Central Park Racing Returns March 5th

Membership for the 2023 Century Road Club Association’s (CRCA) Club Series has opened offering a full season calendar: 12 races in Central Park, NYC.

What is CRCA?

CRCA (Century Road Club Association) is New York City's premier cycling organization, hosting a variety of cycling events in the New York City area. The Club was founded in 1898 and operates to this day as a volunteer-run, not-for-profit organization. CRCA is open to all USAC licensed cyclists. All racing/season pass members have access to the famous CRCA Club Series in Central Park, and all members (including associate members) receive access to the season-long free coaching program. 

Club Series

CRCA operates a 12 race, member-only season in Central Park. These races all start at Cat’s Paw and have various finish locations and points formats. Each race comes with 5 fields aligning to both men and women’s racing categories. CRCA will continue leveraging timing chips for faster scoring and individual lap times for racers. Dates for the 2023 race season are:

• Sunday, March 5

• Saturday, March 11

• Saturday, March 25

• Saturday, April 1

• Saturday, April 29

• Sunday, May 13

• Sunday, May 20

• Sunday, June 18

• Saturday, July 8

• Saturday, July 16

• Sunday, August 6

• Saturday, September 2

Notable 2023 Changes

Each season the CRCA Board of Directors changes w/ member elections. This seasons board is bringing forward some changes, highlighted below:

• No vaccine mandate

• Rumor has it, races will be a bit shorter this year

• Associate Membership is now $25

• Men’s Cat 3 Racers can select b/w the A and B fields (throughout the season w/in 48 hrs of race start)

• Paid marshal’s are back! A bit pricier than before - but still a great deal.

Signing Up

The CRCA Board has rolled out significant upgrades to it’s membership sign-up portal in 2022. A slick new UI and streamlined flow will walk new and past season members through the sign-up process.

1. Select a membership tier

Updated Membership Tiers & Fees. Inspired by similar initiatives in the sport and in an effort to bring more accessibility to bike racing in NYC, CRCA will be introducing equity-based membership pricing and payouts proportional to the average gender pay gap in the U.S. According to The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' annual report on the gender wage gap, women currently make 82% of the salary of a man in equivalent roles. For 2023, the membership pricing for women/trans/femme racers will be 82% of regular racing membership. Elite podium payouts for Open races will also reflect this gap.

Prices reflect early bird special!

2. Personal Details

Collect or confirm your personal details and emergency contact information. If a returning member, most of this will be on file.

3. Select marshal dates

CRCA’s Club Series and Open races cannot happen without the volunteerism of members, and racers make the best marshals because you fully understand the nature of racing bicycles in Central Park and NYC. CRCA’s goal is to ensure safety - for racers and other park users alike. CRCA’s former Marshal Captain, Paulette, has retired, and members will no longer be able to hire paid marshals through Paulette, her successors, or the Marshal Director.

Donor members are exempt from marshaling as are juniors. Season Pass holders must commit to two dates and volunteer pass members must commit to three dates.

5. Agree to CRCA policies

Confirm / acknowledge CRCA’s marshaling, waiver, Central Park Protocol, and vaccination policy. Agree that you, as an athlete, are in good standing w/ governing bodies including USAC.

6. Enter in an existing timing chip

Applicable to returning members as of the 2020 season - you can enter in the serial number for your timing chip from a previous season to avoid purchasing a new one for the 2023 race season.

7. Checkout flow

8. Roll to the start line and get racing