UMBRC FAQ
A list of questions we frequently receive about the club
and
the answers to them. If your question is not answered here then go to
our contact page
and send an officer an email.
- Is the
UMBRC an official campus club?
- Does
the club provide race or recreational bicycles to its members?
- Do club members
ride at regular times?
- Are
potential and non-members invited on the group rides?
- What
can I expect when I show up for a group ride my first time?
- What
types of riding do UMBRC members do?
- Do I
have to wear a helmet when riding for the club?
- Who is
eligible to race as a member of the UMass team?
- Are
there separate racing fields for men and women?
- What
does it cost to join the club?
- When
are UMBRC meetings?
- I
have never raced before, do I need to be a pro to race for UMass?
- Do I
need a USA Cycling license to race for UMass?
- How
do I get a Collegiate, USCF, or NORBA license?
- Can I
race for UMass at USCF and NORBA races?
- Do I
have to wear the current club kit to compete in collegiate races?
- Does
the club have a coach?
- How
much does the clothing cost?
- Do I
need to have a car so I can get to races?
- How
does the club travel to races and make overnight accommodations?
- How
much will a weekend of racing cost me?
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1. Is the UMBRC
an official campus club?
2. Does the club
provide race or recreational bicycles to its members?
Thanks to the
generous support of two club sponsors, International Bicycle Centers
and VanDessel Cycles,
we can offer discounted pricing on bikes for members. All members are
entitled to these bike discounts. Unfortunately, the UMBRC does not
have an inventory of bikes to loan members.
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3. Do club
members ride at regular times?
- Once a regular
ride is scheduled it is posted on our schedule page.
Other rides are arranged on an ad-hoc basis over the club
list-serve (Yahoo! group UMBRC) - learn more on the join page.
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4. Are potential
and non-members invited on the group rides?
- Yes!
All riders are welcome at these rides, please come out and
join us.
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5. What can I
expect when I show up for a group ride my first time?
- A
welcome and an nice ride. Pace depends on who is present and
smaller groups might form to go at different speeds but no one will be
left behind on these rides. Everyone will have a helmet on.
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6. What types of
riding do UMBRC members do?
- All
types - some we might not even know about yet. There are
road,
mountain, gravity and bmx disciplines currently represented within our
ranks.
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7. Do I have to
wear a helmet when riding for the club?
- Absolutely and
without exception. Its smart,
its required at NCCA/ECCC events whenever you're on your bike (even if
your just heading to the bathroom), and most of the new models look
better than your bare dome anyway. One more thing - make sure it
fits right. We
strongly recommend you wear a helmet when not riding for the club as
well
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8. Who is
eligible to race as a member of the UMass team?
- To compete in
the ECCC (Eastern Collegiate Cycling Conference) and NCCA (National
Collegiate Cycling Association) you must be a full-time undergraduate
or graduate student. For non-racing members you need only be
a currently
enrolled (part-time of
full-time) student of the University of Massachusetts Amherst.
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9. Are there
separate racing fields for men and women?
- Yes, collegiate
races have specific men's and women's fields at every race and event.
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10. What does it
cost to join the club?
- The
only required fee is annual membership dues. The dues are
split
into two payments of $30. One payment due at the beginning of each
Spring and Fall school semester. (please note that this fee is subject
to change)
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11. When are
UMBRC meetings?
- Thursday
evenings at 7:30 in the Campus Center - head to the schedule page for more
info.
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12. I have never
raced before, do I need to be a pro to race for UMass?
- Absolutely not.
The best part about collegiate cycling is that there is a category to suit
everyone. And
by joining the club you will only get better riding with other,
experienced members.
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13. Do I need a
USA Cycling license to race for UMass?
- Yes.
For collegiate races you will need a need a specific
collegiate
license (available as an add-on to your USCF or NORBA licenses or as a
stand alone license). The other option is to purchase a
"day-of"
license (usually $5) for each day of collegiate racing you participate
in.
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14. How do I get
a Collegiate, USCF, or NORBA license?
- Collegiate
licenses are required for collegiate events, USCF licenses are for road
races, and NORBA licenses are for mountain biking and gravity races.
You get them all from USAcycling.org - follow this link [click here] to create an
account, learn more about the licenses, and purchase what you need.
-
*if you have
more questions about what license you will need, contact a club
officer to ask.
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15. Can I race
for UMass at USCF and NORBA races?
- Yes!
Since the club is registered with USA Cycling, members can compete as a
UMBRC team member at non-collegiate road and mountain races so long as
you are a member in good-standing with the club.
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16. Do I have to
wear the current club kit to compete in collegiate races?
- Yes.
It is a requirement of the ECCC and NCCA that race team
members
all wear the same jersey during races. Club shorts are not
required, but the only acceptable alternative is plain black shorts (no
other team logos or sponsor graphics are allowed on your shorts - only
black shorts with the logo/brand of the clothing company)
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17. How much
does the clothing cost?
- The
prices for various pieces of riding clothes (jerseys, shorts,
warmers, jackets, etc.) change yearly based on the cost to the club for
purchasing. Check [here]
for the inventory of riding clothing.
There are also
t-shirts and sweatshirts available at discount prices to members and
alumni. Check [here]
for casual clothing inventory.
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18. Do I need to
have a car so I can get to races?
- UMBRC
takes UMass Athletic vans to as many races as possible. When
vans
are not available, members carpool. If you have a car and are
willing to drive members of the team to a race and back, the club will
reimburse you
for driving.
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19. How does the
club travel to races and make overnight accommodations?
- Depending
on the distance to the race we will leave either the night before the
race or the morning of a race. If we are away from campus
overnight we will stay with friends or relatives in the area or get
rooms in a hotel.
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20. How much
will a weekend of racing cost me?
- Somewhere
between $30 and $65 depending on the number events you register for and
the amount of food your bring vs food you buy. Collegiate
races are $13
per event for pre-registration (add $5 for day-of reg) and there are
typically two or three events during a weekend.
We encourage
members to bring as much food as possible (hint: ask a club
member how to accomplish this) but
you should anticipate needing to buy some snacks. If we will
be
going to meals (breakfast, dinner) plan on $20-30 per day for eating
out. Total food costs will vary depending on the specifics of
the
weekend, so feel free to ask an experienced member when the time comes.
The
club and the University split the cost for gas to travel to races. The
club will also pay for all accommodations if a hotel is required.
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