Sports Information/Selection Process

1) ELIGIBILITY & PROOF OF CITIZENSHIP: In order to be eligible to be a part of the Maccabi USA Cycling Team at the 19th World Maccabiah Games all applicants must be of Jewish faith. He/she must fill out an official application and submit it to Maccabi USA. All applicants must be a US resident or hold US citizenship; however, you may be approved if you hold a valid USA Green Card and are currently living in the United States.

2) CLASSIFICATION: Cycling in the Maccabiah Games is split by gender and also conforms to age-group based categories, so it's important to familiarize yourself with how they are defined:
a. Open racing: This group covers adults 18-39 and can span USA Cycling classifications of CAT5 (novice) all the way up to CAT1/2 (pro). This is the toughest and most competitive field. These athletes will be required to participate in the Israel Connect Program prior to the Games (the Open Team will depart from Israel approximately on July 10, 2013 and return back to the USA on August 1, 2013).
b. Masters racing: This group will broken into different age groups based on gender but will be for those ages 40 and over (Age is as of December 31, 2013).

3) RACE TYPES & COMPETITIVENESS: The 18th Maccabiah Games in 2009 was the first cycling competition that the United States Team participated in, and included road racing (team) and an individual time trial. Winning results for the classifications can be found on the Maccabi USA web site (http://www.maccabiusa.com/2009-18th-maccabiah-games/336-cycling-results.html), and details for the racing distances can be found on the Maccabiah web site (http://www.maccabiah.com/imgs/ntext/catalog/cycling290409.pdf). Winning speed for the Open road race was roughly 37kph over 91km, and the winning speed for the Open time trial was roughly 44kph over 30km.

4) SELECTION PROCESS: An independent selection committee will be assembled to include Maccabi USA Cycling alumni and cycling performance experts. This selection committee will review all applicant materials and will submit a list of recommended participants across classification and gender (target of 6 Men and 3 Women in the Open Division, and 16 Men and 8 Women in the Masters division). All aspiring athletes will be required to furnish the following materials for consideration (note - any failure to produce these materials will affect athlete candidacy):
a. Application: All applicants will be required to fill out the official Maccabi USA Games Application found on the Maccabi USA web site (http://www.maccabiusa.com/sports/competitions/19th-maccabiah-games.html) and submit their application fee through the online form or PDF with application fee.
b. Race resume: There are no tryouts for cycling. All applicants will also be asked to produce a detailed race resume with the following information:
i. Racer profile (gender, date of birth, racing age, category, racing license, team affiliation)
ii. Basic race details (date, name, location, distance)
iii. Total entrants in the category field (category field, starting racers)
iv. Applicant result (placing, time, average speed)
Note 1 - An example race resume / template can be furnished upon request. We encourage you to seek out organized cycling races via BikeReg.com or USA Cycling if you need to build a race resume this season.
Note 2 - Special dispensation may be made for categories with few organized race opportunities (e.g., Female Masters 50+), and the selection committee may instead use timed ride results (e.g., gran fondo rides) or biometric data (e.g., power files) to assess applicant ability.
c. Personal & athletic references: We aim to build a team that races hard, races clean, are committed to the Maccabi USA cause, and have fun. Cycling is a team sport and we must work as a single unit. We will select on attitude and ability. We will be seeking to understand applicants on a personal and athletic level.

5) TIMELINE: The Maccabi USA Cycling Team will aim to announce its final roster by 1 January 2013. In order to hit this stage gate, we will require all aspiring Maccabi USA cyclists to submit their applications with full up-to-date race resumes by 31 October 2012 (when the majority of US-based road racing and time trialing will come to a close).

6) COACHING: As cycling is a team sport and athletes will be in Israel prior to the cycling competitions, we will encourage the team to train together and focus on a periodized training program to get to the competition date at peak condition. We will designate a team captain to help organize the team rides, and will coordinate with the Maccabiah authorities in Israel on recommended training courses. In addition to in-person team training while in Israel, you will also be given a training program to help you in the months leading up to the Games.

7) DETAILS &LOGISTICS: As the Games are in July 2013, full details about race course location, course length / profile will be forthcoming. As we get these details, we are more than happy to pass them along to interested candidates. Further, our goal is to provide a rewarding experience - connecting athletes with Israel, teammates, fellow competitors, and having a great time competing. Logistics and cycling always requires extra planning, be it with shipping bikes and wheels internationally, and organizing periodized training while in Israel leading up to the Games. We will aim to provide these details to selected riders as they become available with a target date of early May 2013.

8) GOVERNING RULES: Maccabi USA Cycling operates under the governance of USA Cycling and the Union Cycliste Internationale. These rules cover main issues such as conduct, safe and fair racing protocol, category definition and upgrade regulations. All cycling equipment used by Maccabi USA Cycling team members must adhere to UCI standards, specifically helmet certifications, minimum weight requirements for road bikes, and geometry regulations for time trial bikes. Please see http://www.usacycling.org/usa-cycling-inc-governance-election-info.htm and http://www.uci.ch/templates/UCI/UCI2/layout.asp?MenuId=MTYwNzQ&LangId=1 for detailed and technical information.

9) MEDICAL DISCLOSURE & ANTI-DOPING POLICY: Professional and amateur cycling is unfortunately plagued by illegal performance enhancing drug abuse. The Maccabi USA Cycling Team has a ZERO TOLERANCE policy for illegal drug use, and conforms to all norms set forth by the World Anti-Doping Association, the Maccabi World Union, Maccabi USA, and USA Cycling. Any failure to adhere to these rules will result in an automatic disqualification from the Games, dismissal from the Maccabi USA Cycling Team, forfeiture of any results and fees paid towards participation. Additionally, all applicants to the Maccabi USA Cycling Team will be required to produce an affidavit-based medical disclosure, detailing all medications and dietary supplements that are part of the applicant's regimen. Full information on global anti-doping regulations and specific ingredients and substances can be found at http://list.wada-ama.org/.

Should you have any questions regarding any of the above details or the Maccabi USA requirements in general, please don't hesitate to contact me. We aim to provide our supporters, candidates, and athletes with full transparency, great competition, and a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

Best and safe riding,

Robert Nissim Rakowitz // Maccabi USA Cycling Chairman
USAC 23140 // CRCA-Sid's Bikes NYC // NY State Time Trial Champion 2011
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*All sports details and information is subject to change.