It can all be summed up simply: “Race with HONOR, win on MERIT”

But, details do matter. So, here’s some more info to keep you on the straight-and-narrow on race day:

Feed Zones & Hand-ups:
There are open feed zones at all races, and food and water can be taken from anyone, anywhere on the course, unless the race director or USAC officials deem otherwise. Check with the race director for clarification.

Keep it Clean:
Any rider littering the course with food packages or waste will be disqualified.

Mechanical Issues & Aid:
You must start and finish on the same bike. You should carry any equipment required to repair your bike with you during the race. If you do have a mechanical, you CAN receive aid from other riders and the neutral aid stations on-course. You CANNOT get additional tools or receive help from spectators. Other than to pit in a neutral aid station, you CANNOT leave the course.

Helmets:
If you are on your bike, you are wearing a helmet. You must wear a helmet while warming up or racing on the course for any RVA Racing event.

Pre-Rides (Race Day):
Once the race starts, there will be no pre-riding or warming up on the course. Racers are subject to disqualification from their race with no refund if found on-course outside their category race times. This is a safety issue, and we cannot make exceptions.

Behavior:
The race director and officials reserve the right to warn or disqualify anyone from an event for unsportsmanlike conduct (profanity towards volunteers or other riders, foul-riding, throwing your bike). If you are caught exhibiting unsportsmanlike behavior or cursing at another rider for any reason, the official can disqualify you from that race and the series official may suspend you for one or more races (see USAC rules).

Denial of Access:
The race director reserves the right to deny entry to any individual race, the series, and/or venue to anyone with explanation.

Protests:
Protests can be made only by and against racers in the same class and, in most cases, must be confirmed by a third party. The protest period is 15 minutes following the posting of completed results for each class. It is a racer’s responsibility to verify their results at the race. Please do not contact the race director about results errors discovered after the protest period unless it is something that was not apparent at the time the results were posted.

Lost Riders:
Cutting the course short by any rider, whether by accident or not, will lead to disqualification or relegation to last place in your class. Riders are responsible for knowing the course. Check with race directors and officials about course maps and descriptions.

DNFs:
If you have to quit a race for any reason, please let the scoring crew know so we don’t go searching the course for you. If you have a legitimate DNF due to injury or mechanical, see the race director – at their discretion, you may qualify for a free entry to your next race.

Class Sizes:
Promoter may combine or break out classes based on registration numbers.

Junior Classes:
We welcome all juniors 11 years of age and older and RVA Racing Events tries to follow National Interscholastic Cycling Association (NICA) categories and format as much as possible.

Refunds/Cancellations:
There is a lot of planning that goes into running our events. We have worked hard to find venues that complement the RVA Racing Events philosophy of what racing MTBs is all about. As such, all Series Races are held in venues that can run rain or shine. Canceling a race is never easy on us, the host, or the racer. That said, COVID-19 has taught us we live in uncertain times. In the unfortunate event a race is canceled or postponed, we will transfer your entry fee to any other RVA Racing Events race in the current year and for the next 2 years.

Age-graded classes are determined by your racing age. Your racing age is defined as your age on December 31st of the current year.

Please note that RVA Racing Events may:
- Combine or break out classes and awards/prizes based on registration totals for specific events.
- Drop or add categories based on registration totals (see “Category Lock-In” section on this page).

PRO/Elite Categories*:
PRO/Elite Open Men
PRO/Elite Open Women

CAT 1/Expert Categories:
Cat 1 Men (19-34)
Cat 1 Men (35-49)
Cat 1 Men (50+/60+)
Cat 1 Women (19-34)
Cat 1 Women (35-49)
Cat 1 Women (50+)

CAT 2/Sport:
Cat 2 Men (19-34)
Cat 2 Men (35-49)
Cat 2 Men (50-59)
Cat 2 Men (60+)
Cat 2 Women (19-34)
Cat 2 Women (35+)

CAT 3/Novice Categories:
Cat 3 Men (19-34)
Cat 3 Men (35+)
Cat 3 Women (19-34)
Cat 3 Women (35+)

Open Categories (typically treated as CAT 2 for course/distance):
Clydesdale/Athena
Singlespeed
Tandem**
Unicycle**
Ebike**

Junior Categories (following NICA format - Broken into age brackets):
7-11
12-14
15-16
17-18

Teams:
2/3/4 Person Relay**

* Can be broken out into age brackets based on registration numbers.
** Some races

For some events, categories will be “locked in” 15 days before race day. For certain events, we may do this sooner or later. If the event is subject to a category lock-in, it will be announced on the registration page.

What that means:

• Categories will be consolidated, dropped, or split based on registrations at that time.

• Categories require 10 racers to become eligible for awards:
o We recognize podiums 5-deep.
o Awards/Prizes go 3-deep.

• After the “lock in” date, BikeReg will be updated, and new registrants will still be able to enter but may find some categories have been removed or combined.

Why we do this?

To keep entry fees reasonable for you, while managing costs on our end.

• Our vendors and partners keep an eye on the registration numbers and field size, which greatly affects their level of participation.

• Ordering awards/prizes requires planning and lead time (typically 3-4 weeks).

• Food trucks, breweries, and vendors plan for turnout and typically make the call at least 14-days out. So low/late registrations can result in a smaller prize/award pool, no food trucks or vendors.

But wait - we’ve got your back!
RVA Racing is the ONLY promoter to offer a “no-risk registration policy” to all our pre-registered racers. We want you to register early so we can do our part to run an amazing event. We also understand that schedules change, and life/family stuff does happen – so we’ve got your back!

See the Refunds/Cancellations - “No Risk Registration Policy” section on this page for more details.

Categories require 10 racers to become eligible for awards:

• We recognize podiums 5-deep.

• Awards/Prizes go 3-deep.

• For those events where we have a cash payout for any field, payouts will be determined based on entries. Remember, payout starts at 10 racers and increases with more entries.

Race Categories will be “locked in” 15 days before each event (see the “Category Lock-In” section of this page for more details)

There is a lot of planning that goes into running our events. We have worked hard to find venues that complement the RVA Racing Events philosophy of what racing MTBs is all about.

As such, we do our best to plan our Series Races in venues that can run rain or shine. Canceling a race is never easy on us, the host, or the racer. We want to keep you safe while not tearing up the trails or your gear.

RVA Racing’s “No Risk Registration Policy”:

RVA Racing is the only race promoter who offers a “no-risk registration policy” to all our pre-registered racers.

Why? we want you to register early so we can do our part to run an amazing event. We also understand that schedules change, and life/family stuff happens - we’ve got your back!

Here’s how it works:

If YOU cannot make the race, email us NO LATER THAN TWO-DAYS BEFORE the event at info@rvaracing.com and let us know. RVA Racing will offer you the choice of either a refund or credit for the full amount of your registration fees.

If WE need to cancel the race, RVA Racing will offer you the choice of either a refund or credit for the full amount of your registration fees.

If WE need to postpone or reschedule the race, RVA Racing will automatically transfer your entry fee to the rescheduled date. In the case that the new date does not work for you, email us NO LATER THAN TWO-DAYS BEFORE the event at info@rvaracing.com and let us know. RVA Racing will offer you the choice of either a refund or credit for the full amount of your registration fees.

YOU are not eligible if you notify us on or after race day.

In ALL cases, credits are good for any RVA Racing Events race or merchandise in the current year and for the next 2 years.

For all RVA Racing Events you can count on a fun and challenging course design, professional race operations, wonderful volunteer support, mechanical support, awesome aid stations, medical support, post-race fun, electric atmosphere, great music, and when we meet category minimums - awards and give-a-ways.

Check the event page as some events may include more, such as food/drink tickets, t-shirts, camping and/or more!

USA Cycling (USAC) License Requirements:
All RVA Racing Events will be either USAC sanctioned or have USAC sanctioned categories (hybrid). All riders are welcome to race in any RVA Racing Events race. The only requirement for those who enter USAC sanctioned State Championship races who do not hold an annual USAC license is to pay the $15.00 one-time license fee per race.

Want to learn more about USAC? Check out the section below on this page for more information on USAC and member benefits.

State & National Championship Qualifications:
For those riders interested in qualifying for state and national championships, it may be helpful to know RVA Racing Events are USAC Regional and State Qualifiers. You must be a resident of the state for each respective State Championship to qualify. You must also have an annual USA Cycling License to qualify. Please be sure to reference the USAC website (https://usacycling.org/) for specific rules and requirements.

For those riders interested in qualifying for state and national USAC or UCI championships races, you must also hold an annual USAC License to qualify. If you hold an annual USAC license, all RVA Racing Events will count as USAC Regional Qualifiers. You must be a resident of the state for each respective State Championship to qualify.

Please be sure to reference the USAC website (https://usacycling.org/) for specific rules and requirements or click HERE for the USA Cycling Rule Book

For those RVA Racing Events that are USA Cycling Sanctioned :
All riders are welcome to race! The only requirement for those who do not hold an annual USAC license is to pay the $15.00 one-time license fee per race.

ABOUT USAC:

PROGRAMS - USAC champions rider development programs for cyclists of all ages, skill levels and backgrounds by sharing expertise early and often with the goal of creating lifelong riders.

PARTICIPATION - USAC champions participation in grassroots cycling by promoting, organizing and subsidizing the largest network of races and rides in the country, with a goal of making the sport more accessible in the United States.

PERFORMANCES - USAC champions the world class performances of over 150 elite, multidisciplinary Olympic, World and National team athletes. From coaching and training to travel and equipment, we invest the money, time and effort necessary to cross the finish line first.

As a USAC member, you will receive:

• Access to training expertise and resources

• Discounts with other USAC partner brands

• Event cancelation insurance, and

• With Ride and Race+ Memberships Spot Injury Insurance, coverage while training or participating in sanctioned events

Find out more: https://usacycling.org/

USAC is offering discounted annual memberships for any interested racer participating in RVA Racing Events Races. Just ask any of our RVA Racing event staff team member and we’ll give you the hookup!

https://memberships.usacycling.org/

“Because cycling isn’t just a race or category or type of bike, it’s a way of life.” - USA Cycling

Individual Competition: You must be registered for SERIES POINTS to be included in series competitions. Series POINTS registration is done on BikeReg.com.

How to qualify: First register for the series POINTS and then be sure to select the same category when you register for each race. Complete as many races as possible and you begin to earn points to qualify for series standings. Points are calculated by category. If you decide to change categories between races, your points will remain in each category and cannot be combined or transferred over to another category. For the 2024 series we don’t drop a race, most races and best places wins!

How points are calculated: Points will be awarded based on finishing position according to the points schedule below. Certain races will have bonus categories (more on this below). Basically, this is a most races and best places wins system.

Series Awards: Series Category winners will be awarded a series champions jersey. In most categories 2nd and 3rd in each class will receive an award or trophy except in those categories with less than 10 series registered racers. Those classes may be combined and/or only a series champions jersey will be awarded.

Cancellations & Tie-breakers: If a race has to be cancelled, the number of races scored will be reduced by 1 race for each cancelled race.

In the case of any ties at the end of a series, we will first look at who has the most 1st places, 2nd places, etc. If that is also a tie the finals will be the tie breaker. If that too results in a tie, we will get creative and figure something out.

Age-graded classes: are determined by your racing age. Your racing age is defined as your age on December 31st of the current year. To explain – for classes like U19 (Under 19) the racer CANNOT turn 19 in the current race year. Same for U15 (Under 15), the racer CANNOT turn 15 in the current year. Parents – please take note of this for your juniors.

Race Categories (with age breakouts):

Bonus Races: Fact is some races are just tougher than others and true backcountry races brings different terrain, elevation, maybe even a sasquatch or few. So, for certain categories in these races we will add bonus points on top of the points schedule described above to each category. So that means you get more points for completing those races.

Points Schedule: Series competitors will earn series points based on the schedule below. The bonus races/categories will be outlined in the event page and at registration.

That’s it for points. Now “Get Dirty and Race Clean!”