You can be a part of the racing community without racing, and get paid to be there.
If you are at least 16 years old, you can become a USA Cycling official and help the WCA provide safe and consistent event support, as well as reliable scoring and timely results. The WCA is in need of officials across all disciplines and at all levels, from local to national (and maybe even beyond). There are even opportunities for motorcycle referees and commissaires.
When you get started as a USA Cycling Official working with the WCA, you can be involved as much or as little as you please, so even if you’re not quite ready to hang up the bike for good, there are still opportunities to both race and officiate.
3 steps to becoming a USA Cycling Official for the WCA
There are only three steps to becoming a USA Cycling Official for the WCA and there are additional opportunities for shadowing or participate in an apprenticeship to get additional practice (see below).
- Complete the USA Cycling Official’s Category C course
This can either be a scheduled, in-person training (contact us) or can be completed individually online.
Once complete, you will be given the opportunity to purchase your Official’s license and will automatically be eligible to work the next event. - Complete your online SafeSport Certification
SafeSport training is a front-line abuse and misconduct prevention measure that raises members awareness of misconduct and abuse issues in sport. The training is designed to help members become more proficient at identifying, preventing, and responding to misconduct and abuse in sport. - Submit a background check through USA Cycling
Create/log in to your USA Cycling account and click Membership > Background Check > Renew
Once you’ve completed these three steps, contact us and we’ll get you set up to officiate your first race.
Apprenticeships and shadowing opportunities
If you want to see the practical application of what you’ve learned (or what you can learn) you can always sign up to shadow existing officials in the field. This is available at all times and we welcome anyone to join us and learn more about the different roles. Contact us for the next available opportunities.
On a team?
Teams that are registered with USA Cycling are also granted a FREE, first-time technical officials license (among many other benefits).
A club is given one free officials license per year for a new official. Once everything needed to become an official has been completed, you can email officials@usacycling.org who can provide the license, free of charge.
