BRC Competitive Riders - Info for 2018
The 2018 racing season is almost upon us and there are a number of things you will need to consider for the coming year. Please read carefully below;
· You must have a physical licence to race, so renew early
· The system is open for 2018 now
· Make sure that if you are of Masters age and wish to ride Masters Championships you select the correct Rider Category
Member renewals and Event (One Day) Licences
For Open Road Racing the Event Licence (or One Day Licence) has been scrapped so please ensure you have renewed in good time before the first race of the year in March. CI will begin posting licences in the first week of January and the system is now open for renewals so there is plenty of time to get it sorted. Please note that the turnaround time for postage can take up to 2 weeks. If you do not have your licence at sign-on, you will be refused entry by the Commissaires.
We encourage riders to download the Cycling Ireland mobile app which will show you your licence, renewal and postage status, and also let you know whether your club has affiliated fully. The ruling this year is that if you don’t have a licence and back numbers on race day you cannot take part.
If you receive enough points to upgrade during the season and are waiting on the new licence and back numbers to arrive, you can show the licence on the CI App on race day as proof. A Commissaire will give you temporary numbers for a small deposit at sign-on. Upon receipt of the new back numbers and licence card please return the old ones to the office as they are now void.
Event licences are still available for Off-Road Cross Country, Downhill, Enduro, Cyclo-Cross, TT’s, BMX and Leisure events all year round barring National and Provincial Championships. They are not available for any Track events.
National Championships Eligibility (Masters and IRL Nationality)
We have a number of Masters National Championships for which riders need to have the correct Rider Category in order to enter.
M30 Men
If you turn 30 in the calendar year or are in your thirties and wish to take part in some of our Masters 30 Championships, please ensure you select M30 when you renew your membership. You may still take part in Senior championships where no equivalent M30 championship takes place. Make sure you have a UCI category of Elite selected with M30 to take part in Senior Champs
M40 Men
If you turn 40 in the calendar year or have yet to switch from Senior, please make sure you select M40 when you renew your membership to take part in any M40 championships. If you wish to ride the Rás, International Track GP or any Elite UCI events you may do so with the combination of M40 and Elite UCI Category.
M50 & M60 Men
These are automatically selected for you once you reach the qualifying age
Masters Women
There are no specific Masters Women rider categories however once a female rider turns 40 in the calendar year she is eligible for the Masters Women prize in the National Road Race and TT Championships
IRL Nationality
To take part in any National Championship you must have IRL as your Nationality. If you are born in Northern Ireland and have GBR as your Nationality you may apply to switch nationality. We have to send such applications off to the UCI to be verified. Please note that once you make the switch you cannot change back. Get in touch with the office if this applies to you.
A3 National Championships
M40, M50 & M60 licence holders are not eligible for the A3 Senior championships. Only Riders with Senior or M30 Rider Categories can take part
Road Racing Points, Upgrades & Downgrades
Following the AGM there have been some changes to the upgrade thresholds for the Full Competition categories;
A4 to A3 = 13 points
A4 riders carry their points forward each year
A3 to A2 = 15 points
A3 riders carry their points forward each year
A2 to A1 = 15 points
A2 rider’s points are halved upon renewal
A1 rider’s points are zeroed each year
JR (A3) to JR (A2) = 60 points for first year Juniors and 30 points for second year Juniors
JR (A4) to JR (A3) = 13 points
JR rider’s points are zeroed each year and they start back at JR (A3)
If an A1 or A2 rider has failed to score 6 points in a previous season he may apply for a downgrade with 5 points on their licence. You must apply to the National Grading Officer at grading@cyclingireland.ie before the 28th February each year to avail of this option.
Please see Chapters T2 & T3 of the Cycling Ireland Technical Rules for further info. 2018 rules are normally published over Christmas or first week in January.
Insurance
Did you know that if you have an accident in a race or out training you are covered for personal accident and third party liability via your membership? Please see http://www.cyclingireland.ie/page/membership/insurance for further info.
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