Upgrade Information

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

1. Only email the CCA upgrade corrdinator if any ?'s before going to USAC for request.
2. All riders/racers must go to the USA Cycling website first for a ticket / reference #, then forwarded to the CCA Upgrade Coordinator for approval.
3. Fill out a blank resume form with qualifying races (see below).
4. Email the CCA Upgrade Coordinator for upgrades to 4, 3, or 2.
5. 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.

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 2009 USAC Rulebook

5 to 4	Experience in 10 mass start races. Local Associations may also establish policies where upgrade credit is given for taking a sanctioned rider education clinic.
4 to 3	20 points in any 12-month period; or experience in 25 races with a minimum of 10 top ten finishes with fields of 30 riders or more, or 20 pack finishes with fields over 50. 30 points in 12 months is an automatic upgrade.
3 to 2	25 points in any 12-month period. 40 points in 12 months is an automatic upgrade.
2 to 1	30 points in any 12-month period. 50 points in 12 months is an automatic upgrade.

 
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.

Category	Class	RR	CT & CR
5 to 4	Men	15 miles	10 miles
4 to 3	Men Women Junior	25 miles 25 miles 25 miles	20 miles 15 miles 15 miles
3 to 2	Men Women	50 miles 40 miles	20 miles 15 miles
2 to 1	Men Women	80 miles 50 miles	30 miles 20 miles

 
Points Awarded for Criteriums and Circuit Races

	Number of Starters
Placing	5-10	11-20	21-50	51+
1	3	4	5	7
2	2	3	4	5
3	1	2	3	4
4		1	2	3
5			1	2
6				1

 
Points Awarded for Road Races

	Number of Starters
Placing	5-10	11-20	21-50	51+
1	3	7	8	10
2	2	5	6	8
3	1	4	5	7
4		3	4	6
5		2	3	5
6		1	2	4
7			1	3
8				2
9				1

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

	Number of Starters
Placing	10-19	20-35	36-49	50+
1	5	7	10	20
2	3	5	8	18
3	2	3	6	16
4	1	2	5	14
5		1	4	12
6			3	10
7			2	9
8			1	8
9				7
10				6
11				5
12				4
13				3
14				2
15				1

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.

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:

5 to 4	Six Saturday sessions AND Four (4) race days. Consideration to time spent at banked velodromes.
4 to 3	Five (5) race days AND 20 points (points earned at another track may be used) AND Five (5) race days on a banked velodrome.

 
USCF Requirements

From the 2009 USAC Rulebook

5 to 4	Complete a Velodrome Class or 4 race days.
4 to 3	5 race days and 20 points.
3 to 2	5 race days and 25 points.
2 to 1	5 race days and 30 points.

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.

Cyclo-cross Upgrade Requirements

From the 2009 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

	Number of Starters
Placing	5-10	11-20	21-50	51+
1	3	4	5	7
2	2	3	4	5
3	1	2	3	4
4		1	2	3
5			1	2
6				1

 
Requirements for Upgrading Via Points

4 to 3	Experience in 5 races or 7 points in 12 months.
3 to 2	10 points in 12 months (two wins is an automatic upgrade).
2 to 1	20 points in 12 months (two wins is an automatic upgrade).