2011 USA Cycling Licence
 

Just got my 2011 licence. After all, I will find something under the tree. Nice!

this shud be a post in twitter feed

I never read the Twitter feed so I do apologize for this misbehavior. Feel free to close/move this post.

pic

You should be banned from the 33 just for posting this ;)

pics or it didn't happen ;)

I got mine - it's green, and says "3" on it!

Hoping to get a few cool stickers for it this year.

Only one more sticker in your future. They make you get a new card with the 1. :)

I'm planning to race on one-day licenses next year.

Any particular reason?

I think creaky was supposed to put a sarcasm smile at the end of his post.

Hate the new license each year. Makes me 6 months older than I am.

No kidding, I just turned 37 in November but my racing age for 2011 is 38 :crash:

If I get my license now while I am still with the team that I am on now, but then switch teams after the new year, do I have to get a new license or am I locked into racing with my current team even if I want to switch? Don't get me wrong; I like my current team. But, I might want to join a new team in 2011. (I figured a question like this had to be asked in this thread, so consider this my heartfelt contribution. Also, please don't ask me what it is that I am asking as that would be offpoint.)

You can change it mid-season, but I believe you have to pay something like $20 to get it reissued.

Try racing Cross, there I was a 44 year old 46 year old.

That's right ($15), although you can probably do a white sticker on the license for a while, or an authorization to ride thing. You change it online (drop down selection) and in whatever online profiles you have (bikereg, sportsbase, active, etc).

Just did my renewal online. 25 days to the first race of the new season.

A little off topic here, but I've a question regarding application. I raced cross this season on one day licences, I've never done any other racing. Do those cross race points count towards a road Cat 5-4 upgrade on my initial application or do I have to be Cat 5 Road since I've never raced road? The rulebook clearly states you can use road points to upgrade cross but I don't see where it works the other way around.

You have to start as cat 5 on the road, cross doesn't apply in that case.

Very good then.. that makes it easy.

New for 2011 - when registering you can select a different club/team affiliation by discipline. you used to have to petition for waivers to race for a different club (officially) during say cyclocross or track than what you raced for on Road. not anymore. You can select a different club for each one and all are listed on the new license. also the 2011 racing license doesn't technically go into effect until 1/1/11 so pick the team you want as of that date.

See above - you can register for more than 1 club at a time. also yes - $15

...OK....there is some grey area here. It depends on your local upgrade coordinator. Many in this area have been able to upgrade to a 4 without having 10 pure road starts. Many use cyclocross starts to augment.

While cyclocross has it's own categorization system. Road has it's own. races in 1 should not count towards the other for any reason. Yet....the road 5->4 upgrade simply states "Mass start" event or races. Considering the intention of category 5, and considering the experience and handling skills picked up during a cyclocross season I personally have no issue with any upgrade official who elects to use some cyclocross starts to help satisfy the upgrade request from 5->4 on the road.

Keep in mind these have been racers with 5-6 road starts and then 10-12 cross starts. It really isn't much of a stretch for the official to take the cross races in that case.

Interesting, I wonder if that works here - though I question the value of a "mass start" cross race - yes you start as a mass, but the "pack" disappears after about a minute, at least from what I've seen.

Alright, maybe not so cut and dried then, I'll put in my cyclocross results with the application, ask for a road '4', a cross '3' and see what sticks.

Value for what? Teaching someone how to corner on the road at 30 mph inches from the elbow of your best friend? Sure - I'd agree that it's worthless.

Teaching someone how to control their speed in corners wen redlined, handle the bike, hit the deck, etc.....cross wins hand down.

Teaching how to register, pin on your number, check results, obey the rules, know how lap counters work and bell laps, primes (yes we have cross primes here in Chicago).....then cross is just as good.

Until you hit that first corner going balls out with 100 of your closest friends into 3m wide.....ahh.....cross...

Remember though this is cat 5->4 on the road. No-brainer. It's all about experience and learning.....and it's not like there is any upgrade official that will upgrade you on cross starts alone. Every official I have talked to about 5->4 upgrades says the same thing. "It says 10 starts. Do you really have to have 10? No. What's the number? It depends. I have a number, but you're just going to have to figure it out. It's about experience and safety."

Besides...remember you can use safety clinics or even permitted "training rides" to count as a mass start.