Junior racing info?



T

Trailgalore

Guest
I've a grandson that's interested in road racing. Would someone give me some
info on how to get into such, ie age limits, other info?
 
Trailgalore said:
I've a grandson that's interested in road racing. Would someone give me some
info on how to get into such, ie age limits, other info?
You might want to checkout the USCF rule book for specifics @ http://www.usacycling.org/rulebooks/2004_uscf_rulebook.pdf

As for junior ages, they break down in to these categories.

10 yrs - 12 yrs
13 yrs - 14 yrs
15 yrs - 16 yrs
17 yrs - 18 yrs

The age is based on what the childs age is on Dec 31 of that year. So a child who is age 9 can begin the racing season as long as they turn 10 before Dec 31 of the same season.

The best way to get started into racing is to find a local team/club that has a juniors program. A good place to start looking for such is @ http://www.usacycling.org/clubs/

If your unable to locate a club close to you I would then suggest looking for local races and just let your grandchild try it out. The junior will need a USCF license (renewed annually) to race in most races but a one day license can be purchased on the day of the race if your unsure if you want to pay for a whole year up front.

Hope this helps.
Dan.
 
"Trailgalore" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> I've a grandson that's interested in road racing. Would someone give me
> some
> info on how to get into such, ie age limits, other info?


Well, it's a good think that you told us where you live so that we could
give some accurate advice.

Different areas have different ways of getting involved. In some areas Jr.
racing is active and he can race Jr. In other areas there are so few juniors
that they generally combine them with the women's or Cat 5 men's groups and
you have to really work to keep the kids from getting discouraged. Or when
they get around 15 or older the other problem with racing with seniors is
that the kids get faster than heck but are dangerously careless in the pack
because of the junior gears that they're required to ride make them spin
like the propellors on a plane.

Anyway, when you're looking for advice don't make people ask you a lot of
questions.
 
>From: "Tom Kunich" [email protected]

>Anyway, when you're looking for advice don't make people ask you a lot of
>questions.


Hey Tom How about just asking where he's at? Let's not continue the roadie
asshole stereotype.
There are a lot of people here who could help out witha little more info,
including you.
Bill C
 
"Tom Kunich" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> "Trailgalore" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
> > I've a grandson that's interested in road racing. Would someone give me
> > some
> > info on how to get into such, ie age limits, other info?

>
> Well, it's a good think that you told us where you live so that we could
> give some accurate advice.
>

<snip>
> Anyway, when you're looking for advice don't make people ask you a lot of
> questions.
>

How would this gentleman know, prior to asking, that bicycling has "local
rules" for membership? You clearly need more caffeine.
Bill
 
Do you suppose it would help the man to know what clubs to contact in
Florida when his grandson is living in Wisconsin?

Come on, the guy posted without thinking about what he was asking.
There's no harm in chiding him for that.

And, umm, didn't I GIVE him general information pertinent to just the
problem I was talking about?

Zen Masters were famous for their response to questions by accolytes.
Very often a question was answered by a smack upside the head. The
reason was that you were supposed to THINK before asking questions.
 
Tom wrote:
> Do you suppose it would help the man to know what clubs to contact in
> Florida when his grandson is living in Wisconsin?
>
> Come on, the guy posted without thinking about what he was asking.
> There's no harm in chiding him for that.
>
> And, umm, didn't I GIVE him general information pertinent to just the
> problem I was talking about?
>
> Zen Masters were famous for their response to questions by accolytes.
> Very often a question was answered by a smack upside the head. The
> reason was that you were supposed to THINK before asking questions.


The first response to the guy's question was great. The person sent
him links to the USCF site, and gave some good basic information. Why
did you have to be a **** about it? Just curious...

Tom (not Kunich)
 
Yo TG,

I was involved with the JR squad of a largish local team while my son
was coming up through the JR ranks. Here are a few things to consider.
First, I agree with Dan, if you have a JR team nearby, they'll be able
to help you tremendously. If not, there are other options.

Most local clubs have weekly group rides and some have local training
races as well, though they may not have JR-only events. If you can find
some local adult racers, they may be more than willing to donate some
time to mentor a younger rider. Having him get into some group rides
will do great things not only to build his skills but also his stoke.
If a kid started feeling fast but his group riding skills were still
shakey, we'd usually start him out doing time trials - a good option if
the club has 'em. If there is a weekly training crit, having a SR racer
ride with the JR creates all sorts of teaching opportunities.

If there is no local club, sometimes bike shops sponsor weekly rides.

With regard to jumping right into races......if your GS has a road bike
& loves to ride, his enthusiasm is by far his most valuable asset -
that's what you need to feed. Depending on his age, fitness and
expectations, jumping right into a race may or may not serve that goal.
In general, the younger age groups (10-12, 13-14) are much more
forgiving for inexperienced riders than the older groups.

Bottom line, road racing is a really social sport that brings together
a pretty diverse group of fit people. It's a great scene to be a part
of, but might not seem all that welcoming to a shy 16 yr old who lines
up with a bunch of kids who've been racing for 3 years and who promptly
drop him like 2nd year French. Might be better if he has some clue as
to what it's all about. I hope you're able to hook him up.

BD
 
>From: "bfd" [email protected]
>


>Yo TG,
>
>I was involved with the JR squad of a largish local team while my son
>was coming up through the JR ranks. Here are a few things to consider.
>First, I agree with Dan, if you have a JR team nearby, they'll be able
>to help you tremendously. If not, there are other options.
>


<good stuff clipped>
You Jamey's dad?
Bill C
 

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