PORTUGAL MTB is a mountain bike competition that belongs to the UCI S1 category by stages (XCS), formed by a prologue and 5 marathon stages (XCM) that can only be dispute by teams of two athletes. The team as to do all race distance together, watching their equipments and their selves. The competition takes place on April 27th, 28th, 29th, 30th, May 1st, 2nd of 2020. The competition will be held according to the UCI Technical and Sportive Regulation (Union Cycliste Internationale) for the categories UCI ELITE MEN and UCI ELITE WOMEM.
2.1 The following rules are definitive and complete. The competition will fulfilled in full as follows the UCI Regulations for the categories UCI ELITE MEN and UCI ELITE WOMEN and for the remaining categories the rules and regulations of the race.
2.2 The non-compliance of any of the rules will result on a penalty, which could include the athlete disqualification, in certain circumstances.
2.3 The rules interpretation by the commissioner will be final and mandatory for every race athletes.
3.1 Every Portuguese athlete in the race will be obliged to present his ID Card at the moment of check-in in the Registration Office. All the international athletes will be obliged to present their passport.
3.2 The minimum age to participate is 19 years old, done until December 31st at the current year.
3.3 There is eight classes for the teams, they are:
- UCI Elites Men
- UCI Elites Woman
- Elites Men
- Elites Woman
- Master 30
- Master 40
- Master 50
- Mixed
3.4 Participants can register in any of the following categories:
- UCI ELITE MEN. Two men that must be 19 years or older on the December 31st of the current year in which the competition takes place. Both must to have a certified UCI Elite licenses, fulfill strictly every UCI rules, competing for the UCI points and the monetary prizes in the general and stages classifications.
- UCI ELITE WOMEN. Two women that must be 19 years or older on the December 31st of the current year in which the competition takes place. Both must to have a certified UCI Elite licenses, fulfill strictly every UCI rules, competing for the UCI points and the monetary prizes in the general and stages classifications.
- ELITE MEN. Two men that must be 19 years or older on the December 31st of the current year in which the competition takes place.
- ELITE WOMEN. Two women that must be 19 years or older on the December 31st of the current year in which the competition takes place.
- MASTER 30. Two men that must be 30 years or older on the December 31st of the current year which the competition takes place. Those holding Elite category license cannot compete in this category.
- MASTER 40. Two men that must be 40 years or older on the December 31st of the current year in which the competition takes place. Those holding Elite or Master 30 category license cannot compete in this category.
- MASTER 50. Two men that must be 50 years or older on the December 31st of the current year in which the competition takes place. Those holding Elite, Master 30 or Master 40 category license cannot compete in this category.
- MISTAS. Women and man that must be that must be 19 years or older on the December 31st of the current year in which the competition takes place. The UCI athletes must have a competition license issued by their National Federation of Cycling, as Elite category.
3.5 The athletes that intend to participate in the category ELITE UCI (male and female) must have a anual cycling license. These athletes compete for UCI points and for monetary prizes and for that they have to fulfilled in full every UCI rules and regulations. (Note: Every athlete witch does not belong to the Portuguese Federation of Cycling must prove on their country’s federation that their insurance is active in Portugal.)
3.6 If an athlete does not make team with an athlete of the same group of age/ or license category the team must join to the category corresponding to the youngest member. This will no be accepted for those who want to participate in the ELITE UCI categories.
4.1 Only MTB bicycles in good working order and “race ready” are allowed.
4.2 For the purpose of rule 4.1., “race ready” means:
- 4.2.1 The front number board of the athlete should be applied correctly and visible for the commissioner.
- 4.2.2 The front number board should be showed, according to the guidelines given in the moment of check-in in the registration office.
- 4.2.3 The bicycle should be in perfectly safe working order, as the commissioner criteria.
- 4.2.4 The extremities and the extensions of the handlebar should be attached and must not contain sharp or irregular edges.
4.3 Each athlete is responsible by the maintenance and reparation of is own bicycle during the race.
4.4 In all instances of maintenance and reparation, the athletes are compelled to complete the total distance of the route and must complete the stage within the maximum time. The time spent in maintenance and reparation, won’t have support in the maximum time.
5.1 Each athlete should use a helmet in every active moments of the race.
5.2 Every helmet should respect the UCI standards.
5.3 Both team athletes must ride always with identical cycling jerseys in all moments.
5.4 None athlete is allowed to wear any version (original or replica) of a leader Jersey.
6.1 The athletes must always ride together of his team mate, and should remain within the maximum allowable separation time, i.e. 2 minutes.
6.2 The separation of the athletes can be measured in the beginning and in the end of each stage and in the several control points, but also can be appraised in any point during the entire race.
6.3 The separation of the athletes can be measured more than once during the entire stage, and penalties can be applied to each occurrence of separation between them outside the time limit allowed during a stage.
6.4 The towing between athletes, by mechanical means is not allowed.
7.1 Team Withdrawals
Cancellations of a registration and refunds are only accepted without penalty till December 31st 2019. After this period only replacement of athletes on a team will be accepted without any associated costs. Only the athletes registered on the first period of registrations, have the right to request cancellation of the registration and the refund of the full amount if the team request cancellation till December 31st 2019, at the end of first period of registrations. To all athletes that request the cancellation after January 1st 2020, will not be refunded the total amount of the registration.
If after the set deadline the teams want to proceed to the cancellation of the registration the following fees will be applied:
- For the period between January 1st to February 28th 2020the associated fee to the cancelation will be 100 € by athlete.
- For the period between March 1st to April 20th 2020the associated fee to the cancelation will be of 70% of the total amount paid by the athlete.
- After April 22th 2020no cancellations will be accepted, neither refunds will be done.
To any additional clarifications please contact us to: geral@portugalmtb.com
7.2 Athlete Change
Only the athletes with their registration confirmed (paid) will be able to change/swap an athlete from a team without any additional cost till March 20th 2020. For the period between March 22th to April 20th 2020 the associated fee to change/swap an athlete is 75 €. After April 22th 2020 no changes/swaps will be accepted.
8.1 Both team athletes must always display their race numbers (front number board and the dorsal number board).
8.2 The race numbers must remain firmly fixed on the front of the bike, and cannot be obscured by cables or other items.
8.3 The dorsal number board should be attached to the athlete the whole time of the race, in a visible position, whether in the jersey or in the back of is hydration backpack. The athlete won’t be penalized if their numbers are hidden by a rainwear.
8.4 None of the PORTUGAL MTB official sponsor’s logos can be removed or hidden.
8.5 The race’s leaders and the stage’s leaders must use the leader jersey, supplied by the event organizer.
8.6 The podium’s athletes and the leaders in general categories should be present in the awarding ceremony at the finish line (if applicable) and at daily awards ceremony (to be determined under the locations of the stages), including the final ceremony.
9.1 One of the stages race could be a time trial.
9.2 The participation in the time trial is mandatory for all teams. The time trial scores for the total time of the team and the overall classifications.
9.3 Each team will receive a start time notified in advance. It is the responsibility of the athlete to know their start time.
9.4 The athletes should be at start line at least 15 minutes before the start of the time trial.
9.5 If a team loses their start time, will be allowed to start when the start commissioner approve.
9.6 The organizer could predict a lap of acknowledgment of the route.
10.1 The start chute opens 30 minutes before the start of each stage, unless is communicated otherwise.
10.2 The start chute is defined by the general race classification, and the organizer could assign other criteria for each box.
10.3 The seeded starting zone will close strictly 5 minutes before their start time. Teams arriving late must start at the back of the field.
10.4 The athletes must enter the start zone as a team with their bikes, and once entered must remain in the start zone with their bikes.
11.1 Riders must complete the full designated route and distance of all stages, including the time trial.
11.2 Only riders who complete each of the stages within the maximum stage time will qualify as official race finishers.
11.3 The actual race distance or route may vary from the published or briefed distance.
11.4 The athlete must always follow the official route, obey the directions of the route commissioner, and may not take any shortcuts or take any other advantage against their opponents. The responsibility for following the official route lies with each athlete.
11.5 The athletes, who exit the route for any reason, must return to the course at the same point they left.
11.6 Any walking, running or riding by an athlete, which is carried out without the intention of re-joining the route, or any other activity in breach of the rules, taking place outside of the marked course area, is not allowed and it will be penalized.
12.1 The race organizer could, at any time, forbidden any other item of equipment (except from the essential equipment for cycling), as his criteria, and the athletes must be always accordingly that prohibition.
13.1 Only team times will be advertised, but individual athlete times will be recorded for purposes of measuring athlete’s separation.
13.2 The team time is determined as the time at which the second team member passes the stage finish line.
13.3 No athlete may carry more than 1 Chip at any time, and no athlete may pass on his/her chip to anyone else at any time of the race.
13.4 The start line will remain open for 15 minutes after the start time.
13.5 Any rider who cannot make his/her start time must report to the commissaire within 15 minutes of the start time to request approval for a late start.
13.6 No athlete is allowed to start late without approval.
13.7 Any athlete who does not start a stage at all will automatically be disqualified from the race.
14.1 The Maximum stage times are determined according to the length of each stage and the terrain to be covered. Maximum stage times will be included in the race registration pack and in the official website, but may be varied by the race organizers at their discretion. Any variations will be communicated to riders at the stage briefing on the night before the relevant stage.
14.2 The maximum stage time allowed for each stage of the race will be the maximum stage time advertised or 2x the winning time (i.e. if the winning time is more than half of the maximum stage time communicated at the race briefing, the maximum stage time allowed will automatically be adjusted to 2x the winning time).
14.3 Athletes may cross the finish line on foot whereas they have their bikes with them.
14.4 The race organizers may designate intermediate cut-off points which must be reached within specific times on each stage. Any teams which fail, will be swept from the course and classified as DNF (did not finish) for that stage.
14.5 The race organizers may at any time impose additional cut-off points due to safety reasons. The provisions of the rule will apply to those athletes who have not yet reached the designated cut-off point within the allocated time or, in the sole opinion of the race organizers and commissaires, will not reasonably be able to do so. Any rider not able to complete a stage will be transported to the stage finish.
14.6 If an athlete cannot continue the race for whatever reason, all effort will be made to transport such athletes and their bikes to the finish of the stage.
15.1 Any athlete who does not complete a stage within the maximum stage time will be classified as a blue strip board rider.
15.2 Blue strip board athlete will be able to continue the race (i.e. they may start the following stage), but will not be classified as official race finishers.
16.1 The race organizers may cancel any stage at any time in their discretion due to safety concerns or any other reason which they consider appropriate.
16.2 If the first 3 teams in each category have completed the stage prior to the time at which it is canceled, the stage will be classified as an official stage of the race and count towards the overall results. If less than 3 teams have finished in any category at the time of cancelation, the stage will not constitute an official stage and will be disregarded for purposes of the overall results.
16.3 When a stage are canceled will count towards the overall results those athletes who are on the course at the time of cancelation of the stage and will be allocated a stage time based on a percentage of the category winner’s time.
16.3 Any athlete who withdraws from a stage before it is officially canceled will be classified as a DNF.
17.1 During the award ceremony of each stage will be called to the podium the first three finishers of the stage, in the following categories: ELITES UCI (Male and Female), Elites (Male e Female), Master30, Master 40, Master 50 and Mixed.
17.2 During the award ceremony of each stage will be called to the podium First place winners (leaders jerseys) in the following categories: ELITES UCI (Male and Female), Elites (Male and Female), Master30, Master 40, Master 50 and Mixed.
17.2 Teams on the podium and general category leaders must be present at the awards ceremony finish line (if applicable) and at the awards ceremony, including the final ceremony.
PORTUGAL MTB is an UCI event of MTB with monetary prizes to the best masculine and feminine teams.
- Just the masculine or feminine teams with an valid ELITE UCI license in the year of the race, can have access to the monetary prizes;
- The monetary prizes are for the team and not for athlete;
- The teams have access to the monetary prizes by stages, even if the team doesn’t complete the six stages;
- If a team suffers as penalty, declassification of the race, the team will lose all access to the monetary prizes;
- The monetary prizes have to be claimed jointly the organization till a maximum of 30 days after the end of the race;
- To the teams or athletes receive the monetary prizes must present a receipt of the total value of the monetary prizes. The organization will pay the monetary prizes only after the Athlete/team submit/send to organization the corresponding receipt. Is the athlete’s/team’s full responsibility to provide the receipt and to send it to the organization, till 30 days after the end of the event;
- The monetary prizes cannot be claimed after the aforementioned period.
19.1 The race does not always have exclusive use of any public or private roads during the race.
19.2 All regular traffic regulations must be observed at all times during the race. (In Portugal we drive/ride on the RIGHT HAND SIDE of the road!)
19.3 Instructions of staff must be strictly adhered to.
20.1 There will be checkpoints on each stage, during which the athlete’s separation rules will be enforced (2min).
20.2 Teams that are not detected when passing the checkpoints will be disqualified.
20.3 The location of the checkpoints will not be published, and hidden checkpoints are not excluded.
21.1 Teams are only allowed to supply and give assistance inside the areas defined by the organization.
21.2 The Feed Zone areas will have be marked by Signs: START FEED ZONE / END FEED ZONE, it will not be allowed to supply or give assistance to athletes outside the boundaries of these boards.
21.3 Assistance's / supplies must always be given in the right side of the direction of the race.
21.4 It is strictly forbidden to run to assist athletes, athletes should be supplied on foot.
21.5 Cars or people are not allowed to enter the Assistance / Feed Zone area without being properly identified.
21.6 All assistance zones will have commissioners or members of the organization to verify compliance of the previous rules and regulations.
In case of non-compliance, penalties will be applied.
22.1 The athletes retain the ultimate responsibility to carry enough water and nutrition with them.
22.2 PORTUGAL MTB race organizers will provide water at official water points on the route, which is intended for drinking purposes only. No excessive use of water for any other purpose will be permitted at official water points.
23.1 Medical assistance will be supplied by the race organizers.
24.1 Athletes must respect to all moments the environment, and no littering or damage to the environment will be tolerated. In particular, but without limiting the generality of this rule, the following actions are specifically prohibited:
- 23.1.1 Throwing away water bottles, packaging or bike spares.
25.1 Any protests must be submitted in writing, to the commissaire after the athlete intersects the finish line.
25.2 A deposit of 50€ must accompany any protest, before the protest will be considered.
25.3 If the protest is upheld, the deposit will be refunded. If the protest is not upheld, the deposit will be forfeited and donated for trail development.
25.4 Race protests must be submitted within 15 minutes of the rider crossing the finish line.
25.5 Result protests must be submitted within 30 minutes of posting of preliminary results for the relevant stage.
26.1 All Athletes are expected to display at all moments good sportsmanship, and mustn’t use offensive or abusive language during the race, act in an unsporting manner, be disrespectful to the officials, or ignore the race regulations.
27.1. If the weather, environment or safety conditions are extreme (Ex: Forest Fire, Storms, Downfalls, Tree Falls, Cyclones, Armed hostilities, Epidemics, Pandemics, etc.) the race will be canceled by decision of the organization.
27.2. Equally the event can be suspended or cancelled by decision of the Official Entities as such, Civil Defence, Republican National Guard, Public Security Police, Ministry of the Internal Administration, Ministry of Health, etc. focused in all the situations referred in the 27.1 or other.
27.3. Neither the situations described will be any right to parcial or total refund.
- 1 - UCI Elite Men & Women
- 2 - Jersey Liders (Except UCI Categories
- 3 - Elites Open / Master 30
- 4 - Master 40 / Master 50 (Mixed Teams)
- 5 - Blue Stripe Board
29.1 Where any additional rule interpretation is required, the decision of the commissaire will be final.
