Racing in PA

hammonjj

I'm going to be moving in about 7 months to Pennsylvania due to school. I was wondering, how do I find out about local/regional races? Is there a spring schedule out yet?

I'll be in the Harrisburg area and I'm interested in all facets of racing except for mountain biking and track racing.

Thanks
James

Eden

http://www.pacycling.org/

Looks like the Schedule isn't set for next year yet, but around here the races don't tend to change much from year to year, so looking at last years calendar usually gives a good estimation of when the races will be (same weekends)

Looks like you are going to a great place for racing (I grew up in Pittsburgh, but I moved away almost 20 years ago now.... wow that makes me feel old...., I don't remember racing being so active there, but hey maybe I just didn't know where to look before)

Frigo's Luggage

The schedule usually comes out around January ad is then revised several hundred times during the course of the year. Most PA races are listed on bikereg.com. In Harrisburg, you will be able to race every Thursday, Saturday and Sunday from March through September without traveling more than 2 hours.

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hammonjj

Exciting! I can't wait to get there. Can anyone provide any information on the local clubs?

Frigo's Luggage

http://www.pacycling.org/teams.asp

http://www.usacycling.org/clubs/index.php?state=PA

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NewR3

Lots going on in the lancaster area. Also you'll be close enough for lots of races in the MABRA (Maryland, Delaware, Northern Virginia). Schedule not out yet, but is similar from year to year and can be viewed at www.mabra.org. Registration is usually on www.bikereg.com. Depending on your category, cat 4/5 races fill up very quickly - like in hours - for road races and early season races. Also, there is the Tour de 'Toona in late July that's a great NRC stage race in central PA. www.tourdetoona.com

Frigo's Luggage

Why do the Maryland/Virginia races fill so quickly? Do you guys have more racers or fewer races than Pennsylvania?

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NewR3

Volume. There are a huge # of racers in MABRA, especially Cat 4/5, so races fill up quickly. Also, most of the race schedule is comprised of crits, so the road races fill up fast.

Frigo's Luggage

Hmmm? I am always amazed at how fast your fields fill. Looking at the USCF rankings I'm not sure if its a volume issue because I think PA and NJ have more racers. I've tried to race down there a number of times but have always been locked out of the field. How do you do it? Check bikereg on an hourly basis?

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NewR3

I'm not sure how the #s of racers compare, but the cat 4 and 5 fields do fill up quickly, for early season races and the more "showcase" events on the calender. The race promoter sends out a heads up on our district list serve so folks know ahead of time when to be ready to register. When I was a 4, I made sure to have myself ready to register when the race opened. Otherwise, I would waitlist and just show up on race day to get in on a cancellation. Alternatively, if I missed a registration, I'd often make the drive up to PA to get a race in.