Purpose
USA Cycling is the official cycling organization recognized by
the USOC and is responsible for identifying, training and selecting
cyclists to represent the United States in international
competitions. USA Cycling, doing business as the USCF, NORBA and
USPRO, controls nearly two dozen major events each year and issues
permits for up to 3,000 more.
The major activities of USA Cycling ensure the ongoing
development and safe participation in the sport of cycling.
Membership services and a full spectrum of other responsibilities
account for the functions of USA Cycling.
Individual members elect a board of trustees that oversees
their respective association, and that board elects two of its
members to sit on the board of directors, which sets USA Cycling
goals and policies. The members of each association also directly
elect an active athlete to sit on the board. The corporation's
business is conducted by a paid professional staff, which is overseen
by the executive director. Staff members are responsible for
administration, coaching and athlete services, Olympic preparation,
technical services, membership services, corporate development, sport
science research, event planning, media coverage and public
relations.
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The National Bicycle League: In the
Beginning
It all started in the early 1970s. Kids started imitating their
motorcycle motocross heroes on their 20 inch bicycles. They started
building bicycle motocross tracks and holding informal races. A new
sport was born! By kids and for kids, BMX was growing on a grass
roots level from New York to California and everywhere in between.
The first major milestone for BMX came with the debut of the movie,
"On Any Sunday." From that point on BMX was on its way to becoming a
nationally and internationally recognized sport.
From the very beginning parents of BMXers recognized the
positive aspects of the sport and began forming local and state
organizations to promote it. These efforts resulted in the creation
of the National Bicycle League. The NBL was formed in 1974 and is the
first sanctioning organization to unify local and state BMX
associations; taking the sport to the national and international
level of competition.
Today the NBL sanctions over 3,000 races per year including 25
National Events and 12 Regional Events. The recent merger with USA
Cycling has thrust the NBL into the World Spotlight. The NBL is the
only BMX sanctioning body in the United States recognized by the
Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI). UCI is the recognized world
sanctioning body for bicycle racing.
Male and female racers of all ages compete for state and
national titles. To make the racing more competitive racers are
pitted against other riders of the same age and skill level. Unlike
other racing formats, each participant races at least three races per
day and accumulates points for each race. At the end of the day
points are totaled and awards are presented.
The NBL is dedicated to promoting a healthy, fun environment
where families can grow together. Although racing is a big part of
the NBL, the social aspects of the events cannot be understated. Kids
and parents come together to enjoy the challenge of racing and to
foster positive attributes which will contribute to everyone's
future.
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National Off-Road Bicycle
Association
National Off-Road Bicycle (NORBA) Mission Statement
NORBA's mission is to guide, service and promote mountain
biking as a competitive sport and outdoor activity.
NORBA's Purpose
NORBA guides competitive mountain biking to a position of
prominence so that it is recognized as a major sport and model for
successful, fair, professional and innovative programs. NORBA
materials, events and programs promote safe, responsible and
environmentally sound mountain biking.
Brief History
NORBA was established in 1983 to meet the needs of a growing
sport and to work toward the preservation of open trails for mountain
bike use. In 1989, NORBA was purchased by USA Cycling to further
unify the sport of American cycling and effectively represent the
sport to its International Federation. NORBA has grown by 1,000
percent since 1989, a growth rate unmatched in any sport
today!
NORBA is governed by a board of trustees composed of members of
its constituency, including athletes, race organizers, industry
representatives, land access representatives, sponsors and
officials.
With a membership of more than 33,000 riders of all ages and
abilities, NORBA serves as the governing organization for mountain
bike racing by offering racing opportunities through nationwide
competitive events, including:
* Cross-country
* Downhill time trials
* Dual slalom
* Hill climbs
Mountain bike racing, now an Olympic discipline, has been
dominated by U.S. riders like Juliana Furtado, Missy Giove and David
"Tinker" Juarez. Furtado won every event she entered in 1993 and won
the gold medal in the 1994 Grundig/World Cup. In the '94 Grundig/UCI
World Championships, Missy Giove won a gold medal, Tinker Juarez
brought home a sliver and Sara Ballantyne claimed a bronze. NORBA
professional riders consistently place in the top 10 of World Cup and
world championship competition.
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NORBA's Programs
* National Championship Series
NORBA's National Championship Series is recognized and
respected worldwide as the premier mountain bike series for elite
mountain bike racers. The series attracts an average of 1,900
competitors for each event and is fully televised on ESPN and ESPN2.
In all, NORBA produces more than 15 shows for television. Each state
offers a regional series for beginners and sport-level competitors
that serves as a stepping stone to national events. NORBA hosted the
1994 World Championships in Vail, Colorado, for elite mountain bikers
from more than 50 nations. These championships were featured in two
segments of ABC's Wide World of Sports. Internationally, NORBA was
instrumental in the formation of an eight-country World Cup that
began in 1991 and had five stops in the United States during 1995.
The NORBA National Series is supported by strong retail promotions
through Nabisco, Jeep, Coca-Cola and other sponsors. The events also
feature a national consumer trade show.
* Youth Programs
NORBA is actively involved in youth mountain bike racing so
that young riders and their families are able to learn and understand
the sport of cycling in a friendly, fun and safe environment. NORBA's
youth events, as products of the NORBA youth series that formally
began in 1993, are designed to be exciting for all participants --
riders, spectators and parents -- and to involve everyone as winners.
Because NORBA is constantly striving to upgrade its events at both
grassroots and national levels, the association encourages promoters
to host youth events at National Championship Series and local events
so that everyone who attends a mountain bike event can be a winner
and have fun.
* American Mountain Bike Challenge (AMBC)
NORBA has introduced the American Mountain Bike Challenge, a
cooperative marketing effort between the largest regional events in
the country and NORBA, that markets cycling to the American public
interested in outdoor recreation and competition. The American
Mountain Bike Challenge reaches 20 markets and is geared toward
sport-level riders. NORBA also works with sponsor like Bud Light to
support local grassroots events and state series with financial and
marketing support.
* National Mountain Bike Patrol
NORBA has developed a core group of volunteer ambassadors for
the National Mountain Bike Patrol (NMBP). The NMBP ambassadors help
educate visitors to resorts, communities and area parks about
mountain biking, and they also assist visitors who are unfamiliar
with the area or who need medical assistance. Through the NMBP, NORBA
also recognizes established patrolling units, clubs and organizations
that have a basic knowledge of mountain bike patrolling.
* NORBA Regional Ranking
NORBA ranks every member who competes in any sanctioned event.
In a given region, members can compare their ranking against their
peers. The rankings also help professional teams identify new
talent.
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United States Cycling Federation
The United States Cycling Federation (USCF) was organized in
1920 as the Amateur Bicycle League of America and was incorporated
into the State of New York in 1921. The current name was adopted in
1975. In 1995, the USCF reorganized as a Colorado not-for-profit
corporation, USA Cycling, Inc. The USCF is now an Association of USA
Cycling.
USCF Mission Statement
The USCF's mission is to advance and service cycling through
education, widespread participation and excellence in
competition.
USCF's Purpose
The purpose of the USCF is to foster a dynamic and pervasive
culture of cycling in the United States to the following
ends:
1. Excellence in cycling competition, with emphasis in elite
juniors and seniors
2. Widespread participation in fair and safe cycling activities
for all ages, genders and skill levels
3. Widespread good public image of cycling
4. Widespread understanding of cycling information
5. New knowledge of cycling science and sports medicine
6. International and national decisions that benefit
cycling.
Clubs form the foundation of the USCF. They promote activities
for beginners, such as training rides, clinics, races and social
activities, which introduce riders to other competitors and proper
cycling techniques. Clubs also promote USCF-sanctioned events in the
United States. They secure race permits, solicit prize lists, support
sponsorship, distribute entry forms and oversee advertising.
The USCF has a pool of 32 district representatives who serve as
liaisons to riders and clubs and who administer and promote the sport
locally. District representatives upgrade riders, approve club
memberships and race permits and appoint officials as chief referees
for events in their district.
Olympic Preparation
The Olympic Preparation division's success is measured by the
performance of the U.S. Cycling Team athletes. In general, the
performance of the U.S. Cycling Team is the yardstick by which the
success of the entire corporation is measured. By that measure, the
USCF has been a very successful organization in the last 10 years.
Our international and Olympic achievements are remarkable when
compared with the previous 30 to 40 years of cycling history. Nearly
every American cycling champion of the last decade was prepared by
the Olympic Prep division of the USCF.
Outstanding accomplishments by U.S. cyclists during the past
decade include three Tour de France victories by Greg LeMond; 12
medals in the last three Olympiads; and 15 world championships won
collectively by LeMond, Lance Armstrong, Rebecca Twigg, Connie Young,
Mike McCarthy, Marty Nothstein, Erin Hartwell, Jeanne Golay, Laura
Charameda, Karen Kurreck, Janie Quigley and women's Team Time Trial
squad, (Jan Bolland, Bunki Bankaitis-Davis, Jeanne Golay and Eve
Stephenson.)
At the 1995 Pan American Games, the USCF won an unprecedented
14 medals. The 1994 World Championships were also the most successful
ever for the U.S. Cycling Team, winning eight medals (three gold, two
silver, three bronze). This was an increase from their previous best
of winning seven medals in 1993. Marty Nothstein became the first
U.S. man to win two world championships in a single year (Match
Sprint and Kierin), and the men's Team Pursuit shocked the world by
beating Australia, the defending world champion, by 0.027 of a second
for a silver medal. The U.S. women continued a tradition of
outstanding performance by winning five medals in 1993 and four
medals in 1994. Rebecca Twigg won her fifth world championship and
set a world record in the women's Individual Pursuit in 1993. Karen
Kurreck won the 1994 World Championship in the women's Individual
Time Trial, the inaugural year for the event. In the past decade, the
Olympic Preparation division has consistently produced winners in
almost all cycling disciplines.
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Athlete Coaching and Development
Programs
* EDS Scouting Program
Employing CompuTrainers in a manner similar to the U.S. Cycling
Team, this program has gone nationwide to seek new and greater talent
for U.S. cycling. With corporate sponsorship support, this high
profile "simulated race series" covers many of the big spectator and
participant events in the United States. The public is invited to
experience a computer-simulated race at events such as the Tour
duPont and Olympic Trials. The results provide local clubs with a
resource for identifying and developing new talent. This program is
coordinated between the USCF Athlete and Coaching Department and
local clubs throughout the country.
* YMCA/USCF Youth Cycling Program
This program will bring the training methods of the U.S.
Cycling Team to YMCAs and local clubs around the country. Each year,
YMCA program directors will come to Colorado Springs for instruction
on USCF coaching instruments such as the CompuTrainer and USCF club
programs. YMCA personnel will then return to their local Y's and
contact area cycling club members, who will help establish a training
center for local cyclists and people interested in cycling programs.
This program is an exciting merger of USCF coaching methods with USA
Cycling clubs and the numerous YMCA members.
* Lance Armstrong Junior Olympic Race Program
This highly successful program was designed to provide
selection venues for junior regional teams, an incentive for more
race directors to incorporate separate junior races in their events,
more racing opportunities for junior riders, more exposure for junior
racing and more organized junior scouting opportunities for USCF
regional coaches. In 1995, the program consisted of 24 races -- four
in each USCF region -- that qualified more than 200 juniors for the
1995 junior regional team selection camps (junior national team
riders were excluded from this program). The female and male athletes
who were named to the junior regional teams then competed in the 1995
U.S. Olympic Festival in Colorado.
* Junior Regional Team Selection Camps
In 1995, the top finishers (240 total) in the 30 junior Olympic
races attended a junior regional team selection camp in their
respective regions. These camps were organized, staffed and run by
USCF regional coaches who selected teams of 12 riders. Each team
comprised of male and female riders ages 14 to 18. From these
regional teams the coaches selected top riders to attend the 1995
Junior World Road Team Selection Camp in Colorado Springs and a few
riders to attend the Junior World Track Team Selection Camp in
Indianapolis.
Those 72 regional team members who were not selected to the
world team went on to compete at the 1995 U.S. Olympic Festival. One
female rider and one male rider were selected from the Festival to
the 1996 Junior National Team, thereby uniting the entire USCF Junior
Program. The camps were very successful, not only in selecting the
very best riders from each region, but also in educating all
participating riders and USCF coaches about team selection protocol
and other cycling and team procedures. We expect this program to grow
over the next few years and to include a larger number of
juniors.
* Junior Regional Championships
The final event in the Lance Armstrong Junior Olympic Race
series provided the opportunity for 10- to 18-year-olds to race for
the regional championships title and a spot on the 1996 Junior
Regional Team.
* Masters Clinics
Regional coaches conduct three Master's Clinics throughout
their respective regions. Each clinic helps masters test and evaluate
their fitness levels. This program provides masters with information
on how to improve and enhance their physical abilities. Using the
same testing and evaluation techniques as the U.S. Cycling Team
coaches, the regional coaches have the opportunity to learn
high-performance coaching techniques while introducing masters to
high-tech coaching principles.
Masters-age cyclists participate in ranking and recognition
programs throughout the racing season. These programs include the
National Road and Track Championship, Best-All-Round (BAR) Rider
awards, regional BAR ranking competitions, sectional championships
and the Masters All-American Cycling Team. Masters programs provide
lifelong competition opportunities for cyclists who are 30 years of
age and over.
* National Events
The USCF national championships are the premier cycling events
for athletes of all age groups in the United States. Each season,
nearly 5,000 cyclists prepare for their opportunity to challenge for
a national tile. For many cyclists, the national championships are
the culmination of hundreds of training hours.
The national championships provide opportunities for
USCF-licensed riders to compete on a national level, whether in
elite, junior or masters events. Because the spotlight of being a
national champion shines just as brightly on a 12-year-old as it does
on an elite or master rider, every year the USCF focuses on
conducting the best national championship possible for each age
group. In 1995, the elite national championships were showcased in a
television special aired by NBC sports.
The USCF also promotes an annual Points Series, which bean in
1993. The series is the primary focus for athletes aspiring to the
U.S. Cycling Team. Its primary purpose is the identification and
selection of talented athletes and to provide ongoing national
exposure for bicycle racing. The 1995 series was sponsored by
Fresca.
* National Collegiate Cycling Association (NCCA)
The NCCA, under the USCF, administers, develops and promotes
all disciplines of collegiate cycling. Under the auspices of a
school's recreation sports or club department, teams may be organized
at junior or four-year colleges or universities. There are
approximately 200 NCCA clubs, close to 2,500 collegiate riders and 10
collegiate cycling conferences throughout the nation. Each club
belongs to a particular conference, depending on the school's
location. At the conclusion of the season, conference championships
are held, after which teams and individual riders are ranked to
identify the national championship qualifiers. There are three
national championship events: National Collegiate Road Championships,
National Collegiate Track Championships and National Collegiate
Mountain Bike Championships.
* Disabled Program
In 1995, the USCF, in conjunction with its national
championship program, held national championships for three of seven
USOC-recognized disabled sports organizations: Disabled Sports USA,
United States Association for Blind Athletes and U.S. Cerebral Palsy
Athletic Association. The USCF also serves as a resource for the
disabled cycling community by identifying active organizations whose
sole purpose is to serve athletes with disabilities.
* Women's Programs
The USCF has focused on identifying opportunities for women in
cycling, in addition to recognizing women at regional and national
levels. Based on a financial grant and sponsorship from Fresca, a
women's point series has been created. The USCF has taken this
opportunity for women and built upon it by organizing a highly
successful lecture series titled "Connie Carpenter Phinney's Trade
Secrets." Additionally, the USCF has assumed responsibility for
publicizing updates to this series as well as point rankings.
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U.S. Professional Racing
Organizations
U.S. Professional Racing Organizations (USPRO) serves as the
governing body for professional cycling and is another affiliate of
USA Cycling. USPRO members such as Greg LeMond and 1993 World
Champion Lance Armstrong have elevated professional racing to new
heights. Successful sponsorships with a number of well-known
corporations have proven that investing in professional teams or
events is an effective marketing tool.
The addition of USPRO into the Corporation completes USA
Cycling's program range from grassroots through professional. USPRO
Cycling offers the high-profile image that cycling needs in order to
be on par with other professional league sports in the United States.
USPRO events such as the Tour DuPont, Corestates PRO Championships
and Thrift Drug Classic bring professional cycling to a large
television audience and to the broad base of fans necessary to
attract corporate interest. Interest in professional teams and events
will continue to grow. While the tradition of cycling in Europe
remains strong, USPRO is working to create a niche for the sport in
this country with leadership from heroes such as Lance
Armstrong.
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