Sponsored Club Issues

In order to promote the sport of cycling and foster the growth and development of riders and clubs in the Carolinas, the Carolinas Cycling Association is going to start monitoring more closely certain rules regarding clubs, sponsors, and rider clothing.

By 05 May 07, clubs should be in compliance with a number of rules regarding these topics. The rules are listed below, but the implications are as follows:

1. In order to be a sponsored club, a club must have been permitted for an event in 2006 or 2007.
2. Those clubs that do not abide by #1 are not allowed to have sponsors on their clothing.
3. Riders who are not members of clubs (unattached riders) are not eligible to have sponsors on their clothing.
4. Up to 2 clubs can be on the permit for a D or E race, 3 for a C, 4 for a B, and 5 for an A.

Please see the list of those clubs in compliance. Column C is a listing of clubs that are not eligible to have sponsors on their clothing. Remember that the CLUB in the concern. TEAMS are entities of CLUBS.

What if your club is in Column C? Several things may happen. You could be denied race entry, you could be asked to turn your jersey inside-out, you could be asked to wear a t-shirt or change to a blank jersey, etc. It will be to the discretion of the Chief Referee and promoter.

What about the uniforms that have already been printed and distributed? The club must show evidence that they are permitting an event for 2007. By either permitting their own event, joining with another club to promote an event, or get in with another club to be on their permit. Note that the original permitted club does not have to allow this and may ask for certain terms before complying, e.g., asking for volunteers or money. Please check the CCA calendar. Otherwise you may be asked to change clothing as per above.

If you have any further questions, please contact the CCA President.

USCF Rules

1A17. In order to be considered a racing member of a club, a rider must be a member in good standing of that club and it must be listed on the rider's Federation license. An unattached rider is one who is not a racing member of a club.

1D3. Event Permits
(a) The event permit application for a Federation race must be accompanied by the following: event permit fee as specified in the Schedule of Fees; a copy or draft of the official race announcement, as specified in Racing Rule 1E1; completed event checklist; a draft copy of the prize list; any other items requested on the application form. The official race announcement may not be distributed until it has been approved by the Administrator. For other events, a description of the activity must be provided. A single permit may cover either a series of similar races held at the same location at regular intervals or a series of races held on successive days.
    Restrictions:
    (1) The maximum number of sponsoring clubs of a race is as follows:
    Cat A No more than 5
    Cat B No more than 4
    Cat C No more than 3
    Cat D & E No more than 2

1L2. Rider uniform advertising.
Advertising may appear only on the uniform, including caps, shoes, and helmet of riders who are racing members of sponsored clubs [disqualification for other advertising]. The club's name must appear on the front and back or two sides of the jersey. The name may be abbreviated.

1L4. Club Jerseys. In competition, no rider shall wear the emblem, inscription, or uniform of any club or team which the rider is not eligible to represent [Offending rider may not be permitted to start if noted before the race; otherwise, warning for first offense].

Bylaws

6.2 Club Name. Clubs and teams are prohibited from using names, inscriptions, or publicity that may tend to confuse the distinction between them and National Teams of the Federation. Terms such as "National" and "USA" generally lead to such confusion. Only sponsored clubs may be named after a commercial organization.

6.4 Sponsorship. Any affiliated club in good standing which has promoted a race open to members of other clubs in the current or previous calendar year shall be eligible for sponsorship.

6.5 Sponsored teams consisting of riders who are members of different clubs may be organized by an affiliated club to compete either in a single event or in events throughout the calendar year. The club of which each rider is a member must provide written approval before its members may participate and may, in exchange for the permission, receive a fee from the team sponsor to support development of club riders. All members of the sponsored team must compete in identical uniforms either of the organizing club or of a new sponsorship design.

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Best All-Around Rider

Please see the BAR regulations. Questions to the BAR administrator.

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Event Permit Process

Once the preliminary work has been done, including permissions to use proposed courses, follow these steps for permit approval:

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2008 Rule Changes

The following are a list of rules that could affect you as a rider, promoter, or team manager. Please reference the USCF Rulebook on page 5 for a complete list of changes and for specific wording.

• 1A23 Adds wording to definition of suspension to clarify that suspended members may not act in official support positions.
• 1A31 Modifies definition of omnium such that the event particulars can specify that a rider must participate in all of them.
• 1H1 Adds wording to reiterate that youth riders (riders with racing age under 10) may enter only youth races.
• 1I12 Adds definition of Judge/Referee on the track.
• 1L5 Specifies which National Championship jerseys may be worn in which events.
• 2F5 Clarifies first lap procedures in a track sprint.
• 2M1 Specifies distances used in points races.
• 2N2 Specifies distances between sprints in Madisons.
• 2O3 Defines a new type of event called an International Omnium, which will be a National Championship event in 2009.
• 3A9(b) Adds requirements for finish area characteristics for A road races.
• 3A9(g) Adds requirement for two body numbers in A road races.
• 3C4 Adds requirements for team cars in caravans and clarifies procedures for establishing team car order.
• 3E7 Specifies that all follow vehicles in a time trial must be authorized and under the control of the officials.
• 4C2 Clarifies timing procedures in stage races.
• 4C3 “
• 4G2 “
• 4H3 Adds a general fine in stage races for failing to obey instructions of commissaires and race administration.
• 6B5 Specifies that members under suspension are barred from the infield at National Track Championships.
• 6D7 Adds Sprint to the Junior men and women 15-16 omnium at Track Nationals.

In addition, the CCA will be enforcing the "sponsored club" rule meaning that if a club in NC or SC did not permit an event last year then those riders for the club cannot wear any advertising on their jerseys until they show proof that they have permitted an event for 2007. New clubs are exempt from this rule, but it is in their best interest to permit an event this year. White t-shirts may be made available at races for those riders whose clubs are in violation.

Refer to the list of current clubs that have permitted events in 2007 and 2006 and those that have not. Those riders from teams in the third column may be forced to ride in white t-shirts or blank jerseys if they cannot show proof they are a first-year club or that they permitted an event in 2006 or 2007.

Please reference USAC Rulebook p. 30
1L2. Rider uniform advertising. Advertising may appear only on the uniform, including caps, shoes, and helmet of riders who are racing members of sponsored clubs [disqualification for other advertising]. The club's name must appear on the front and back or two sides of the jersey. The name may be abbreviated.
and USAC Bylaws p. 121
6.4 Sponsorship. Any affiliated club in good standing which has promoted a race open to members of other clubs in the current or previous calendar year shall be eligible for sponsorship.

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Upgrade Information

Riders wishing for an upgrade in category must follow the following procedures:

1. Fill out a blank resume form with qualifying races (see below).
2. Email the CCA upgrader for upgrades to 4, 3, or 2.
3. Email the regional representative for upgrades to 1.

Special Note: Please do not request an upgrade for both Road and Track unless you meet the qualifications for both. Do not request an upgrade to Road 4 and Track 4 at the same time if you have never ridden on the Track - they are different disciplines.

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Road Upgrade Qualifications

The following events will qualify for road upgrades based on the information given below:

1. Road Races
2. Criteriums
3. General Classifications (only 3 to 2 and 2 to 1 upgrades)

The following events will NOT qualfiy for road upgrades, but may be considered as a supplement to qualifying events:

1. Time Trials
2. Final Omnium Places

Guidelines and Notes by Category

From the 2008 USAC Rulebook

Qualifying Distances for Each Category

To qualify for upgrading points, races must meet distance standards. Races shorter than the minimum distance do not qualify for upgrading. However, if a road race is less than the road race minimum but above the criterium minimum, it will count for upgrading using the criterium points schedule.

Points Awarded for Criteriums and Circuit Races

Points Awarded for Road Races

Points Awarded for Stage Races (3 to 2 and 2 to 1 only)

NOTE: For points earned in stage races, GC and stage places both count for points, but only up to a maximum of 20 points for a cat 1 upgrade or 15 points for a cat 2 upgrade from a single stage race.

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Track Upgrade Qualifications

Mellowdrome Requirements

From the Mellowdrome Rider Manual

Beginning riders on the track will be categorized according to the USCF as either a 5 (men) or 4 (women). The Mellowdrome will upgrade riders from 5 to 4 (men) and from 4 to 3 (men and women). For the purposes of upgrading to a 2, the rider will have to use the guidelines in the current USCF rulebook and will have to be upgraded at another track (Dick Lane Velodrome is the closest).

The upgrade policy for the Mellowdrome is outlined below:

USCF Requirements

From the 2008 USAC Rulebook

Points

• National Championships and Cat A, B, and C events: 7, 5, 3, 2, and 1 for each event.
• Cat D and E events: 5, 3, 2, 1 based on the omnium.

Additional Considerations

1. Ten person field minimum for category 3-5 and 20 person field minimum for upgrade to category 1.
2. Fifty percent of Upgrading points and number of times raced will be carried over to the next year. Points do not carry over to the next category.
3. When upgrading to a Cat. 1, points earned need to be from more than one velodrome.
4. A race day is defined as one full day of racing. A race day can include a number of events such as a kilometer, sprints or time trial, but it only counts as one race day.
5. Women and Juniors earn one point for every five race days when upgrading from Cat. 4 through Cat. 2.
6. Races exempt from upgrading are Youth races and races of more that two categories (ie: “A” and “B” races).
7. Results from other velodromes will be considered for upgrading only if the races were run under a USA Cycling permit.

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Cyclo-cross Upgrade Requirements

From the 2008 USAC Rulebook

Cyclocross categories are initially established one of two ways:

1. For a new rider licensing with USA Cycling for the first time, the CX category starts at 4.
2. For a rider renewing his or her license, the CX category is initially established based on the road or MTB XC category currently held per the table below:

   CX category based on road or XC category
   Road Category	MTB XC Category	CX Category
   1	Pro	1
   2	Semi-Pro	2
   3	Expert	3
   4	Beginner or Sport	4

If the road and XC categories do not correspond to the same CX category, then the higher one will be used. If a rider upgrades his or her road or XC category during the season, the rider’s CX category can be upgraded to match the road or XC category by request of the rider or by request of the administrator.

As it is quite possible for someone to be a more skilled CX racer than would be indicated by either road category or MTB XC category, a rider may also upgrade his or her CX category independently by earning upgrading points according to the table below:

Points Awarded for Cyclo-cross races

Requirements for Upgrading Via Points

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