Racing
Take a look at the links below for more information about our races. Looking for a team? Find a team near you here.
Register
Register for a race.
Registration deadlines are Sunday at midnight the week of your race.
Race Info/Flyers
Learn more about our races, weather policy, how to qualify for NorCal Championships, and more.
Rulebook
We use our current rulebook as a guide to manage risk and promote a safe, inclusive environment for all student-athletes.
Volunteer
Our races wouldn’t be possible without the support we get from our volunteers. Sign up early to help earn a priority pit for your team.
Race Results
Take a look at race results from current and past seasons with the link below.
Scholarships
Thanks to our supporters, we have a scholarship fund to help student-athletes and coaches participate in our events. Need help with fees?
RACE INFO
Our event flyers will give you all the information you need about our events. If you have any questions that you’re not finding answers to from the flyers, give us a holler (admin@norcalmtb.org). Here’s info on the weather policy, because sometimes things change!
Race weekends are planned as follows: pre-ride Friday, high school and junior development categories race on Saturday with Sunday as weather backup, except for the Granite Bay double header where East Bay/Central is scheduled to race Sunday, and Champs weekend where we’ll race on Sunday as usual.
Race Results
Race Results are posted within 24hrs of the end of the race. If you are confused about points, consult the rulebook first. If you are still confused, email Robert Picard.
Overall Individual results will begin dropping the lowest race result starting after race #3. In other words, the Overall Individual results for the third race will only add up two races, and drop your lowest race score.
Staging Info
Student-athletes may arrive at the staging area 15 minutes before the start time of the corresponding race wave (e.g., all girl’s categories can begin staging at 9:45 if the varsity girls start at 10:00 AM).
Priority staging: student-athletes with a priority are assigned to a group. High school includes call-ups which can be from 1-15 or more riders. After call-ups are “A Group” then “B Group” up to “E Group” depending on the category. Junior development does not have ‘call-ups’ but has groups.
General staging: student-athletes that do not have a priority and are not listed under any priority group stage at general staging.
If you identify any issues with staging, please contact rules@norcalmtb.org, these awesome individuals will help you as soon as possible. Thank you!
For Junior Development: There will be a staging board with priority staging information. Some student-athletes will be assigned to “Group D” based on their performance, placing them behind groups a-c, and ahead of groups e-general. If a student-athlete’s name is not listed in a priority group, they are supposed to stage with the “General” group.
Category Placement
NICA Category placement rules are covered in the NorCal/NICA Handbook. Category placement is based on the previous season’s race results. Riders who participated last season can find their category placement in the following tables.
For new riders, or returning riders who did not participate last season, category placement is based on grade. 6th-8th graders = Middle School, 9th graders =Freshman, 10th – 12th graders = JV2.
Category upgrade petitions: A student can petition to upgrade to a higher category.
Rule 6.5.A.1: In general, exceptions to the Placement Criteria are discouraged and should be granted only under extraordinary circumstances
- Only 8th graders may petition to race in high school categories, and the only category they may initially petition into is JV2.
- 9th graders may only petition to race JV1, JV2 or Varsity. 9th graders may only petition into Varsity after racing at least one race in another category;
- 10th, 11th and 12th graders may only petition to race JV1 or Varsity.
To be approved for an upgrade, students must establish that they lack competition in their present category, either through actual NorCal race results or non-league
races of similar length that preferably include current NorCal riders in the target category.
After discussing a potential upgrade with their coaches, students should fill out the petition form, including the head coach’s email address; once submitted, a separate form will be sent to the coach for their comments (so it’s important the Coach email is correct in the student submission).
Category Placement Tables (CPTs)
Our Category Placement Tables (CPTs) show assigned categories for returning riders only. New riders (or returning riders who didn’t race last season) will be categorized by grade, as specified in the rulebook. For all riders, category assignment follows Rule 6.3 on page 47 of the rulebook. The language of this rule will be updated to match current category titles, if it hasn’t already.
We’ll be auditing the Pit Zone and changing the Pit Zone category to match the CPT category where necessary. So if you see that your Pit Zone category doesn’t match the assigned category in the CPT, have no fear, the auditor is near!
If you do not see your name and you have NorCal League race results from last year, please email admin@norcalmtb.org for a correction.
NorCal Championship
NorCal Championships Qualifications:
One of the unique things about high school cycling in the NorCal League is that we combine cumulative points over the season, so that after the semi-finals we can award race season “overall” awards to the top 5 athletes in each category. From these overall results, we create the list of folks who qualify for the NorCal League Championship.
- In order to qualify for the championship race, riders must participate in a minimum of 2 races this season. All varsity athletes that have participated in a minimum of 2 races automatically qualify for the championship race.
- For all other high school categories, student-athletes must have competed in a minimum of 2 races to qualify for championships.
- The top 100 riders in the league, in each category, automatically qualify for the championship race. The total number of Redwood/Repack athletes vs East Bay/Central athletes that qualify will correspond to the proportion each region contributes to total league ridership in each category. (For example: if Redwood/Repack represents 45% and East Bay/Central represents 55% of total ridership for a given category, the regions will have 45 riders and 55 riders-per category-respectively).
- Overall Series scoring for individuals is based on the best 3 of 4 in a four-race series. In other words, the lowest score is dropped.
Athletes who feel they came close to qualifying or lacked the opportunity to qualify due to academic, health reasons or schedule changes may petition to compete at the NorCal championships at Six Sigma, space permitting.
NorCal Championships FAQs:
A1. In the NorCal League, lowest scores are dropped for Race 4 call-ups; points shown are the sum of the best 2 out of 3 finish scores.This allows students who’ve upgraded categories, or missed races due to illness or academic conflicts, to have at least one chance to start a race in and around the riders they are competitive with, which reduces the amount of passing. It also gives riders a preview of how the final overall standings will sort out. The policy has been in place since the 2019 season [Handbook, Appendix B, Page 73]
Q2. My 7th grader finished 1st in race 2, then missed race 3 because we were traveling for spring break. Why is he/she not in the top group?
A2. Junior development category overall standings and leaders’ jerseys are not tracked, unlike with high school categories. Depending on wave size we reserve the right to place the junior development student-athletes in groups based on finishing times from the previous race. [Handbook, Appendix B, Page 76]
Q3. Can I petition for a better call-up? I’m a super fast racer but I had to miss two NorCal races.
A3. No, your call-up number is your series overall position, which can be found under Individual Results – Series Overall in race results for the most recent race on the league website. Your position in overall standings is earned through both performance and attendance. [Handbook, 6.10.F.3, Page 62; Appendix B, Page 73]
Q4. I just signed my kid up for their first race and don’t see their name in the call-ups list. I’m worried that they are not eligible to race.