All proceeds from the sales of this jersey will go directly to support USA Cycling's programs.
Watch cycling on TV and online in 2010
 Universal Sports will be broadcasting both the UCI Tirreno-Adriatico Road Race and the Milan-Sanremo Road Race throughout March. Both races will be broadcasted to TV and Internet same day delay. The Tirreno-Adriatico race take place March 10-16 and will broadcast daily on TV and online from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. (ET). The Milan Sanremo race will broadcast on March 20th from 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. (ET) and will feature Lance Armstrong. You can follow all the action, along with highlight clips, photos, and news at www.universalsports.com/cycling.
 Cycling fans will have the chance to watch in-depth coverage of twelve of USA Cycling's 27 National Racing Calendar (NRC) events. "2010 NRC Live" will be available at www.insidecycling.tv to cover the pace and excitement of the races with live and on-demand distribution allowing fans to experience each race as well as the teams, riders, and stories surrounding the events. Viewers won't only get race coverage, but also rider profiles, behind the scenes insights, gear guides, and much more. The proposed coverage schedule is as follows:
March 25-28: Redlands Bicycle Classic - Redlands, CA
April 11: Dana Point Grand Prix - Dana Point, CA
April 15-18: Sea Otter Classic – Monterey, CA
April 28-May 5: SRAM Tour of the Gila - Silver City, NM
May 26: Basking Ridge Twilght Grand Prix - Basking Ridge, NJ
May 31: Tour of Somerville - Somerville, NJ
June 3: Richmond Twilight Grand Prix - Richmond, VA
June 4-6: Tulsa Tough - Tulsa, OK
June 27: Manhattan Beach Grand Prix - Manhattan Beach, CA
July 17: Boise Twilight Criterium - Boise, ID
July 20-25: Cascade Classic - Bend, OR
Aug. 18-22: Tour of Utah - Salt Lake City, UT
Go to www.insidecycling.tv and click on the NRC LIVE promo located on the home page to launch your interactive player.
*Schedule subject to change
USA Cycling-branded apparel available online
 When you visit the new USA Cycling online store, you can shop for USA Cycling-branded jackets, shirts, hats, backpacks, and much more, or be creative and customize your own.
There are no minimum orders or set-up fees, and your order will ship to your door in about a week. Click here to check out the new store now.
USA Cycling Member Benefits and Partners
Be sure to visit your "My USA Cycling" page often to check out all the member benefits you can enjoy while gearing up for the 2010 race season.
USA Cycling Preferred Dealers
To search for Preferred Dealers near you, click here.
How to follow USA Cycling through social media
There are lots of ways to follow what's happening at USA Cycling via Facebook, Twitter, and You Tube. Become a fan, a follower, and a subscriber today!
  
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USA Cycling has put $2.1 million back into local, grassroots racing initiatives since 2003
 As part of its ongoing effort to support grassroots racing initiatives, USA Cycling paid $404,885 to its 34 Local Associations based on 2009 license sales. The Local Associations are the driving force behind the recent growth of bike racing at the local level. Therefore, USA Cycling puts its membership dollars back into these local branches to continue fueling the sport. Since the program began in 2003, the Local Associations have received a total of $2.1 million in payouts from USA Cycling. Click here to read the full story.
Do you know your Local Association?
Whether you're looking for good group rides with a club, or you need help permitting your event - your LA is the place to turn. For more about your LA, click on the links below.
Check My Page for upcoming local races
All USA Cycling members are reminded to check the Upcoming Events tab on your My USA Cycling page for a complete list of upcoming races in your area.
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48 national titles up for grabs in Texas this month
 Forty-eight Stars-and-Stripes jerseys will be up for grabs in DeSoto, Texas this month as the USA Cycling BMX National Championships kick off the 2010 National Championship calendar. The March 20th event will feature riders as young as five and six, all the way up to elite-level BMX stars, duking it out for national titles at covered BMX facility. For more information about this event, including a schedule and hotel information, click here.
2010 National Championship calendar
 Sixteen national championship events will provide amateur and professional cyclists with opportunities to win Stars-and-Stripes jerseys across all five disciplines of competitive cycling in 2010. Click here to read more about the events. Below is a look at the 2010 USA Cycling National Championship calendar:
March 20: USA Cycling BMX National Championships - Desoto, TX
May 7-9: USA Cycling Collegiate Road National Championships - Madison, WI
June 12-13: USA Cycling 24-Hr Mountain Bike Nat'l Championships - Hazelton, WV
June 22-27: USA Cycling Elite, U23, Junior Road Nat'l Championships – Bend, OR
July 15-18: USA Cycling Mountain Bike National Championships - Granby, CO
July 4: USA Cycling Mountain Bike Marathon National Championships - Breckenridge, CO
July 8-11: USA Cycling Junior Track National Championships – Trexlertown, PA.
August 1-7: USA Cycling Masters Road National Championships – Louisville, KY
August 14: USA Cycling Professional Criterium National Championship – Glencoe, IL
September 1-5: USA Cycling Masters Track National Championships – Frisco, TX
September 18-19: USA Cycling Pro Road & TT Nat'l Championships – Greenville, SC
Sept. 29 – Oct. 3: USA Cycling Elite Track & Omnium National Championships - Carson, Calif.
September: USA Cycling Collegiate Track National Championships – Indianapolis, IN
October 14-17: USA Cycling Collegiate Mountain Bike National Championships – Truckee, CA
December 9-12: USA Cycling Cyclo-cross National Championships – Bend, OR
National Championship registration
Registration for all USA Cycling National Championships will open approximately 60 days prior to the start of the event. Riders can check the individual event page, found on the USA Cycling National Championship schedule, for a link to registration and more information on each event.
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2010 European MTB Development Race Camps
 USA Cycling will offer three European Mountain Bike Development Race Camps in 2010. Each camp will be based in Germany’s Black Forest and will extend over two race weekends, offering a significant development tool to riders who are eager to improve through international competition experience. A U23 Men’s camp will be held May 26-June 7; a Junior Men’s 17-18 camp June 9-21; and a U25 Women’s camp June 23-July 5. The deadline to petition for a spot at one of these camps is April 5. The petitioning process is open to all riders in the appropriate age groups. For more information on the camps or for more information on how to petition for a spot, please click here.
SELECTION PROCEDURES now available online for 2010 Mountain Bike World Championships
 Not only will the world's top mountain bikers make a stop at New York's Windham Mountain Resort this August for the UCI World Cup finale, but they'll stick around on this side of the pond for the world championships as well. The 2010 UCI Mountain Bike World Championships are being hosted by our friendly neighbor to the north in Mont-Saint-Anne, Quebec, August 31 to September 5, 2010. USA Cycling's mountain Bike World Championship selection procedures for 2010 are now posted online. Find out how YOU can qualify to compete at the Mountain Bike World Championships. Click here to read the selection procedures now.
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"My First Bike Race" - See the free webinar online
 In case you missed the live version of USA Cycling's "My First Bike Race" webinar on February 16, you can still have the opportunity to check it out. CLICK HERE to either watch the archived webinar streaming, or download it for your ipod. Whether you're a young rider or a more mature first-timer, you'll benefit from Dr. Kristen Dieffenbach's discussion of the logistical matters and some of the other issues you might encounter at your very first bike race.
USA Cycling's Coaching Education Department also offers other FREE webinars on its webpage. Visit the USA Cycling Coaching Education webinar page, and scroll down to the section entitled "Archived Webinars."
ADVICE FROM A COACH: The Training Week
 By Matt McNamara
Article originally appeared in PezCyclingNews.com
Nearly all of us have limits on our available training time, yet all of us are looking to improve our cycling abilities and performance. This often creates a paradox where we try to cram as much “stuff” as we can into our rides, but end up with sporadic performance and fitness gains. Let’s look at some ways to organize your training to accomplish all of the above and more. Click here to keep reading.
Eleven earn Level A Officials Certificates last month
 USA Cycling held a Level A Officials Clinic in Charlotte, N.C., Feb. 19-21. Congratulations to the following people for earning their Level A Certificate:
Category A Road and Track
Stacia Hood (Eugene, Ore.)
Roberta Abbott (Skykomish, Wash.)
Bill Nicholson (Wisconsin)
Category A Road
Gerald Teeuwen (Chesapeake, Va.)
Ronald Garrett (Xenia, Ohio)
Judy Rhyne (Southern Pines, N.C.)
Stephen Johnson (Charlotte, NC.)
DeeDee Scadron (Northbrook, Ill.)
Paula Mara (Davis, Calif.)
Danielle Craven (Virginia Beach, Va.)
Category B Road and Track
Josie Strange (Panama City Beach, Fla.)
To learn more about USA Cycling's Officials Programs, please click here.
WEBINAR: Training for Ultra-Endurance events
 Ultra-endurance events offer special challenges beyond what is normally covered in USA Cycling coaching education clinics. For this reason, Dr. Kristen Dieffenbach will present a webinar focused on training for events lasting longer than six hours (like 24-hour mountain bike races). The webinar will take place on March 24th from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. EDT. Dr. Dieffenbach coaches a variety of athletes and also competes in ultra-endurance events and adventure races.
The cost for this webinar is $25. For more information, please click here. To sign up for the webinar, log into your "My USA Cycling" account and click on "View Available Clinics."
FREE WEBINAR: Collegiate Cycling Opportunities
JUNIORS: Learn more about locating a collegiate cycling team
 On April 20, from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m., EDT, USA Cycling's High School and Collegiate Programs Manager, Jeffrey Hansen, will offer a FREE "Collegiate Cycling Opportunities" webinar. The event will be open to any interested party, will offer 0.1 CEU's, and will aim to inform juniors cyclists about locating a collegiate cycling team. Click here to register online now.
FREE WEBINAR: 2010 Rule Changes & Updates
On March 18, from 4:00 to 5:00 p.m. MDT, USA Cycling's Technical Director, Shawn Farrell, will offer a FREE webinar to explain the national governing body's rule changes and updates for the 2010 race season. Space is limited for this webinar. You can reserve your seat online by clicking here.
USA Cycling's coaching education program offers clinics, seminars, and webinars designed to educate coaches at various levels, train them for specialty certifications, or simply provide them with additional knowledge to enhance their coaching careers. For more information about USA Cycling's coaching education program, or to view FREE, archived webinars, please click here.
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SPECIAL THANKS to Team Garmin-Transitions and Team Columbia-HTC!
With the help of Team Garmin-Transitions and Team Columbia-HTC, USA Cycling’s Development Foundation wrapped up a successful auction last month, raising over $19,000 to support the future of American cycling. A pair of Americans who wish to remain anonymous placed the winning bids on a pair of seats in the two American Pro Tour teams mechanics’ cars. Two seats in the Garmin-Transitions car at the April 11 Paris-Roubaix went for more than $10,000 while the pair of seats in the Team HTC-Columbia car at the Tour of Flanders on April 4 raised just under $9,000 in support of USA Cycling’s Development Programs. We’d like to thank both the Team Garmin-Transitions and Team Columbia-HTC organizations for their support for the future of American cycling as well as all those who participated.
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