Central Park Racing is Back
New York City road racing is anchored to racing in two of the city’s largest parks: Central Park in Manhattan and Prospect Park in Brooklyn. The most active race series in the former is hosted by the Century Road Club Association (CRCA), with 12-events making up the CRCA Club Series. Membership for CRCA, which is a pre-requisite for most of the race fields in that series, opened this week and we put together a handy guide to joining one of the largest and oldest cycling clubs in the country.
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.
There are also typically a number of community events for CRCA members throughout the year, including the famous end of season award party, which has at times included some very fun roller races.
Club Series
CRCA operates a 12 race, member-only season in Central Park. These races all start at Cat’s Paw w/ pre-race meetup at Loeb Boathouse. Races have various finish locations and points formats (scratch, power points, etc.). Each race comes with 5 fields aligning to both men and women’s racing categories. The 2025 dates are below and information can be found on the website (CRCA Club Series):
Sunday, March 2
Saturday, March 8
Saturday, March 22
Saturday, May 10
Saturday, May 17
Sunday, June 15
Saturday, June 21
Sunday July 13
Saturday, July 26
Sunday, August 3
Sunday, August 10
Sunday, August 31
All of these races also feature on the TBD Race Calendar which we think is a great resource for NYC / East Coast based cyclists. If you’re curious about some of the other 2025 events that TBD will be lining up for, check out our 2025 Road Race Calendar preview post.
New Members
Before participating in the CRCA Club Series all new club members who are USAC category 4 and Novice riders must participate in a free New Member Skills session to learn essential bike handling skills for staying safe in a race. Check for the next session on the CRCA Calendar. These are great educational sessions for anyone interested in improving their skills!
Signing Up for CRCA
Follow these steps to get your 2025 membership locked down!
(1) Select a membership tier
Here is an overview of the different membership tiers. New for this year, there are a variety of 3 different “Racing Pass” memberships that allow CRCA members to toggle up or down the number of volunteer marshaling requirements to fulfill this year. Or if you want to skip marshaling altogether while also supporting local cycling related non-profits, check out the “Donor” membership.
For reference, here is what the actual membership selection page looks like on the CRCA website, with each of the above options available to select:
[NEW] Sign-up to Volunteer Only - Why? You are just looking to support bike racing and want to help by marshaling at races.
(2) Collect or confirm personal details and emergency contact
This is pretty straightforward.
(3) Select marshal dates
If you sign-up for donor membership you’re exempt from marshaling requirements, otherwise:
Marshaling Policy. Our Club and Open races cannot happen without the volunteerism of our Members, and racers make the best marshals because you fully understand the nature of racing bicycles in Central Park and NYC. Our collective goal is to ensure safety - for racers and other park users alike. As such, we urge members to perform their marshal duties themselves if at all possible. However, if you need to engage a substitute, please choose someone you trust and ensure they understand the importance of the role.
(4) Upload documentation for USAC marshaling (volunteer) and racing waivers
Legal docs!
(5) Agree to CRCA policies
To be a member, you have to play by the rules!
(6) Enter timing chip data
First time members get a timing chip w/ registration (a $70 value). You will get a chip number when you pick-up your chip at number pick-up or on race day
If CRCA has your previous timing chip on file, you don’t need to do anything
You can enter in a timing chip number from other races run by MainSport and/or from Race Result chips
If you need a new timing chip, it will cost $70.
(7) Checkout flow for collecting credit card information
After you pay you bill, you’re officially a member and you’ll be eligible to participate in the Club Series (subject to waivers being accepted and completing the skills clinic, if you’re subject to that requirement).
