Governing body (US)
usacycling.orgusacycling.orgOpen ↗
news sites
www.cyclingnews.com (Australia I think)
www.velonews.com (US)
Sample former Lance teammate commenting on pro lifestyle
dailypeloton.comdisplayarticle.aspOpen ↗
One of the more popular US domestic pros on becoming a pro
racelistings.comarticle.aspOpen ↗
There is a category for under 23 year old racers commonly referred as U23 or "espoirs". Racers under 18 are typically "Juniors". New racers are categorized as "5's" - this categorization is independent of age. As you get better, you move up to 4's, 3's, 2's, and 1's. As a 1, you'd be able to enter Pro-1 or Elite races and test your mettle against the pros.
Doping aside, there is a genetic element to becoming a successful cyclist. Without this talent, it will be impossible to become a successful pro cyclist. There are various sayings but essentially they boil down to "If you want to be a great cyclist, pick your parents carefully".
If you are familiar with motorsports costs, you will think bike racing is a bargain. You could outfit a racer for $3-4k from head to toe, for all weather conditions, and maybe even buy a roof rack for a car. Expensive wheelsets are over $1k, usable ones $350 on up. Once the racer is good enough to require special equipment, you may need to buy other bicycles, different wheels, and some specialty parts/accessories. Entry fees in the US are typically $20-30 per race until you become regional/national level. Around here a great racer can win $100-1000+ a weekend without technically having a pro license. (a super talented racer can almost assume winning a lot of money initially)
Prospective pros must be able to deal with crushing disappointment, misfortune, and lots of work with initially small returns.
At one race (Tour of Fitchburg), I had a very illuminating conversation with a support staff member of a domestic pro team. They revealed the entry level racers earned about $7-8k a year in salary, supplemented by as much as $10-15k in winnings (the team shared winnings). Keep in mind winning money in pro races is a lot harder than it is in amateur races - after all, you're racing against pros. These poor racers lived off their sponsor's energy bars and drinks and sold much of those products in order to get some cash. And these were some very, very good racers.
As someone who was (un)fortunate enough to race against pro racers when they were young, I can say that if your student enters races and can win solo at will at virtually every race they enter (Juniors as well as Senior races up to say Category 3), then they might be able to become a reasonable domestic pro. They must be able to absolutely crush the competition. It should be almost boring for them to race.
Frank McCormack sort of fit this bill, became a successful domestic racer, and he still wins races. When he was 14 he dominated the Junior race at a particular venue and then did the Cat 1-2 race and worked the whole race for his older teammates. George Hincapie also raced in this area, winning virtually everything with his brother Richard. He ended up on the National Team, did a huge (at that time) solo break of 150 or so km at age 19 in a relatively important US pro race (Tour DuPont). There are lots of riders in the same area who were close to their ability but could not break into the domestic pro scene (at least to the point where they could work full time on cycling). They could podium at Nationals, win the top Junior events in the world, but they did not turn pro.
Although the pro scene must look appealing at some level, the reality is that it is a very tough and unforgiving profession.
cdr
