matgarf

i was at my first race this weekend, and a woman (from uscf i think?) said, "you don't want to hear my unattached lecture, it's not a good one." i was in a hurry, or i would have asked her for the lecture. could someone tell me why I need to join a team/club. i am not against it, i really just don't know which one to join, there are several in my area. just wondering how i am being a bad person by not being on a team.

thanks!

roadbuzz

Probably because of the educational aspects of club membership, i.e. help on tactics, etiquette, and what *not* to do from more experienced cyclists.

Aside from that, a good club can save you money, if they have any sponsorship deals with shops or companies, never mind the unattached fee. With a club it's easier to hook up and share rides and expenses to events. And, if you get in with a group you like, you'll ride more, get training support, learn all kinds of stuff from other riders... there are a lot of benefits.

roadwarrior

We give discounts to the local teams. They have a card and can save as much as 30%. We had an entire team come in to buy new bikes. We cut them a deal on the price due to the number of bikes and the quality (R3000's).
But, as was already said, typically the "screwups" that happen in V races and IV, too, are from unattached riders who do not know what they are doing as they tend to train solo and do not know how to handle a bike in a crowd..and do not know anything about tactics..
You can't learn this all from a book..
The team you join will be the one with whom you feel comfortable and enjoy the other riders. See if they have a ride you can go on, talk to the members of the team and see if you feel you'll fit in with them. Also find out how many III and II riders they have to help you learn how to race.

wpbusc

The unattached rider fee is a simple way for race promoters to suck additional money out of unsuspecting new racers. The worst part is, there is no rule that says you have to make unattached riders pay this fee. I personally think this fee is ridiculous. I ran a cycling team for several years and we never charged an unattached rider fee, better yet we never charged a fee to join our club/team. This sport is already very expensive!!!!

Find a local cycling club (https://www.usacycling.org/clubs/) that best fits you. Some clubs are just around to beat the unattached rider fee, some are all about hanging out post race, and some clubs are very serious about racing (eat/train/eat/train/sleep), like the club I race for https://www.teamsnowvalley.com/.

I hope this helps and Good Luck at the races!

Buddy B

jfmckenna

Excellent question. I too am unattached mainly b/c there is no one interested in racing around here. There are tons of riders but only the recreational century social types. There is a University team but I am no longer in school. There is a lbs team but they don't race? I wonder what that 'lecture' would be all about? I do find one thing though, it is harder and harder to get points and place with out a team.

superchivo

I too rolled up to a Cat V race earlier this year only to be treated like a leper because I've dusted off the bike after 6/7 years and decided to race again. I fully intend to join a team in the next couple of months, but the team I'm interested in around here requires 3 mass start races before you can join. My expereience at the registration table guaranteed there is one local club I won't join and really made me think Tris (with all their pretense and posturing) might be a more welcoming sport than road racing.

hair07

question: what does one have to do to be considered a "club"? if i say I am a club, am i a club? or does the club have to be registered w/ some authority. i dislike authorities.

Moonshot

Club's have to pay a fee to get a USCF club license. I think it's about $125. Could you, as an individual, do this? Probably so.

roadbuzz

As far as I know, almost any club will let you do a few races "attached" to their organization, without joining. (I know, that's not the point, I'm just sayin'.) Just be sure to ask first.

fore

i took 2nd in my class at the midwest collegiate regional road championships a few weeks ago without a team. i'd have taken first if myself and the rest of the peloton didn't make a stupid mistake in not even noticing two riders slip off the front a few miles from the finish. we caught one and i won the field sprint for 2nd.

well, i should say i had a team, but no teammates in my class decided to come race. and as a team, we function about as well as an elevator in a single-story building.

R600DuraAce

There is really no lecture. If you are with a team/club, you don't have to pay the unattached rider fee. However, you don't just join a team/club just so that you can avoid paying the fee. You should do it because you can learn a lot from other members and hopefully you can race as a team. The problem I see here is that, being a lower cat racer, you nomrally don't race as a team. Even when other members are racing the same race. Second, some club is too big and even "team mates" don't necessary know one another. Some club you can join as long as you can fork out the member fee. Others you need invitation. I am a cat 4 and still "unattached." Why? I can't justify myself paying $140 to join my local club because the team is big. I race with these guys and they normally don't race as a team. Worst, the only thing that links them all together is the team jersey.

Other club like the CRCA is another complicated one. In addition to paying my $100 fee, I also have to marshall races before I can race.

I want to join a team or a club but just couldn't find the right one.

roadwarrior

MY guess is that 1. you know a lot of other riders since you race and 2. you are not alone.

Why not start your own team with guys who feel the same way?

otoman

Amen, brother...

thomspins

Such Bull****!!

The USAC is just Money Hungry.. certain promoters of races add this fee in hopes it'll drive people to clubs/teams in effect "giving back to the sport". I'm sure there's some of that but It's just very hard to overlook the fact teams pay big fees to USAC.. in turn they have to host events to even be eligible teams, also in turn these events/races generate more funds for USAC.

USAC has a brilliant business model.

badhat

i like how everyone in the world thinks everyone elses profession/industry is a racket

i like USAC and ACA for the most part. glad someone is organizing the races that we spend all year training for and planning our lives around.

badhat

part of our commitment to the sport is volunteerism to put on races as clubs/teams.

if we didnt have to do this there'd be no marshalls, parking staff, registration folks, no races.

i'm happy to volunteer to keep the system working, and if folks who arent on teams are expected to provide in another way, whether its cash, or volunteering for one shift/event to race another, fine.

Creakyknees

unnattached rider fees are definitely not required by USAC... here in Texas I haven't seen one charged in decades

anyway, good points for the OP; it can be difficult to find a good club/team, but once you do it's a great experience

echappist

wow, holy zoombie thread revival, batman

zoombie enough to have a R600 post in it

jwible

This goes beyond zombie. I think it's a full blown resurrection. It is pretty close to Easter.

Racer Ex 

Or a horrible one if you end up on the wrong team. I've been very fortunate recently.

bostongarden

The next post in this thread may be in 2018.

himespau 

Nah, I'll put one in now to keep it alive

RudeSiggy

I won't get in to the debate about unattached rider fees, but nobody in the first dozen posts seemed to hit the nail on the head here.

You should join a club so you cancontribute to the local racing community more. Clubs host and promote the races we enter. Without the clubs, we wouldn't be competing against each other. Yeah, money is part of that equation (USAC club fees, etc.), but it's also about the huge contributions that the individual members of promoting clubs make to ensure you have a number to pin on before your race.

brianappleby

I've been racing for 6 years now and i've seen one unattached fee in one race, one time. Where are all these fees people are complaining about?

are they back in 2004?

Harun

yes