RULES OF RACING

*Denotes change of Rule

 

1.  These Rules shall apply to all events conducted within the authority of  the British Schools' Cycling Association and only affiliated members may compete.

2.  (a) Ages for competitors shall be determined as at midnight on the 31st August/ 1st September at the beginning of the current school year.     

(b) In no circumstances shall a competitor be permitted to ride in an event for those of a lower age group.  Except for Regional and National Championships, competitors may, at the promoter's discretion, compete in an event for those of the age-group next above his.  Boys' and girls'  events may be combined. Girls can compete with the boys in the next age-group lower.

3.  The promoter and the chief judge of an event shall have the power to disqualify any competitor whom he considers to be guilty of behaviour likely to bring the sport into disrepute.

4. Any event including the use of any public highway shall be notified to the appropriate police authority (or authorities) at least six weeks prior to the event.

5. Machines may be examined for safety before the start of any event, competition or leisure ride at the discretion of the organiser.

6. Entry fees will be charged at the discretion of the promoter.  At Regional and National Championship level a levy of £1.25 for each rider entered must be sent to the Racing Secretary, TOGETHER WITH A SIGNING ON SHEET AND RESULT SHEET, NO LATER THAN 30 DAYS AFTER THE EVENT.

7. All competitors in BSCA events must compete in the name of their school and the name of their cycling club may be mentioned on the Start and Result Sheet.

8. * All Members of the Association representative teams shall be required to obtain an appropriate parental signature indicating acceptance of any conditions operated by the Racing Secretary or his nominee and of the sanctions which may be imposed for any breach of those conditions.

9. * The use of  radios and other communicating devices shall not be allowed by any BSCA Competitor. 

10.       No Rule of Racing may be altered, added to or rescinded except at an Annual General Meeting or at a Special General Meeting called for that purpose.

11.       TIME TRIALS

     Time Trials held on open roads must be held under RTTC Rules.

     A rider whilst racing or training shall wear properly affixed protective headgear which must be of a hard/soft shell construction.  Aero Helmets shall not be permitted.  

 

12.       MASSED START RACES (CIRCUIT RACES)

     (a) No massed start racing may take place on roads open to the general  public.

     (b) A rider whilst racing or training shall wear properly affixed protective headgear which must be of a hard/soft shell construction.

     (c) Competitors must use a machine with a freewheel (single or multiple gears) and two efficient brakes.  The use of Spinache style bars shall not be permitted.

13.       TRACK RACES

      (a) A rider whilst racing or training shall wear properly affixed protective headgear which must be of a hard/soft shell    construction.  Aero helmets shall not be permitted.

     (b)   Competitors in Regional and National Championships must use a machine with a single fixed gear and may not have brakes or any dangerous projection.  This rule does not apply to under 8’s, under 10's and under 12's who must use free wheel machines. The use of Spinache style bars shall not be permitted in massed start races.

     UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES SHOULD BOTH FREE AND FIXED WHEEL MACHINES COMPETE AGAINST EACH OTHER.

14.       CYCLO CROSS/MOUNTAIN BIKE RACES

     (a) These races may be time trials or massed start races.

     (b) No more than 25% of the course may be metalled surface  (i.e., public highway, school path, etc.).

(c) A rider whilst racing or training shall wear properly affixed protective headgear which must be of a hard/soft shell construction.

     (d)   The use of Spinache style bars shall not be permitted.

15.       CYCLO SPEEDWAY RACES

     (a)   Championship races shall be on courses approved by the Cycle Speedway Council.

     (b)   Only machines of approved type shall be used.

     (c)   A rider whilst racing or training shall wear properly affixed protective headgear which must be of a hard/soft shell construction.

16.       RECORDS

     (a)   No BSCA National Record may be established without the prior written consent of the National Executive Committee, signed by the Racing Secretary.  The only exceptions to this rule shall be the National Time Trial Competition Records where all valid performances in BSCA Regional and National Championships shall be automatically eligible.  No other performances shall be eligible.

     (b)   All records, whether team or individual, shall be recognised only within the age groups laid down for Championship purposes in Rule 18  below.  This shall apply to time trials on  road and track, to Place-to-Place road records, and to roller records. No record shall be recognised which involves the mixing of age-groups except as permitted under Rule 2(b) above.  Where teams are of mixed ages, the age of the eldest rider shall decide the age-group appropriate.

     (c)   Times shall not be classified as records unless timed by a qualified BCF or RTTC timekeeper.

     (d)   Relay Records: ROAD

(i)     All road records shall be judged by an official BSCA  observer approved by the Executive Committee;  such observer must be able to see the active riders in the relay at all times during the event

     (ii)   All road relay records shall be for six-up teams.

     (iii)  A seventh rider may act as reserve.  If a rider is withdrawn, he may not in any circumstances rejoin the relay; nor may the reserve, once used, be replaced.

    (iv)  Relay changes shall be by touch visible to the official observer.

    (v)    Only records on routes approved by the Executive Committee shall be recognised.

      (e) Relay Records: ROLLER

            Record attempts for the under 14's, shall not exceed 1 hour.

            Record attempts for the under 12's, shall not exceed 30 minutes.

     Record attempts for the under 10’S and Under 8’s will not be recognised.

17.       GEAR RESTRICTIONS

(a) For Circuit, Time Trial and Track REGIONAL AND NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS, the maximum gear will be the distance covered per crank revolution for that age group.

(i)                  5·1 metres for Under 8's

(ii)                 5·4 metres for Under 10's

(iii)               6·3 metres for the Under 12's

(iv)                6.4 metres for the Under 14's

(v)                 6.9 metres for the Under 16's.

(vi)                7·3 metres for the Over 16’s

(b) For Roller Racing the maximum gear shall be 7.40 metres

It is recommended that all events, other than "Come & Try It", promotions, should be subject to the same gear restrictions.

 

The remaining Rules (16-31) apply only to Regional and National  Championships

 

18.       COMMISSAIRES

The organisers of all Regional and National Championships shall appoint an appropriately qualified Commissaire for their event.

19.       JUDGING

(a) The Chief Judge shall, within an hour of the finish of a National  Championship, confirm the result and/or consider written protests.

(b) The promoter of a National Championship shall notify the Racing Secretary of any decision made by the Chief Judge following consideration of a written protest, the Racing Secretary having the right to refer such a decision to the Executive Committee.

20.       PROMOTERS’ APPLICATIONS

     (a)   National Championships shall be allocated by the Racing Committee.

     (b)   Where no specific Regional Championship is promoted, a rider may apply to compete in the corresponding championship in an alternative region, but will only be eligible for a Separate Award should he/she finish in the first three places. This should not effect the placings of the riders in the region concerned, who will be awarded the positions of first, second and third in Region awards.

21.       AGE GROUPS

     Age-groups for Regional and National Championships shall be Under 8, Under 10, Under 12, Under 14, Under 16 and Over 16 but Under 19.

22. MINIMUM ENTRIES

     (a)   A promoter shall organise a championship for all age groups for which entries have been received.  Where the number of entries received make it impractical to have a separate event, the boys and girls in the same age group may be permitted to ride together, but shall be awarded separate Championships

     (b)   In the event of there being fewer than 3 girl entrants in any one age group, they may compete on equal terms  with the boys for the championship in their age group.

     (c)   No rider shall be allowed to ride in more than one age-group  in one Championship.

23.       COMPOSITION OF  TEAMS

     Private Members from different schools shall not under any circumstances form a team.

24.TYPES OF EVENTS AND THEIR CONDUCT.

     Championships may be held at Regional and National levels as follows:

     (a)   Time Trials: Distances shall be two miles for the Under 8’s, three miles for the Under 10’s, five miles for the Under 12’s. Ten miles  for the Under 14’s, Under 16’s and Over 16’s under the RTTC Regulations.

     (b)   Circuit Races: Distances should be as close as possible to 3kms (2 miles) for the Under 8's, 5kms  (3 miles) for the Under 10's, 10kms (6.5 miles) for the Under 12's, 20km (12.5 miles) for the Under 14's, 35km (22 miles) for the Under 16’s. The distance for the Over 16 age group shall be at the organiser's discretion.  All riders shall finish in the same lap as the winner, but lapped riders may be pulled out at the Chief Judge's discretion, subject to the recording of the lap in which they were pulled out so that their placings may count  towards team and BAR  results.

     (c)   Grass Track:

(i)     An Omnium, to consist of a sprint, a pursuit (which may be run on a time trial basis) and a distance event. Equal points will be awarded for each event, based on the number of entries.  The winner will be the rider who scores the most points from the three events.

(ii)   Team Awards to be given on the basis of total points of a School's top three riders in any category, two for girls.

(iii)     Pursuit distances shall be the number of complete laps giving a distance as close as possible to 600 metres for the Under-8's, 1000 metres for the Under 10's, 1,500 metres for the Under 12's and the Under 14's and 2,000 metres for the Under 16’s and Over 16's.

(iii)  To qualify for the team title, a team must have three finishers in the team pursuit event (two for girls), all of whom must have ridden the Individual Sprint Championship.  No team may start with more than four riders (three for girls).

(iv)  The Team Title shall be decided according to the following points scale: Individual  Sprint: 10,9,8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1 points to the ten best riders in finishing order.

Team Pursuit:  On a scale reducing at 3-point intervals where the fastest team scores three times the number of teams entered.  All positions shall be decided on times recorded.

     (d)   Cyclo-Cross: The distance (or time) shall be at the promoter's discretion, but the principle shall be short, exciting racing rather than gruelling tests of endurance.  All riders shall finish in the same lap as the winner.

     (e)   Hard Track:

(i)       A 500m Sprint for all age groups.  The finals shall be reduced to four by heats as appropriate.

(ii)      An Individual Pursuit for all age groups.  Pursuit distances shall be the number of complete laps giving a distance as close as possible to 1,000 metres for the Under 8’s and Under 10’s, 1,500 metres for the Under 12’s and Under 14’s, and 2,000 metres for the Under 16’s and Over 16’s. The top four riders in each category, after the time trial round, shall race for the medals in true pursuit fashion, instead of the results being just based on the time trial results.

(iii)    A School Team Pursuit for all age groups.  Pursuit distances as for Individual Pursuit.  Where a promoter receives fewer than four team entries in any category, the entries he has received shall be transferred to an 'Open' Championship over 2,000 metres, and the schools which have submitted teams shall be invited to re-nominate riders in the 'Open' team.

     (f)   Hill Climb Championship: organised as a Time Trial.

     (g)   Mountain Bike:  The distance for all events shall be as follows:

U8's:            15 minutes        +          1 lap

U10's:          20 minutes        +          1 lap

U12's:          25 minutes        +          1 lap

U14's:          30 minutes        +          1 lap

U16's:          40 minutes        +          1 lap

O16’s:         40 minutes        +          1 lap

With the shortest distance being a minimum of 2 laps  All riders shall finish on the same lap as the winner..

     (h)   Roller Racing:

i)         These Championship races shall be held as an Omnium.which shall comprise a 500 metre Time Trial and a 1Km Flying Start Time Trial.       

ii)        Riders may be held/supported by mechanical means or two assistants.

iii)      Helmets may be used.

iv)       In the case of, a] a false start, b] a fall, c] mechanical mishap to rollers or machines, including punctures, before 100 metres have been covered by the leaders, a restart shall be made in Championships.

v)        Omnium points shall be the same as those awarded in Regional /National BAR Competitions.

vi)       In the event of a tied medal position the riders involved shall ride a second 500 metre time trial, head to head race. First past the post being the winner.

vii)     Attendants must be properly attired and wear good foot protectors. (Shoes / Trainers but NOT cycling shoes).

     (i)    Starting Ranks: In Circuit Races and Cyclo-Cross, the precise order of start shall be stated by the organiser in the programme, and shall be based upon the principle that teams shall be equally distributed through the ranks.

25.       TEAM SIZES.

     For the purpose of team awards, in all except Track Championships a team shall consist of three riders in boys' events, and two riders in girls' events. In Grass or Hard Track Championships , a team shall consist of four or three riders (three or two for girls).

26.       TIMEKEEPERS.  

     Only certified RTTC or BCF timekeepers shall be used in all Championships.

27.       CLOSING DATES.

     (a)   Regional Championships  Closing dates shall be twelve days before the event for Time Trials and fourteen days for other events.

     (b)   National Championships: Closing dates shall be fourteen days before the event for all events.

28.       ENTRY FORM DETAILS.

The entrant's full name, address, telephone number, school, school colours (if any), date of birth, and indication of whether a Private Member or not, shall be given on the entry form, along with his/her signature.  The BSCA official entry form must be used for all BSCA events.

29.       DISCLAIMERS.

     (a) and (b) must be included on the entry forms.

     (a)   "I hereby declare that the particulars submitted on this entry form are complete and correct.  I agree to abide by the rules of the British Schools' Cycling Association and to accept decisions of their officials in all matters concerning this event."

(b) The signature of the entrant's parent or guardian must be requested under the following statement:

     "I, being the parent/legal guardian of the entrant named on this form, hereby agree to his/her participation in the competition under the terms and conditions stipulated."

     (c)   For Time Trials under RTTC rules, the RTTC parental consent form and declaration must also be signed.

     (d)   THE FOLLOWING STATEMENT MUST APPEAR ON THE SIGNING ON SHEET AND MUST BE USED IN ALL EVENTS EXCLUDING THE TIME TRIAL IF HELD UNDER RTTC REGULATIONS:

     "I agree that I participate at my own risk and without liability by the British Schools' Cycling Association,  or their servants or officials."

30.       START SHEETS.

A start sheet shall be circulated to all entrants (or their School Correspondents), to all Officials of the event, PRO and to the Racing Secretary.

31.       RESULTS SHEETS.

A result sheet shall be prepared and copies circulated to the following:  All competitors (or their School correspondents), the Racing Secretary, the Handbook Editor, PRO, BAR Secretary and Treasurer.  Result sheets shall indicate which finishers were Private Members, the number of starters (not entrants) in each event, and the correct names of school followed by locations (unless obvious from names).

     In the case of Regional Championships, a result sheet shall also be sent to the promoter of the National event in the same class.

32.       QUALIFICATION:

     Should selection for a National Championship be necessary,  the first ten individuals and the winning team from the appropriate Regional Championship shall have priority, provided that they enter.

33.       CHAMPIONSHIP PRIZES.

     The official prizes awarded by the Association for its Championships (Regional and National) shall be as follows:

     Regional Championships

     (a)   A gold medal, badge and certificate to the first individual;  certificates to the second and third individuals.

     (b)   Certificates to the first school team.  

     National Championships

     (c)   A gold medal, badge and certificate to the first individual; a silver medal and certificate to the second individual; a bronze medal and certificate to the third individual.

     (d)   Gold medals and certificates to the first school team.

34.       (a)        Individual Best All-Rounder Competition

(i)          The Regional and National Best All Rounder points competitions to be awarded separately to each age group U8, U10, U12, U14, U16, O16, boys and girls.

(ii)        Regional BAR Competition to consist of all Regional Championships (Cyclo-Cross, Circuit Race, Time Trial, MTB, Grass Track, Track Sprint, Track Pursuit, Hill-climband Roller Racing Omnium). Points to be awarded 10, 9, 8, 7, etc. to 1 for the top 10 placed riders (i.e.. 90 points maximum if nine events in category). Awards to the top three in each category, as for Regional Championships.

(iii)       National BAR Competition to consist of all National Championships (Cyclo-Cross, Circuit Race, Time Trial, MTB, Grass Track, Track Sprint, Track Pursuit, Hill-climb and Roller Racing Omnium). Points to be awarded 20, 19, 18, 17, etc. to 1 for the top 20 placed riders, (i.e.. 180 maximum covering 9 National Championships). Regional Championship points will not count towards the National BAR Awards, medals to the top three in each category, certificates to the top six. The top six to be listed in the Handbook.

     (b)   Best All-Round School Competition

To be the addition of all individual riders' points from Regional and National Championships