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March 2023 This is only intended as a guide, full regulations are available elsewhere on the website. Scottish Cross-Country (SXC) is a series of off-road mountain bike races (five this year), run from March to August. One of the races will include the Scottish Championships. The Series include races for age categories from Under 12 through to Super-Vet (60+). Each round also includes short-course racing for Under 8 and Under 10 age groups. GENERAL INFORMATION Race day schedule can be found here You must wear a helmet, and have bar plugs fitted to your bike. Other than that, you can enter using almost any bike, as long as it doesn’t have a motor! Results will be available online by the end of the day, check them as most timing errors can be sorted out quickly once we’re aware. Toilets are available at all venues, please use them! Any rider found urinating in public will be instantly disqualified. On a similar note, dropping litter on the course will result in disqualification – please keep Scotland beautiful! The wearing of GoPros or similar video cameras is permitted on race day on the course, with prior approval of the Event Organisers. The use of drones in the vicinity of the race is forbidden. ENTERING THE RACE Entry is online only using the British Cycling website and is available until the Wednesday night before the race, closing at 11pm. This helps us make the sign-on process as smooth as possible. The exception to this is the Scottish Championships round where entries close 2 weeks before the race. See the Enter Online page of the SXC website. Entries can be accepted after this time, but will not be eligible to contest a Championship title. We only accept on-the-day entries for Taster, U10 and U8 categories, however it really helps our event team if you can sign up in advance! Our refund policy is available on the online entry system – in short, let us know before entry closes and we’ll refund your entry. This may be processed after the event as part of our post-event admin so please be patient with us! Licences - riders in the Elite/Expert categories must have a current British Cycling race licence. All other categories can race without a licence, but if you want to gain British Ranking points, you will need one. If you have a licence please bring it to show at sign-on this is good practice for British Races where they are essential. AGE CATEGORIES The table below (taken from the BC 2023 Handbook) sets out which age category each rider can enter:
THE
COURSE The main course is usually between 4 and 5km in length, and a lap should take between 15-25 minutes. The main course is generally made up of a mixture of fire road, singletrack, steep climbs and challenging descents. As the event caters for everyone up to Elite riders, there will be some technically difficult sections but wherever possible we will provide a less technically-daunting (but slightly longer) option – this will be marked as a B line with the more technical option marked as an A line. The Female Taster, Young Taster and U12 categories use a slightly shortened version of the main course, with the most challenging features generally bypassed. The U8 and U10 categories use a separate course altogether, designed to be safe and fun for everyone while still able to challenge the capable riders in this age group. All races take place on Sunday, but the main course is open for inspection by riders from Saturday afternoon. We aim to have this ready for 4pm but the Chief Commissaire has to give us the green light to do so. Access to the course on the Saturday will not be marshalled or covered by First Aid - you are responsible for yourself, so please ride accordingly. Please also be mindful that in some instances the course will ride in the opposite direction to normal flow of the trail, so be prepared to stop and let other riders through if practising prior to race day. The course is also available for official practice prior to each race. Available practice time will be advertised on the race day timetable. All riders on the course on race day must display a number board attached to the handlebar. We strongly recommend that you ride the course and decide which sections are within your capabilities. Remember, you can run sections if you feel safer but you are not permitted to dismount and walk/run down an optional A-line. Coaches can join the course practice but they must present a valid British Cycling membership card that confirms they are a qualified coach where they will be given a coach number board which must be displayed at all times. We aim to post the number of laps each category will be racing for on our Facebook page by the Saturday evening. This will also be advertised at registration on race day. These may be adjusted on the day, so please pay attention during the rider briefing in advance of your race. RACE DAY On race day there will be parking sign-posted at each venue and there may be a small charge. Please park where marshals ask you to park - we need permission from landowners to stage our events and they can be sensitive about where you park! Look for the big, blue SXC sign-on tent. Sign-on is open from 8.30am where you will receive your race number and timing chip. Please don’t ask to sign on before 8.30am as we are very busy setting up! If possible, please bring a card to pay for on the day entries rather than cash, but we will have the ability to take cash payment if required. You will have the opportunity to practice the course ahead of your race, but please make your way to the start area (which may not be next to sign on!) 15 minutes before the start of your race to allow time for briefing and gridding by the race officials. See Race Day Timetable for full details. During the race, if you hear the shout ‘Rider left!’ or ‘Rider right!’ from behind, you should allow the approaching faster rider to pass you on the side in question as soon as safely possible, though you are not expected to stop or put your foot down. Equally, if you are about to overtake another rider, a clear call of ‘Rider left!’ or ‘Rider right!’ alerts the rider in front of your approach and you should wait for them to allow overtaking. Remember, everyone is racing for a place in their own category and they deserve your courtesy, so please be polite! Anyone being overly aggressive or using foul language will be disqualified. See the Rules for full details on overtaking. When you finish your race, please move clear of the finish line promptly as other riders will still be coming through behind you and may not be finished. Remove your number board and put it in the bucket at the finishing area. Please don’t go home with your number board as the timing chip is fixed to this! They’re expensive and we know who has each one. After the dust settles, relax and enjoy that post-race glow, visit our catering partners in the event village and please attend the podium presentation ceremony, which will take place as soon as possible after the conclusion of the relevant races. PRIZE CEREMONY Riders must be present at the podium ceremony to collect medals and prizes. Medals and prizes cannot be collected by anyone other than the prize winner. No medals or prizes will be posted after the event. PITS (feed/technical zone) If your race covers multiple laps, you should take your water bottles (and a helper!) to the Feed/Technical Zone, often known as ‘the pits’. This is marked on the course map, and may require a bit of walking from the Event HQ! In the pits or ‘feed zone’ you may receive food or drink from your helper, or you may stop and pick these up yourself. You are allowed outside assistance in this area with any mechanicals and you are also allowed to carry out a wheel change if a puncture occurs. You are not allowed to do a bike, frame or fork change. There will be a line marked on the ground in the pits - your helper is not allowed to cross this and encroach on the course. This is for everyone’s safety. Each rider is allowed one pit helper who must wear a pit band (these will be available from Event HQ). You are not allowed to ride or push your bike the wrong way round the course to the pits. If you have passed the pits and then have an issue you must continue round the course or you will be disqualified. Furthermore, you are not allowed to receive any assistance from any other rider or spectator outside of the pits. You may fix your bike yourself with any tools you are carrying, but if you accept tools or help from anyone else outside the pits you will be disqualified. RACE DAY TIMETABLE MAY BE SUBJECT TO CHANGE ON THE DAY!
RACE DURATION RANGES (taken from British Cycling 2023 Handbook)
PHOTOGRAPHERS Professional photographers, please drop us an email if you are coming and we ask that you come to the marshals’ briefing. Please report to the Event HQ where we will ask to see a form of ID and ask you to sign in, where you will be given an SXC Photography bib. These must be returned at the end of the day. All photographers and spectators must ensure their own and racers’ safety at all times or be asked to leave. Do not stand or walk where possible inside the taped course and remember the marshals are there for everyone’s safety so please listen to their advice and do as they ask. ENJOY YOUR DAY! We really hope you have a great time! A whole team of volunteers has put in a whole load of work to make these events happen and more than anything we want you to enjoy them! For further information, follow the links on this site or email info@sxc.org.uk with any other queries.