New Racer's Guide

We at FloridaCycling.Com know that going to a race for the first time can be intimidating. We have devoloped this guide to help you ease your way into that first event and show up more prepared. We will give some terms that you should know along with a timeline for raceday. A rules primer, an Upgrade requiements section and a basic pointers area. If there are questions that you have that we have not addressed here feel free to email us.

Terms:
The Wheel Pit: The "Pit" is the area where riders keep spare wheels during a criterium. It is usually located right next to the start/finish line. Always put a tag or marker on your wheel set to identify your team, name and/or race number. Don't put $1,000 wheels in the Pit. Even though we would like to think all cyclists are nice, honest people, some wheels are stolen from the pit. It is often monitored by a volunteer or bike shop employee but sometimes wheels disappear. Make sure to pick up your own wheels immediately after your event to lessen the chance of diappearance.

Free Lap: A Free Lap is granted in a Criterium only. A rider who has a flat tire or crash is eligible for a free lap. You must go to the wheel pit and check in with an Official to make sure you qualify for a free lap. No free laps are granted within the last 5 KM.


USCF Rules:
Keep you hands on the handlebars in the sprint finish of all races. Two reasons; its safer when you can steer your bike and you can't be scored as a finisher if you are sitting up and your race number isn't visible.

There is no "feeding" in a criterium. Feeding is only allowed in Road races when specified by race officials. Some cat 5 races are not long enough to allow for feeding so be prepared to carry enough water/food when feeding is not allowed.

In all road races there is a "Centerline Rule". This means that you must always stay to the right of the centerline of the road. It does not matter if it is a dotted line or a solid line. It is simply a safety issue that all riders stay to the right of that line. If you move up in the field on the left of that line the official at the back will make you go to the back of the field.. The centerline rule is usually lifted for the last Kilometer of races. Listen to the Chief Official in the pre-race announments to verify that.


RaceDay Timeline:
Plan to arrive at the race 1 1/2 hours prior to your race start time. What to do upon arrival;
*Go to Registration (Have USCF License and a Release form filled out and ready)
*Ask to make sure of your scheduled race start time
*Pin number on Jersey
*Pump up race wheels and spare wheels
*Fill water bottles
*Warm-up for at least 20 minutes. Include a few efforts to raise the heart rate
*Remove Seat Bag


Upgrade Requirements:
To Upgrade from Cat 5 to Cat 4 you must compete in 10 mass start USCF events. (Not Time Trials) These can be local training races or the larger events. Triathlons do not count, Mountain Bike Races do not count.
If you are a cat 5 and you race in a combined 4/5 race and do well it does not mean you can go to cat 3.
To Upgrade from Cat 4 to Cat 3: There are three ways; you can amass 20 USCF Upgrade Points or place top 10 in 10 races or do 25 Cat 4 races. Upgrade points are not the same as any State based points system and are as follows.
1st- 7 Points
2nd- 5 Points
3rd- 4 Points
4th- 3 Points
5th- 2 Points
6th- 1 Point
How do you upgrade? Login to USACycling.org and request an upgrade.

Basic Pointers: Number Placement, it is vital if you want to be placed in any race that your number is pinned on correctly. Remember that you're not racing the Tour and your number does not go on your jersey pockets.

No aero bars are allowed in mass start races. TT bars may only be used in Time Trials and Team Time Trials.
Race Jerseys must have at least short sleeves(no sleeveless jerseys are allowed)

 


Home/Calendar/Results/FPS Points/Resources/Promoters
© 2006 Copyright FloridaCycling.com - All rights reserved.
Owned and Operated by TOPVIEW Sports LLC.
Terms of Use - Privacy Notice
TOPVIEW Sports, LLC. owns and operates FloridaCycling.com.
Pablo Santa Cruz and Tim Molyneaux lead an experienced sports management and operations team.
Our vision is to bring communities, families, and participants together by promoting cycling with passion as a lifestyle
Our mission is to create world-class competitive and recreational cycling products and services for professional, amateur, and family participants.
Our values are faith, family, community and excellence.
Our assets and resources include:
The best and most experienced Cycling Management Team.
The best and most experienced Cycling Operations Team.
The best and most experienced Cycling Marketing Team.
The best and most visited Cycling Web Portal.
The best and largest Cycling Databases of cycling participants and enthusiasts.
The best Cycling Events (Florida Points Series, Florida Cup, Florida Cycling Criterium State Championship, Florida Cycling Time Trail State Championships, Florida Cycling Road Race State Championships, Florida Cycling Track State Championships, International Cycling Series, Cycling Grand Prix).
The best state-of-the-art Cycling Equipment (cycling event stage, cycling event sound equipment, cycling event video equipment, cycling event computer equipment, cycling event timing equipment).
The best state-of-the-art Cycling Computer Systems (mass emailing, event registration, event results, results reporting).
We offer the following sports and cycling products and services:
Cycling Camps, Cycling Tours, Florida Bike Tours, Florida Bike Races, Florida Cycling Camps, Florida Cycling Tours, Florida Cycling Clinics, Cycling Racing Calendar, Cycling Touring Calendar, Cycling Event Management, Cycling Marketing Services, Cycling Advertising Services, Cycling Merchandising Services, Cycling Sponsorship Services, Cycling Event calendar Listing Services, Cycling Event Results Listing Services, Specialty Cycling Apparel, Specialty Cycling Products, Florida Cycling Team, Florida Velo Cycling Team, Amateur Development Cycling Team, Junior Development Cycling Team.
Bike raceing in Florida has never been better. After winnig 7 Tour de France events, Lance Armstrong has made cycling rise in popularity among among new athletes. Lance and ex- fiancee, Grammie Award winner, Cheryl Crow became such a high profile couple during the 2005 Tour de France that the mainstream media took notice of cycling again. Not since Greg Lemond in the lat 1980's and early 1990's had bike racing enjoyed such success in the mainstream media. Magazines like Men's Health nd Outside Magazine as well as Sports Illustrated all took advantage of the height of cycling and Lance Armstrong in recent years. Tyler Hamilton also emerged into some media oulets as the american journalists serched for the sports dark side and any doping scandel within cycling. Tyler Hamilton Foundation and the Lance Armstrong Foundation have worked for those affected by cancer and in Tyler's case other stuff.

Microsoft VBScript runtime error '800a01a8'

Object required: ''

/NewRacer.asp, line 259