Pro MTB Cross-Country Tour (Pro XCT) Requirements and Procedures

Welcome to the USA Cycling Professional Mountain Bike Cross-Country Tour (Pro XCT) — a collection of the top cross-country mountain bike races in the United States. The Pro XCT will include all Cat 1 and 2 UCI cross-country races and a few handpicked non-UCI cross-country races throughout the U.S. The goal is to create more consistency in the highest level of mountain bike racing in the United States.

Deadline to apply for the 2013 calendar: October 19, 2012. Contact Micah Rice, USA Cycling VP of National Events at mrice@usacycling.org.

The following is a summary of rules and procedures applicable to Pro XCT races in 2013:

Calendar Fee

A calendar fee of $350 per year will be collected for each Pro XCT event. UCI inscripted events are NOT subject to this fee.

Race Director Summit

All Pro XCT events MUST send a representative to the race director summit November 7-9, 2012. Please contact Tara McCarthy at tmccarthy@usacycling.org for more details and hotel reservations.

Events Allowed

1. Single day cross-country races — Traditional races with either a single lap, multi lap, or point-to-point format. For multi-lap races, laps must be a minimum of 12 minutes for the top pro riders. Races must be under 60 kilometers.
2. Mountain bike stage races or omniums — Maximum four concurrent days. Scoring is based on accumulated time or points collected in each race and added together to create an overall omnium standing. Each stage can be a different mountain bike event, and more than one event will be allowed per day. Cross-country stages cannot exceed 60 kilometers.

Prize Lists

1. Prize list for the Pro Men’s and Pro Women’s categories are:
   a. Minimum of $5,000 combined for single day events
   b. Minimum of $8,000 for multi-day events
2. For a UCI-sanctioned event, if the minimum prize purse required by the UCI is less than the above numbers then the minimum prize list is all that is required.
3. Prize lists for omniums and stage races should be distributed similar to UCI stage races where overall is 40 percent more than the combined total of the stage payouts.
4. If there is a change in prize money totals or structure of the event after acceptance to the Pro XCT, USA Cycling must be notified immediately. USA Cycling reserves the right to remove Pro XCT events that lower the posted prize list or change the event at any time.
5. Points for Pro XCT will be based on overall finish in a stage race or omnium and will be equal to that of one-day events.

Selection of Riders and Teams

Team Scoring

1. Team rankings will be based on the top two riders. If a team is a registered mixed gender team, then points will be based on the top two placing riders, regardless of gender. For example, a team races two men and one woman. The men place second and fifth and the woman places third. Points would be taken from the men’s second place and the woman’s third.
2. The total team points for a given race will be the sum of the individual points for the top two scoring riders, including stage win bonuses for multiday events. (See Points Table Appendix)
3. Only the officially registered riders of a team may score points for the team Pro XCT rankings.
4. Only teams officially registered with USA Cycling or the UCI may compete for Pro XCT team rankings. International pro riders on UCI registered teams will also be recognized in the standings.

Officials

Technical Services

1. All Pro XCT races must use electronic timing run by a professional operator. Results should be made available to participants and media within 30 minutes of the last finisher in the race and the race director must have the results posted to USA Cycling’s website that evening in the proper format. All riders who have registered for the event should be scored a place (or a DNF/DNS)
2. All events on the Pro XCT should have neutral technical support on site.
3. All finish lines should have a truss for signage over the road to mark the finish line.
4. All finish areas should have a minimum of 100 meters of fencing before the start/finish truss and 50 meters of fencing after the truss to adhere to UCI standards.
5. For all USA Cycling Pro XCT events, riders must be called up in order of current UCI ranking per UCI rules. After UCI ranking, riders with no UCI points should be called up by Pro XCT ranking. All remaining riders will be called up by random draw. This protocol will be discussed with each chief referee by USA Cycling before the event so there is no misunderstanding.

Marketing

1. The USA Cycling Pro XCT logo must be included on collateral materials used to promote the event. Note the new logos as of 2012! All USA Cycling guidelines and standards must be adhered to.
2. The USA Cycling Pro XCT logo must be represented on fence signage and awards area for all Pro XCT events.
3. USA Cycling will supply banners for the start/finish line.
4. The USA Cycling Pro XCT logo must be included on event web page and must include a link to USA Cycling’s web page with the Pro XCT calendar: http://www.usacycling.org/proxct
5. Announcements must be made on-site over the PA declaring your event’s participation in the 2013 USA Cycling Pro XCT Calendar.

Results and Rankings

Media

1. Photos: At least one photo (and photo credit) that USA Cycling may use MUST be submitted to the USA Cycling Communications Department the evening of the competition’s conclusion, along with race highlights or post-event press release. This information will be used in a press release updating the Pro XCT rankings and recap the weekend of racing.
2. If the event distributes a pre-event press release previewing the race, include USA Cycling in that distribution and it will be posted to the USA Cycling website. That link will be promoted on USA Cycling’s social media.
3. TV/Broadcast Info: Submit any television/web broadcast info as soon as it is confirmed so USA Cycling can distribute that information to media outlets and potential spectators.
4. Social Media: Submit social media info including Twitter handle and Facebook page link, link to USA Cycling, and participate in social media.

Facebook: www.facebook.com/usacycling  
Twitter: @usacycling

For questions regarding photo submission or media relations, please contact USA Cycling Communications Manager David Gaylinn at dgaylinn@usacycling.org.