Oregon XC Tech Guide 2022 Update

Welcome!

Back to "Normal" in 2022

Please remember to follow all COVID-19 guidelines that a local event organizer is employing. Do not come to the race if sick or have come in contact with someone who has been sick. Please note that the 2022 Oregon XC Series is a 5 race series with the best 3 counting towards your win and series award! Unfortunately, as the series was starting Chainbreaker in Bend, had to cancel for 2022. We hope to have them back in 2023.

Categories are 33 total

Cat 3=Novice or new to the sport (Shorter Course)

Cat 2= Intermediate and out for longer course options

Clydesdale = Over 200 LBS

Singlespeed Men and Women= 1 Gear all day long! (Longest courses)

Cat 1= Expert and willing to take it to the next level (Longest course)

Elite = Top-level racer requires approval to race at this level from OBRA or Mudslinger Events who has been granted that power. Really it takes a race resume and kicking ass in Cat 1 MTB...simple right?

Since 2001 providing 33 consistent categories, scoring, and fun for riders of all levels each March through Summer.

History

Historically speaking, for the 2022 XC series, the Mudslinger is the oldest at 35 years, followed by the Cascade Chainbreaker at 26 years. What makes the XC series great is you, and we hope you will discover new areas to race, new dirt, and meet a new friend.

2022 Lineup

Race #1 Echo Red to Red March 19th

Race # 2 Mudslinger April 2nd

Race Chainbreaker Canceled

Race #3 Coast Hills Classic June May 15th

Race #4 Sisters Stampede May 29th

Race #5 Alpine Epic June 18th

TECH GUIDE

Champion Trucker Hats for 2022 for all racers!

The Oregon XC Series combines the best of Oregon Mountain Bike Racing with 4 independent race directors combining efforts to bring racing to the Pacific Northwest! This series is produced and marketed by Mudslinger Events with the collaboration of five additional independent race directors to provide consistent and fun racing for all abilities.

Each venue features unique terrain kicking off in Echo Oregon, with the fantastic trails and landscapes of Oregon within a few hrs driving anyone can partake as long as they have a mountain bike, helmet and gear to protect them from the elements if it is cold or wet!

Series Updates via the Oregon XC Series Facebook Page

Series Results Via Results Tab at Mudslinger Events

Sponsors

We could not promote the series and host each event without support. Please contact mike@mudslingerevents.com to get involved! We need support to keep the wheels turning is appreciated as we reach well over 2500 mountain bikers per year and continue to be a guiding force in cycling culture for all abilities.

Categories 2022

Categories are listed below and offer a wide array of ways to participant in any of the series races.

Each event may offer a unique age group inside of any Series category as long as it is clearly identified as a non-Series category.

Series Champions in each of 33 categories will have a chance to win a Custom Series Trucker Hat in 2022.

Categories

Please know that the Categories for mountain biking do not extend to Cat 4 currently. Road, CX (Cross) and other disciplines do. Ability groups at best should be used sparingly to keep the camaraderie of a good day of racing and to avoid the nitpicking that can happen when abilities are present. Elite = Pro or highest ability, Cat 1 = Expert and advanced endurance and skills. Cat 2 = Intermediate or Sport. Racers at this level enjoy the longest course with the Cat 1's but have more opportunities to race against your peer group. Cat 3 = Novice or new to mountain biking. We won't fault someone starting out as a Cat 3, as long as you are not a Cat 1/2 Road Cyclist and or Cat 1 CX Rider.

The spirt of MTB is steeped in the ability to take care of yourself and be self-sufficient. Our task as race directors is to provide an inclusive and safe environment for all to participate and have fun while maintaining competitive fairness. We are part of the Oregon Bicycle Racing Association Rules that include licensing and insurance for the production of the Oregon XC Series.

Any rider may self-select any category except Elite Men or Women and Junior Cat 2 or Junior Cat 1. Please request an upgrade to membership@obra.org or for juniors please look OBRA Junior Racing page on this site to submit the google form.

This Junior form is looked at for overall dominance and experience to allow OBRA to upgrade from Cat 3 to Cat 2 and Cat 2 to Cat 1.

All Cat 2 Juniors will stage with the Cat 2 19-39 Men or 19-39 Women and Cat 1 Junior Men will stage with the Elite/Cat 1 wave. Please make sure to stage in the 3rd or 4th row as a Cat 1 or Cat 2 of your particular field if at all possible.

Mandatory upgrades will occur through Race #3 per OBRA rules of 5 top 3 finishes in full fields in 12 months, so if you are fast, you may want to upgrade before being asked to.

If you did win your category the previous year, please upgrade to the next ability unless you do not meet the OBRA guidelines. In that case feel free to repeat your attempt at the XC Series.

Downgrading

If you need to downgrade, please e-mail membership@obra.org Please do not downgrade on your own race to race for any reason.

Please do not upgrade to Elite unless you have met the upgrade criteria at obra.org The most common situation is when someone does not feel like racing 25 mile sin Cat 2 and downgrades to Cat 3 for the distance. 90% of the time it is not simply to win! The cash purse at any event is combined overall Elite/Cat 1 and Singlespeed in some cases Equal pay for men and women is mandatory.

Each race will issue a custom plate at each event to know who you are on course. You will not use OBRA numbers for Mountain bike events.

There are a lot of Categories?

Mountain bike categories in Oregon are self-selected besides Elite, which requires an upgrade or prior USAC Pro License. You can request this upgrade to our local association OBRA but to the ELITE category. If you want a Pro license, you can race at a USAC State or Regional race outside of Oregon and go for it! We love seeing riders succeed!

Faster adult racers should move up or start at Cat 2 (Sport) or Cat 1 (Expert) to prevent sandbagging and allow more space in the Cat 3 novice and Cat 2 sport fields.

This means go ahead and enter Cat 3 Novice and go for the glory, but if you ride a lot, Cat 2 Sport is the best option to start out!

Racing Age

Racing age is 12/31/current year

Masters Racing

Please remember that if you are 50+ Men or 40+ Women, you do not have to upgrade beyond Cat 2 (Sport) as we do not have any 50+ Cat 1 (expert) categories as we top out at 45+ or age-graded Cat 1 (Expert) Mens and have a Open Cat 1 Womens field until we have enough women over 45 wanting that Cat 1 45+ field. We have seen to often a racer who ends up in Cat 1 and does not have the time to train to maintain this level, simply giving up on racing or better said, moving on.

Curretnly any Male rider over 50 does not need to upgrade to Cat 1 and any women over 40 may stay as well in Category 2.

A survey will go out at the end of the season from Mudslinger Events. The Cat 2 men 40-49 and 50-59 continue to be the largest fields with an ever-increasing Junior and women's racing presence. We added Cat 3 70+ for men and women in 2021 for the short course.

Juniors should begin by racing their age class and ability of Cat 3 (Novice); they can 'race up' but it's best if they remain in their age category and Cat 3 before moving to Cat 2 Junior and a minimum age of 14. The series site includes an upgrade form to move up faster than the OBRA upgrade if you feel you can handle longer 20+ mile routes. Also for 2020 we have added Cat 1 Junior for Men and Women to accommodate the USA Cycling and OBRA reciprocity. Post event OBRA will send Junior MTB results to USAC for better staging at Nationals. We really want juniors to succeed!

Special groups like Singlespeed, Clydesdale (200+ lbs)

Masters have many options, and for most, the Cat 2 (Sport) is where most end up if you self-identify as a person who typically does not "Race." Older riders over 60 like any rider can start out in the Cat 3 60-69 and Cat 3 70+ and move up per the upgrade rules or self-select at any time to Cat 2 60+or even Cat 1 45+.

PLEASE REMEMBER TO NOT MOVE DOWN ONCE YOU HAVE CHOSEN A HIGHER ABILITY LEVEL WITHOUT PERMISSION. UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCE SHOULD YOU SELF SELECT TO ELITE WITHOUT PRIOR APPROVAL FROM OBRA.

What Category?/Upgrades

If it's your first race and you want to take it one step at a time, you're in the "Novice" division or "Category 3" (Cat 3). These races take most people about an hour and are accessible to all abilities. Once you move up, you cannot downgrade unless you send a written request.

If you've done several races or come in from racing in other sports or are a fit person, you can choose to race "Sport" (Cat 2). Equivalent categories may be Cyclocross B or Faster C Riders, or Road Category 4. These races vary from 1 to 3 hours (average 2 hours) and may include technical features and sustained climbs.

If you can ride anything and can go fast for over two hours, then try the Cat 1 (Expert) field. If you race cyclocross A or place in the Top of the B field or road 1/2/3, then this may be your category or likely is.

If you are the previous years Champion in Cat 3 (Novice or Cat 2 (Sport) and under 49, please move to the next ability level for the subsequent season. If you have not met the OBRA upgrade policy you may stay in place.

OBRA Rules mandate 3 top 3's in 15 person men and 10 person women's fields in 12 months to upgrade from Cat 3 (Novice) too Cat 2 (Sport) and Sport to Cat 1 (Expert). Anyone 50 and over (Racing age as of 12/31/current year) does not have to upgrade to Cat 1 or Elite, and 50+ riders can stay in Cat 2 (Sport) per OBRA rules.

This also applies to Cat 2 (Sport) 40+ Women. This allows for the competition to stay high and field sizes to be at twenty or so per event.

Please do not race in different ability levels from race to race. If you start out and are over your head, you can downgrade officially through OBRA and move to your appropriate ability.

THE OREGON XC SERIES AWARDS CASH PAYOUT OVERALL EQUAL CASH PURSE AT EACH EVENT FOR THE ELITE/CAT 1/SINGLESPEED WAVE. PLEASE NOTE THAT IF THE SINGLESPEEDS DO NOT START AT THE SAME TIME AS THE ELITE/CAT 1'S SINGLESPEEDS WILL NOT BE INCLUDED IN THE CASH PURSE.

60% of all racers are Cat 2 (Sport), and having fun on your bike is the name of the game. One other constant is there will always be that fast guy or fast girl, especially from other states or sports that will beat you or try to.

From Lycra to Baggie Shorts to Jeans and a t-shirt….just remember to have a good helmet and good shoes and warm clothes when necessary.

2022 Oregon XC Series Categories

Please note all USA Cycling Juniors will have their USAC numbers tracked and scored for rankings in 2020 moving forward. What this means is to please let us know your USAC number when registering and if you are a Cat 1 Junior MTB we will report those results to OBRA if you are currently racing up with the Cat 1 Men 19-44 Men or Cat 1 Women.

19 more extended course categories and 14 shorter loop categories.

At select events, a third longer course may be present that is 35 miles or less for the Elite, Cat 1's, and Singlespeed's to race on. In some cases the Junior Cat 1's may be racing on the Cat 2 course staging with the Cat 2's and split out for awards. Although this is rare, it may happen and be denoted on each series events webpage.

(33 Champion Categories, best 4 races count in 2022)

The final series race decides any tie.

(Only Champions that race 4 or more times will be awarded a Champion award or counted in the points battle)

After 20 years of the Oregon XC Series, we have these categories for your participation.

1) Elite Men

(requires an upgrade or prior approval from OBRA or a current USAC Pro License)

2) Cat 1 Men 19-44

3) Cat 1 Men 45+

4) Cat 1 Junior Men

(requires an upgrade or prior approval from OBRA or a current USAC Cat 1 License)

5) Singlespeed Men (One Gear)

6) Elite Women

(requires an upgrade or prior approval from OBRA or a current USAC Pro License)

7) Cat 1 Women

8) Cat 1 Junior Women

(requires an upgrade or prior approval from OBRA or a current USAC Cat 1 license)

9) Singlespeed Women (One Gear)

10) Cat 2 Junior Men 14-18 (Stages with Cat 2 Men 19-39) requires OBRA notification and approval do to the length of the Cat 2 course

11) Cat 2 Junior Women 14-18 (Stages with Cat 2 Women 19-39) requires OBRA notification and approval do to the length of the Cat 2 course or current Cat 2 USA Cycling license

12) Cat 2 Men 19-39

13) Cat 2 Men 40-49

14) Cat 2 Men 50-59

15) Cat 2 Men 60+

16) Cat 2 Women 19-39

17) Cat 2 Women 40-49

18) Cat 2 Women 50+

19) Clydesdale 200+

Shorter Courses

20) Cat 3 Junior Men 10-13

21) Cat 3 Junior Men 14-18

22) Cat 3 Junior Women 10-13

23) Cat 3 Junior Women 14-18

24) Cat 3 Men 19-39

25) Cat 3 Men 40-49

26) Cat 3 Men 50-59

27) Cat 3 Men 60-69

28) Cat 3 Men 70+

29) Cat 3 Women 19-39

30) Cat 3 Women 40-49

31) Cat 3 Women 50-59

32) Cat 3 Women 60-69

33) Cat 3 Women 70+

Please, if you did win your category in novice the previous year, you need to upgrade or self-select Cat 2 Sport or Cat 1 Expert for at least one season prior to requesting a downgrade.

The Cat 1 or 2 Junior category 14-18 is not self-selected. This is because the courses are much longer and more remote. Also If you can't fix your own flat you cant move up! This is for independent, faster kids who can be accountable for the course and race with the adults!

All riders must request your upgrade from Mike Ripley mike@mudslingerevents.com or jfeatheringill@obra.org and please do not self downgrade as well. If you do your result will be a DQ from that event if you downgrade from any current ability to a lower ability without permission.

Juniors and Cat 2 or Cat 1

A race resume with at least 3 top 3's from the previous year or previous year champion will be allowed to race in the Category 2 Junior category. The Oregon XC Series does not want to limit your options but only guide you to the best experience possible. NICA racing counts as does USA Cycling, so if you're going to go big in the spring and summer before NICA, please e-mail me. The current upgrade policy will be used as well to upgrade to Cat 1 Junior and or any USA Cycling race resume.

Please do not race in different ability levels from race to race. If you start out and are over your head, you can downgrade officially through OBRA and move to your appropriate ability.

Participants can select any of the above skills through Cat 1 (Expert) without an official Upgrade from OBRA. Annual licenses are recommended and only $40.00 for adults and $10.00 for Juniors. You can purchase it HERE. One-day licenses are available through registration or on-site that each event collects and passes on to OBRA. These fees are 5.00 for adults and 2.00 for junior riders 10-18. Racing age 12/31 current year for mtb.

A typical time or distance of each and definition

Elite. Super Fast requires an upgrade Time to win 1:45-2hrs + depending on Distance versus Elevation

Cat 1 (Expert)

Fast and the longest course! This group stages with the Elites, People race this for either the distance or because they are fast or like the longer courses.

Cat 2 (Sport)

Time to win 1.5 hrs to 2.25 hrs depending on if this group races a lesser distance than the Elite/Expert (Cat 1) distance.

May race as the longest course at some venues but not quite ready to step up to the fastest group (Largest fields by far)

Most age groups are offered by the Oregon XC Series in this intermediate field.

Clydedales 200+ race this distance!

This group at most events will have multiple waves starts to provide the best racing with Cat 2 (Sport) men 40-49 being the largest field.

The top 3 in this Cat 2 (Sport) category would place top 10 in Cat 1 (Expert) for the Men in some cases so don't underestimate your potential.

Cat 3 (Novice) Just starting out?

I like to race 1 hr to 1.5 hrs and am out for fun and the challenge of this sport. Not quite as much commitment, but equally rewarding.

Scoring 2022

Please check your Team Spellings and data before each race if a pre-registered riders list is available for each event.

Make sure to register you check both your race result and also series result by Wednesday of each week and as necessary e-mail results@mudslingerevents.com for questions.

Best 3 races count for individuals in 2022

Toss out low series scores to leave the best 3 results.

Lowest points win the series points from individual scoring

1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10 etc for all categories

Points will not carry up to the next ability level. If you upgrade your points will stay in that category. You must upgrade from the previous year if you have won the previous year's championship except for riders not meeting the OBRA upgrade rule.

All riders with 3 results or more will be tracked for the series final placings with riders finishing. 3 points would win the series with the last series race deciding any ties. All Champions will receive a custom Trucker Hat but will have a special call-up at the OBRA State Championships in Washougal in late July.

OBRA UPGRADE RULES

5 top 3's in 12 months in a full field (10 for women and 15 for men). You can finish the series in your current category if you do not meet the OBRA upgrade policy by Race #4, but need to upgrade the next year unless you are in Cat 2 Sport 50 or older for Men or Cat 2 40 or older for women where you can stay in place and race against your peers forever.

Remember, no mandatory upgrades past Cat 2 for Men 50+ or Women 40+ at any point for mountain biking unless you choose to move to Cat 1 for the season.

Safety

Please wear a helmet at all times while on your bike. This includes before and after Events. You can be DQ'd for not doing this. OBRA rules apply!

Please use toilets and do not urinate where others can see.

No bad language or attitude

Pay attention at all road and trail crossings as in all cases, the course is open to other users and traffic on forest roads. 99.9 PERCENT OF THE TIME COURSES ARE OPEN TO OTHER RECREATION SO PAY ATTENTION!

Always wear your helmet at all times when on your bike, before during and after the race

Do not drop gel packs or anything on the course except for your sweat.

Please pull over if vehicles are on the roads when warming up and remember that any course could have a car on it, so pay attention.

If arriving early to an event, please use proper safety gear, including lights and bright reflective clothing, as you see fit.

There is no insurance provided by OBRA if you crash. Insurance is available for purcahse for all through Get Spot. We will call the EMT or 911 in an emergency. PLEASE REMEMBER IT CAN AND WILL TAKE AT LEAST 30 MINUTES IN MOST CASES AND OVER 2 HRS DEPENDING ON THE SITUATION. RIDE WITHIN YOUR LIMITS

BE nice when passing slower riders. A common statement is "coming by," "track left," "Can I get by?" The rule is if a rider in your same ability and age group is ahead of you and in the same specific category, the rider in front owns the track. Now, if your sucking big time on the trail, do the right thing and pull over. I can't make ya, but you will surely catch them on the next climb.

Memberships

LINK to annual Membership with OBRA $40.00 for adults and $10.00 for Juniors for an entire year of racing any discipline. Sign up January/February, so you get your license in plenty of time.

obra.org for all rules and regulations

Please bring proof of online purchase and please pay for your annual online at obra.org

We prefer you order direct from OBRA online at obra.org to receive your license as soon as possible. Individual race directors may or may not be selling annual licenses at each event. One day payment 5.00 for adults and 2.00 for Juniors 18 and under are available at each event and or please show your OBRA license when registering or picking up your race plate after filling out your OBRA waiver.

Each race will have 200-500 custom race plates for you and twist ties or zip ties. These plates you can keep and put on your garage wall, etc. Do not use these plates in any race other than the one you are racing.

Have fun be safe, and I will see you soon on the trail

Mike Ripley

Oregon XC Series director

Please let us know if you have any feedback and feel free to contact me anytime at mike@mudslingerevents.com. Also remember a Junior upgrade form is available on the oregonxcseries.org site