Participation Rates Up in Competitive Cycling

USA Cycling reports that participation in competitive cycling events in the U.S. continues to increase, at least in terms of licenses sold. Membership in USA Cycling exceeded 58,100 for the 2008 season this month - an increase of more than 2% compared to the same period last year. is week last year. Currently, licenses for mountain bike racing are up over 2.2% while Road, Track and Cyclo-cross license sales are up nearly 2.6%.

This is interesting to me as competitive cycling is but a fraction of the overall number of people who ride for utility or recreation. And there is very little in the way of youth development for cycling that compares to little league baseball, soccer and the like. So in many ways, the people who race bikes often just sort of stumble into it. They see a race and decide to try it out, or have a friend who may talk them into giving it a go.

Question: have you ever ridden competitively? What got you started? Comment below.

Photo of Ivan Dominguez by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images