Frequently Asked Questions

Basic Team Information

• What is the NC State Cycling Team?
• Do I have to be a student to join?
• What do I have to do to join?
• How much does it cost to join the team?
• Do I have to "make" the team?
• What are my responsibilities to the team?
• What are NORBA, USCF, NCCA, ACCC, and USA Cycling?
• How do I join NORBA, USCF, and the NCCA?
• Do I really need on of those helmets?

Training

• When does the team train?
• How do I setup a training plan?
• How do I "set up" my bike?

Racing

• Who is in our conference?
• What is our conference?
• What types of racing does the team do?
• What are the different levels of racing?
• When is the racing season?
• What is a stage race?
• What is a criterium (or crit)?
• What is a time trial?
• What is a team time trial?
• What is a prologue?
• What is a circuit race?
• What is a road race?
• What is a mountain bike (off road) race?
• How much does it cost to race?
• How many races does the team go to?
• What are the conference championships?
• What are the national championships?

Parlance

• What is "the pack" (or peleton)?
• What is a "breakaway"?
• What does "off the front" mean?
• What does "off the back" mean?
• What does "dropped" mean?
• What is "drafting"?
• What is an "interval"?
• What is a "prime" (say: preem)?
• What is a pace line?
• What is "taking a pull"?
• What is "pulling through"?
• What is "blocking"?
• What is the "yellow line rule"?

Misc

• What is the NC State Cycling Team?

The NC State Cycling Team is a Recreational Sports Club at NC State University. As such, membership is open to students, faculty and staff at NC State. This is for membership. To participate in the collegiate racing, the member must be a full-time student or part-time student. The team is also a member of the USCF and NORBA. In any of these events, all members of the team may race with the team affiliation of the NC State Cycling team. See some of the later questions for details about affiliations and membership details.

• Do I have to be a student to join?

Nope. Students, faculty, and staff can be members of the team. You must be a full-time student to race in the NCCA events. And faculty and staff must become associate members of the department of rec sports. Any member can race in the NORBA and USCF events.

• What do I have to do to join?

Show up at any of the meetings, come to Club Sports Day, or contact one of the team officers. You can get an application form at that point and pay your dues. If you wish to race as a team member in NORBA or USCF events, then you must also join these organizations as a NCSU Team member. More on this below.

• How much does it cost to join the team?

The cost of joining the team is minimal. The membership dues for a year is $35. This entitles you to purchase team uniforms, to participate in team events, and to take advantage of the coaching and purchasing benefits we offer. See below for cost of joining the national organizations.

• Do I have to "make" the team?

No. Our team has a non-competitive membership policy. Our goal is to assist people in becoming competitive in collegiate cycling. Be it road, mountain, track, or cyclocross racing. We have skilled and experienced people who will share their knowledge with novices. All you have to do to "make the team" is to show up and pay your dues. Absolutely no cycling experience is required to join the team only an interest in cycling.

• What are my responsibilities to the team?

The main task of each member is to just work on improving their personal cycling ability. The team will offer clinics throughout the year to assist novices in learning the ropes. Team rides, while not mandatory, are a very good way for the novice to learn the finer techniques of cycling. See the training section of the FAQ for more information.

• What are NORBA, USCF, NCCA, ACCC, and USA Cycling?

These are the various governing bodies of public and collegiate cycling in the United States. NORBA is the National Off Road Bicycle Association, and is responsible for sanctioning the mountain bike events that take place in the US. The USCF is the United States Cycling Federation and like NORBA, is responsible for sanctioning US road and track events. The NCCA is the National Collegiate Cycling Association and is the sanctioning body for collegiate cycling events. This includes road, mountain, track and cyclocross races. The ACCC is the Atlantic Collegiate Cycling Conference and is the conference that our team is part of. So the whole setup goes like this: At the top of the pile is USA Cycling then just below that are both NORBA and USCF. Now, under the USCF there is the NCCA. The NCCA acts as a type of buffer between the upper levels and us.

• How do I join NORBA, USCF, and the NCCA?

USA Cycling has made it pretty simple to become a member. You can join at any race. It costs $60 for NORBA license and the same for USCF. You can race any collegiate event with either license. You can also purchase a Collegiate license that will allow you to compete in all disiplines of collegiate racing. Cost for this license is $30. Be sure to put down NC State University your membership form so that they know you race for NC State. You may also list us as the USCF team as we are also a USCF club. Alternately, you can race any collegiate race by purchasing a one day license. http://www.usacycling.org

• Do I really need on of those helmets?

Yes! You must wear a helmet when you are at any team event. Well, make that any team event where you are on your bike. This is a requirement from all the governing bodies and just a generally good idea.

Training

• When does the team train?

Typically every day. Times are usually established for each semester. Summer times are pretty much up in the air. Obviously some of this may vary (and most likely will) change throughout the year. You should come to the meetings to see what is going on. If you are looking for company on your own rides feel free to email the listserv.

• How do I setup a training plan?

This can be a long and involved process. You should attend our clinics where this will be covered in great detail (more or less). Your best bet is to purchase a book about training programs. Joe Friel's "Training Bibles" are a very good source for information. You can also ask the team coach or an experienced member about training . Most importantly, good training requires that you not ride hard all the time.

• How do I "set up" my bike?

Setting up you bike properly is key to enjoying you time cycling. Unfortunately it can be an involved process, it is important that new riders seek guidance in setting up there bike from experienced members or from a good bike shop. Symptoms of poor fit can include knee or back pain, or pain or numbness in the crotch region. Andy Pruitt's "Complete Medical Guide for Cyclists" is a great resource for proper bike setup and on-bike health.

Racing

• Who is in our conference?

Well us, UNC, Duke, ECU, App. St., UVA, UMD, Navy, WVU, VT, John's Hopkins, William and Marry, Washington and Lee, VCU, WVWU .

• What is our conference?

Our conference is known as the Atlantic Collegiate Cycling Conference (ACCC).

• What types of racing does the team do?

The team participates mainly in all road and mountain bike events. Members may race in cyclocross or track races under NC State Cycling but entry fees will not be paid because not many club members participate, but there are few of those in the ACCC.

• What are the different levels of racing?

There are basically three different classifications of racing levels. In NORBA there is Beginner, Sport, Expert, and Pro. Each is just about what it sounds like. For the USCF there is a category system: 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, and Pro. (In some areas of the country there is a category 6, and there is usually a Public one at most races as well). The public is for the general rider who just wants to see what the racing thing is like. Cat 5 is for the beginning racer who has spent some time training and has some level of skill. Cat 4 is for Cat 5's who are just a lot faster than the other Cat 5's and have more experience (at least 10 races to "cat up" from 5 to 4). As the cat level "increases", so does the speed and the skill of the riders. This is the same structure that is used for the track racing as well.

Finally the Collegiate system is C, B, and A. Typically novice riders ride in C races for a year. Then move up to B's. (Since skill and hopefully speed have increased.) If the racer is really fast then they move up to the A's.These classifications are used for all collegiate events. For example, Joe has been racing track, road and mountain bikes for about a year. He is a B level collegiate rider in all collegiate races, at USCF races (road) he is a Cat 4, on the track (also USCF) he is a cat 5, and in NORBA races he is a Sport rider.

• When is the racing season?

Mountain bike season is generally in the fall during September and October. Road season is from late February to April. There are USCF and NORBA races during the whole year except winter months.

• What is a stage race?

A stage race (SR) is a multi-race event, where the winner is determined by their overall standing. Typically a SR is a road race where there are three races that a given rider will ride in and these will occur on different days (or all on the same night for track). Any given stage race may have different types of races on different days. And the scoring may well be different from one SR to another. It is these differences, though, that make road racing great.

• What is a criterium (or crit)?

A crit is a race where there is an approximately 1 mile course that is ridden around by the racers for a given period of time. This course may be a simple loop with only one or two actual corners. Or it may be a really twisty nightmare where there are 8 or more corners. The race is started by having all the riders at the start line. And the referee usually just says: "um.. err.. GO.. or something" and off you go. C's can expect to ride for 30 to 45 minutes, B's from 45 to 60 and A's from 60 to 75 minutes. Men's and Women's events are similar in length. Near the end of the time period, judges will signal the rider how many laps are left to race; generally with 5 laps to go. At the final lap, the judges will ring a bell letting riders know that there is one lap to go. Also, throughout the race, primes may be offered to the riders. (See below about primes)

• What is a time trial?

A time trial is a race where there is a set course that the racer must complete as fast as they can. It can vary in length from 2.5 to 40 or more miles. Each racer has their own start time. So as you come to the starting area, you'll be lined up behind people about to start. Each rider is then sent off alone at 1 to 2 minute intervals.

• What is a team time trial?

This is a time trial as given above but instead of just a single rider there is a group of riders who ride the whole thing together (see "drafting", "taking a pull", etc.). The group may just be two riders and races with teams of 5 are common. In this case each team starts at about 2 to 5 minute intervals.

• What is a prologue?

A prologue is a short time trial. Usually about 2.5 to 5 miles in length. It may be very flat or it may be really hilly.

• What is a circuit race?

A circuit race is just like a crit except that the course is 2-6 miles in length and tends not to be twisty.

• What is a road race? A road race is a race that takes place over a longer distance. It may be a loop of 10 or more miles that the racers traverse many times or it may just be one big route. Typical distances for C's are 24 to 40 miles, B's 35 to 55 miles, and A's 60 to 90 miles. Again, this is for both men's and women's events.

• What is a mountain bike (off road) race?

This event is most similar to a road time trial. It has a mass start (with flying dust, mud, and more often than not bodies) but quickly becomes a single line of riders attempting to pass each other on the single track, and the leaders are the ones who have high fitness and bike handling skills to match.

• How much does it cost to race?

USCF races seem to run about $20-30 for single events. NORBA events are about the same to a little more, except there is sometimes a land access fee. Collegiate events cost $15-$20 per event. The team pays for all collegiate events, but not USCF or NORBA. We try to caravan to reduce traveling costs.

• How many races does the team go to?

It varies from season to season. It all depends on if the teams in the conference decide to host a race. When there's not a collegiate race, we try to go to a USCF or NORBA event.

• What are the conference championships?

This is a stage race format event where there is awards for overall team position (based upon the team member performance). There are also awards for individual riders.

• What are the national championships?

This is a SR (stage race) format where the team gets to send 4 men and 4 women racers. These riders then represent the team against other teams from around the country. The overall position of the team is determined by the combined effort of these 8 members.

Parlance


• What is "the pack" (or pelaton)?

The pack is a big group of riders. All grouped together and riding at the same speed. The term peleton is euro-speak for pack (more or less).

• What is a "breakaway"?

This is a smaller group of riders that break away from the main pack.

• What does "off the front" mean?

This is where a rider leaves the main pack and opens a gap, or space, between the rider and the front of the main pack.

• What does "off the back" mean?

Same as off the front except the pack has left the rider behind.

• What does "dropped" mean?

This is where the rider has fallen off the back and can't catch back up with the main pack.

• What is "drafting"?

At air speeds of over 10mph a rider creates a volume of lower density air behind himself. If you get into this lower density volume of air, then you don't have to push through the "wind". In other words… At speed, if you get right behind another person you will be out of the wind; or sheltered from it. If you move to one side or the other (from directly behind the person) you'll encounter the normal strong smooth flow of air. As you move back behind the person, the air will be turbulent but not as strong. This can make it easier to pedal. And this is why you see everyone in a group so close together. Also it is why a group of even two riders is much faster than a single rider. The person in the back can rest a bit and the pair can take turns at the front. (See "taking a pull")

• What is an "interval"?

An interval is a training technique where the rider works at high levels of effort for a number of minutes and then works at a low level of effort for a number of minutes. This is repeated for varying lengths of time.

• What is a "prime" (say: preem)?

This is a mid-race prize given to the first rider across some referee defined line. In a stage race, it may be time (ie. Subtract 5 sec from the rider's total time), or it may be points (each rider gets points for the places that they finish and 1 or 2 more can make a big difference), or it may be cash/valuable prizes! These primes may be offered in a road race or (more common) in a crit.

• What is a pace line?

This is where a group of riders line up in a line so that everyone is in a draft (except for the first person in line of course). After a short period of time the person in front moves to the side and slows down a bit and drifts to the back of the line. This repeats forever.• What is "taking a pull"?

This is what the person at the front of the paceline is doing.• What is "pulling through"?

This is what the person directly behind the paceline leader does when the leader moves over. NOTE: To pull through you do NOT speed up. Note your speed just as the leader moves over and hold that speed throughout your pull. Yes, "pulling through" is a misnomer. The lines goes a constant speed (or effort level); the person dropping back is the only one to change speed.• What is "blocking"?

It is a suite of methods that road riders use to slow the pack down. For example, if your team has a rider off the front then you would want to keep the pack from catching him. So, various members of the team will go up to the front of the pack and mess up the paceline. This causes the pack to slow down (and a bunch of other teams to yell at you). If you have a large enough team and all of you can get to the front, then you can just spread across the road and not let anyone by (now all the other riders will yell at you). Generally don't do this (block) unless you've gotten some instruction in it. It is common courtesy not to interefere with a chase. Oh yeah… in mountain biking this mostly consists of being really slow and wobbly in the single track.• What is the "yellow line rule"?

This is a rule that simply means that in a road race you may not put any part of your body or bike across the yellow line in the center of the road. This is a safety issue on road races that don't have closed courses. This rule is often strickly enforced and violations can lead to disqualification.

Misc • Why do I have to fill out that awful application for NORBA/USCF/NCCA?

Well, the actual answer to this is rather long and complicated and does not bear repeating here. Suffice it to say that the USCF didn't allow the mountain bikers to organize with them at the start of the mountain bike thing. So the mountain bikers started NORBA. Now in an attempt to bring cycling in the US back together, "they" setup USA Cycling. Now the individual organizations didn't want to give up all their control. So, USA Cycling is just kind of a thing to have some organizing control. The upshot is that the application process is now relatively simplified. You can (and should) join all the organizations with one nice form and at an overall lower cost. Bureaucracy in action.• I just got yelled at on the training ride, is it something I did?

Most likely yes. But don't feel too bad. Generally this is some more experienced rider gently attempting to correct the behavior of a less experienced one. Typically nothing personal is (or shouldn't be) intended. If you heard what was said, try and follow the advice. If not, then ask them what they are trying to tell you. Hopefully the clinics (see the training section of the FAQ) will help everyone know what is expected of them during a ride so this type of incident can be minimized.• I don't like the current jersey design, who do I blame?

Better yet , don't blame anyone. It's just the way things are. If you think you have a better jersey design , then you need to draw it out and present it when a new design is needed. Jersey design is reconsidered about every two years. So , you have ample time to agitate for your design.• I don't like the current team t-shirt design , who do I blame?

Well , see comments about the jersey design. Except the t-shirt is designed once a year.• When are the damn jerseys going to be in?

Oh , so now you're getting touchy. While jersey design is a laborious process , the process of getting the jersey actually made is many times harder. Once the order is submitted (which typically requires a down payment of half the total cost before any work is done) the process takes from 6 to 8 weeks. And this can depend on size of the order and the number of other orders in the current queue. So be patient. Ask if you can borrow other jerseys for a specific race if needed and order more than just one. If you wreck and trash your jersey, chances are you'll just have to wait for the next order to get a new one.• I like road bikes , do I have to do the mountain stuff?

Nope. Although there are a number of good reasons for giving it a try. First of all , mountain bikers tend to be very good at staying on their bikes , in all sorts of odd situations. All roadies could use improvement in this skill for unexpected situations. Second , getting off the road and playing around in the dirt is a lot of fun and can be good for personal morale.• I like mountain bikes , do I have to do this road bike stuff?

Nope. You don't have to. But riding on the road (with a group of roadies) is one of the best ways for building up your fitness level. The next time you get passed going up a hill by someone you just dropped in the single track , you can almost bet that they are a roadie. You have the handling skills. They have the fitness. Everyone should have both. Right?• What is "bicycle frisbee"?

Briefly , it is a game of frisbee played on bicycles. Rule 1: You must stay on your bike to pick the frisbee up off the ground (this is easy to do with a little practice). If you touch the ground with your body , you have to drop the frisbee or get out of the way of anyone still on their bike. Rule 2: Your team must pass the frisbee (through the air , handoffs don't count) three times amongst itself before it can be passed to a person positioned in the goal area for a score. Rule 3: Behaviour that puts others in a position of injuring themselves is frowned upon. In fact if it is blatant enough it'll get you tossed from the game.I should note that this game was played for many years on road bikes in grassy areas. It was really good for developing bike handling skills and such (and still is for that matter). • What is a "track" bike?

This is a bike designed for riding on a track (velodrome). It has one gear , no freewheel (you pedal all the time , like it or crash) , and no brakes (except you pedaling slower). The bottom bracket is higher than a normal road bike and the crank arms tend to be shorter than most bikes.• What is a velodrome?

A velodrome is a bicycle track. It has steep banks , and only special track bikes can be raced there.• What kind of bike should I get?

That's a question of great debate , but just find a good bike that's within your budget. Fortunatly the team receives excellent deals on bikes at Cycle-Logic. • I'm a new rider , shouldn't I get a Ti bike with full Dura Ace?

No. I wouldn't bother. At this point , fancy , light , and expensive equipment will just make you look like a "fred" when you get dropped. Better get a mid-ranged bike that you can ride for a few years and learn on. Then you'll be in position to know what you need and what is good. Remember , it's the rider , not the bike! Well , at least until you start getting to the more elite levels. Your typical novice collegiate racer is better off developing and following an intelligent training plan than blowing $2,000 on a top of the line bike. Even though an upgrade to Dura Ace will never hurt. Never underestimate the awesomeness of dropping riders on better bikes than you. • I like to do triathlons, is there anything I need to know about racing with the team?

Just that road cycling is very much a team sport. And you can draft off anyone you can stay with. Oh yeah , you have to get rid of those aerobars for official races. Of course , you can (and should) use them at time trials. • Cycling isn't really a team sport is it?

Grrr… Yes it is. Very much. Well at least for road biking. Sometimes the team work is subtle , and sometimes it's very obvious , but it's very important. Teams that work together well can outperform teams that don't , even if these teams have better riders. In mountain biking , not so much so. But with the advent of mountain bike stage races with crits , I think you'll see more and more road tactics coming into play. • What is a "fred"?

This is mostly a roadie term that denotes someone who does not have much experience, but tries to pretend like they do--especially through buying lots of high end equipment.

• Do I have to shave my legs?
Nope! There is however a large number of excuses as to why you need to. Mostly I think it is just an initiation type thing (be one of there is the group 'n all). But then again, when I've fallen off my bike while rounding a corner, I do notice less skin loss when no hair on my legs. In addition if you do crash the wound is much easier to clean without hair in there, and it makes taking bandages off, MUCH less painful. Also girls like shaved legs :)