DISTRICT NEWS

District Rep shares USCF rule changes

BY CINDY YORGASON

This is a combination of 2 different e-mails that I have received related to the recent board meeting and rule changes for 1998. PLEASE NOTE, that the Free Lap rule for criteriums has NOT changed!

The USCF board of trustees managed to meet in Colorado Springs last October in spite of Mother Nature's nearly successful attempt to prevent it. This is a summary of amendments to bylaws and racing rules that took effect January 1, 1998.

NCCA REPRESENTATION. In view of the fact that NCCA is now a committee under the USA Cycling board of directors and no longer a part of USCF, USCF bylaws that specify the purposes of NCCA and the composition of its board of governors are deleted. However, NCCA retains one seat on the USCF board of trustees (though that makes no sense to me).

HOUSE OF DELEGATES RESTORED. The USCF House of Delegates, composed of representatives of affiliated clubs, is recreated and will have the responsibility of voting annually on proposed amendments to USCF bylaws and racing rules. The question of whether there will be travel subsidies to encourage attendance at the annual meeting of the House has not yet been resolved.

CLUBS MAY BE NAMED FOR COMMERCIAL ORGANIZATIONS provided that they are sponsored clubs. Also, the staff plans to eliminate the initiation fee for new clubs.

OLYMPIC SPRINT and INDIVIDUAL PURSUIT rules are modified slightly to conform with international rules. The free lap rule for criteriums is not changed.

MASTERS NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS are added for men's 70+ criterium, as are certain track events for women 50+ and men 65+. An open Olympic Sprint event is also added.

23 AND OVER CHAMPIONSHIPS are renamed as "Elite Championships."

UNDER 23 CHAMPION-SHIPS are renamed as "Amateur Championships."

JUNIOR WOMEN'S ROAD TIME TRIAL CHAMPIONSHIP DISTANCE is restored to 20 km.

JUNIOR 10-12 AND 13-14 TIME TRIALS for men and women are restored at a distance of 10 km.

JUNIOR 16 RIDERS may compete in Junior 17-18 track national championships for sprint, pursuit and kilometer TT.

CATEGORY QUALIFICATIONS FOR ELITE TRACK CHAMPIONSHIPS are removed in anticipation of using regional races to qualify for nationals.

SUSPENSION RULES are modified so that less formal procedures may be used by regional representatives to suspend riders from domestic races. However, such suspensions will not apply to participation in international events as a member of a national team or to selection races for such participation.

HANDLEBAR RULES are restored to essentially the way they were at the beginning of the year. In particular, Spinaci-like and aero bars are prohibited from all mass start races.

MASTERS WOMEN'S CROSSOVER rules are further complicated by a provision that Cat. 3 women who are 35 or older may compete in women's Cat. 4 races if there is no race for Cat. 3 women. (This would make more sense if it were restricted to alternate Tuesdays in months whose names begin with "B.")

RESOLUTIONS were adopted asking the USA Cycling board to endorse Federal ISTEA legislation that would fund bicycle facilities and to seek affiliation with the League of American Bicyclists (LAB).

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