USA Cycling International Sprint Track Program & Time Standards

Elite Men and Women Sprint Track

USA Cycling has developed the following sprint time standards for the 2017/18 UCI international track season. These time standards are used for several purposes, the primary being to identify athletes who have already demonstrated an international capable capacity to compete on the world cup and world championship level. Secondly, we wish to identify those emerging athletes that have the potential to develop into world-class, elite sprinters, and then provide them the necessary resources to fulfill their athletic potential.

International Elite — World Cup Time Standard

The focus of USA Cycling’s International Elite program is on international competition in Olympic events and identifying world-class athletes who have the potential to become consistent podium contenders in world cups, world championships and the Olympic Games.

For those athletes whom meet the International Elite time standard and qualify to compete at UCI World Cups, USA Cycling may provide international training and racing opportunities at the USA Cycling European Training Center and the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs. Athletes will have the opportunity to race in European Grand Prix events and the UCI World Cups during the UCI track season.

The International Elite program has a cap of up to five athletes (three men, two women).

Emerging International — European-Based Grand Prix Time Standard

The objective of the USA Cycling Emerging International program is to identify emerging international-capable athletes and provide them with the necessary training and international racing opportunities to develop their athletic potential. The focus of this program is on international competition and international training opportunities for Olympic events. Those athletes that meet the Emerging International time standard may be provided international training and racing opportunities based at the USA Cycling European Training Center. Athletes selected will have the opportunity to race in European Grand Prix events throughout the course of the summer racing season.

The Emerging International program has a cap of a total of five athletes (three men, two women).

National Level

National level time standards are included in the table below to provide athletes the perspective for where they stand internationally and where they need to develop in order to participate in USA Cycling track sprint programs.

International time standards can be met at any UCI C1-3 and CC events where starting gates and electronic timing systems are used.

Enviromental and Mechanical Conditions For Time Standard Ratification

All time standards must be confirmed by electronic timing. In the event electronic timing is not available, an athlete may submit a video of the time standard that was met, provided the video clearly shows the timing lines, and USAC staff is able to accurately determine a time for the given event. Video ratification will be used at USAC discretion.

It is the responsibility of the athlete to communicate with the USA Cycling national team program director when they have met a time standard and would like to be considered for a USA Cycling program or a specific event nomination.

Outdoor Environmental Correction Factor

The outdoor time standards have a +3 percent added to the indoor time standards derived from world cup and world championship data. This 3 percent has consistently been shown through several different data sets to be a standard increase in environmental correction for slower, non-controllable environments.

Altitude Correction Factor

Using the current data of world cups and world championships over the last five seasons, USA Cycling is able to compare sea level versus altitude results. Based on this data the average change in performance for a flying 200-meter sprint was 4 percent. The average change in performance for team sprint is 1.3 percent.

Qualifying Time Period

Qualifying time standards for the 2017-2018 UCI Track World Cup Season, and 2018 Pan Am Championships must be on or met between the dates of TBD.

Team Sprints

Team sprint time standards are only valid on 250-meter tracks.

Selection Criteria

The international time standards are not team selection criteria. Team selection criteria can be found on USA Cycling’s Team Selection page. The international time standards are minimum standards to be considered for a team selection.

How Do I Submit a Time Standard?

To submit a time standard, please use the discretionary athlete nomination form.

For additional program information on either International Elite or Emerging International programs please contact Jim Miller, USA Cycling vice president of athletics, at jimmiller@usacycling.org or 719-434-4200.