Bike racing in Northern California and Nevada welcomes beginners. This guide takes you from your first license to your first upgrade. NCNCA races are sanctioned by USA Cycling (USAC), the national governing body for the sport, so USAC’s rules apply at every race. Questions about NCNCA itself, such as clubs, BAR/BAT and the board, are answered in our FAQ.
- Get a license
- Find a club
- Find a race
- Choose your field
- Register
- Race day
- After the race
- Move up categories
- Build your skills
1. Get a license
To race, you need a USAC race license, not a fan membership. An annual license is valid for one year from the date of purchase, and USAC sells different licenses by age (under 19, 19–22, and 23 and over). Buy it online from USAC’s membership page.
Just want to try one race? Many events sell one-day licenses, online or at the race. One-day licenses are only for the entry-level category (Cat 5), and can’t be used at championship events.
Your license shows your racing age, your categories and your club. You can show it at registration on a card or in the USA Cycling app. Riders under 18 also need a parent or guardian to sign USAC’s release.
Your license also includes accident insurance while you race in USA Cycling events. See Does my race license include insurance if I crash? in the FAQ.
2. Find a club
You can race without a club, but joining one makes learning much easier. You’ll ride with experienced racers who can teach you pack skills and race tactics, and clubs run group rides and clinics you would otherwise miss. Most clubs charge a small fee and ask you to buy the club jersey, and many offer discounts that offset the cost. Browse the NCNCA member clubs, or see Juniors for clubs that take junior riders.
When you join a club, add it to your USAC account so it appears on your license. USAC rules say you must be registered with a club before you wear its jersey or race as its member, and you can belong to only one club per discipline. Your club on your license is also the team your points count for in NCNCA’s BAT team competition, so keep it up to date.
3. Find a race
Every NCNCA race is on our race calendar. Each race page has links to register, the race flyer and the course. The road season runs from January to about October, and there are also mountain bike races and some cyclocross, track and gravel events.
The main types of road race are:
- Criterium: many laps of a short loop closed to traffic, usually 800 m to 5 km. Fast and intense, and spectators see you every lap.
- Circuit race: laps of a longer loop.
- Road race: a long course over open or partly closed roads, often with hills.
- Time trial: you race alone against the clock.
- Stage race: several races over two or more days; the overall winner has the lowest total time.
- Hill climb: a race up a single climb.
If you are brand new, start with the Early Birds in January and February, and look for clinics on the calendar. For races outside our district, the Southern California/Nevada Cycling Association (SCNCA) covers Southern California and Clark County, Nevada, and USAC’s event finder lists races nationwide.
4. Choose your field
Each race is split into fields by category (ability) and age. You can only enter a field that matches the categories and age on your license. Racing in a field you’re not eligible for can mean disqualification and suspension.
Your category
Everyone starts in Category 5 (Cat 5). For road, track and cyclocross, the categories run from Cat 5 up to Cat 1, then Pro. Mountain bike has its own categories. You move up by meeting USAC’s upgrade requirements (see step 8).
Your racing age
For road, track, gravel and mountain bike racing, your racing age is the age you will be on December 31 of the race year. A rider who turns 50 in September can enter 50+ races from January that year. For USAC cyclocross events, your racing age is the age you will be on December 31 of the year in which the season ends. The cyclocross season runs from September 1 through the last day of February the following year, and your racing age stays the same throughout that season.
USAC’s age groups are Juniors (9–18), Under 23 (19–22), Elite (23–29) and Masters (30 and over), plus Youth (8 and under).
Reading a field name
- Elite 4: Cat 4 riders.
- Masters 35+ 3/4: Cat 3 and Cat 4 riders with a racing age of 35 or over.
- P/1/2: Pro, Cat 1 and Cat 2 riders.
- Junior 15–16: juniors with a racing age of 15 or 16.
Masters can enter races for their own age group or younger, subject to category. Juniors and Under 23 riders can race up in age, but can’t enter masters races. Women can also enter men’s fields they qualify for by age and category, and men’s fields up to one category below their own. There are no gear limits for juniors in road, cyclocross or mountain bike racing; track has gear limits by age. For the full detail, see the USAC rulebook.
5. Register
Most NCNCA races take online entries, usually on BikeReg; use the Register button on the race page. Register early. Fields have limits (mass-start road fields that include Cat 5 riders are limited to 75), popular fields fill up, and some races charge more on race day or don’t take race-day entries at all. Juniors race at a reduced cost, from free to $25, at many NCNCA races.
6. Race day
The night before
Pack your bag: license (or the USA Cycling app), helmet, shoes, kit, bottles, food, a pump and a spare tube. Check the flyer for your start time, directions and parking.
At the race
- Arrive early. An hour before your start is a good rule for your first races.
- Check in at registration with your license and collect your number. Ask which side to pin it.
- Pin your number so it can be seen when you are in your racing position: at least at all four corners, not folded or cut, and on the outside of your clothing. It’s easiest if a friend pins it while you wear your jersey.
- Preview the course if you can. At a criterium you can only ride the course between races, never during another race.
- Warm up on a trainer or nearby roads, and obey traffic laws. Riders who ignore them put races at risk.
- Wear your helmet whenever you’re on the bike at the event. Headphones and earbuds for music aren’t allowed in any race.
- Be on the start line 3–5 minutes early so you hear the commissaires’ instructions.
During the race
- On courses open to traffic, stay right of the center line. Crossing it can get you penalized or disqualified.
- Ride predictably, hold your line and talk to the riders around you.
- In a criterium, if you crash, puncture or break something essential, you can usually get a free lap: go to the official pit, and you rejoin in the same place in the race. There are no free laps in the final 8 km, and the flyer may say there are none at all.
- In a criterium, riders who are lapped or fall far behind may be pulled from the race. They are still placed in the results.
7. After the race
- As you cross the line, note the numbers or jerseys of the riders around you. It helps if the results need checking.
- If you take a cool-down lap, watch for the next field lining up at the start.
- Check the provisional results when they’re posted. If they’re wrong, tell the commissaires at the finish within 15 minutes of the results being announced. If you protest after the awards, you give up any award.
- To report foul riding during the race, see the chief commissaire within 15 minutes of your finish.
- After the event, results are posted on USAC’s results site and linked from the race page on our calendar. USAC will consider a later order-of-finish protest if it is made within 30 days of the results being posted. If results haven’t appeared after about a week, contact the race promoter.
- Keep your own log of every race: date, race, field, number of starters and your place. It makes upgrades easy.
Results from USAC road races in the district count toward NCNCA’s season-long BAR/BAT standings automatically (except Cat 5 races).
8. Move up categories
USAC sets the upgrade rules in Policy VIII. For road racing:
- Cat 5 to Cat 4: you can upgrade after 5 finishes in road races, criteriums or clinics. The upgrade becomes mandatory once you earn 10 points in 12 months.
- Cat 4 to Cat 3: 20 points in 36 months, or 20 pack finishes.
- Cat 3 to Cat 2: 30 points in 36 months.
- Cat 2 to Cat 1: 35 points in 36 months.
Points go to the top finishers in mass-start races, and the number of places scored grows with the field size. For example, a field of 5–10 starters scores the top 3, and a field of 21–49 starters scores the top 7. Points are based on your place in the whole field, not just among riders of your category. Higher categories also have mandatory upgrades.
To upgrade, log in to your USAC account, open Racing Disciplines and Categories and choose Change Category. If you meet the requirements, the upgrade goes through automatically; otherwise USAC staff review it. Other disciplines have their own requirements. See USAC’s category upgrades page for the full charts.
9. Build your skills
Early Birds. In partnership with VeloPromo, the Early Birds program is an introduction to racing skills for beginners. On five Sundays in January and early February, NCNCA coaches, mentors and racers lead skills drills followed by mentored practice races. New racers of all ages and skill levels learn to race safely in a pack. Each session follows the same pattern: a pre-race clinic, a practice race watched by mentors, then a debrief. There are no placings or prizes, so the focus stays on learning, and you get to rehearse a full race day. The program usually includes a Meet The Teams Day, where new riders can get to know regional teams. Early Bird dates are on the race calendar from December.
Clinics. Coaches and clubs run clinics through the year; look for the Clinic category on the calendar. Many clubs also run their own skills sessions for members.
Mentors. Experienced racers ride with Cat 5 fields at the Early Birds and at races through the season, and give feedback afterwards.
Coaching. USAC lists licensed coaches in its Find a Coach directory. Experienced club members can often help with the basics too.
Stay in touch. Sign up for our newsletter and follow us on Facebook and Instagram. Still have a question? Email bod@ncnca.org.