34 Elite Domestic Teams Registered In USA

Posted on 08. Mar, 2012 by lyne in news

A total of 34 Domestic Elite Teams registered with USA Cycling for the 2012 road season. These teams, along with the USA registered UCI Continental squads, will be in the running for the team standings for both the National Racing Calendar (NRC) and the National Criterium Calendar (NCC).  Any rider that races at NRC and NCC events will have his/her points accrued in the individual standings but the same points will only be accrued in the team classification if his/her team is registered with USA Cycling.

For example last year, Jonathan Cantwell  finished fourth overall in the NRC individual standings but his V Australia squad does not show up in the team classification because they didn’t register (nor pay).  In 2011, Francisco Mancebo won the NRC individual men’s classification while  BISSELL Pro Cycling topped the team classification. Colavita/Forno d’Asolo dominated on the women’s side with the team standings victory and Janel Holcomb claiming the individual standings. What do riders and teams get for winning the classification? Press releases and that’s it.

To be considered a Domestic Elite team, a pro/am team or in other words a team not registered with the UCI at any level, had to pay $250 and register its riders with USA Cycling by February 15.  Also UCI teams that are not registered in the USA would need to go through the same registration if they want to be listed in the Team Standings.

Redlands Bicycle Classic is the traditional start to the USA NRC

Guest riders will be allowed to ride with a given team at a designated event, with a release from his/her registered club, but will not score any team points. Though registered domestic elite teams will be able to add individual riders to original rosters on two designated dates, May 20 and July 20, their points will not be added retroactively to the team’s standings.

The NRC and NCC men’s team classifications will take into account 23 Domestic Elite teams and 12 UCI continental teams while 11 Domestic Elite and two UCI Continental teams will vie for the women’s team standings. USA Cycling also stated that  a foreign UCI squad is also registered in the men’s team standings but did not provide the name of the squad.

As the rules stand, UCI Pro Continental teams are not allowed to race non UCI events except for criteriums on the UCI criterium calendar which includes all NCC events. So, the the UCI ProContinental registered in the USA teams can also compete for the NCC team classification.  Of note, UCI ProContinental can get a UCI dispensation to participate in NRC events which UnitedHealthcare received last year for Nature Valley Grand Prix.

For the 2012 road season, USA Cycling split out the criteriums to create a new 19-event NCC calendar, with the NRC now including only 11 events.

Tags: ncc, nrc, usa cycling