FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

What is the Armed Forces Cycling Team?
What cycling disciplines are included in the official Armed Forces Cycling program?
What about women?
Who can apply?
How is the team selected?
What is considered for team selection?
How does an athlete apply for the team?
This sounds like an incredible opportunity, how do I get started?

What is the Armed Forces Cycling Team?

The U.S. Armed Forces Cycling Team is the official team that represents the United States Armed Forces in national and international competition. It is the approved cycling program/team of the Department of Defense. The team is selected to ride as "U.S. Armed Forces" for the entire season (Jan-Dec). The DoD sponsors the team to participate in one training event plus the International Military Championship (CISM) each year. The rest of the schedule is funded through commercial sponsorship to the extent possible and additional costs are borne by the individual athletes.

What cycling disciplines are included in the official Armed Forces Cycling program?

The Armed Forces Cycling Team is focused on road cycling. The program is driven by the International Military Sports Council (CISM) program and U.S. participation is determined and governed by the Armed Forces Sports Council. Currently there is an International Military Championship program on the road so that's where we focus our efforts. There is an international military cyclocross program but there is no host country for 2005 and beyond. Track cycling was replaced with mountain biking in the international military program but there has yet to be a mountain bike championship - the first is tentatively scheduled for Belgium in 2007. Once the event is confirmed, we'll work with the Armed Forces Sports Council to determine the policy on U.S. participation. Although we select Armed Forces Team athletes based upon their road cycling abilities, they have other skills as well. Cyclocross racing is a great off-season cross training activity and we have athletes who are skilled enough to rank among the nation's best. Due to a lack of road race availability where some of our athletes are stationed, they will sometimes participate in mountain bike races when time will not allow for travel to larger road events.

What about women?

The U.S. Armed Forces support and encourage participation by female cyclists. We run the season-long road program for both men and women. Unfortunately, the international military cycling community has yet to offer an event for women. We'll continue to encourage host countries to offer championship events for women as well as for men.

Who can apply?

Armed Forces Cycling Team applicants must be in the active duty military, national guard or reserves. For guard/reserves, there are different rules for specific military status - athletes should contact the service branch sports representative for clarification and eligibility. Men must hold a USA Cycling (USAC) category one license and women must hold a USA Cycling category one or two license. All athletes must maintain a USAC International Racing License and meet all eligibility requirements of USA Cycling, the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) and the International Military Sports Council (CISM). All athletes must be in good standing with USAC, UCI, CISM, United States Olympic Committee (USOC) and the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA).

How is the team selected?

The team is selected through a resume process. Applications must be approved by the athlete's chain of command and the sports director for their service branch before team selection can be considered. The team manager, coach and the U.S. Armed Forces Liaison from USA Cycling review all applications and make selections. These selections are then staffed back to the service representatives for final approval prior to team announcement.

What is considered for team selection?

First, an athlete must meet the eligibility criteria listed above. In addition, a history of proper conduct will be considered as it relates to the U.S. Armed Forces Athlete Code of Conduct, public morals and conventions as well as the highest standards of character. For applicants meeting these standards, selection will be based upon the following criteria:

• Potential of top performances in elite category races
• History of strong teamwork
• Performance history at the national and international level with priority given to recent performance showing a trend of continued improvement
• Consideration will be given to the balancing of individual specialties (time trial, climbing, sprinting) with team needs to create a well-balanced team capable of competing in a variety of race types

Team members are expected to compete in a regular schedule of local, regional and national races. These events are authorized permissive TDY, as military duty permits and with commander concurrence. For consideration of selection, athletes must be available for mandatory training camps, CISM qualifying/selection events, and for the military world championships (CISM).

How does an athlete apply for the team?

The exact application process, requirements and deadlines are announced by the services each year. The application deadline is not less than 30 days from the date of announcement. The announcement will also be sent to the Armed Forces Cycling email list and posted on this Armed Forces Cycling web site (www.armedforcescycling.org). Athletes are required to submit a completed version of this Armed Forces Cycling Standard Application with their service application form. Application procedures for each service branch are different and can be found at:

AIR FORCE: http://www.usafsports.com
COAST GUARD: http://www.uscg.mil/mwr/Armed%20Forces%20Sports%20Homepage.htm
ARMY: http://www.armymwr.com/portal/recreation/sportsandfitness/application/
NAVY: http://mwr.navy.mil/mwrprgms/sports.htm
MARINES: http://www.usmc-mccs.org/sports/hf/index.cfm

The team also has openings for the positions of mechanic and soigneur. Contact the team manager for qualification information, job duties and application details.

This sounds like an incredible opportunity, how do I get started?

Cycling in the United States is governed by the official national governing body, USA Cycling. Go to their web site (www.usacycling.org) to find out information on getting started, finding a local club, and getting a race license. If you are already racing, make sure you contact the team manager when you become a solid category 2 racer. We'd like to keep track of you and watch for you at events as a possible candidate for a future team. Everyone interested in military cycling should sign up for our Armed Forces Cycling email list to stay current on what's going on with cycling in the military.