HOW TO JOIN A CYCLING TEAM?

Chrisbnj said:

I am a fifteen year old kid from northern New jersey. Ive been interested in cycling for a good amount of years now and am thinking of taking it to the next level. I know that teams have generally older members than I, but i think im a pretty good rider.

I'd say go to your LBS(s) and ask if they know of any local teams looking for young riders.

Or just get a license and go start racing; you'll figure out if you are or aren't a good rider pretty soon. If you start kicking ass as an unaffiliated rider, I'm pretty sure the teams will notice.

Quoted post said:

One problem is that i train on a crappy 5 year old Magna mountain bike. The front and back dérailleurs are messed up and the wheels are as true as a politician. Anyway, I was wondering how to get on a team of some sort.

Well, it's gonna cost money, but getting your wheels trued and a general tune-up is probably a good idea.

Chavez said:

I'd say go to your LBS(s) and ask if they know of any local teams looking for young riders.

Or just get a license and go start racing; you'll figure out if you are or aren't a good rider pretty soon. If you start kicking ass as an unaffiliated rider, I'm pretty sure the teams will notice.

Well, it's gonna cost money, but getting your wheels trued and a general tune-up is probably a good idea.

how would one get a license

First, you have to do some research to find clubs near you (or not necessary near you, you can ride your bike to the club too). Then, you need to see if they have section for young(er) riders, if they have - great! - you've found what you've been searching for; the people in club should take over the care of your career. If they don't - keep searching (and riding). In the US it could be complicated to find a club which covers all age categories. Maybe, you'll have to wait for couple of years. While waiting, keep riding and developing your interest... Maybe for some other endurance sport, you never know.
Regarding your bike, I think you can find good aluminium road bike for acceptable price, even new one. For a starter, aluminium is good option.
Do some research regarding club and bike. There are some countrymen of yours here who are still competing, they should give you more precise advice.
Try to post this thread in some other section of forum... Road cycling, cycling training... You'll get better answers.

Chrisbnj said:

how would one get a license

www.usacycling.org -- Membership Benefits

You may want to nose around the site a bit, I don't really pay much attention to U23 or mountain biking.

Do a Google search for "cycling clubs" in your area. Many of the major bike shops probably have their own clubs, or know of a club, or at the very least sponsor a weekly group ride. Also some of the local cycling coaches are probably involved with local juniors teams.

You could just get a license and start racing, as mentioned above, but of course you'll need an adequate bike for that (aluminum, also as mentioned above, is a good option because its light in weight and low in price). Bear in mind, if you're racing on your own without any experience it's easy to get discouraged when you needn't be; bicycle racing is a tough and tactical sport, and raw talent is seldom enough to get a result. You really do need a team and some coaching, in my opinion.

usacycling.org, linked above, is a great place to start.

Andrija has the right idea.

You need a club because cycling is a team sport, and it's just too wearying, confusing, and expensive to go it alone. The USCF has a web page, here-- www.usacycling.org -- USA Cycling Clubs --that will help you find a team. At this stage you want a development team, one that teaches you the sport, coaches you, and shows you how to move up in the sport.

Andrija said:

Try to post this thread in some other section of forum... Road cycling, cycling training... You'll get better answers.

Moved to Training.

Find a club/team that actually wants younger riders. Sometimes teams are all about their top level, nearly pro riders. It may or may not be a good enviorment for you. Either the top riders welcome young newcomers and help mentor or you'll be ignored. There's plenty of teams that actively recruit younger new cyclists. You should seriously look for those type of teams.

Lastly, this isn't a cheap sport. Usually if you ask your LBS will try to help.