Student Athletes
Ready for What’s Next After High School Mountain Biking?
If you or your student loves racing at the high school level, there’s a whole world of cycling waiting beyond the school season. USA Cycling is the national governing body for cycling in the United States, and we help riders take their next steps, whether that’s more fun local events, chasing a national title, or dreaming about international competition.
This page is your guide to what USA Cycling is, how to get a racing license, and how that license can help high school mountain bike athletes grow in the sport.
What Is USA Cycling?
USA Cycling is the organization that oversees competitive cycling in the U.S., including: National-level events and championships, Rider rankings and points systems, SafeSport, rules, and standards for events and officials, and Development pathways for riders, coaches, and clubs
If high school leagues are where many young riders fall in love with the sport, USA Cycling is one of the main places they can keep growing in it through local races, regional series, National Championships, and beyond.
Our Mission
To develop the sport of cycling in the United States at all levels and to achieve sustained international success.
Become a Member* | Choose Your Add-Ons | Add Optional Insurance Coverage |
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Sign up and join for just $20* per year. | Select the add-ons that fit your needs as a rider, racer, or supporter! | Get protected while you ride with $0 deductible on-the-bike injury coverage. |
Why Get a USA Cycling License as a Student Athlete?
A USA Cycling license opens doors for riders who want to keep progressing in the sport during the High School offseason, over the summer, and after graduation.
Benefits of Joining USA Cycling
Racing USA Cycling–sanctioned events allows riders to earn points toward national rankings in their age and category. These rankings:
- Help show where an athlete stands against peers nationwide
- Build a performance history that coaches, teams, and programs can see
- Support future goals such as collegiate programs or higher-level racing
For select events (including National Championships), national ranking points can help determine call-up order and start positions.
Better national ranking → better call-up position → less traffic to fight through on race day.
For strong high school athletes, this is one of the most direct ways to turn their hard work into a real start-line advantage.
USA Cycling uses a category system (for example, Cat 3 → Cat 2 → Cat 1) that lets athletes move up as they gain experience and results.
A license allows riders to:
- Earn upgrade points from their results in sanctioned events
- Request category upgrades as they meet experience and performance criteria
- Gradually progress to higher, more competitive fields as they’re ready
This gives motivated riders a clear pathway: from local races, to regional competition, to National Championships, and potentially international racing.
With a license, riders can:
- Race local and regional MTB events beyond their scholastic season
- Explore other disciplines (like cyclocross, road, or gravel) if they’re curious
- Stay engaged and motivated year-round
For many high school riders, USA Cycling events become the place to test new goals, ride new courses, and meet a broader cycling community.
- Standardized policies and guidance for coaching Adult and Minor Athletes
- Credibility and Accountability
- Access to current best known practices and resources in a constantly evolving safe sport environment
How USA Cycling Works to Support High School Associations
High School Leagues and USA Cycling focus on different parts of the same journey:
High School Leagues emphasize school-based teams, participation, and development.
USA Cycling manages sanctioned events, rankings, National Championships, and performance pathways.
They’re complementary, not competing. Many riders do both:
High School Leagues for team culture, school identity, and a supportive race environment
USA Cycling events for additional race opportunities, rankings, and higher-level competition
Our Membership
Athletes, Officials, Coaches, Mechanics and more support the USA Cycling echo system to deliver a high-quality, professional experience for athletes and clients
Athletes are supported from the grassroots level to the elite tier
When you become a member of USA Cycling you gain access to more races, national rankings, and a clear pathway to higher levels of competition beyond your school league. It also helps support the development of safer, better-organized events and programs for young riders across the country.
For parents
We know parents want to be sure the next step in their child’s cycling journey is safe and well-structured.
Safety, Structure, and the Next Step After High School Racing
USA Cycling sets national standards for event safety, officiating, and rules so young riders compete in well-organized, age-appropriate environments.
Through coach education, background checks, and event requirements, we work to ensure that races are not only exciting, but also managed with rider safety and welfare in mind.
You don’t have to choose between your high school league and USA Cycling; they complement each other. High school leagues provide a school-based team experience, while USA Cycling offers additional race opportunities, rankings, and pathways beyond the scholastic season for riders who want to keep progressing.
A USA Cycling license gives your rider access to more events, national rankings, and the ability to earn upgrade points to race at higher levels as they’re ready. It also helps them build a performance history that can support future goals, such as collegiate cycling, regional teams, or national-level competition.
Getting a USA Cycling license doesn’t lock your family into a specific race schedule it simply opens the door to more options.
You decide which events fit your rider’s goals, your family’s time, and your comfort level, whether that means a few local races or aiming for National Championships.
Welcome to USA Cycling! Due to the nature of bike racing, we often see many of the same questions. We encourage you to use our resource portal to learn more about the nuances of the sport.
USA Cycling offers resources to help families understand events, categories, rankings, and what to expect on race day. You can start small, ask questions, and let your rider explore at their own pace while knowing there’s a national structure behind the scenes supporting their development.
No! Your child does not need to be on a registered team in order to race in one of our events.
Our national championships are our premier events where riders from all over the country race against each other to win the stars and stripes jersey. Your junior must qualify if they want to race in one.
Ready to Take Your Next Step?
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FAQ
No. Many riders do both. The license just adds additional opportunities and a pathway into USA Cycling events.
Only USA Cycling–sanctioned events require a USA Cycling license. Your high school league events use their own systems and are separate.
USA Cycling has partnerships in place with various high school leagues to award points for races.
If you are interested in checking if your league is eligible for points transfers, please contact membership@usacycling.org
That’s okay. You can explore the information here, talk with your athlete’s coach, and decide what level of racing and commitment is right for your family.
Category upgrades are the foundation of USA Cycling’s competitive pathway, providing athletes of all ages and skill-levels a nationwide structure for continual advancement.
Collegiate cycling is where academics and athletics come together, offering student-athletes the chance to compete while pursuing their degree. The program is open to both varsity and club teams from colleges and universities across the country. With six disciplines, Road, Mountain Bike, Cyclocross, BMX, Track, and Gravel, there’s a place for every type of rider. From local conference events to National Championships, collegiate cycling provides the structure, community, and competition to help you grow on and off the bike.
A sanctioned event is any event that is permitted through USA Cycling. Our permits provide insurance for events and the riders that are participating at the event.
The resources on this page are designed to help youth sport coaches, parents and caregivers, and administrators alike. We're also excited to share more about the initiatives we support, like the American Development Model (ADM) and the Million Coaches Challenge.
Learn more about how you can make an impact in youth sport!