Frequently Asked Questions
  • Making the Transaction

    After you have chosen the security and the amount you will give, your investment broker can help complete the gift. Please contact the USA Cycling Foundation office and advise us of the gift to be made, and the method you expect to use for delivery of the cash or securities. It is the Policy of USA Cycling Foundation to determine the gift value of the transfer for pledge purposes when the securities have been received by our account at Thomas Weisel Partners. In order to be sure that our broker is aware securities are being transferred to the brokerage account, you must notify them of the specific number of shares and the date to look for the securities.

  • What is Best to Give?

    Publicly traded securities are usually the simplest to give due to the ease of transferring them and determining their value for deduction purposes. Closely held stocks may also be given, but special rules apply to them. Other properties may make outstanding gifts, but again, special rules may apply. It is usually better to sell securities that have dropped below their original value and then give the cash proceeds, as you may realize tax benefits from both the capital loss and the charitable gift. Please consult your tax advisor prior to making gifts of this type in order to maximize both your gift and your deduction.

  • How does the Champions Club serve athletes?

    Champions Club members do more than provide financial support alone. You have an opportunity to make your impact felt by serving on our Foundation Board of Directors. We welcome all Champions Club members to consider joining this Board and bringing your unique experiences and skills to the planning and strategy of our support of USA Cycling High Performance operations, and putting our Olympic medal goals closer within reach.

  • How does the Champions Club support athletes?

    Champions Club contributions support the global programs operated by USA Cycling to provide pathways for American riders to reach international medal podiums. High performance athlete development requires time and consistent training and racing opportunities. The Champions Club directly impacts the reach and breadth of USA Cycling programs that provide these opportunities. Champions Club Members support the Foundation with an annual gift of $25,000.

  • How does the Champions Club advocate for USA Cycling?

    Advocate on behalf of the USA Cycling Foundation locally and nationally.

  • How does the Champions Club promote USA Cycling?

    Champions Club members are some of the strongest advocates of the USA Cycling High Performance mission. As a network of like-minded major donors, the collective passion of the Champions Club naturally leads to expanded support, which allows USA Cycling to expand its programs and enhance its impact in building the champions of tomorrow.

  • How do you decipher what is a training ride in the context for Spot Coverage?

    Spot considers a training ride as bicycling riding outside of a racing environment, and/or organized competition. Spot considers a "race" as any officially organized occurrence(s) where public participation is encouraged, involving one or more bicycles and operators in which an occurrence begins and reaches completion and/or repeats a regular sequence. The occurrence can be competitive and/or non-competitive in nature. Theses definitions are not fully comprehensive and submitted claims will always require review during adjudication.

  • Do I need to be a US Resident to obtain Spot Coverage?

    US residency is not a requirement to have Spot coverage with USA Cycling. Eligibility to enroll in Spot coverage is governed by the eligibility to purchase a membership through USA Cycling.

  • When can I renew my club?

    2023 Club registration will be available starting December 1, 2022. Club admins can renew through their account here.

  • How do I add a sub team to my club?

    Once you've logged into your account and into your club admin page, towards the bottom you will find the 'Add Team' button. Enter your new Team Name and then assign the Rider Levels, Disciplines and Tags. If the team is open to all select all Rider Levels and all Disciplines.

  • How do I add a club contact to my club/team?

    Once you've logged into your account and into your club admin page, towards the bottom of the page you will find the 'Invite Contact' button, you will need to know the license number of the member your wishing to add. Please note they will first need to be a member of the club prior to adding them as a club contact. Depending on the situation you will first need to invite them to the club if they are currently not a member and then proceeding to inviting them to be a club officer.

  • How do I add members to my club/team?

    Once in your Club Admin page, navigate to the members tab (located under the name of the club) from here scroll to the bottom of the page where you will find the 'Add Member button,' you will need to know the license number of the member to add them to your club.

  • How do I associate my club/team to my license?

    To associate a club to your license you will will locate the option via the license tab in your account. Scroll down to your license card, there you will be able to search and assign yourself to your desired club/team.

  • Who can I associate to my club/team?

    Anyone who holds a license, either a race license or technical license will work. Anyone that currently holds just an account will need to pick up either a Race or Technical license. At this time, we do not have the ability to associate those who hold the RIDE Membership product.

    • In terms of club officers this is a change in business rules. All club officers will need to hold a license of some type to be associated to the club, just an account will no longer work.
  • What benefits do I have by becoming a registered club with USA Cycling?

    As a registered club with USA Cycling, your club will receive: access, resources, and recognition.

    As a registered club with USA Cycling, you’re a part of our larger community with access to different aspects of the cycling world. This includes visibility in our club finder tool, access to additional club insurance offerings, complementary event organizer license, complementary first-time technical officials license, and more.

    Whether your club or team is just starting out or is working om becoming a Center of Excellence, USA Cycling has the knowledge base to assist you in your journey. This includes: Monthly clubhouse newsletter, Club Safe Sport Recognition Program, access to our knowledge base, access to our club admin tool, and SafeSport education.

    As an invested part of your cycling community, we want to thank you for your efforts in making our sport the best version of itself. Through our recognition programs we want to showcase the hard work that clubs all across the United States are doing in their communities. This includes: Club of the Year, Best in Kit, Club Safe Sport Program, and Centers of Excellence.

  • What is required to register my club with USA Cycling?

    To register your club with USA Cycling, the owner of the club will need to have an account with USA Cycling and will need to complete Safe Sport training within the next 45 days of registering with USA Cycling. At the time of registration, no additional club officers are required.

  • What are the different types of clubs?

    Clubs come in many shapes and sizes. Here is the breakdown of the club types that can register with us.

    • Club/team - This is the standard club that has both competitive and non-competitive members. This club type allows for sub teams to be added. Some sub team examples are Masters', Women's, or U23 Teams.
    • Collegiate - This club type is for those looking to participate in USA Cycling collegiate cycling and need to register their school to be in good standing with USA Cycling.
    • Junior Club - This club type is for junior programs that are strictly limited to members of the club being 18 and under. If you’re program will include U23 athletes, please register as a regular club/team and then register sub teams for the different age brackets, junior, U23, and Elite.
    • Domestic Elite Team – This club type is reserved for the USA Cycling DET race series.
  • How do I handle domestic and elite club registration and renewal?

    If your domestic club is the parent organization to your domestic elite team, please connect with your parent organization to register with USA Cycling. If your domestic elite team is a stand-alone program, please contact us here.

  • What types of clubs can I renew online?

    In the new club/team’s platform for USA Cycling, all types of clubs and renew for 2023. 2023 Club registration will be available starting December 1, 2022.

    If you need to register a new collegiate or junior program please submit this application.

  • Are parents who assist by providing transportation of junior to events (carpooling) required to take the SafeSport training?

    Yes, adults transporting minors (other than their own children) to events are considered “adults authorized by the club to have regular contact with or authority over minor athletes.”

  • Not all members of our club, including some ride leaders, board members, or parents providing transportation for juniors are members of USA Cycling. How do they take SafeSport training?

    Non-USA Cycling members can sign still take the training for free. Follow the instructions here.

  • Are all members of the club's board of directors required to take SafeSport training?

    Yes, all board members must take the training. You can learn more about the training here.

  • We have club rides that juniors may hop into from time to time. Would ALL ride leaders be required to take SafeSport Training?

    If the ride leaders are in regular contact with minor athletes (more than twice in a 12 month period), they need to take the training. If the contact with minor athletes is irregular, it will not be required, although still recommended.

  • Who needs to do SafeSport training?

    USA Cycling encourages everyone to do the training!

    • Staff and Board Members of any Club
    • Other individuals the Club authorizes, approves or appoints
      • to a position of authority over, or
      • to have regular contact with minor athletes, which is more than twice in a 12 month period
  • What are the terms to the General Liability club insurance?

    For the club to be eligible, the USA Cycling Club Insurance Application must accurately reflect the number of all club members (not just members with a USA Cycling race license). Every club member must sign a waiver before participating in a club activity.

    Waivers only need to be signed once by every member in each policy term. A new waiver is required every year, or for each policy term. Digital waivers are acceptable. We offer a sample waiver to get you started. We provide the sample for guidance and informational purposes only. We highly suggest final wording should be reviewed by your club’s legal representatives.

    Exclusions include trail construction and maintenance as well as any ride or race that charges a fee. USA Cycling sanctioned events - such as clinics, fun rides and races are inherently insured under the event itself and not included in this policy. Other notable exclusion include: Abuse and Molestation and Participant vs. Participant claims. See more details of the policy in the Club Insurance Application.

  • Why do clubs need General Liability Insurance?

    General Liability coverage is issued to protect the club against liability claims for hurting someone physically or causing property damage to others outside of the club for which the club could legally be responsible for causing the accident. This includes all cycling related club activities such as:

    • award banquets
    • meetings
    • approved fundraisers
    • club rides (club rides must not have any fees associated with them)
  • Who receives the club newsletter?

    Anyone listed on the club admin page is a club contact and will receive the club newsletter if their personal email preferences allow. Any club contact may add additional contacts to the club admin page.

  • What's the difference between a club and a team?

    A club is the group of cyclist registered as an entity under USA Cycling. Generally, a team is a competitive or specialized subset of the club. An example would be a junior development team or a women's team. Certainly, some clubs are also teams if they don't have sub groups.

  • How do I update the information in the Club Finder?

    Go to your club admin page and click the pencil icon next to Club Listing. Here you can edit the club logo, club feature image, intro and club description.

  • How do I access the club admin page?

    Any club contact will have access to the club admin page. Simply log in and in the grey menu, select 'Club Admin.'

  • What's the difference between a club and a varsity team?

    Club teams are USA Cycling Collegiate member clubs which have submitted the appropriate application to USA Cycling and are in good standing with USA Cycling and their individual school. Club teams are typically student led and any funds for the program that come from the school typically are from university programs budgets and not athletics.

    Varsity teams are distinguished largely by the amount of funding they get from both their school and outside sponsors. Additionally, they must have a USA Cycling licensed coach. In order to be recognized as a varsity program by USA Cycling, teams have to meet three of the four following criteria:

    1. Does your school recognize you as a varsity program?
    2. Does your team give out at athlete scholarships?
    3. Does your team pay entry for most collegiate races during the year?
    4. Did your team attend 2 USAC Collegiate National Championship events the previous year?

  • Which division is my school?

    Collegiate cycling is split into two divisions, Club and Varsity. Within the club program, there is a further split of Division I and Division II based on school size, with the threshold for Division I at 15,000 students. Smaller schools can, however, choose to compete at the Division I level if they choose. Only varsity programs can offer athletic scholarships to its riders.

  • What conference is my school in?

    The conferences are organized by region, largely, though not always, divided along state lines. There are 11 in all, and they are meant to make traveling to competitions more convenient for you. Check out the collegiate conferences page for the break-down of all the conferences.

  • Are composite teams allowed?

    No, when starting a club your team and its members may only be affiliated with a single school. If your school has no club, you can always start your own, as there is no minimum requirement for members. During conference races, though, you can compete with members of other clubs as a composite team for team time trials. Any results you earn, though, will not count toward the season's points, and this applies to the conference season only. No composite teams are allowed at USA Cycling Collegiate Nationals.

  • How do I start a team at my school?

    There is an annual club membership fee, however new clubs may register for free for the first year. All you need to do is fill out the USA Cycling Club Application Form and Collegiate Club Eligibility Form and send them in to USA Cycling (contact information can be found on the form itself). The same goes for renewing a club, which you can also do online through your club account.

  • Can I use aero equipment for track races?

    Yes, you can use aero equipment at collegiate track races, where otherwise allowed. That means aero bars, disc wheels, etc. are all good to go.

  • What are the rules on aero equipment?

    Collegiate cycling has a strict no aero equipment policy. This means that, if it's not mass-start legal, you can't use it. So while most helmets are okay, that disc wheels, tri-spokes, and aero bars won't fly. All wheels used in collegiate cycling must have at least 16 spokes. For more details and a list of what is allowed and what is not, head over to the regulations page.

  • How do I upgrade categories?

    Upgrade requests should be submitted through your USA Cycling account. Under your "License" tab. You can click to request an upgrade. You must then list all the races and results for which you think you earned upgrade points, as well the total number of points you have. The qualifying races and number of points necessary is different for each discipline and from category to category, so consult the upgrades policy for complete details.

  • What category should I be?

    Your category is a reflection of your racing experience and ability. If you have never raced before, you should start out in the lowest available category and work your way up. If you do have previous racing experience, but this is just your first time racing collegiately, then your collegiate category correlates to your USAC category. If you are a Category 3 on the road, for instance, then you can race in either the A or B fields in collegiate. Check out the collegiate policy document for full details.

  • How do I put on a race?

    Start by talking to your Conference Director to find out what dates are available and what needs to be done to put on the event. If there is one thing we cannot emphasize enough, though, it is that you need to plan ahead! It is never too early to start. If your school has put on a race before, get in touch with whomever was in charge last time. He or she will likely have a lot of useful information that will give you a huge head start.

  • Where can I find collegiate results and rankings?

    The location of results and rankings will vary by conference. Many conferences post their race results to their conference websites. Some will also post those results here at the USA Cycling website, and you can search for a specific event by simply typing that event's name into the "Search USA Cycling" box. Finally, we keep an archive of current and past national rankings.

  • What are the seasons? Road/track/cyclo-cross/mtb?

    Collegiate cycling has a season for every discipline. Track runs from summer to September; mountain bike goes from August to October; cyclo-cross is held from November to January; and road spans from February through May.

  • Are the races A/B/C or do they race at their USAC categories?

    The fields are separated according to collegiate categories. So, there is an A race, a B race, a C race, and so on. Your USA Cycling category does usually correlate to a collegiate category, though, and some of the collegiate categories encompass more than one USA Cycling category. On the road, for example, A's are Category 1, 2 and 3 (but only those with enough points) riders, while the B's are Category 3 and 4 (with enough points) riders. So a Category 3 rider may be fit into either category based on the number of points accrued. For more information, take a look at the collegiate policy document.

  • I’d like to compete at nationals. How do I do that?

    To compete in any USA Cycling Collegiate National Championship event, you must be a full-time student during the semester of championship eligibility, which is listed on the Eligibility Verification Form. You must also meet any other eligibility requirements, like race participation, as well as any qualification standards, which are different for every discipline and sometimes vary by conference. Reach out to your conference director.

  • Can incoming freshmen compete at Collegiate Nationals?

    In short, yes. Just have your registrar fill out the eligibility form proving that you are enrolled as a full-time student for the coming semester. Even if you haven't earned any credits yet, if you are enrolled as a full-time student for the coming fall, you are good to go.

  • How do I permit an event through USA Cycling?

    For more information on permitting an event, please visit the Permit Process page.

  • How do I edit the officers and contact info for my collegiate club?

    If you are already listed in the USA Cycling database as a contact for your club, you will see a link that says "Manage USA Cycling Clubs" under the "Tools" tab of your personal account. (If that link does not appear, someone who is listed as a contact can log in to their account and add you.) Follow this link to your club's account page and scroll down to "Club Contacts." From here, you can add a contact or edit/delete the current club contacts. If you can't get in contact with anyone that is currently listed, you can also get in touch with USA Cycling membership and ask them to edit this information for you.

  • How do I renew my collegiate club?

    If renewing a club, you have two options.

    A) You can renew by filling out the Club Application Form and the Collegiate Eligibility form and emailing. You can then pay by check, money order or credit card.

    B) You can also renew online and pay by credit card as well. If you are already one of the club administrators, you will see a "Tools" tab on your personal account, and from there, a link called “Manage USA Cycling Clubs.” Clicking on this link will take you to your team’s account page, where you will see all your team’s information. If the club membership is expired, you will see a link that says so and that will allow you to renew and pay right then and there. You will, however, still need to fill out and send in the Collegiate Club Team Eligibility Form.

    If you are a current team officer and do not see this link on your account either ask one of the previous team officers to add you as a club administrator or contact us and we can do it for you.

  • I went to renew my license and my club wasn’t on the list. Why is that?

    When purchasing your license, if you find that your team is not listed but you know that your school does have one, then contact your club president to get this issue resolved. It is likely that the club membership is simply expired or that some paperwork is missing. For more details, take a look at my school is missing page or reach out to collegiate@usacycling.org.

  • Does a collegiate license work for regular bike races? Does a domestic license work for collegiate races?

    Your collegiate license is valid for collegiate races only, but included in the purchase is a domestic license. If you only have a domestic license, you will need to "purchase" the free collegiate add-on through your account.

  • What if a school does not have a team? Can an individual race for another school or for their club team?

    You must race for the school you attend. If your school does not have a club, it is very easy to start your own. Once you have registered your club, you can simply race in a blank kit if you don't want to order school kits.

  • How long are licenses valid?

    Your collegiate license is good for 365 days from the date of purchase. If you hold an International license, your license will be valid until December 31st of the same calendar year you bought it.

  • How do I buy a collegiate license?

    First, create a USA Cycling account from the "Sign In" link, if you don't already have once. Once you are logged in, click on this link which will take you to the collegiate license purchase page. If you already have a domestic or international license and you only need to add-on a collegiate license. Log into your account, click on the "Licenses" tab, then "Upgrade your Membership". If you run into any issues, reach out to collegiate@usacycling.org.

  • How do I get started?

    The first thing you need to have is a USA Cycling Collegiate license. You can buy a One-Day license at the race or an Annual Collegiate License. You must also be a full-time student and your school must have a team. If your institution doesn’t have a cycling team, you can always start one. The normal (club) fee is waived for the first year.

  • What exactly is meant by full time status in order to compete?

    In order to race in ANY collegiate cycling race, whether in the conference season or at national championships, a rider must be full-time as defined by the rider’s university or college. Students in their final semester of a degree program who require less than full time hours will be allowed to compete, with submission/acceptance of the Final Semester Reduced Course Load waiver.*

    In order to race or compete at national championships, a collegiate athlete has to be considered full time for the semester in which the bulk of the season occurs. The term full time is used in accordance to the athlete’s university guidelines and for the purposes of Track, Mountain and Cyclo-cross needs to be within the fall term and for Road and BMX it is full time within the spring term.

    *A Final Semester Reduced Course Load waiver permits students to reduce their course load below full-time hours (at least one credit, but fewer than 12 credits) if it is the final semester of their degree program and they need fewer than 12 credits to graduate.

  • Why are professionals allowed to race in collegiate cycling?

    Collegiate cycling is open to anyone with the intent to not only get new riders into the sport, but also to allow those at the elite level to get an education while continuing to develop as a cyclist. Because of this emphasis on education we allow all levels of cyclists to compete with the hopes that this will encourage more athletes to get a college education.

  • Why are international riders allowed to compete?

    International riders that attend American universities are allowed to race as part of their university team with a collegiate license. This is because we judge eligibility based on the designation of the team and not the designation of the riders.

    Students at other international universities (American citizens or not) are allowed to race within the conference seasons on a case-by-case basis. However, these students are not allowed to compete at national collegiate competitions.

  • Does my race license include all member benefits?

    Your Race License purchase includes a USA Cycling Membership that gives you all of the exclusive discounts, deals and perks of being a member.

  • How long is my race license valid for?

    Race Licenses are active for 12 months from the day of purchase. International licenses are valid through December 31 of the year that the license is purchased.

  • How do I access my membership benefits?

    Once you’ve signed up for your membership, you’ll have a member account where you can view and update your personal information, change your subscriptions, manage your race license, and access your member benefits. You’ll see a page dedicated to partner discounts on products and services and partner events that provide USA Cycling member benefits. This page will connect you to any of our partners to tap into your benefits.

  • Is there a limit to the number of one-days I can purchase?

    There is no cap to the amount of times you may purchase either a beginner one-day license or an experienced one-day license. However, you may only redeem one one-day license purchase towards an annual license rebate. 

  • Can I purchase a one-day when registering for an event online through BikeReg?

    If the event is using the BikeReg online registration system, the appropriate one-day will be added to your cart based on the race you register for if you don't have a current racing license.

    To purchase a one-day license online where the event is not using the BikeReg online registration system, make sure you're logged into your USA Cycling account, and go to the events page. Choose the event you'd like to participate in, and then choose the date for your one day license in the One-Day drop down and follow the purchase steps from there. Our online system will determine what type of one-day you need for the event in question based on the categories in your account.

  • What events require a one-day?

    Competitive USA Cycling sanctioned events require a license to participate. Competitors who do not have an annual license can purchase a one-day license when registering for their event. Such riders do not become members and may not enter national championship events. Riders that purchase a one-day license are entitled to the USA Cycling accident medical coverage for the event day the license was purchased for and limited to only the cycling activity of the event. All medical coverage is subject to the terms, conditions and exclusions of the policy(ies). 

  • Can anyone participate on a one-day?

    Competitors can participate on a one-day as follows:

    Beginner One-Days One-Day licenses for beginner categories are $15 and may be purchased on USA Cycling’s website, or on-site at the event. The beginner categories are Cat 5 for road, track and cyclocross, and Cat 3 for mountain bike racing.

    Experienced One-Days If your categories prohibit you from entering a race with a beginner one-day license (anything but cat 3 for mountain bike and anything but cat 5 for road, track and cyclo-cross), you can purchase the experienced one-day license for $35. The experienced one-day license is only available online

  • How can I contact the Foundation?

    You can reach us directly at:

    Phone: 719-434-4260

    Email: usacfoundation@usacycling.org

  • What is USA Cycling Foundation's Federal Tax ID?

    USA Cycling Foundation

    Federal Tax I.D. # 84-1529751

  • What does my donation to the USA Cycling Foundation go towards?

    The Foundation has raised more than $20,000,000 to support USA Cycling athlete development programs for junior, under-23 and women’s programs since inception in 2000. 

  • Why a Foundation for Cycling?

    The elite athlete development process in cycling can span much of the formative life of an athlete and requires significant resources. Most of the countries against which we compete fund elite athlete development through government related funding. Of the major industrialized countries, only the United States does not maintain a socialized sport development system. As a result, American sports governing bodies, such as USA Cycling, must find the resources themselves to create and sustain development programs. USA Cycling is therefore significantly challenged to adequately invest in developing elite athletes which can compete against the best in the world. The USA Cycling Foundation was created with the primary purpose of raising money to support USA Cycling’s elite athlete development programs, including those supporting young athletes (juniors and Under-23) and women. Support the future of American cycling by making a donation today!!