Aug 4, 2021 (COLORADO SPRINGS, CO) - Growth in the cycling industry is evident far and wide and USA Cycling is seeing those same unprecedented numbers in interest and participation. As the national governing body of cycling, the organization is pleased to report record participation in many National Championships events, including Mountain Biking and Pro Road. Registration for Mountain Bike Nationals alone was up nearly 11 percent over 2019, with a significant number of participants in the first ever High School Festival. The number of junior athletes participating in racing and events is well ahead of 2019 pace, and overall membership will exceed 2019 numbers by more than 25 percent.
“We set out to truly champion cycling among youth this year,” said USA Cycling president and CEO, Rob DeMartini. “It is clear that it is working. Events and programs like what we held at mountain bike nationals are helping to engage and include youth riders, setting them up to be cyclists for life.”
As part of USAC’s commitment to development programs, the inaugural youth-focused Let’s Ride program along with Free Bikes 4 Kidz and Wish 4 Wheels has donated over 600 free bikes to kids in need. The Let’s Ride program also matches coaches and kids for skills camps on the USAC website.
Outside of development programs, events, and racing, USA Cycling also reports the addition of nine new partner brands: Cuore of Switzerland, Tissot, Skratch Labs, Giro, Vittoria Tires, FloSports, POC Sports, Intermountain Healthcare, and Zespri Kiwifruit. These partners put valuable support behind USA Cycling’s mission to champion cycling in America by backing Team USA athletes and providing members with valuable benefits.
“USA Cycling is building a tremendous roster of partners,” said DeMartini. “We appreciate the support, value, and trust each and everyone of them brings to make our athletes better, membership stronger, and the We Champion mission more successful.”
USA Cycling’s We Champion initiative kicked off in June with the goal of improving access for cyclists of all levels and backgrounds.
“When we saw the boom in cycling in 2020, we hoped that also meant an increase in racing and general increased participation in the programs USA Cycling offers to make cycling more accessible,” said DeMartini. “We’re thrilled to see those numbers are in line with overall growth of the sport.”
ABOUT USA CYCLING (usacycling.org)
USA Cycling is the national governing body for the sport of cycling and oversees the disciplines of road, track, mountain bike, cyclocross, and BMX. USA Cycling’s mission is to champion accessibility, participation, and excellence in the sport of cycling to make more Americans healthier, happier, and better on two wheels while achieving sustained international racing success. USA Cycling supports cyclists at all levels, from those just beginning in the sport and participating in fun rides to international caliber racers. The organization identifies, develops, and selects cyclists to represent the United States in international competition through the support of kids’ and interscholastic programs, amateur bike racing and grassroots development programs, and the provision of critical infrastructure to run organized racing. USA Cycling has a membership of 100,000, annually sanctions over 2,500 events, and is a proud member of the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) and United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC).
