With the excitement over the announcement that the UCI Masters Cyclocross World Championships was coming to San Jose in 2016 and 2017, many Masters racers went into hurry-up offense mode, altering training and vacation plans, and as of December 1, started to purchase the $200 2016 UCI licenses that would be required to compete in the race for the blue and rainbow-striped jersey.
With yesterday’s surprising news that the 2016 Masters Cyclocross World Championships in San Jose were cancelled (and 2017 is not a sure thing), many racers were disappointed by the late development. Sadly, a surprising 32 percent of poll takers (small sample size, unscientific), or 53 people at the very least, already plopped down money in the form of a UCI license, travel, or both in planning for the event. Now the question is, can they get that money back?
Airlines and hotels may offer up the following response to requests for refunds or waived cancellation fees:
It’s still worth trying to get your money back by explaining the situation, as a few of us were fortunate last year to get all change fees waived after Austin’s Nationals were extended a day. (Just don’t put the agent in Dave Stoller’s dad’s condition.)
While USA Cycling and Murphy Mack of Super Pro Racing are powerless to refund travel expenses, Cyclocross Magazine, after seeing the surprising poll numbers, contacted USA Cycling to determine if racers could get a refund for an already purchased but not-to-be-used 2016 UCI license, or downgrade their license to a standard USA Cycling license, because of the change in plans.
Micah Rice, Vice President of National Events, was incredibly accommodating:
We will absolutely refund anyone who purchased an international license in anticipation of this event. Or downgrade to a domestic license and refund the difference. -Micah Rice, USA Cycling
So if you’ve spent $200 on the 2016 UCI License, reach out to USA Cycling to request a refund or downgrade and refund.
USA Cycling is out to prove that Stoller was wrong after all:
