A race licence confirms your official permission to participate in bicycle races. It’s needed because there are rules for who can race in different categories, and these rules are set by international (UCI) and national (Cycling Canada) organizations.
When you enter a Cycling BC-sanctioned race, racers can be grouped in different ways. Some races group people by age, while others group them by skill. Some races even mix both.
Your age determines your age group, and your skill level—based on your past results—determines your skill group.
Your age group changes automatically as you get older, but your skill group can only be changed if you request a category upgrade from a cycling licence authority such as Cycling BC and provide evidence of your results.
A rider’s age group automatically changes as they get older.
Youth (U13, U15, U17) |
Junior (U19) |
U23 |
Elite (23 & up) |
Master (35 & up) |
A rider’s skill group is determined by past performance and results, leading to the following categories:
Road / Track / Cyclo-cross |
MTB Cross-country / Downhill |
BMX |
Cat 5 |
— |
— |
Cat 4 |
— |
— |
Cat 3 |
Sport |
Novice |
Cat 2 |
Expert |
Intermediate |
Cat 1 |
Elite |
Expert |
|
To move up to a higher race category, a rider must meet specific criteria, such as earning enough points or gaining enough experience. When a rider has accumulated the required points for an upgrade, it is their responsibility to submit a category upgrade request to Cycling BC.
Please refer to the discipline-specific criteria at the bottom of this page for information about upgrading in a specific discipline.
Table 1.1 – Upgrade points are awarded to the top finishers in a race based on how many competitors are in the field.
POINTS |
||||
PLACE | Field Size 41+ | Field Size 25-40 | Field Size 15-25 | Field Size < 15 |
1st | 12 | 10 | 8 | 5 |
2nd | 10 | 8 | 6 | 4 |
3rd | 8 | 6 | 5 | 3 |
4th | 7 | 5 | 4 | 2 |
5th | 6 | 4 | 3 | 1 |
6th | 5 | 3 | – | – |
7th | 4 | 2 | – | – |
8th | 3 | 1 | – | – |
9th | 2 | 1 | – | – |
10th | 1 | 1 | – | – |
Note: Field sizes are not inclusive of riders that Did Not Start (DNS).
Table 1.2 – Points required to upgrade to the next category
Category |
Minimum |
5 to 4 |
* |
4 to 3 |
25 points |
3 to 2 |
25 points |
2 to 1 |
30 points |
Note: Riders who have met the minimum points requirement may request an upgrade by submitting an upgrade request to Cycling BC. However, Cycling BC reserves the right to upgrade riders who have accumulated double the required minimum points to ensure fair and competitive racing.
*Riders upgrading from Cat 5 to 4 need to complete at least three races with the peloton (in the main group) or complete an accredited Cycling BC Learn to Race program (i.e. Road 54). Event results must be available for review by Cycling BC.
To qualify for a category upgrade in mountain bike cross-country and downhill, riders are required to earn upgrade credit through their performance at recognized events, including BC Provincial Championships, BC Cup races, and sanctioned local/regional mountain biking events.
For Males:
Novice: New riders with less than 10 race wins
Intermediate: Riders with some experience and fewer than 25 race wins
Expert: Highly skilled amateur riders
For Females:
Novice: New riders with less than 25 race wins
Expert: Highly skilled amateur riders
In BMX racing, amateur riders are further divided into age group categories called the Challenge category which is any age category except for those considered as Championship categories (Junior 17-18, U23, Elite 19+).