"The 33"-Road Bike Racing - Difference between team and club?

What would you say are the differences.
What are some of the activites that you do on your teams that create a team environment?

Clubs ride. Teams race.

OK I'll buy that. It echoes my own thoughts. I guess I am more interested in the second question.

What are some of the activites that you do on your teams that create a team environment?
Are you talking about warm and fuzzy "team building" kind of stuff or ??? Not really sure what you're after here.

I am a member of a club, which has several teams. The club discusses riding in general. The team discusses tactics, specific races, training techniques related to racing, and so on.

Maybe you could elaborate what kind of information you're looking for, you will get some better answers.

Well I quess it is hard to specify what I am asking. Yes the team build stuff, but also the management of a team etc. I guess just a general answer would be good. Do your teams have training camps, coaches, team tactics (how do you work on building them?) etc.
The team I am on is a young team that is ready to take the next step from just wearing the same uniform.

Team building activity in nevada amounts to being motivated enough to go ride with the group when there is no way you would ride normally(i.e. recent cold streak of not getting over 25 degrees and cruddy road conditions)

Per USA cycling rules, Teams consist of riders that are paid, and clubs are everyone else.

I know of some "teams" that never speak to each other because they're busy doing their own thing. Consequently, they race like it. They seldom train together. They seldom ride to races together. The only thing that says 'team' is their matching jerseys.

I know of some teams on the other end of the scale that race and behave like a pro team: racing as a cohesive group incorporating tactics and selflessness, dressing the part on and off the bike (polo shirts), and being very selective about who they let on their team taking steps to preserve their chemistry.

I've seen some teams go away for a training camp only to get into such a fight that they never spoke after that.

My team does a dinner in January to get to know everyone including the sponsors. We'll do other things like that throughout the year. I believe that you have to do something to get to know who you're racing with, as opposed to picking 10 guys who ride fast and getting them all dressed in the same kit.

But generally, I think the majority of "teams" on the amateur side of this sport don't ride as a team, and only pay lipservice to what being on a team entails.


Hey Nitro, what's the rumor about the Athens Brick race coming back to life?? C'mon! Get it going! You have the power.

Per USA cycling rules, Teams consist of riders that are paid, and clubs are everyone else.

I am absolutely not paid to ride, and USA Cycling lists me as attached to a club and a team.

What happens if people want to wear, say, a logo'ed t-shirt instead of a polo shirt?

+1


Call me realistic but when you are young, you can buy the idea of riding for a team when your team offers no structure and guidance as to how to make you to become a better rider. Just for the sheer fact that you wear the same uniform as the guys next to you. Once you get older and have a car and don't race for a team just to buy bike parts at cost, you realize most amartuer teams are in fact clubs. You have no obligation, contractual agreement, or "duty" to any members of that team. There is no bonding. It gets complicated when you begin to bring your life experience into it. You realize you have nothing in common with your "team mates" at all other than you too are wearing the same uniform.



I know of some "teams" that never speak to each other because they're busy doing their own thing. Consequently, they race like it. They seldom train together. They seldom ride to races together. The only thing that says 'team' is their matching jerseys.

I know of some teams on the other end of the scale that race and behave like a pro team: racing as a cohesive group incorporating tactics and selflessness, dressing the part on and off the bike (polo shirts), and being very selective about who they let on their team taking steps to preserve their chemistry.

I've seen some teams go away for a training camp only to get into such a fight that they never spoke after that.

My team does a dinner in January to get to know everyone including the sponsors. We'll do other things like that throughout the year. I believe that you have to do something to get to know who you're racing with, as opposed to picking 10 guys who ride fast and getting them all dressed in the same kit.

But generally, I think the majority of "teams" on the amateur side of this sport don't ride as a team, and only pay lipservice to what being on a team entails.


Hey Nitro, what's the rumor about the Athens Brick race coming back to life?? C'mon! Get it going! You have the power.

Do teams/clubs get any added benefit from USAC by having more riders as licensed members (as opposed to people just riding with the club, but not racing)?

I plan to run a team like Bjarne does. I'll set em all out in the Sask wilderness and make then lift heavy $hit and after 2 days of sleep deprevation I'll chase em with dogs. That'll lift their spirits muhahahah!

On second thought maybe we'll just go for dinner after a race

Do teams/clubs get any added benefit from USAC by having more riders as licensed members (as opposed to people just riding with the club, but not racing)?
Not directly, but it's easier to fullfill the requirement of hosting a race or paying the waiver fee when you have enough people to run an event (or pay dues to cover the fee)

DrPete, are you sure you're on what USCF calls a "team" or do your buddies call it a team while USCF calls it a club? Last time I checked, even the semi-pro Colorado Cyclist team had to have a club title (not allowed to be a sponsor's name), which was its listing with USCF.

Personally and disregarding any federation definitions, a club is the organization while a team is a group that races together, usually on the same club (but not necessarily). I used to race and work in conjunction with a different club when I was in a different age category as my fellow club members. It had an advantage, too, as competitors didn't think we were as strong since they didn't see a group of like jerseys.

DrPete, are you sure you're on what USCF calls a "team" or do your buddies call it a team while USCF calls it a club? Last time I checked, even the semi-pro Colorado Cyclist team had to have a club title (not allowed to be a sponsor's name), which was its listing with USCF.

My racing license for 2007 in all its Cat 4 glory (:rolleyes:) lists my USAC club (Route 1 Velo) and my USAC team (Capitol Hill Bikes). Not sure why it was done this way but there it is...

Hey Nitro, what's the rumor about the Athens Brick race coming back to life?? C'mon! Get it going! You have the power.

Where are you hearing this rumor? I guess its been flying around but it gets a little complicated with what the previous promoter did when we stopped having it (or so i've heard). I'm not sure whats going on as i'm just a poor college student working at a bike shop and racing.

But my friend and I are organizing an Alley Cat race on Feb 10th if you were interested

My racing license for 2007 in all its Cat 4 glory (:rolleyes:) lists my USAC club (Route 1 Velo) and my USAC team (Capitol Hill Bikes). Not sure why it was done this way but there it is...

Similar here. Screen capture of the "My USA Cycling" page offered as 'evidence':
http://img442.imageshack.us/img442/3675/usac6wx.png (http://imageshack.us)

It is laughable to think that I would actually get paid to ride.

try this

http://www.bikereg.com/Cycle-Smart/articles/20041006.asp

My racing license for 2007 in all its Cat 4 glory (:rolleyes:) lists my USAC club (Route 1 Velo) and my USAC team (Capitol Hill Bikes). Not sure why it was done this way but there it is...
I see. Things have changed since I was racing. I don't even know what USAC is.

I see. Things have changed since I was racing. I don't even know what USAC is.

It stands for USA Cycling, the governing Uber-body that includes NORBA, USCF, and whoever else.

try this

http://www.bikereg.com/Cycle-Smart/articles/20041006.asp

Great article. Thanks!

USA Cycling explanation/definition

Road and track cycling has grown up under the control of the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI), the world governing body for the sport of cycling. Essentially, non-professionals (amateurs) ride for clubs, professional cyclists ride for UCI teams.

And

So where does that leave all the other cycling teams? Well, cycling tradition says you ride for a club - either a sponsored or an unsponsored club. Many riders refer to their sponsored club as a team (or segments of their club as riding on a team). USA Cycling recognizes clubs and teams.

For the full USA Cycling reading

USA Cycling Club/Team (http://www.usacycling.org/news/user/story.php?id=666)

Call it what you want. It won't matter to 99.9% of the people you ride with, unless you are riding with someone from USA Cycling or the UCI.

My racing license for 2007 in all its Cat 4 glory (:rolleyes:) lists my USAC club (Route 1 Velo) and my USAC team (Capitol Hill Bikes). Not sure why it was done this way but there it is...

It's because the club can have one name that goes on year after year, but the name of the Club's racing team changes as sponsor's change. I used to ride for Team Go Mart, but our club name was Vandalia Velos. Later it changed to Team West Virginia, but the club remained Vandalia Velos.

Here locally we have Coastal Chiropractic team, which is made up of people from the Redhills Racing club.

It's possible to be a member of a club with a racing team and not be a racing memeber. In USAC's eyes anybody who's a member of USAC club, but doesn't have an active racing license is a non racing member.

Ahhh... It all makes sense now.

It stands for USA Cycling, the governing Uber-body that includes NORBA, USCF, and whoever else.
Ahh, that rings a bell. When I was racing, that was the name of the magazine USCF and NORBA members got that listed races, national events, etc. I remember when you could list anything you wanted as your team/sponsor at NORBA races. One year I raced under "Wheel World", the lbs I worked for, and the next year I raced under "Agoura High School" for the school club I started. USCF was more strict at the time, so I had fun when I raced mtb.

It's because the club can have one name that goes on year after year, but the name of the Club's racing team changes as sponsor's change.

and don't forget that a club can be big enough to have sub-teams, like CRCA, which has more sub teams than i can remember.

what i can remember, is the fight we had to get the whole system set up back in the early 90s.