The following policies have been adopted by USA Cycling to establish clearly defined boundaries between participants in cycling. Establishing clear boundaries reduces the risk of physical, sexual, and emotional misconduct as well as opportunities for bullying, harassment, and hazing:
Soigneurs are integral and well-respected members of any cycling team as they provide a level of care for riders unmatched by any other party to the team. The responsibilities of a soigneur are diverse and provide a soigneur with unparalleled and sometimes private access to athletes. With such access comes a responsibility to maintain professionalism in all aspects of their work. This Soigneur Policy is designed to reduce the risks that exist by way of this unique relationship. Therefore, soigneurs wishing to remain qualified to work for any USA Cycling team must possess a UCI Support License and comply with all SafeSport requirements to maintain said license.
Soigneurs and the USA Cycling staff deemed responsible for supervision of the soigneur should formally meet at least one (1) time per week (for the duration of contract/employment) for supervision.
Only a licensed massage therapist, or other similarly certified professional, is allowed to perform massages on athletes. It is never permissible for a coach, even if licensed as a massage therapist, to perform a rubdown or massage of an athlete under any circumstances. Any massage or rubdown performed at our facilities or a training or competition venue by a licensed professional must be conducted in open and interruptible locations.
Athletes with a racing age of sixteen (16) years or less are not allowed to receive therapeutic massage as a part of the USA Cycling National Development Program. Youth athletes with a racing age of seventeen (17) years are allowed to receive therapeutic massage with parental consent and must wear shorts during said therapeutic massage. Any massage of a minor athlete must be done with at least one other adult present and must never be done with only the minor athlete and licensed massage therapist in the room. At no time during the massage of an adult athlete should the door to the massage room be closed or locked. If the adult athlete is uncomfortable with the door remaining ajar and unlocked, the door may be closed only when another adult person (other than the soigneur) of the same gender is present in the room during the time of the massage no matter the age of the athlete.
Variations in cycling disciplines and venues prevent the development of a comprehensive, universal policy. Some races take place in sport stadiums where changing facilities are readily available while other races take place in rural or public settings where there are no such facilities. In this policy, terms like ‘locker room’, ‘changing facilities’ and the like are used interchangeably and should be construed as the same. USA Cycling requires all athletes to utilize changing facilities when available.
When athletes are uncomfortable with the changing facilities afforded to them, they must notify their coach immediately, and the coach must make a diligent effort to reasonably accommodate the athlete. When possible, separate changing facilities must be afforded to male and female athletes. When separate locker rooms are not available, genders must take turns. Additionally, adults and minors are not permitted to change clothes in the same facility at the same time.
Changing facilities should be secure while minor athletes are using them and an adult who has a current greenlight criminal background check with USA Cycling’s named provider (“Screened Adult”) should be within close proximity to the changing facility. Regular and random monitoring is required while minors are using a changing facility, however, visual monitoring of minor athletes changing clothing is strongly discouraged. If visual monitoring of minor athletes changing clothing is required, it is required that two Screened Adults be present. Furthermore, minor athletes and coaches or other adults in a position of trust or authority over said athletes must never change clothes in the same changing facility at the same time. Under no circumstances shall an unrelated adult be undressed (disrobed or partial or full nudity where private body parts are exposed) in front of minor athletes. At no time are unrelated adults permitted to be alone with a minor in a locker room, rest room, or changing area except under emergency circumstances.
The use of any device in video or sound recording mode or picture taking mode is strictly prohibited in any area being used as a changing facility except when all persons in said room are appropriately dressed and have been advised that photographs or recordings are being taken and two or more adults are present (i.e. in unique circumstances such as victory celebrations, team parties, etc.).
Travel is a standard aspect of cycling’s competitive seasons. Traveling requirements vary greatly between membership levels, athlete categories, cycling disciplines, coaching levels, and national teams; therefore, this traveling policy must be separated into clear divisions that accommodate and protect all differing sets of participants.
Minor athletes are most vulnerable to abuse or misconduct during travel, particularly during overnight stays, including a high risk of athlete-to-athlete misconduct. During travel, athletes are often away from their families and support networks, and the setting is less structured and less familiar. While USA Cycling acknowledges travel expenses may prohibit a minor athlete’s parent(s) or guardian(s) from traveling with their child, USA Cycling encourages parents and/or guardians to travel at their own expense with their child when possible. When parental travel is not possible, our travel policy provides structure to reduce opportunities for misconduct between youth athletes and to minimize one-on-one interactions between youth athletes and adult participants.
USA Cycling highly recommends any USA Cycling affiliate traveling with minor athletes adopts a travel policy similar to USA Cycling’s National Program Travel Policy.
USA Cycling’s National Program Travel Policy:
If disciplinary action against a minor athlete is required while the athlete is traveling without his/her parents, reasonable attempts will be made to notify parents before any action is taken.
It is important for all athletes and participants living in USA Cycling housing to behave professionally at all times while on USA Cycling business; those athletes are not only representing themselves and USA Cycling, but are also representing the United States of America.
USA Cycling provides athlete housing at the Chula Vista Olympic Training Center (CVOTC), Colorado Springs Olympic Training Center (CSOTC) and in USA Cycling facilities in Europe. USA Cycling strives to provide a positive, healthy living environment for all participants living at these facilities. The following policy is designed to ensure that all participants have a positive experience and to ensure safety, respect, and privacy remain top priorities.
USA Cycling acknowledges electronic communication tools can be tremendous assets to our coaches, athletes, soigneurs, mechanics, staff, and other participants when used appropriately. The purpose of this policy is to ensure the appropriate, responsible, and safe use of electronic communications and social media by those members bound by the Code and Prohibited Conduct Policies and to help define appropriate personal and professional boundaries. It is essential all participants bound by the Code and Prohibited Conduct Policies read and understand these guidelines.
As part of USA Cycling’s emphasis on athlete safety, all electronic communications between a coach or other adult participant and an athlete must be professional in nature and for the purpose of communicating information about team or sport-related activities. Participants must use common sense guidelines regarding the volume and time of day of any shared electronic communication. Any content of an electronic communication should be readily available to share with the public or families of the athlete or coach. When communicating electronically with an athlete under the age of eighteen (18), another participating adult, or the athlete’s parent(s) or legal guardian must be copied on all electronic communication. If the minor athlete first establishes the electronic communication, the participating adult must include another participating adult, or the minor athlete’s parent(s) or legal guardian in any reply. Participating adults are not permitted to communicate privately via electronic communications with minor athletes, except under emergency situations.
Social media tools present opportunities to interact with fellow participants and to share common interests, experiences, and ideas. However, USA Cycling recognizes that social media, mobile, and other electronic communications can be easily misused, especially when minor participants are involved. Therefore it is not permitted for coaches and other adult participants to have minor athletes joined to their personal social media pages; any existing connections with minor athletes shall be discontinued. Participating adults are not permitted to “private message”, “instant message”, “direct message”, or send photos via Snapchat or Instagram to a minor athlete privately. USA Cycling encourages public “team” or “business” accounts that can be “joined”, “followed” or “friended” by minor athletes and their parents to be used to safely communicate about team activities. All electronic communications on public “team” or “business” accounts should be non-personal in nature and for the purpose of communicating information about cycling activities or for motivational purposes.
Athletes, coaches, and other adult participants may also use email and text messaging to communicate. All email and text message content between athletes, coaches, and other adult participants should be non-personal in nature and for the purpose of communicating information about team activities. It is required that emails and text messages between minor athletes and coaches or other adult participants include a copy to another participating adult, or the minor athlete’s parents or guardians. Coaches and adult participants should use the organization’s web-site email center (i.e. coach@xyzcycling.org) for all communications with the team and athletes when one is available to them.
The parents or guardians of any minor athlete may request in writing for their child to not be contacted by any form of electronic communication by coaches or other adult participants.
Soigneurs are integral and well-respected members of any cycling team as they provide a level of care for riders unmatched by any other party to the team. The responsibilities of a soigneur are diverse and provide a soigneur with unparalleled and sometimes private access to athletes. With such access comes a responsibility to maintain professionalism in all aspects of their work. This Soigneur Policy is designed to reduce the risks that exist by way of this unique relationship. Therefore, soigneurs wishing to remain qualified to work for any USA Cycling team must possess a UCI Support License and comply with all SafeSport requirements to maintain said license.
Soigneurs and the USA Cycling staff deemed responsible for supervision of the soigneur should formally meet at least one (1) time per week (for the duration of contract/employment) for supervision.
Only a licensed massage therapist, or other similarly certified professional, is allowed to perform massages on athletes. It is never permissible for a coach, even if licensed as a massage therapist, to perform a rubdown or massage of an athlete under any circumstances. Any massage or rubdown performed at our facilities or a training or competition venue by a licensed professional must be conducted in open and interruptible locations.
Athletes with a racing age of sixteen (16) years or less are not allowed to receive therapeutic massage as a part of the USA Cycling National Development Program. Youth athletes with a racing age of seventeen (17) years are allowed to receive therapeutic massage with parental consent and must wear shorts during said therapeutic massage. Any massage of a minor athlete must be done with at least one other adult present and must never be done with only the minor athlete and licensed massage therapist in the room. At no time during the massage of an adult athlete should the door to the massage room be closed or locked. If the adult athlete is uncomfortable with the door remaining ajar and unlocked, the door may be closed only when another adult person (other than the soigneur) of the same gender is present in the room during the time of the massage no matter the age of the athlete.
Variations in cycling disciplines and venues prevent the development of a comprehensive, universal policy. Some races take place in sport stadiums where changing facilities are readily available while other races take place in rural or public settings where there are no such facilities. In this policy, terms like ‘locker room’, ‘changing facilities’ and the like are used interchangeably and should be construed as the same. USA Cycling requires all athletes to utilize changing facilities when available.
When athletes are uncomfortable with the changing facilities afforded to them, they must notify their coach immediately, and the coach must make a diligent effort to reasonably accommodate the athlete. When possible, separate changing facilities must be afforded to male and female athletes. When separate locker rooms are not available, genders must take turns. Additionally, adults and minors are not permitted to change clothes in the same facility at the same time.
Changing facilities should be secure while minor athletes are using them and an adult who has a current greenlight criminal background check with USA Cycling’s named provider (“Screened Adult”) should be within close proximity to the changing facility. Regular and random monitoring is required while minors are using a changing facility, however, visual monitoring of minor athletes changing clothing is strongly discouraged. If visual monitoring of minor athletes changing clothing is required, it is required that two Screened Adults be present. Furthermore, minor athletes and coaches or other adults in a position of trust or authority over said athletes must never change clothes in the same changing facility at the same time. Under no circumstances shall an unrelated adult be undressed (disrobed or partial or full nudity where private body parts are exposed) in front of minor athletes. At no time are unrelated adults permitted to be alone with a minor in a locker room, rest room, or changing area except under emergency circumstances.
The use of any device in video or sound recording mode or picture taking mode is strictly prohibited in any area being used as a changing facility except when all persons in said room are appropriately dressed and have been advised that photographs or recordings are being taken and two or more adults are present (i.e. in unique circumstances such as victory celebrations, team parties, etc.).
Travel is a standard aspect of cycling’s competitive seasons. Traveling requirements vary greatly between membership levels, athlete categories, cycling disciplines, coaching levels, and national teams; therefore, this traveling policy must be separated into clear divisions that accommodate and protect all differing sets of participants.
Minor athletes are most vulnerable to abuse or misconduct during travel, particularly during overnight stays, including a high risk of athlete-to-athlete misconduct. During travel, athletes are often away from their families and support networks, and the setting is less structured and less familiar. While USA Cycling acknowledges travel expenses may prohibit a minor athlete’s parent(s) or guardian(s) from traveling with their child, USA Cycling encourages parents and/or guardians to travel at their own expense with their child when possible. When parental travel is not possible, our travel policy provides structure to reduce opportunities for misconduct between youth athletes and to minimize one-on-one interactions between youth athletes and adult participants.
USA Cycling highly recommends any USA Cycling affiliate traveling with minor athletes adopts a travel policy similar to USA Cycling’s National Program Travel Policy.
USA Cycling’s National Program Travel Policy:
If disciplinary action against a minor athlete is required while the athlete is traveling without his/her parents, reasonable attempts will be made to notify parents before any action is taken.
It is important for all athletes and participants living in USA Cycling housing to behave professionally at all times while on USA Cycling business; those athletes are not only representing themselves and USA Cycling, but are also representing the United States of America.
USA Cycling provides athlete housing at the Chula Vista Olympic Training Center (CVOTC), Colorado Springs Olympic Training Center (CSOTC) and in USA Cycling facilities in Europe. USA Cycling strives to provide a positive, healthy living environment for all participants living at these facilities. The following policy is designed to ensure that all participants have a positive experience and to ensure safety, respect, and privacy remain top priorities.
USA Cycling acknowledges electronic communication tools can be tremendous assets to our coaches, athletes, soigneurs, mechanics, staff, and other participants when used appropriately. The purpose of this policy is to ensure the appropriate, responsible, and safe use of electronic communications and social media by those members bound by the Code and Prohibited Conduct Policies and to help define appropriate personal and professional boundaries. It is essential all participants bound by the Code and Prohibited Conduct Policies read and understand these guidelines.
As part of USA Cycling’s emphasis on athlete safety, all electronic communications between a coach or other adult participant and an athlete must be professional in nature and for the purpose of communicating information about team or sport-related activities. Participants must use common sense guidelines regarding the volume and time of day of any shared electronic communication. Any content of an electronic communication should be readily available to share with the public or families of the athlete or coach. When communicating electronically with an athlete under the age of eighteen (18), another participating adult, or the athlete’s parent(s) or legal guardian must be copied on all electronic communication. If the minor athlete first establishes the electronic communication, the participating adult must include another participating adult, or the minor athlete’s parent(s) or legal guardian in any reply. Participating adults are not permitted to communicate privately via electronic communications with minor athletes, except under emergency situations.
Social media tools present opportunities to interact with fellow participants and to share common interests, experiences, and ideas. However, USA Cycling recognizes that social media, mobile, and other electronic communications can be easily misused, especially when minor participants are involved. Therefore it is not permitted for coaches and other adult participants to have minor athletes joined to their personal social media pages; any existing connections with minor athletes shall be discontinued. Participating adults are not permitted to “private message”, “instant message”, “direct message”, or send photos via Snapchat or Instagram to a minor athlete privately. USA Cycling encourages public “team” or “business” accounts that can be “joined”, “followed” or “friended” by minor athletes and their parents to be used to safely communicate about team activities. All electronic communications on public “team” or “business” accounts should be non-personal in nature and for the purpose of communicating information about cycling activities or for motivational purposes.
Athletes, coaches, and other adult participants may also use email and text messaging to communicate. All email and text message content between athletes, coaches, and other adult participants should be non-personal in nature and for the purpose of communicating information about team activities. It is required that emails and text messages between minor athletes and coaches or other adult participants include a copy to another participating adult, or the minor athlete’s parents or guardians. Coaches and adult participants should use the organization’s web-site email center (i.e. coach@xyzcycling.org) for all communications with the team and athletes when one is available to them.
The parents or guardians of any minor athlete may request in writing for their child to not be contacted by any form of electronic communication by coaches or other adult participants.