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Getting Started with ACA Races This information is provided for first time racers and those new to racing with the Allegheny Cycling Association. This information is in the form of (Frequently Asked) Questions and Answers. Q: What type of racing does the ACA offer? A: The ACA offers a series of group-start (everyone starts the race together) road races that are categorized as criteriums or simply crits. Crits are held on relatively short courses (0.5 mile to 2.0 miles) that are closed to vehicular traffic. Multiple laps are run by everyone in a particular race at the same time, hence the term group-start. In crit races, the first person to cross the finish line after the designated number of laps is the winner. Q: What categories of racers compete the the ACA Crits? A: The ACA races are governed by a national cycling governing body...USA Cycling or USAC for short. All racers in USAC events are categorized regardless of gender and/or age from categories 1-5 with 1 being the most experienced and 5 being the least. (There is also a Pro category). All racers begin at cat 5 and may progress up through the categories based on experience and/or results. The ACA races are designated as open cat 1,2,3, open cat 3,4 or open cat 4,5. There are also competitions for racers 40 and older (cat 2,3,4) and open womens-only categories (cat 1,2,3 and cat 4,5). Q: How long and how fast are the races? A: The length, duration and speed of races depends on the race category and the amount of daylight available for racing. The ACA venue is a dedicated bike track, in the form of a banked oval and is always closed to motor vehicles, that is 0.5 miles in length. Typical mid-season lengths, times and speeds are:
Q: Where and when are races held? A: All races are held at the Bud Harris Cycling Park, 1401 Washington Blvd, Pittsburgh, PA 15206. Masters (40+), Women(1,2,3), Women (4,5) and Men 4,5 are held Tuesday evenings from April 16, 2024 through August 20, 2024. Cat 3,4 and Cat 1,2,3 are held Wednesday evenings from April 17, 2023 through August 21, 2024. Races start around 6:15PM. All registration is online at BikeReg. Registration closes at 4:00PM the day of the race. There is no onsite or day of race registration. See Tuesday Schedule and Wednesday Schedule for details. All cat 5 men are required to race the Cat 4,5 races on Tuesday evenings. All cat 5 women are required to race the men's Cat 4,5 or the Women's Cat 4,5 races on Tuesday evenings. Q: What are the chicane, bullet and P coursee? A:
Q: What happens if it rains? A: Races are normally held unless there is thunder and/or lightening or extremely heavy downpours. Races may be stopped or delayed based on weather conditions. Normally if the track is wet, races take place on the oval course. Race categories may be combined due to poor weather conditions. All delays, etc. are at the discretion of the race officials. Occasionally Washington Blvd floods due to heavy rain and the road is closed off by the City. Please see our flood policy. Q: Are prizes offered to the winners? A: Yes. Nightly cash prizes and occasional merchandise prizes are offered for all race classes. The top three in each race win prize money ($15, $10, $5). In addition to the overall winners per race, a cash prize of $10 is also offered to the racer who wins the most number of laps per race, i.e. the most aggressive rider. On occasion a cash or merchandise "prime" prize is offered to the racer who wins the next announced lap. Tentatively from June through August, each race in each category, offers series points to the top 8 finishers who are ACA members. Season series points are totaled and series cash prizes are offered at the end of the season. See Tuesday Schedule and Wednesday Schedule for details. Q: Do I have to be a member of the USAC to race? A: Yes. A valid USAC license is required in order to race, or a "one day" license may be purchased online at the time of registration for $15 for cat 5 racers only. An annual USAC license may be purchased at usacycling.org. The cost is around $110 for an annual license. Q: Do I have to be a member of the ACA to race? A: No. However, a $5 discount per race ($13 vs $18 per race) is offered to all ACA members. In addition only ACA members are eligible for year-end series cash prizes. The cost for an ACA membership is $50 for an individual or $65 for a family membership. Go to Join the ACA for details. Q: What experience do I need to race? A: None. However it's recommended that you are able to ride in fast paced groups and in fairly tight conditions. Racers in crits typically form pacelines...lines of racers directly behind and next to one another. Positive racing experiences are enhanced by increased fitness and increased comfort levels riding in larger groups. Q: What equipment do I need to start racing? A:
Q: As a cat 5 beginner woman, is it better for me to do the Men's 4,5 race or the Women's 4,5 race? A: As a cat 5 racer, you are eligible to do either or both races. The Men's 4,5 race tends to be faster with mostly beginning men racers, while the Women's race has beginner and experienced intermediate and advanced racers. In order to make the Men's 4,5 race safer, experienced racers of USAC cat 3 and higher ride along with the group as non-competing marshalls. Q: Bottom line...what is the up front cost to race? A:
A: Please click here to see rider instructions.
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