Thanks everyone for signing. I will keep you posted on how everything is going.
 Max Kaplan - Dec 28, 2007

before you posted that, you shold of read the FAQ page that I posted on this petition. http://maxkaplan.blogspot.com/.
 Max Kaplan - Dec 26, 2007

In my opinion and many others I've spoken to, this is a **very** bad idea. While we all would like to see cycling gain recognition and clout, this is the last way to go about achieving it -- at least right now. The best way is to start locally at the high school level and build from there. First, you would lose club standing. You would lose your bottom B and C riders. While these riders do go on to become A's and perhaps beyond, you have now eliminated the club structure which facilitates their development. Further, if an A rider has the ability to be an NCAA athlete then they are likely already racing in the USCF ranks. Second, unlike standard issue NCAA sports (e.g., track and field, soccer, and swimming), cycling has a well established post-collegiate racing scene: USCF. I would go so far as to say that it is arguably more robust and more opportunistic than any other Olympic sport. And finally, NCAA is NOT in the business of athlete development. An NCAA-caliber athlete is expected to arrive to school already developed and disciplined. This presents a problem: junior racing is not established enough in this country to feed universities. Consider track and field. EVERY single high school in this country has a t&f/cross-country team. Even middle schools. This alone is the reason why the US consistently has the best track and field Olympians: development. But what happens after college? There are *very* few opportunities. If you're not Olympic-caliber by the time you're a college senior, you're done. Contrast that to cycling, where athletes peak in their late twenties and into their thirties. How many of these eager racers pushing this agenda showed up as developed cyclists their freshman year? I guarantee that if there was only a NCAA cycling team at their school, they would never get the opportunity. Anna Lang Professional Cyclist, Aaron's Pro Cycling Team 8x Collegiate National Champion Elite National Champion, Former National Team Member
 Anna L - Dec 26, 2007