General Race Rules
- ASSISTANCE ON COURSE: The Roland Green rule: Any registered racer may assist another registered racer at any time during a race with any part being carried, except the bike itself and any food/water. No parts that are on the bike may be exchanged. Mechnakical work must be done by the racer and no one else.
- HANDUPS: Racers may receive outside food and drink “handups” at designated open FEED ZONES ONLY marked on the race map or identified by the race director.
- PIT AREA(S): Racer may only receive outside assistance at the designated pit area(s). All repairs must be done by the individual racer, no other person may touch the bike. The pit area is designated by the race director and associated officials.
- LEAVING THE COURSE: Racers may not leave the course for any purpose, UNLESS to enter the pit area for repair. Any off-course excursions may end with a DNF or disqualification. If a racer has a mechanical on the course, racer is to move off the course to fix so that other racers can reasonably pass safely.
- BIKES AND PARTS: Racers must complete the entire race on the same bicycle frame and fork with which you started. All other parts can be switched out.
- USAC Mountain Bike Racing License: All racers must have a USA Cycling Annual License OR a One-Day racing license for the Showdown at the Arroyo race in Harlingen. This is the only sanctioned race in the series. All athletes are required to complete and sign a USAC standard athlete’s release form through online registration. Fees for one-day licenses can also be added to the registration fee for this race.
- PRIZES/AWARDS: Professionally produced awards will be presented to the TOP THREE (3) in each class/category, unless otherwise indicated. For overall winners of the series, a prize (medal/trophy/jersey/t-shirt) will be awarded to the Top 3 in each series category. Note: The Showdown at the Arroyo race in Harlingen is the only USAC-sanctioned race and part of the TMBRA fall cup series, and will offer cash payout to Cat 1 and Pro categories based on overall registrations.
- Weather: All races in the series will be rescheduled if the trails are deemed unrideable due to rain and mud. The date will be within 1-4 weeks of the originally scheduled event date. The event organizers will decide whether to continue the race or postpone the evening before race day, no later than 10:00 p.m. CST. If inclement weather occurs in the middle of a race, the race director has the right to stop the race at any given moment. For races that are ended due to weather, the most recent lap completed by all racers in all categories will be used to determine results and podiums.
Series Categories
The South Texas Race Series will offer several skill and age catgories for all types of mountain bike racer.
The Kid’s Cup will be offered for kids ages 10 and under, and will consist of a short track of 1 mile or less. All types of bikes can be used, from MTBs to balance bikes. Kids will be recognized with a participation trophy/ribbon, and an overall medal for participating in at least 3 of the eligible 5 races. Note there will NOT be a Kids Cup for the E.H.O.T.S. race in Mission as this will take place on gravel roads.
Junior Boys/Girls 10-12, 13-14 will race a modified short course on regular race courses that will be approximately 1 mile to 2.5 miles per lap. Check individual races for number of laps/distance per race. Course will be designated with signage and course marshalls on Junior 10-12, 13-4 races. For XCM races, Juniors can race on adult Beginner teams for men or women, or race on a co-ed team for series points. Note there will NOT be a Junior Boys/Girls category for the E.H.O.T.S. race in Mission as this will take place on gravel roads. Overall series points will be from best 3 of 5 races.
Beginner Boys/Girls 15-18 will race 1 lap in XCC races with an approximate distance of 5-9 miles. For XCM races, Beginner Boys/Girls can race on adult Beginner teams for men or women, or race on a co-ed team for series points. Note there will NOT be a Beginner Boys/Girls category for the E.H.O.T.S. race in Mission as this will take place on gravel roads. Overall series points will be from best 3 of 5 races.
Beginner Men/Women/Masters 19+ will race 1 lap in XCC races with an approximate distance of 5-9 miles. For XCM races, there is a designated category for beginner teams by gender. No points are awarded for Team Co-Ed. For the Harlingen Arroyo TMBRA race you will race 1 lap, and it is recommended you sign up for Cat 3 for your age category, and attend the first time racer clinic. For XCE and XCO races, you must enter Beginner Men or Women categories.
Intermediate Men/Women/Masters 19+ will race 2 laps in XCC races with an approximate distance of 5-9 miles. For XCM races, there is a designated category for beginner teams by gender. No points are awarded for Team Co-Ed. For the Harlingen Arroyo TMBRA race you will race 1 lap, and it is recommended you sign up for Cat 3 for your age category. For XCE and XCO races, you must enter Intermediate Men or Women categories.
Open Men/Women/Singlespeed participants will race 3 laps or more in XCC races with an approxomate distance of 5-9 miles. For XCM races, there is a designated category for Open racers by gender. No points awarded for Team Co-Ed. For the Harlingen Arroyo TMBRA race you will race 2 or 3 laps, and it is recommended you sign up for Cat 2 for your age category, or must be qualified for Cat 1 or Pro. For XCE and XCO races, you must enter Open Men or Women categories.
Open Men
Open Women
Open Singlespeed Men
Open Singlespeed Women
Intermediate Men 19-29
Intermediate Men 30-39
Intermediate Men 40-49
Masters Intermediate Men 50+
Intermediate Women 19-29
Intermediate Women 30-39
Intermediate Women 40-49
Masters Intermediate Women 50+
Beginner Men 19-29
Beginner Men 30-39
Beginner Men 40-49
Beginner Masters Men 50+
Beginner Women 19-29
Beginner Women 30-39
Beginner Women 40-49
Beginner Masters Women 50+
Kids’ Cup 10 and Under
Junior Kids 10-12
Junior Kids 13-14
Beginner Boys 15-18
Beginner Girls 15-18
The overall series categories will differ from race categories for individual races. Here are the categories compatible with the overall series categories. Points will be assigned based on finisher results for both solo and team categories (Ex. if a racer is competing in the overall Open Men category, and they race Open Men Team and take 1st place, then all members of the team receive 25 points EACH toward their overall series category points).
| Overall Series Category (all categories are solo) | XCM (Brownsville Monte Bella and Brownsville Benavides Trails) | XCC (Mission Trails) | XCE (Edinburg Doolittle Trails) | TMBRA (Harlingen Arroyo Trails) | XCO (EHOTS – Mission) |
| Open Men | Solo – Open Men Solo or Team – Open Men | Open Men | Open Men | Cat 1 or 2 Men Age Category | MTB – Open Men |
| Open Women | Solo – Open Women or Team – Open Women | Open Women | Open Women | Cat 1 or 2 Women Age Category | MTB – Open Women |
| Intermediate Men 19-29 | Solo – Intermediate Men or Team – Intermediate Men | Intermediate Men 19-29 | Intermediate Men 19-29 | Cat 3 Men Age Category | MTB – Intermediate Men |
| Intermediate Men 30-39 | Solo – Intermediate Men or Team – Intermediate Men | Intermediate Men 30-39 | Intermediate Men 30-39 | Cat 3 Men Age Category | MTB – Intermediate Men |
| Intermediate Men 40-49 | Solo – Intermediate Men or Team – Intermediate Men | Intermediate Men 40-49 | Intermediate Men 40-49 | Cat 3 Men Age Category | MTB – Intermediate Men |
| Intermediate Masters Men 50+ | Solo – Master’s Men or Team – Master’s Men | Master’s Men 50+ | Master’s Men 50+ | Cat 3 Men Age Category | MTB – Intermediate Men |
| Intermediate Women 19-29 | Solo – Intermediate Women or Team – Intermediate Women | Intermediate Women 19-29 | Intermediate Women 19-29 | Cat 3 Women Age Category | MTB – Intermediate Women |
| Intermediate Women 30-39 | Solo – Intermediate Women or Team – Intermediate Women | Intermediate Women 30-39 | Intermediate Women 30-39 | Cat 3 Women Age Category | MTB – Intermediate Women |
| Intermediate Women 40-49 | Solo – Intermediate Women or Team – Intermediate Women | Intermediate Women 40-49 | Intermediate Women 40-49 | Cat 3 Women Age Category | MTB – Intermediate Women |
| Intermediate Masters Women 50+ | Solo – Master’s Women or Team – Master’s Women | Master’s Women 50+ | Master’s Women 50+ | Cat 3 Women Age Category | MTB – Intermediate Women |
| Beginner Men 19-29 | Solo – Beginner Men or Team – Beginner Men | Beginner Men 19-29 | Beginner Men 19-29 | Cat 3 Men Age Category | MTB – Beginner Men |
| Beginner Men 30-39 | Solo – Beginner Men or Team – Beginner Men | Beginner Men 30-39 | Beginner Men 30-39 | Cat 3 Men Age Category | MTB – Beginner Men |
| Beginner Men 40-49 | Solo – Beginner Men or Team – Beginner Men | Beginner Men 40-49 | Beginner Men 40-49 | Cat 3 Men Age Category | MTB – Beginner Men |
| Beginner Masters Men 50+ | Solo – Master’s Men or Team – Master’s Men | Master’s Men 50+ | Master’s Men 50+ | Cat 3 Men Age Category | MTB – Beginner Men |
| Beginner Women 19-29 | Solo – Beginner Women or Team – Beginner Women | Beginner Women 19-29 | Beginner Women 19-29 | Cat 3 Women Age Category | MTB – Beginner Women |
| Beginner Women 30-39 | Solo – Beginner Women or Team – Beginner Women | Beginner Women 30-39 | Beginner Women 30-39 | Cat 3 Women Age Category | MTB – Beginner Women |
| Beginner Women 40-49 | Solo – Beginner Women or Team – Beginner Women | Beginner Women 40-49 | Beginner Women 40-49 | Cat 3 Women Age Category | MTB – Beginner Women |
| Beginner Masters Women 50+ | Solo – Master’s Women or Team – Master’s Women | Master’s Women 50+ | Master’s Women 50+ | Cat 3 Women Age Category | MTB – Beginner Women |
| Singlespeed Open Men | Solo – Singlespeed Men | Singlespeed Open Men | Singlespeed Open Men | Singlespeed (any category) | Singlespeed Men |
| Singlespeed Open Women | Solo – Singlespeed Women | Singlespeed Open Women | Singlespeed Open Women | Singlespeed (any category) | Singlespeed Women |
| Beginner Boys 15-18 | Solo – Beginner Men, Team – Beginner Men, or Team – Co-Ed | Beginner Boys 15-18 | Beginner Boys 15-18 | Cat 3 – Junior Men 15-18 | No Category |
| Beginner Girls 15-18 | Solo – Beginner Women, Team – Beginner Women, or Team – Co-Ed | Beginner Girls 15-18 | Beginner Girls 15-18 | Cat 3 – Junior Women 15-18 | No Category |
| Junior Boys 13-14 | Solo – Beginner Men, Team – Beginner Men, or Team – Co-Ed | Junior Boys 13-14 | Junior Boys 13-14 | Cat 3 – Junior Men 13-14 | No Category |
| Junior Girls 13-14 | Solo – Beginner Women, Team – Beginner Women, or Team – Co-Ed | Junior Girls 13-14 | Junior Girls 13-14 | Cat 3 – Junior Women 13-14 | No Category |
| Junior Boys 10-12 | Solo – Beginner Men, Team – Beginner Men, or Team – Co-Ed | Junior Boys 10-12 | Junior Boys 10-12 | Cat 3 – Junior Men 10-12 | No Category |
| Junior Girls 10-12 | Solo – Beginner Women, Team – Beginner Women, or Team – Co-Ed | Junior Girls 10-12 | Junior Girls 10-12 | Cat 3 – Junior Women 10-12 | No Category |
| Kid’s Cup 10 and Under | Kids Cup 10 and Under | Kids Cup 10 and Under | Kids Cup 10 and Under | Kids Cup 10 and Under | No Category |
Race Types
The South Texas MTB Series will follow the UCI Mountain BIke race types as follows:
XCM (Cross-Country Marathon) – a XCM race takes place on a course that is more than 37 miles (60 km). All categories race together on the same course. Races in this series will start with a Lemans-style running start to the bike. Races in the series: Chainbreaker 10/50 at Brownsville Monte Bella and Benavides MTB Trails Race
XCO (Cross-Country Olympic) – XCO races begin with a mass start, and take place over a challenging course that requires bike handling skills and physical fitness. For this series, the course will be a 54 mile up and back gravel road. Race in this series: Eddie’s Hell of the South (EHOTS)
XCE (Cross-Country Eliminator) – XCE events are fast-moving, dynamic, action-packed formats in which four riders race in heats on technical tracks featuring obstacles such as jumps and bridges. Competitions begin with a qualifying heat that takes the form of an individual timed lap of the circuit (time trial), and as a result the top 16 fastest men and women race for the final competition. The fastest two riders from each heat in the finals advances until the final 4 race for podiums. Race in this series: Edinburg Dootlitle Trails
XCC (Cross-Country Circuit) – XCC races consist of laps around a short or modified race course/trail. For the race series, we will be doing between 5 to 9-mile laps that average around 35-45 minutes each lap. Races in the series: Mission Trails and Showdown at the Arroyo in Harlingen.
South Texas MTB Race Courses: courses will vary according to terrain. XCO races will be point to point, all others (XCC, XCE, XCM) will be circuit races that will consist of 1 to 10 laps around a designated trail of 3-9 miles. XCM distances must be over 35 miles and no more than 100 miles. Some races will be less distance per lap depending on the designated race course.
Series Scoring
Points will be calculated for the groups listed above. Best 4 out of 6 total races (Best 3 out of 5 races for Kids Cup, Juniors, and Beginner Boys/Girls 15-18) will be scored for the series overall. You must compete in at least 3 races to qualify for an Overall Series Award. Overall Series Awards will be presented at TBA location in December (Date TBA).
Points are tallied based on the rider’s finish order for their category at each individual South Texas Race Series event. Points cannot be moved from one class to another. Points are awarded as follows:
1st Place = 25 points
2nd Place = 22 Points
3rd Place = 20 Points
4th Place = 18 Points
5th Place = 16 Points
6th Place = 14 Points
7th Place = 12 Points
8th Place = 10 Points
9th Place = 8 Points
10th Place = 6 Points
11th and Under = 4 Points
Tie Breaker: If a tie exists for an overall category at the end of the series, the following rules will apply in the order until the tie is broken: 1) Number of 1st, 2nd, 3rd places…until tie is broken in all races that used for series points. 2) Head-to-Head results in all common races. 3) Best result in th emost recent race (dropped or not).
XCE Races: For XCE races (EX. The Dooliminator), points will be awarded as follows: Top 4 places determined in final heat, 5th – 8th places determined from final times in the 2nd Round of the Eliminator Race, 9th-10th determined from final times of 1st round of Eliminator Race. All other racers will receive 4 points for 11th and under places.
Paydirt Points: We will be hosting a series of trail maintenance days at each of the trails in the series.
Valley Off-Road Bicycling Association (VORBA) 