Licenses and races - VERY IMPORTANT

Hello all -

I just wanted to re-iterate something that I have been saying (and that should be self-evident!) for a number of years.

Your racing collegiate license MUST match the category in which you are racing.

Seems logical, no? But pretty much every race we get people who register for the wrong category, whether or not it is intentional. Then after the race, they go to the officials or the promoter or the registration people or myself and complain that they are in the incorrect category and that the results need to be changed.

Knowing what category you are, and what race you need to be in, is the responsibility of the rider. For beginners, it may be up to the coach and/or teammates to help guide them to the correct category, help them through registration, and to help them get to the start line (remember when you all were beginners? We were all confused at some point!)

So this is the way it is going to work (again!) in 2012: your license category must match your race category.

There will be no whining to officials/promoters/registration, etc. about this, either before, during, or after a race. With most officials, promoters, and registration people being able to access the USAC database either before or after the race, they have the ability to check the database to make sure that you are registering for the correct category. If you had requested (and I have approved) a category change between the time you register and the time you show up to race, you need to print out an "authorization to ride" form from your USAC account, which will show your correct (new) race category.

To provide a further incentive to do this correctly, all race results will be double-checked by me in the week following the race, and corrections will be made. For example - if I find that someone scored in the A race, but his/her license says they are a C rider, then they will lose all individual and team points and their placings for that race (and everyone else will move up a spot).

So where does this leave all of the riders? Request upgrades (if necessary) from your USAC account before the race, including all relevant race resume information.

Men should be starting at Cat C, not Cat D. Women should be starting at Cat B.

I'm sorry if this seems harsh, but we need to straighten this out. It will benefit you all as racers to make sure that you are racing against people in your own category. It will also prevent riders who may think that they are better than they are from potentially being a safety risk to themselves and others if they "self-select" their own category. Plus, it is in the rules...we wouldn't see a Cat 3 racing with the Pro/1/2 men in "regular" USAC racing.

Thanks for reading.

PS This was not directed at any one individual and/or team...I have seen it across the board in the last few years.

Nancy