Bytagand the publication “Practitioners: should you take out a license?”
It's September. You're putting your pens back in your pencil case, adjusting your anti-Covid mask and thinking about what you could do to make your new year more fun. What if it was time to get a license? What's the point?
By Jean-François Tatard – Photos: Pikist.com/Pixabay.com/DR
At the beginning of September, it is topical to talk about association forums. Indeed, in order to promote the associative dynamics of the city, your municipality, even in the midst of the Covid crisis, is probably also organizing its traditional sports forum. It may be a little different than usual. There will be distancing gestures. Perhaps even a queue before entering the gymnasium that hosts the associations, little by little. Nevertheless, Should we take advantage of this to get a triathlon or cycling license? Especially since no one is certain that it will be profitable since, in this context of health crisis, we have no certainty about the smooth running of training or competitions.
You ride or run alone, you would like to benefit from specialist advice or find training companions. In that case, why not join a club? That's probably the key to success... But that's when everything is going well. And in this context then?
What is a license?
Cycling and triathlon licenses are valid for the period from January 1 to December 31 (calendar year). However, it is often in September at the start of the school year that we are really interested in it. Indeed, new licensees can be issued, from the beginning of September, their first license bearing the vintage of the following year. Its validity is then extended from 12 months to 16 months.
A license allows you, by joining a club (an association), to affiliate with a federation and thus be able to participate in events (races, cyclosportives or gatherings) organized under its auspices. With this license, you also subscribe to an insurance contract specific to your practice, but be careful to read the terms carefully because you may have to pay for additional options to be fully covered (in the event of equipment breakage during competition, for example).
Approaches
Were you fired last season? To renew your license you have two options:
- Complete a paper request using the paper form found on the website of the federation concerned
- Establish a dematerialized request on the licensed space of this same site
You then need to send some documents to the chosen club:
- The license application
- Insurance addendum (if the license application is not endorsed by the doctor, attach a medical certificate of no contraindication)
- A photo (croppable on the face for insertion on the license)
- A copy of your ID
- Parental consent for minors
You were not licensed last season, you can download the 2021 license application form on the FFC website for example (French Cycling Federation). If you wish to subscribe to a 2020 license, you can download the form 2020. Once completed, you must send these documents to the club of your choice. Not complicated…
Once the various documents have been received by the club, your request will be forwarded to the regional committee which will validate it and activate your license. Very simple!
Profits
The first advantage of joining a club by taking out a license is to benefit from supervision. Then from the friendliness. « Alone we go fast. Together we go far. » : is that the adage? Because it could also be the opposite. Let's say that by integrating specific sessions in a club that adapt to your potential, your qualities and your objectives, you will progress. And that is the role of the federal coaches that you find within the clubs. This coach evaluates you and establishes basic values thanks to tests for example. test which are carried out at the beginning of the year to determine your level and your pace to follow. Then, no session is determined at random. Every session must be useful and bring something, even the simplest outings. Thus, Joining a club is probably the key to success and the best tool against demotivation.
If you are alone, you cannot know if you are doing things right. You ride. You do not train. It is not the same thing. And maybe you even ride too much. However, in case of overtraining or undertraining, you do not perform. On the contrary, and a coach will know how to help you progress and without risk.
Being in a club means benefiting from the advice and plans of qualified coaches trained through the federal system. It’s a safe bet!
More interesting than the contradictory information found on the internet: these are in fact generalities, but we need something "personalized". And if you can't make it to all the training sessions, no worries, your coach will provide you with your personalized plan, including: your personalized sessions and recovery times, based on your goals to be at your best on the big day. And which will also take into account your schedule and the constraints of your agenda.
But that's in the best of all possible worlds. Because not all clubs have a qualified and available coach. You are sometimes left in the dark. In some clubs, due to a lack of volunteers, we make do with one meeting per week to ride in a group and a platform to register for races. In other clubs, it is total chaos with coaches who do not consult each other. For example, in some triathlon clubs, the cycling, running and swimming coaches each do their own thing, without taking into account the workload proposed by the other two. And the athletes do not progress.
It's up to you to test the waters before signing up and see what you're really looking for.
A group
Joining a club isn't just for kids whose parents are looking for something to do on Wednesday afternoons.. There are also "leisure" licenses if you do not want to participate in FFC or FFTri competitions. But, joining a club also means meeting new people and belonging to a community and defending the colors of a jersey. It is being able totagShare the same passion with other runners. Share highlights with them, whether in training or in competition.
Whatever your age or level, the group helps you progress. In addition to being more user-friendly than training alone, it turns out to be moretagand stimulating. In a group, guys – girls, help each other and pull each other, the coach believes. The group effect. We progress at any age and moretagand with a group and adapted sessions, particularly in winter on the Sunday outing"
The replies
Are you more of a loner? Groups aren't necessarily incompatible with your personality. Runners are not required to come to every training session, they can only take what they need to take to get their bearings.
An infrastructure
Finally, joining a club, even if cycling and triathlon are outdoor sports, may also mean benefiting from infrastructure. And sometimes even a gym or a weight room in some cities. And even if your goal is summer, it is interesting to vary the playing fields and to regularly carry out other activities during the rest of the season. You will see, the gym session on Monday evening in winter with training colleagues in the city gym will quickly become an essential meeting.
It can also provide a more rigorous framework for regular training., come to the different slots, even when the weather is not good. A club dynamic that motivates and will influence your performance.
Other advantagestages
While prices vary from one club to another, expect to pay on average €100 to €150 for a competition license. Not to mention a nice jersey and shorts in the club's colors that will often be offered to you in exchange for your signature. And sometimes, some clubs even save you the cost of registering for races on the calendar. And also give you access to races that you won't even find on the internet.
Conclusion
While writing the paper, I realized that I had posed my initial question incorrectly. The question is not whether it is interesting or not to have a license. Because ultimately, the advantagestagThe main advantages of the license are to avoid the hassle of renewing your medical certificate of no contraindication to competition, perhaps also to participate in official races and championships and to have a personal federation file. The question is more whether it is interesting to belong to a club. And to respond with the elements that I have developed: When you open the doors to the community forum next weekend, you'll go see what's being said at the chess club or the parish table later. No, deal with the emergency and head straight to the local triathlon or cycling club's booth before there's no more room... But don't choose the club lightly.
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