I don’t know if you guys have seen this stuff yet, but it has some important info if you plan on racing.
Here’s the November newsletter
http//usacycling.org/news/user/story.php?id=4529
Here’s the RULE changes for this season (esp. the last rule change)
https//www.usacycling.org/news/user/story.php?id=4527
…looks like we’re gonna have to leave the discs, P4s, tt helmets and all the cool lookin stuff at home '( …BUT you can still bring your zipp 1080s!
-stephen
The deciders’ point of view:
We knew that this would
be controversial, as all substantive changes to the rules have been
over the years. The “mass start equipment” rule change has been made
and is on the books for 2010. It is important to note that this
decision was not made in a vacuum – the Trustees held numerous open
and well-attended forums on this and other issues for the past 18
months at the national championships, solicited feedback from
Conference Directors, team leadership, coaches and USA Cycling staff.
The Trustees had discussions with programs small and large, well
funded and unfunded. The issue is larger than any one of (in no
particular order):
A) Sporting considerations
B) Cost of travel to conference events and national championships
C) Cost of equipment
D) Safety of transporting additional gear to conference events and
national championships
E) Athletic development; i.e. preparing our scholar athletes for the next level
F) Significantly increase in bicycle travel cost ($175 each way, $350RT)
G) Acknowledging the role of technology in our sport; engaging with
the bicycle industry
Ultimately, the Trustees considered all of the above, discussed it
with many constituents across the wide spectrum of Collegiate Cycling
and had a very favorably received (by riders, coaches and the CDs)
conference aero restriction roll-out in the ECCC in 2009. We then
took all of the above, deliberated – at length – and reviewed it
against the Collegiate Cycling Mission Statement:
Collegiate Cycling is team-oriented bicycle racing for women and men
of all abilities. It focuses on:
(a) Providing new riders with a welcoming introduction to the
Collegiate Cycling family;
(b) Enabling elite riders to pursue an education while benefiting
from development opportunities that integrate with amateur and
professional teams and national development programs;
© Creating personal growth and leadership development opportunities
for scholar athletes both on and off the bike;
(d) Ensuring that the sport we love is low cost and accessible to any
student who wants to race a bike.
In the end, the Trustees knew this would be a controversial change
that materially impacts our riders and the competition. Again, the
rule change has been made and is on the books for 2010. Based on the
due consideration noted above, we are actively soliciting feedback –
especially once the conference seasons begin – and the Trustees are
looking forward to everyone’s active participation at the Trustee
Annual Meeting at the 2010 Road Nationals.
Thank you everyone for your time and consideration. Please keep the
feedback coming and encourage anyone who has additional comments or
questions to direct them to the Trustees and Jeffrey.
Kind regards,
Mark Abramson
Former ECCC Conference Director (1999-2008)
Trustee, Collegiate Cycling Board of Trustees
President, USA Cycling Board of Director
This has to be a joke…
If people couldn’t afford a TT bike the simplest thing to do would be to purchase some $60 clip on aero bars. I placed 2nd in a TT on a road bike, no disc, no clip ons. Having a TT bike won’t guarantee a win, sometimes it comes down to who is in better shape. But if they do want to ban equipment for giving unfair advantages, why not:
Ban everything but Shimano 105…Red is too precise in shifting and not everyone can afford it
And why not ban carbon frames…they are too light and give an unfair advantage…
Ban carbon soles on shoes while you’re at it…they offer too much power transfer
And Ban all wheelsets that weigh less than 1600 grams to make sprints more fair.
Come on, this is RACING. I worked my ass off for what I now have.
As much as I hate banning of technologies, doing such is as much a part of racing as say, illicit performance enhancement 
I am kind of on the fence regarding this, but I definitely see their point for making racing on the collegiate level accessable for as many people as possible. While there are many students racing in the A category who also race for pro teams in the summer, the spirit of collegiate racing is to be inclusive and fun, not super-competitive and high stress. I kind of liked how they had it last year of allowing areo stuff in only the A categories, but I think this WILL make things more fair between the very in-shape people with lots of money/sponsors and the very in-shape people without lots of money/sponsors.
I have always been a major proponent of focusing on technique/fitness, rather than on componentry/technology/bike weight. Thats why we here at mcgill cycling will let anyone ride with us on any bike, as long as it is safe (ie has brakes that work).
For what that’s worth.
Ben “Run what ya brung” Adler