2009 USA Cycling Pro MTB XC Tour (Pro XCT) presented by Sho-Air International Guidelines and Criteria for USAC MTB Pro MTB Teams

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1 Objectives 1. To award the #1 pro plate in the United States. 2. Provide a sequence of races to professional riders and professional teams in which they may accumulate UCI ranking points and/or the top cash purses available in the United States under the traditional XCO format. 3. To raise the competitive level of the professional ranks in mountain bike racing in the United States. How will this be achieved? Individual rider and team rankings Individual rider rankings and registered pro team rankings will be calculated after each event in the Pro XCT. Leaders Jerseys A leader s jersey will be provided to both the elite males and elite females for each event in the Pro XCT. Leaders Number Plates Leaders number plates will be issued for each race in the Pro XCT. The 2009 Leaders Number Plates will be issued at the first event based on 2008 UCI XCO rider rankings (as of last updated rankings) and 2008 USAC-MTB National XC Calendar rankings. The leader s plates will be issued at each subsequent event based on the current leader and rider rankings as of the last event (i.e. a rider wins the first race in the Pro XCT, so he is ranked number one for event number two in the Pro XCT, etc). UCI Inscription and Guaranteed Cash Purse A guaranteed cash purse and UCI inscription is required for each race included in the Pro XCT. Awards Ceremony-Recognition A season-end event will recognize and award the top teams and riders. The date, location, and specific awards are to be determined. Structure of the Pro XCT The rider call-up order will be conducted according to UCI rules at all Pro XCT events. UCI rankings will be used to determine call ups. If a rider does not have UCI points, the Pro XCT rankings will be used to determine the remaining call ups. The Leaders Number Plates will run: (15-deep for XCO elite male and 15-deep for XCO Elite Female). There will be seven (7) races offered in the Pro XCT. All races in the Pro XCT will count toward the overall rankings. Races will be weighted differently, based on their UCI-inscription level. 1

2 Event Requirements and Criteria All events will be permitted by USA Cycling and will also be on the 2009 USAC-MTB National XC Calendar. Event Levels/Consideration Criteria Events must meet one or more of the criteria (outlined below) to be on the Pro XCT. In order of preference: A. UCI Category 1 XCO for elite male and female B. UCI Category 2 XCO for elite male and female C. for elite male and female Scheduling, Location, Travel Flow The schedule of Pro XCT has been built around a logical travel schedule. The flow of events has been taken into consideration. The schedule will be built around avoiding UCI World Cup XCO dates. Course The Pro courses shall meet the estimated finish times and course lengths, as specified by UCI for both elite males and elite females. Tabulation of Pro XCT individual rider rankings and team rankings USA Cycling Results Submission Events participating in the Pro XCT will be required to submit race results to USA Cycling in the proper results submission format before midnight on the day of the conclusion of the event so individual rider and registered pro team rankings may be calculated, updated, and announced no later than the Monday afternoon after the event weekend. UCI Results Submission The chief official is responsible for submitting race results to UCI in the proper format, immediately following the conclusion and finalized race results. Results Submission Agreement Event organizers participating in the Pro XCT are required to sign an agreement to submit race results in the designated formats and deadlines as outlined in the Pro XCT guidelines and criteria. Cash Purse Guarantee and Guidelines All cash purses will be advertised and guaranteed. A complete cash purse break-out will be designated for each placing in both the Elite Male and Elite Female. 2

3 The Pro cash purse must meet the UCI minimum for cash amounts and placing for both Elite Males and Elite Females at each event in the Pro XCT. The pro cash purse breakout must be clearly advertised on all event information, including but not limited to: event websites, USA Cycling permits, entry forms, online registration. Awards Ceremony The Pro awards ceremony schedule must be advertised in advance, on the event website and posted at the venue. The event organizers are highly encouraged to schedule the awards ceremony to maximize exposure for the Pro athletes and Teams by scheduling them in conjunction with amateur awards, giveaways, etc. The top-three males and top-three females will be presented with Pro XCT medals at each event. The leaders jersey will also be presented at this time. Pro Rider and Team Requirements Individual and Team Rankings In order for pro teams to be ranked, they must be a currently registered USA Cycling domestic professional mountain bike team and/or a UCI registered mountain bike trade team. Team rankings will be designated as: Male-only, Female-only, Mixed (female and male) The team rankings will be calculated based on these results: Male-only: highest placing top-2 results on team in the XCO elite male Female-only: highest placing top-2 on team in XCO elite female Mixed: highest placing XCO elite male, highest placing XCO elite female on team Only professional riders will be calculated in the rider rankings and recognized in the team rankings. International and domestic riders and teams will be calculated into the Pro XCT rankings. Individual and Team Participation and Obligations Riders winning a cash purse at the event must attend the awards ceremony. Riders not attending the awards ceremony at the designated time will forfeit their cash purse and will be given a points penalty in the individual and team rankings. Penalty points will be announced once determined. Pro number plates cannot be altered, cut, or covered up in any way. 3

4 The overall individual leaders of the Pro XCT will be asked to attend Interbike and sign autographs at the USA Cycling booth at designated and published dates and times. Marketing and Publicity Riders and Teams Bio information must be completed for each rider ranked in the top-15 for the males and females. A standard bio form will be provided to these riders from the USA Cycling Communications department. A deadline for these bio forms will be enforced. Team profile information must be provided at the time of 2009 USAC MTB Domestic Pro Team registration. USA Cycling Website Leaders Board A Leaders Board section will be posted on the Pro XCT webpage with the top-five ranked individual riders and teams listed. Hyper links (to bios and team profiles) will be included for each rider and each team listed on the Leaders Board. Website Event Listings The schedule of events in the Pro XCT will be listed in chronological order with date, event name, location, and link to event website. Website Race Results Posting Race results will be linked directly to the Pro XCT webpage and next to the Event Listings for each respective race. Updates updates will be sent out to USA Cycling members after each event in the Pro XCT. The updates will include a post-event summary, the current rankings after the last event, and information about the next event in the Pro XCT. 4

5 2009 USA Cycling Pro MTB XC Tour (Pro XCT) presented by Sho-Air International Sunday, March 29 Sunday, April 19 Sunday, May 31 Saturday, June 13 Saturday, August 8 Saturday, August 15 Saturday, September 26 US Cup Fontana Fontana, CA Sea Otter Classic Monterey, CA UCI Category 1 XCO Bump and Grind Birmingham, AL Carmichael Training Systems Sand Creek International Classic Colorado Springs, CO US Cup Mount Snow West Dover, VT Yankee Clipper at Windham Mountain Windham, NY UCI Category 1 XCO (pending approval by UCI, may be Category 2) US Cup & USA Cycling Pro MTB XCO Tour Finals Las Vegas, NV 5