Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2021 MTB Race Series will be following government enforced spacing and gathering protocols. As such, the 2021 MTB season will be composed of races with single starts allowing for distancing. These events are currently only proposed and will have to comply with outdoor gathering limits in addition to other COVID-19 protocols. Events listed in the preliminary calendar will only be possible once the regional restrictions are labeled as either orange, yellow or red with increased allowances for outdoor gatherings and events. Simply being listed in the Ontario Cycling Association 2021 Preliminary Calendar does not guarantee an event will run. We thank you for your understanding as we navigate the rules and regulations surrounding both the pandemic and our sport.
What is Cross Country?
Mountain bike racing offers many ways to have fun while challenging the individual physically and mentally. There are a wide variety of events offered in Ontario, to suit all abilities and experience levels.
These events are held on a circuit comprised of single and double-track trails, often with some gravel road sections for passing. Riders compete against each other according to their age and relative ability. Riders complete a set number of laps on the course. They may be individual or mass start events and, depending on the type of start, either the rider with the fastest time or the first rider across the finish line wins.
Cross country races may also be held in team relay format, where each rider on a team completes a set number of laps. Again the winning team can be determined by either the fastest team time, or the team whose rider first crosses the finish line. Chrissy Redden of Campbellville, Ontario, along with National Team riders Adam Coates, Ryder Hesjedal and Roland Green won the Gold Medal in the Team Relay at the 2001 World MTB Championships, and Canada repeated as winners in 2002.
Selecting a MTB-XC Race Category
2021 Season
This chart is designed to help riders new to the sport to pick a category as well as help all riders determine which kind of membership is required to participate in their categories. Riders who still have questions about categories after reading these charts should contact the OCA office.
| Category | Age Information | Citizen Permit | UCI Licence | Non-Member Permit | UCI Licence Code | Ability Level |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| U13 Peewee Girls/Boys | Age: 10-12 Citizen Permit UCI Licence Non-Member Permit UCI Licence: XMU11/13 or XWU11/13 Ability Level: All | XMU11/13 or XWU11/13 | All | |||
| U15 Minime Girls/Boys | Age: 13-14 Citizen Permit UCI Licence Non-Member Permit UCI Licence: XMU15 or XWU15 Ability Level: All | XMU15 or XWU15 | All | |||
| U17 Cadet/Junior Sport Girls* | Age: 15-18 Citizen Permit UCI Licence Non-Member Permit UCI Licence: XWU17.S or XWJ.S Ability Level: Beginner - Intermediate | XWU17.S or XWJ.S | Beginner - Intermediate | |||
| U17 Cadet Sport Boys* | Age: 15-16 Citizen Permit UCI Licence Non-Member Permit UCI Licence: XMU17.S Ability Level: Intermediate | XMU17.S | Intermediate | |||
| Master 55-64 Sport Men* | Age: 55-64 Citizen Permit UCI Licence Non-Member Permit UCI Licence: XMMC.S Ability Level: Novice - Intermediate | XMMC.S | Novice - Intermediate | |||
| Master 65+ Men* | Age: 65+ Citizen Permit UCI Licence Non-Member Permit UCI Licence: XMMD Ability Level: All | XMMD | All | |||
| Senior 19-34 Sport Women* | Age: 19-34 Citizen Permit UCI Licence Non-Member Permit UCI Licence: XWE.S or XWU23.S Ability Level: Novice - Intermediate | XWE.S or XWU23.S | Novice - Intermediate | |||
| Master 35-44 Sport Women* | Age: 35-44 Citizen Permit UCI Licence Non-Member Permit UCI Licence: XWMA.S Ability Level: Novice - Intermediate | XWMA.S | Novice - Intermediate | |||
| Master 45-54 Sport Women* | Age: 45-54 Citizen Permit UCI Licence Non-Member Permit UCI Licence: XWMB.S Ability Level: Novice - Intermediate | XWMB.S | Novice - Intermediate | |||
| Master 55+ Women | Age: 55+ Citizen Permit UCI Licence Non-Member Permit UCI Licence: XWMC.S or XWMC.E Ability Level: All | XWMC.S or XWMC.E | All | |||
| Junior Sport Men | Age: 17-18 Citizen Permit UCI Licence Non-Member Permit UCI Licence: XMJ.S Ability Level: Novice - Intermediate | XMJ.S | Novice - Intermediate | |||
| Senior 19-34 Sport Men | Age: 19-34 Citizen Permit UCI Licence Non-Member Permit UCI Licence: XME.S or XMU23.S Ability Level: Novice - Intermediate | XME.S or XMU23.S | Novice - Intermediate | |||
| Master 35-44 Sport Men | Age: 35-44 Citizen Permit UCI Licence Non-Member Permit UCI Licence: XMMA.S Ability Level: Novice - Intermediate | XMMA.S | Novice - Intermediate | |||
| Master 45-54 Sport Men* | Age: 45-54 Citizen Permit UCI Licence Non-Member Permit UCI Licence: XMMB.S Ability Level: Novice - Intermediate | XMMB.S | Novice - Intermediate | |||
| U17 Cadet Expert Women | Age: 15-16 Citizen Permit UCI Licence UCI Licence: XWU17.E Ability Level: Advanced | XWU17.E | Advanced | |||
| Senior 19-34 Expert Women | Age: 19-34 Citizen Permit UCI Licence UCI Licence: XWU23.E or XWE.E Ability Level: Advanced | XWU23.E or XWE.E | Advanced | |||
| Master 35-44 Expert Women | Age: 35-44 Citizen Permit UCI Licence UCI Licence: XWMA.E Ability Level: Advanced | XWMA.E | Advanced | |||
| Master 45+ Expert Women | Age: 45+ Citizen Permit UCI Licence UCI Licence: XWMB.E or XWMC.E Ability Level: Advanced | XWMB.E or XWMC.E | Advanced | |||
| Junior Expert Women | Age: 17-18 Citizen Permit UCI Licence UCI Licence: XWJ.E Ability Level: Advanced | XWJ.E | Advanced | |||
| Senior Elite Women | Age: 19+ Citizen Permit UCI Licence UCI Licence: XWE or XWU23 Ability Level: Elite | XWE or XWU23 | Elite | |||
| U17 Cadet Expert Men | Age: 15-16 Citizen Permit UCI Licence UCI Licence: XMU17.E Ability Level: Advanced | XMU17.E | Advanced | |||
| Junior Expert Men | Age: 17-18 Citizen Permit UCI Licence UCI Licence: XMJ.E Ability Level: Advanced | XMJ.E | Advanced | |||
| Senior Elite Men | Age: 19+ Citizen Permit UCI Licence UCI Licence: XME or XMU23 Ability Level: Elite | XME or XMU23 | Elite | |||
| Senior Expert Men | Age: 19-34 Citizen Permit UCI Licence UCI Licence: XME.E or XMU23.E Ability Level: Advanced | XME.E or XMU23.E | Advanced | |||
| Master 35-44 Expert Men | Age: 35-44 Citizen Permit UCI Licence UCI Licence: XMMA.E Ability Level: Advanced | XMMA.E | Advanced | |||
| Master 45-54 Expert Men | Age: 45-54 Citizen Permit UCI Licence UCI Licence: XMMB.E Ability Level: Advanced | XMMB.E | Advanced | |||
| Master 55+ Expert Men | Age: 55+ Citizen Permit UCI Licence UCI Licence: XMMC.E Ability Level: Advanced | XMMC.E | Advanced | |||
*New members MUST select an entry level/novice category unless they have a previous race licence with another cycling body (proof of this is required before a licence will be granted).
Citizen Mountain Bike Events
| Category | Age | Race using Citizen Permit | Race using UCI Licence | Race using Non-Member Permit |
| At Organizer’s discretion | At Organizer’s discretion | Yes | Yes | If available at event |
Ontario Cup and Upgrade Points
MTB XC Ontario Cup Points
Ontario Cup points are awarded to all categories except the Try an O-Cup Men category. Only riders who purchase their racing membership through the OCA are eligible for O-Cup points. One-Event Racing Permit riders “eat up” Ontario Cup points but only receive these points if they take out the appropriate licence. (Please visit MEMBERSHIP) for One-Event Permit details) DNF riders (riders who do not finish) are not entitled to O-Cup points. O-Cup points are different than upgrade points.
The breakdown of O-Cup points is as follows for each category:
| 1st | 25 points | 11th | 11 points |
| 2nd | 22 points | 12th | 10 points |
| 3rd | 20 points | 13th | 9 points |
| 4th | 18 points | 14th | 8 points |
| 5th | 17 points | 15th | 7 points |
| 6th | 16 points | 16th | 6 points |
| 7th | 15 points | 17th | 5 points |
| 8th | 14 points | 18th | 4 points |
| 9th | 13 points | 19th | 3 points |
| 10th | 12 points | 20th | 2 points |
O-Cup points earned in the lower category will be divided by 3 and each lower category race will count as one race. For example a rider who earns 9 O-Cups points in each of their 3 sport races, then upgrades to expert will earn 3 O-Cup points for each of these individual sport races. In the overall expert series, the best 5 results are used for tabulation. Each of the sport events would count as one individual expert event with 3 O-Cup points. Riders who upgrade during the season are not eligible for series awards in their former category. For clarification, please contact the OCA office. Season ending O-Cup XC point totals will be based on the rider’s 5 best results. Riders are not required to start the Provincial Championships to be eligible for Plastiglas Ontario Cup Mountain Bike Series awards. Series awards podiums will be conducted at the Provincial Championships.
Season ending Plastiglas Ontario Cup MTB-XC point totals will be a tally of the O-Cup points earned in a rider’s top 5 of 7 races in the series. In the event of a tie at the end of the season, the Series Champion will be decided by the individual who had the highest finish at the Provincial Championship Race. In the event that this does not break the tie, the individual with the most wins in the series will be declared the winner. Series Champions in the highest ability categories (Elite Men/Women, Cadet and Junior Expert, Master Expert, Master 60+ Men, Singlespeed, U11, U13 and U15 categories all receive Ontario Cup Series award recognition as well as the top 3 overall in these categories.
Out or Province Racers
Out of province racers will consume any upgrade points earned however they are not eligible for Ontario Cup points.
Upgrade Points – MTB-XC (Currently being reviewed)
Upgrade points are based upon a mathematical formula taking into account a person’s speed vs the optimum time for their category. The predicted winning times are determined using the speed of the fastest racers, either Senior Elite men or the Senior Elite women’s fastest time is used, depending on who is relatively faster. Expert, sport, and beginner racers are not expected to go as fast as Elite racers, so their predicted speeds are multiplied by a factor. The predicted winning time is then determined by the dividing the distance by the speed. The Speed ratios below are used to calculate the predicted speeds.
| SpeedRatio | AgainstCat | Category |
| 0.84 | SEM | U11 Squirt (9-10 yrs) Male |
| 0.73 | SEM | U11 Squirt (9-10 yrs) Female |
| 0.875 | SEM | U13 Peewee (11-12 yrs) Male |
| 0.79 | SEM | U13 Peewee (11-12 yrs) Female |
| 0.925 | SEM | U15 Minime (13-14 yrs) Male |
| 0.82 | SEM | U15 Minime (13-14 yrs) Female |
| 0.938 | SEM | U17 (Cadet) Sport (15-16 yrs) Male |
| 0.84 | SEM | Junior/U17 (Cadet) Sport (15-18 yrs) Female |
| 0.85 | SEM | Citizen (19+ yrs) Male |
| 0.66 | SEM | Citizen (19+ yrs) Female |
| 0.95 | SEM | Junior Sport (17-18 yrs) Male |
| 0.9 | SEM | Senior Sport (19-29 yrs) Male |
| 0.917 | SEM | Master Sport (30-39 yrs) Male |
| 0.912 | SEM | Master Sport (40-44 yrs) Male |
| 0.8835 | SEM | Master Sport (45-49 yrs) Male |
| 0.8721 | SEM | Master Sport (50-54 yrs) Male |
| 0.8721 | SEM | Master Sport (55-59 yrs) Male |
| 0.89 | SEM | Master (60-64 yrs) Male |
| 0.88 | SEM | Master Sport (65+ yrs) Male |
| 0.8 | SEM | Senior Sport (19-29 yrs) Female |
| 0.85 | SEM | Master Sport (30-39 yrs) Female |
| 0.82 | SEM | Master Sport (40-49 yrs) Female |
| 0.8 | SEM | Master 50+ Female |
| 0.95 | SEM | SingleSpeed |
| 0.816 | SEM | U17 Cadet Expert (15-16 yrs) Female |
| 0.832 | SEM | Junior Expert (17-18 yrs) Female |
| 0.84 | SEM | Senior Expert (19-29 yrs) Female |
| 0.87 | SEM | Master Expert (30-39 yrs) Female |
| 0.84 | SEM | Master Expert (40+ yrs) Female |
| 0.938 | SEM | U17 Cadet Expert (15-16 yrs) Male |
| 0.957 | SEM | Junior Expert (17-18 yrs) Male |
| 0.95 | SEM | Senior Expert (19-29 yrs) Male |
| 0.965 | SEM | Master Expert (30-39 yrs) Male |
| 0.96 | SEM | Master Expert (40-44 yrs) Male |
| 0.93 | SEM | Master Expert (45-49 yrs) Male |
| 0.918 | SEM | Master Expert (50+ yrs) Male |
| 0.99 | SEM | Under 23 Male |
| 0.985 | SEF | Under 23 Female |
| 1.14 | SEF | Senior Elite Male |
| 0.87 | SEM | Senior Elite Female |
New Upgrade Rules
Based on points earned at best 3 races
Sport to Expert – 260 points optional, Mandatory at 295 prior to next race
Expert to Elite – 275 points optional, Mandatory at 295 prior to next race
Subsequently, anyone who has 290.00 to 294.99 points at the end of the season will be upgraded prior to the following racing season.
The above however does not apply to the Master 50-59 Sport Men, Master 60+ Men, Master 50+ Women or any Master Expert category. The mandatory in-season upgrade also does not apply to the Under 17 Sport category
Anyone wanting to downgrade or upgrade without the pre-requisite points can apply for an upgrade to the OCA Upgrade/Downgrade Licensing Committee using the Forms Below
Upgrade Request Forms can be found HERE.
Competition Results and Protests
If a rider has a race problem/protest at an event they should deal immediately with the Chief Commissaire at that event. The Chief Commissaire’s decision shall be final. If a rider wishes to further appeal the decision, a written protest must be filed to the Provincial Chief Commissaire c/o the OCA within 10 business days.
NOTE: Any race result discrepancies must be reported to the finish commissaire within 15 minutes of being posted at the event. Following this 15 minute period, results are considered final and are signed off as official.