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

Riders 35 years old and older must decide whether to race in the "Elite" or "Master" category for the entire season.
  • This choice to race as an "Elite" or "Master" is made when applying for a race licence each year.
  • Members riding for a UCI trade team must choose “Elite” and are therefore not able to ride in “Masters” categories.
  • The choice between Elite and Master determines the rider’s category in national and international events.
  • Flexibility in non-UCI and Non-Championship Races: For races that aren't UCI-sanctioned, national championships, or provincial championships, Masters riders can usually choose to ride either Elite or Master.

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.

  • 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.

Discipline-specific Criteria

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.

In road racing, upgrades are based on your race results. Here are the rules:

  • Only races with licensed officials and UCI ability categories count for upgrade points.
  • Results from informal, self-seeded, or mass participation events don’t count for upgrades but may be considered in special cases.
  • If there are very few riders in a race, only a portion of them can earn points. For example, if the number of riders in a category is less than double the number of positions awarded points in the lowest tier of the points matrix (refer to Upgrade Points tab), points will be limited to half of the field, rounded down (e.g. In a race with 6 riders, points are awarded to top 3 finishers as follows: 5 points, 4 points, 3 points)
  • If gender categories are combined for a race, points are calculated separately for each gender category based on the total combined field size.
  • If ability categories are combined for a race, points are calculated for the finishing position within the combined field. Ability categories will not be separated out for upgrade points calculations.
  • Female-only race categories have their own points system based on field size. At a minimum, the 15-25 field size tier on the points scale (refer to Upgrade Points tab) will be applied regardless of field size.
  • If a race groups riders by age instead of ability, riders will get half the points detailed in the points matrix (refer to Upgrade Points tab).
  • Points from races in other provinces might count if they’re similar to BC races and have officials.
  • Riders can only earn half of their upgrade points from time trial events.
  • When a rider moves up a category, they start with zero points in their new category.
  • If a rider needs an upgrade for a specific race, the rider must request a Temporary Upgrade Letter from Cycling BC.
  • Riders may not skip a category under any circumstances.
  • Results from the following events will receive double points:
    • BC Cup
    • Provincial Championships
    • USAC sanctioned races (or equivalent AAA sanctioned events)
    • Races on Cycling Canada’s National Calendar
  • 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.

In track racing, upgrades are based on your race results. Here are the rules:

  • Riders can earn upgrade points at the BC Provincial Championships and at sanctioned local/regional events.
  • Upgrade points for moving from Cat 3 to 2 and Cat 2 to 1 are only available at BC Provincial Championships and at local/regional sanctioned events.
  • Cat 4 riders can earn upgrade credit in races with more than 10 riders, but only based on Omnium Standings. For example, winning a specific race in an Omnium won’t count as one win, but winning the overall Omnium might.
  • To move up a category, riders need either two 1st-place or three top-five finishes.
  • You can only upgrade one category in a season unless there are special circumstances. In that case, a rider will need to apply to Cycling BC with support from an NCCP coach.
  • Points from races in other provinces might count if they’re similar to BC races and have officials, but this is at the discretion of Cycling BC.

In mountain bike racing, upgrades are based on your race results. Here are the rules:

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.

  • To move up a 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.
  • Field size consideration: If there are fewer than five riders in a category in a race, only the top two will receive upgrade credit.
  • Riders can only move up one category in a race season.
  • In some cases, 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.

In cyclo-cross racing, upgrades are based on race results. Here are the rules:

  • Only races with licensed officials and UCI ability categories count for upgrade points.
  • Results from informal, self-seeded, or mass participation events don’t count for upgrades but may be considered in special cases. Please refer to clause 4.4 for more information.
  • If there are very few riders in a race, only a portion of them can earn points. For example, if the number of riders in a category is less than double the number of positions awarded points in the lowest tier of the points matrix (refer to Upgrade Points tab), points will be limited to half of the field, rounded down (e.g. In a race with 6 riders, points are awarded to top 3 finishers as follows: 5 points, 4 points, 3 points)
  • If gender categories are combined for a race, points are calculated separately for each gender category based on the total combined field size.
  • If ability categories are combined for a race, points are calculated for the finishing position within the combined field. Ability categories will not be separated out for upgrade points calculations.
  • Female-only race categories have their own points system based on field size. At a minimum, the tier 3 (15-25 riders) points scale will be applied regardless of field size (refer to Upgrade Points tab).
  • If a race groups riders by age instead of ability, riders will get half the points detailed in the points matrix (see refer to Upgrade Points tab).
  • Points from races in other provinces may count only if they follow a similar format to BC races and have officials.
  • When a rider moves up a category, they start with zero points in their new category.
  • If a rider needs an upgrade for a specific race, the rider must request a Temporary Upgrade Letter from Cycling BC. See Subjective Upgrade Clause – Appendix A (PDF).
  • Riders may not skip a category under any circumstances.
  • Results from the following events will receive double points:
    • BC Cup
    • Provincial Championships
    • USAC-sanctioned races (or equivalent AAA-sanctioned events)
    • Races on Cycling Canada’s National Calendar

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

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.

Submit an Upgrade Request