Athletes born in 1997 will now be allowed to race USA BMX Pro Classes

Effective immediately, all riders born in 1997 or before will be eligible to pursue a pro license and compete in the pro class.  For the male racer, this will be racing in the A Pro class and for the female racer, the Women's Pro class.   Previously, females were not allowed to turn pro until the year of their 19th birthday and males were not allowed to turn until they had reached 17.  This will also allow racers that previously were not of age to compete in the Elite class the ability to compete, as long as they were born in 1997 or earlier. 

As a result of the meeting with UCI, USA BMX will combine Junior and Elite classes at all USA BMX pro events as well as all UCI events in accordance with the UCI rulebook.  This change will allow USA BMX to continue running UCI races that also count towards the USA BMX Pro Title.  "We are very pleased with this change and the other discussions we had with UCI leaders," said BA Anderson, CEO at USA BMX.  "We have worked to align our programs in many ways while still maintaining the wishes of our membership.  The changes in C1 races will allow us to continue awarding USA BMX points at these races as well as stay within the guidelines of the UCI.  With Olympic qualification for 2016 now beginning, we want to ensure that we are giving our membership the best opportunity and doing what is best for the sport," continued Anderson. 

The 2014 USA BMX rulebook can be found online at www.usabmx.com and includes the following changes to the pro classes.

A. 2014 Pro / Elite Age Requirements Age Matrix

Men                                                   Year of Birth

Men Junior                                         1996 -1997

Men Elite                                            1995 or earlier

Women                                               Year of Birth

Women Junior                                     1996-1997

Women Elite                                       1995 or earlier

B. A Pro

1. A rider must be born in 1997 or earlier.

2. A rider earning $4000 in one season in either A Pro or through the Elite race series will be advanced to AA Pro.

C. Men Elite

1. To be eligible in 2014, a rider must have been born in 1995 or earlier.

2. If an age-eligible Amateur rider participates in a Men Elite class (with the exception of UCI Supercross or Internationalevents) that rider will be automatically reclassified as an A Pro in January of the following year, and any monies earned while an amateur will be credited towards the $4,000 required to advance to AA Pro.

D. Women Elite

1. To be eligible in 2014, a rider must have been born in 1995 or earlier.

2. If an age-eligible Amateur rider participates in Elite Women (with the exception of UCI Supercross or International events) that rider will be automatically reclassified as an Elite Women in January of the following year.