ECCC Racer's Guide
Bicycle racing---the greatest, toughest, most beautiful sport! The Eastern Collegiate Cycling Conference puts on a full schedule of year-round cycling action for student athletes, and this page will tell you what you need to know to get involved.
What's the Story?
To race in the ECCC you must be a full-time student at a degree granting college or university, or be a full-time student in a public or private high school or prep school.
"Full-time" means that your school's registrar considers you full-time, regardless of credits, internships/co-ops, etc..
Both graduate and undergraduate full-time students are welcome.
There are no limitations on age or number of years racing.
Many of our races also have alumni and non-collegiate categories open to everyone.
The ECCC races from September-November, January-Feburary, and then April-May, with four separate seasons: Mountain, Cyclocross, Virtual, and Road.
Mountain Biking in September & October
Cyclocross in October & November
Virtual in January & February
Road Racing happens in April & May.
Riders and teams compete to earn points toward individual and team season standings.
Top riders also compete to qualify as a team or individuals for the national championships.
All race weekends feature a number of categories for riders of all levels.
Our coached Introduction to Bicycle Racing clinics and races are perfect for absolute beginners.
Non-student, new women racers are welcome to participate in all of our Women's Intro events!
A number of pro and semi-pro riders regularly compete in our Men's and Women's A categories.
Every racer must have a USA Cycling Collegiate license, and be a member of a licensed school team.
An annual USA Cycling Collegiate license is $60, which also comes with a non-collegiate USAC license.
Annual licenses can be purchased at races or online via USAC's website.
Beginner racers can also purchase 1-day licenses at every race for $15 per day.
Starting and licensing a team is simple and easy.
We've got a place for everybody, so join or start your team, buy a license, check out the schedule, and come out racing!
Get Started!
The following are resources to get you started:
Licenses - More information on getting the required USAC Collegiate license.
Categories and Upgrades - An overview of the different categories offered at ECCC races, and how to upgrade through them.
Intro Racing - Details on our awesome, coached Introduction to Bicycle Racing clinics and races for new racers.
Schedule and Results - All season schedule and race flyer details are posted to the calendar, as are results and season standings immediately after each race.
Registration and Check-In - How to register for events and get checked in when you get there.
Nationals - Information for top riders on eligibility and qualifying for the national championships.
USAC Collegiate - The USAC Collegiate website has a large amount of very useful information and guides to getting started in collegiate cycling.
ECCC Women's Cycling - There are also resources specifically for women getting started in the ECCC in the ECCC Women's section.
Learn More
Once you've started, the following are some resources to learn more about bicycle racing---ECCC, collegiate, and otherwise.
Races and Rules - More detailed information about the different kinds of racing and their rules.
Racing and Training - Introductions to real training
Social Media, News, and Forums - Keep up with the ECCC on Google Groups, Facebook, and Twitter.
Volunteer - Some of the big and small ways you can do your part to keep the ECCC awesome and growing.
The ECCC is what you make of it, so get out there and make it happen!
