| Rider upgrades are handled electronically. You can request an upgrade online through your USAC account. The request will be sent to the person responsible for your area and/or category. You will need to follow the instructions online and provide the information about your race experience and placings. The information you provide must include the race date, name, type of event, category, number of participants, and placing. If the administrator approves the upgrade, your account will be changed so that when you request a new license, the category will be changed. For road, track, and cyclocross category changes, local Association representatives will also provide stickers for your license if you are not requesting a new one. Note that road, track, and cyclocross category 1 and mountain bike Semi-Pro and Pro upgrades require a license reissue. A mountain bike Pro license must be an international license.
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You may also request an upgrade as follows:
1) All road upgrades to Category 1 can be forwarded to the rider’s Regional Coordinator.
2) All other road upgrade requests for riders residing in states that have an official USA Cycling Local Association can be forwarded to the Upgrade Coordinator for the Local Association. If the state does not have a USA Cycling Local Association, upgrade requests can be forwarded to the Regional Coordinator. Please refer to www.usacycling.org (local resources), and click on your state for a list of Local Associations and Regional Coordinators.
Please DO NOT send your license. Contact your Regional Coordinator via phone or email with questions or circumstances not addressed in the rulebook.
Road Upgrades
Guidelines and Notes by Category:
5-4: Experience in 10 mass start races.
Local Associations may also establish policies where upgrade credit is given for taking a sanctioned rider education clinic.
4-3: 20 points in any 12-month period; or experience in 25 races with a minimum of 10 top ten finishes with fields of 30 riders or more, or 20 pack finishes with fields over 50. 30 points in 12 months is an automatic upgrade
3-2: 25 points in any 12-month period
40 points in 12 months is an automatic upgrade
2-1: 30 points in any 12-month period
50 points in 12 months is an automatic upgrade
USA Cycling may add additional requirements for upgrading at their discretion. Any such changes shall be made available on the website.
Qualifying Distances for each category
To qualify for upgrading points, races must meet distance standards. Races shorter than the minimum distance do not qualify for upgrading. However, if a road race is less than the road race minimum but above the criterium minimum, it will count for upgrading using the criterium points schedule.
|
Category
|
Class
|
RR
|
Criterium and Circuit
|
|
5 – 4
|
Men
|
15 mi
|
10 mi
|
|
4 – 3
|
Men
|
25 mi
|
20 mi
|
|
|
Women
|
25 mi
|
15 mi
|
|
|
Junior
|
25 mi
|
15 mi
|
|
3 – 2
|
Men
|
50 mi
|
20 mi
|
|
|
Women
|
40 mi
|
15 mi
|
|
2 – 1
|
Men
|
80 mi
|
30 mi
|
|
|
Women
|
50 mi
|
20 mi
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Points awarded for Criteriums and Circuit Races
|
|
Number of Starters
|
|
Placing
|
5-10
|
11-20
|
21-50
|
50+
|
|
1
|
3
|
4
|
5
|
7
|
|
2
|
2
|
3
|
4
|
5
|
|
3
|
1
|
2
|
3
|
4
|
|
4
|
|
1
|
2
|
3
|
|
5
|
|
|
1
|
2
|
|
6
|
|
|
|
1
|
Points awarded for Road Races
|
|
Number of Starters
|
|
Placing
|
5-10
|
11-20
|
21-50
|
50+
|
|
1
|
3
|
7
|
8
|
10
|
|
2
|
2
|
5
|
6
|
8
|
|
3
|
1
|
4
|
5
|
7
|
|
4
|
|
3
|
4
|
6
|
|
5
|
|
2
|
3
|
5
|
|
6
|
|
1
|
2
|
4
|
|
7
|
|
|
1
|
3
|
|
8
|
|
|
|
2
|
|
9
|
|
|
|
1
|
Points awarded for Stage Races (Cat 3 -> 2 and Cat 2 -> 1 upgrades only)*
|
|
Number of Starters
|
|
Placing
|
10-19
|
20-35
|
36-49
|
50+
|
|
1
|
5
|
7
|
10
|
20
|
|
2
|
3
|
5
|
8
|
18
|
|
3
|
2
|
3
|
6
|
16
|
|
4
|
1
|
2
|
5
|
14
|
|
5
|
|
1
|
4
|
12
|
|
6
|
|
|
3
|
10
|
|
7
|
|
|
2
|
9
|
|
8
|
|
|
1
|
8
|
|
9
|
|
|
|
7
|
|
10
|
|
|
|
6
|
|
11
|
|
|
|
5
|
|
12
|
|
|
|
4
|
|
13
|
|
|
|
3
|
|
14
|
|
|
|
2
|
|
15
|
|
|
|
1
|
* For points earned in stage races, GC and stage places both count for points, but only up to a maximum of 20 points for a cat 1 upgrade or 15 points for a cat 2 upgrade from a single stage race.
When deciding whether a rider qualifies for an upgrade, an administrator will take into account points earned in qualifying events per the table above. In the case of a rider who is marginally qualified, the quality of the events and the level of competition may be taken into account.
Road Downgrades
A rider who wishes to downgrade may request a downgrade online. Such requests will be evaluated individually. In no case will a rider be allowed to downgrade to category 5.
USA Cycling may add additional requirements for upgrading at their discretion. Any such changes shall be made available on the website.
