Utah Cycling Association approves new rules for races

The Utah Cycling Association held its annual winter meeting and voted to make a number of changes that will affect the way races are held in the state.

With representatives from most racing clubs, officials and several races promoters in attendance, the organization voted to require all UCA points races to use electronic chip timing. The decision is intended to reduce the time and errors associated with judging the finishing order of races.

At several races in recent years, racers would not know their finish order for several hours, and sometimes days, following a race. Often, because racers cross the finish line in large packs, the finish orders were wrong. Hoping to avoid the confusion seen in such instances, the UCA will require cyclists in sponsored races to wear a chip that will record the actual finish time and order in a computer as cyclists pedal across a sensor.

Another development was the creation of a Masters B classification.

The move is hoped to create an increase in competitors because many older cyclists, who might be new to the sport, are often left far behind the more experienced and stronger cyclists racing in age-specific categories instead of divisions based on competitive level. With a division specifically for less-experienced cyclists, the UCA hopes to see more of the "weekend warrior" type of participants join the racing community and develop into competitive racers.

Also voted on was a resolution requiring clubs to provide at least one member to be trained as a USA Cycling official. Currently there is a small pool of officials working at local races, and this can lead to unsafe conditions on some roads and less oversight at events.

If a club does not supply a member to be trained as an official, that club will lose voting privileges on future UCA resolutions. The move, UCA officials said, will create a deeper pool of officials and relieve the workload current officials are experiencing.

Representatives from the Utah Velodrome Association also made a presentation on their plans to build a world-class velodrome on the Wasatch Front. The city of Ogden has stepped forward by making land and funding available but wants to see a few million dollars raised before the building will begin.