Race Categories & Upgrades Explained
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.
Age Groups & Skill Levels
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 |
|
Upgrade Information
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 or view Cycling BC’s Category Upgrade Policy.
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General Upgrade Policies
Timeframe & Eligibility for Upgrades
- Only race results from the past 12 months will be considered for an upgrade.
- Upgrade points available to Provincial Race and UCI Race license holders only
- Races sanctioned at Provincial A or higher count for upgrade points. Grassroots and self-seeding races are not eligible.
How to Submit an Upgrade Request to Cycling BC
- Upgrade requests must be submitted online at cyclingbc.net/upgrade-request
- Include documentation of races where upgrade points were earned
- Only fully completed forms from Cycling BC members will be considered.
- Upgrade requests based on objective criteria can take 7-14 days to process, depending on the season. Subjective Upgrade requests may take longer.
Exceptional Cases
- In exceptional cases, if a rider does not meet the discipline-specific criteria or if a youth rider is looking to “race up” they may request to have their upgrade reviewed by an upgrade committee. The upgrade committee will review the request and may ask for a letter of support from the rider’s NCCP-certified coach. Decisions by the review committee are final and cannot be appealed. Application for consideration under this clause does not guarantee an upgrade. Please see the Subjective Upgrade Clause (Appendix A) in the Category Upgrade Policy for more information.
Temporary Stop in Racing / Re-entry
- Riders not renewing their race license in any jurisdiction can return to their current category within 24 months after license expiration.
- Riders returning after more than 24 months’ absence will move down one category for every 24 months. The rider must follow the standard category upgrade procedure to regain the previous category status.
General & Discipline-specific Criteria
- Only races with licensed officials and UCI ability categories count for upgrade points. Results from informal, self-seeded, or mass participation events do not count for upgrades but may be considered in special cases (refer to clause 4.4 in the Cycling BC Category Upgrade Policy). Exceptions include Grassroots-sanctioned Road Category 5 events for the purposes of upgrading to Road 4 (refer to clause 8.3 in the Cycling BC Category Upgrade Policy).
- Riders may not skip a category under any circumstances.
- To be approved for an OBJECTIVE upgrade, a rider must collect a minimum number of upgrade points based on their specific cycling discipline and calculated by the number of starters and the athlete’s finish position. View APPENDIX B for points matrix schedules and Section 7 discipline-specific minimum requirements in the Cycling BC Category Upgrade Policy.
- Cycling BC reserves the right to upgrade riders who have accumulated double the required minimum points to ensure fair and competitive racing.
- When competing in the following sanctioned events, earn DOUBLE points:
- AA-Sanctioned Events (i.e. Provincial Championships)
- AA-Sanctioned equivalent races in the USA (i.e. Tour de Bloom, Redlands)
- AAA-Sanctioned Event (i.e. National Championships)
- Cycling Canada National Calendar Races (i.e. Tour de Beauce)
- When racers are grouped by age, instead of ability, HALF points are earned.
- When ability categories are combined for a race (i.e. Category 3 and 4 race together), points are calculated for the finishing position within the COMBINED field.
- When gender categories are combined for a race, points are calculated SEPARATELY for each gender category but based on the total combined field size.
- When there are less than 15 riders in a race category, only the top half of finishers earn upgrade points.
- When a rider moves up a category, they start with zero points in their new category as of the upgrade approval date.
- Results from races held in other provinces may be considered for upgrade credit if they have a similar format to sanctioned local/regional BC races, BC Cup or BC Provincial Championship races and have officials overseeing them.
Upgrade points are awarded to the top finishers in a race based on how many competitors are in the field.
|
SCHEDULE 1 for ROAD, CYCLOCROSS |
|||
|
PLACE |
Field Size 41+ | Field Size 15-40 |
Field Size <15 |
|
1st |
12 | 10 |
8 |
|
2nd |
10 | 8 |
6 |
|
3rd |
8 | 6 |
5 |
|
4th |
7 | 5 |
4 |
|
5th |
6 | 4 |
3 |
|
6th |
5 | 3 |
2 |
|
7th |
4 | 2 |
1 |
|
8th |
3 | 1 |
1 |
|
9th |
2 | 1 |
1 |
|
10th |
1 | 1 |
1 |
Note: Field sizes are not inclusive of riders that Did Not Start (DNS).
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.
Additional rules (Road):
- Riders can only earn half of their upgrade points from time trial events.
- For upgrades from Cat 5 to Cat 4, riders need to complete at least three races with the peloton (in the main group) or successfully complete an accredited Cycling BC Learn to Race program or clinic (i.e. Road 54). Event results must be available for review by Cycling BC.
- Riders in Cat 2, Cat 3, or Cat 4 who successfully complete an accredited Cycling BC Learn to Race program or clinic (i.e. Road 43, Road 32, Road 21) can earn 5 upgrade points.
Upgrade points are awarded to the top finishers in a race based on how many competitors are in the field.
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SCHEDULE 2 for TRACK, MTN BIKE |
||
| PLACE | Field Size 15+ |
Field Size <15 |
|
1st |
12 |
10 |
|
2nd |
10 |
8 |
|
3rd |
8 |
6 |
|
4th |
7 |
5 |
|
5th |
6 |
4 |
|
6th |
5 |
3 |
|
7th |
4 |
2 |
|
8th |
3 |
1 |
Note: Field sizes are not inclusive of riders that Did Not Start (DNS).
Points required to upgrade to the next category
| Track Category | Minimum |
| 4 to 3 | 25 points |
| 3 to 2 | 25 points |
| 2 to 1 | 30 points |
Upgrade points are awarded to the top finishers in a race based on how many competitors are in the field.
|
SCHEDULE 2 for TRACK, MTN BIKE |
||
| PLACE | Field Size 15+ |
Field Size <15 |
|
1st |
12 |
10 |
|
2nd |
10 |
8 |
|
3rd |
8 |
6 |
|
4th |
7 |
5 |
|
5th |
6 |
4 |
|
6th |
5 |
3 |
|
7th |
4 |
2 |
|
8th |
3 |
1 |
Note: Field sizes are not inclusive of riders that Did Not Start (DNS).
Points required to upgrade to the next category
| Mtn. Bike Category |
Minimum |
|
Sport to Expert |
20 points |
|
Expert to Elite |
25 points |
Note: For DH and Enduro, riders who earn ability upgrades in one sport, the ability upgrade will be reflected in both DH and Enduro.
In BMX racing, riders in the 20-inch class are categorized based on their skill level and gender. The categories are as follows:
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
To move up an ability category, a rider must achieve one of the following
- Two 1st-place finishes in their current category
- Three top-five placings in their current category
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+).
- At the Challenge level, the ages would be 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17-24, 25+ for females and 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17-24, 25-29, 30-34 and masters 35+ for males in the 20-inch class.
- For cruiser (24-inch class) it’s 12 & under, 13-16, 17-29, 30-39 and 40+ for females and 12 & under, 13-14, 15-16, 17-24, 25-29, 30-34, 35-39, 40-44, 45-49 and 50+ for males.