Juniors

From the moment a child learns to ride a bike they become a “cyclist,” beginning their lifetime love affair with the sport.

There is no greater joy than riding a bike and kids get their first taste of freedom and independence when they jump on two wheels. Many kids take their cycling to the next level and learn to race their bike. Now more than ever Youth and Junior riders from all over the U.S. are experiencing the thrill of cycling competition. Maybe it’s racing for their high school mountain bike team, or riding with members of their family in a local cyclocross race with donut hand-ups and bubble machines, or finding a local velodrome and experiencing the thrill of going fast as they can, more and more kids are moving from being rider to racers.

While the sport of competitive cycling is exciting, it can also be a little confusing. Within the sport there are multiple cycling disciplines (Road, Mountain Bike, Cyclocross, BMX and Track) and within each one of those there are different race formats. There are also race categories, along with age groups, work to ensure that all riders compete against riders that share a similar skill and experience level.

USA Cycling wants to help you (and your family) understand the ins and outs of Youth and Junior bike racing, find the discipline and format that is the best suited for you, and help jump-start a lifetime love of riding your bike.