The International Cycling Rating System is designed to promote and enhance the sport of bicycle riding. The reasons for using a cycling rating system are many:

 

Standardizing the speeds of the different riding levels allows cyclists to join with members of other clubs to ride at set, predictable speeds. Independent cyclists and members of bicycle clubs can come together to ride in regional and international cycling events. Whether for simple recreational fun or intense competitive action, the I.C.R.S. levels the field to make the cycling more fun for everyone.

 

Entry level riders, recreational riders and solo cyclists miss out on the excitement and fun that comes from being a part of a team experience. With the I.C.R.S., schools can offer the sport of cycling to their athletic programs. Schools can provide the camaraderie and teamwork of another team sports with an in-house, intramural program. Organized school teams and cycling clubs provide an additional non-competitive option for youth to exercise and improve their fitness.

 

The I.C.R.S. is unlike other rating systems in that it provides a practical categorization of all ability levels. Clearly defined, realistic training goals can be set for every level of bicycle riders. Bike handling skills are combined with average speeds to develop a typical profile for each level. The affordable technology of today’s cycling computers provides cyclists with an easy way to objectively measure their performance and rate themselves. Youths get rated with a simple one kilometer distance, adults a challenging10 K. Entry level riders can set training goals and measure their improvement. Lower-level cyclists appreciate the incredible dedication to training in the higher competitive levels.

Golf and tennis are lifetime sports with rating systems that expand the focus beyond the elite professionals to include all recreational players. The recreational player is the very foundation of the game; hundreds of thousands of fans that love it, driving the industry, supporting the professional tour, sustaining the interest in the sport. Comprehensive, fan-accessible rating systems establish a wide base for the pyramid, a feeder system for upper level competitive programs. The I.C.R.S. has this potential for all recreational cyclists, based on objective, easily understood principals. Other cycling rating systems focus only on competition and exclude the largest segment of the population, the recreational rider.