Purpose:

The purpose of the Tour de Dirt (TdD) is to provide a series of competitive mountain bike races in (or near) Oklahoma whereby a point accumulation process will determine overall awards for racers of various ages and skill levels. The TdD is the official National Off-Road Bicycle Association State Mountain Bike Championship Series for Oklahoma. The season will be one calendar year.

Series Ownership:

The TdD is registered by NORBA to the Oklahoma Earthbike Fellowship. Under the auspices of OEF the TdD Race Committee shall coordinate all aspects of the series with the individual race promoters. The TdD Race Committee shall be comprised of the following seven members. The titles will be:

- Series Director
- Assistant Series Director
- OEF President
- Treasurer
- NORBA Official (consulting)
- Facilitator 1
- Facilitator 2

Meetings:

There will be a mandatory meeting each fall prior to the next racing season to formulate or revise any new or previous rules or policies in the vested interest of the TdD. All promoters or their representative must attend and be prepared to submit a $50 refundable registration fee. Any delinquent fees due to the TdD must also be paid at this time to be eligible for next season’s schedule.

Finances & Fees:

1. All expenses for the operation of the TdD shall be derived from racer entry fees and sponsorship funds. All revenue derived shall be expended for the operation of the series and year end awards.

2. Each promoter shall pay $1 to the TdD from every entry fee immediately following their event. The amount due will be the total number of racers multiplied by $1 minus the $50 registration fee paid before the start of the season.

3. Individual racer fees (including any imposed late fees) for all categories shall not exceed a total of $30. A reduced fee for Junior racers is strongly recommended. NORBA license fees are extra (see below).

NORBA Requirements:

All TdD races must be permitted by NORBA and be officiated by a paid NORBA official who is current and in good standing with the governing body. All Pro, Semi-Pro and Expert racers are required to be NORBA members and hold a valid NORBA annual license. Racers in all other categories are encouraged (but not required) to become members by purchasing an annual license. Non-NORBA members in all other categories will pay an additional $5 to race at each event; the fee will be paid at the race site. Annual licenses ($60 adults / $30 Juniors) can be purchased at the race site or on-line (best way). Racers need their NORBA license and legal ID for registration. All racers are required to complete and sign a USA Cycling standard athlete’s release at each event. Minors must have a parent or guardian signature as well. The “12 Miles of Hell” is the Exception; this is not a NORBA event.

TdD Series Regulations:

YOU MUST have a current annual NORBA license to accumulate series points and to be eligible for year end awards. NORBA sanctioned races completed before you are licensed WILL NOT COUNT. A racer’s best 7 NORBA sanctioned TdD races will count for year end series awards. Racers must participate in at least 5 NORBA sanctioned TdD races to be considered for year end awards. A DNF (Does Not Finish) does count as race participation. Should a tie occur at the end of the season the tie will be broken in the following manner:

1. Total number of first place finishes.
2. Total number of second place finishes, and so on, until the tie is broken.

All events are required to follow the guidelines established by NORBA for License and Classification, Equipment Requirements and Racing Regulations (refer to the NORBA Rule Book). Except for 12MOH.

Classes and Categories:

Competitors are classified according to their age as of December 31st of the current calendar year. Competitors are also categorized according to ability and racing proficiency:

- Beginner: casual local competitor, first timer
- Sport: intermediate regional competitor
- Expert: advanced national/regional competitor

Riders may advance as quickly as they wish. Riders who feel they can start racing in the expert category are welcome to do so. However, once a rider is classified, he or she will not be permitted to downgrade to a less difficult category.

Classes in each of the Categories recognized by the TdD are as follows:

* Single Speed is an “open” category racing the Sport distance.

Individual promoters may, at their own discretion, combine classes to allow for more competitive racing. however, points will be applied to each category for the TdD series per the above NORBA classifications.

Series Points:

Points will be awarded according to NORBA standards at each event and will be tallied as follows (except for 12 Miles of Hell, since this is not a normal NORBA sanctioned TdD race you will get 20 bonus points for finishing):

All categories: 1st-60, 2nd-54, 3rd-48, 4th-42, 5th-38, 6th-34, 7th-30, 8th-26, 9th-24, 10th- 22, 11th-20, 12th-18, 13th-16, 14th-14, 15th-12, 16th-10, 17th-8, 18th-6, 19th-4, 20th-2, 21st-0

Categories and Upgrading/Downgrading:

Upgrading to a more difficult category will be permitted and encouraged following the guidelines established by NORBA. The presiding NORBA official at an event may upgrade a competitor’s license. It is the racer’s responsibility to ensure that the NORBA official is aware you wish to upgrade to initiate the process. A racer may also upgrade online. Competitors who choose to upgrade during the series must do so before the (5th) NORBA sanctioned race to take 50% of their accumulated points with them. Rules regarding mandatory upgrading will be enforced (See NORBA and USCA rulebooks).

Downgrading to a less difficult category will be permitted following the guidelines established by NORBA only. Any competitor who feels they have advanced too quickly may petition NORBA in writing for a category downgrade. Refer to the NORBA Rule Book for proper procedures. Competitors who downgrade during the series will not be allowed to carry over their accumulated points into a less difficult category. NOTE: Regardless of what your license indicates, once you race in a more difficult category you may not race in a less difficult category in the future (unless you follow NORBA guidelines to downgrade). Doing so will disqualify you from that event and the TDD series.

Courses and Staging:

Courses vary according to the geography of the area and the amount of single track available. In general, Expert races should last 2-2.5 hours; Sport 1.5-2 hours and Beginners 1-1.5 hours. Expert Grand Master Men 50+ and Expert Master Women 40+ will race the “Sport distance” unless the racers involved vote unanimously to do otherwise. A race lap should be a minimum of 5 miles.

Categories of racers are to be staged separately with a gap between individual classes in each category of 2 minutes at a minimum. Mass starts are strictly prohibited! In establishing staging times it is of utmost importance to prevent (or minimize) mixing of racers in different categories.

Race distance, lap set up and staging considerations are unique to each venue. We urge each promoter to consult the TdD committee regarding these issues. We want each event to run as smoothly as possible with minimal conflict out on the course.

Scoring and Results:

The manual “index card” method of scoring is recommended for all TdD races. Results can then be recorded electronically at the promoter’s discretion for posting and submitting to NORBA and TdD. The “index card” method is virtually fool proof and allows results to be posted and finalized in a timely manor. If requested, the TdD committee will present a short work shop on this method at the annual promoter’s meeting.

Scoring actually begins with each competitor completing the registration form. Competitors should print registration information to ensure their name is spelled correctly on the scoring sheets. Competitors should be consistent in using the same name and legible NORBA license number at each event to ensure points are accumulated correctly. Event scoring should not be interfered with. Competitors completing an event should follow finishing instructions and then move immediately away from the finish area to allow other competitors to complete their race. Competitors not able to complete an event for any reason will be shown as DNF and not be awarded TdD series points. A DNF may count for the minimum number of races required to be competitive in the series however. Any competitor not finishing an event MUST report their race number and reason to the event staff.

Total finish times for all categories must be recorded and submitted to the TdD along with the final results. When possible, it is recommended that lap times be recorded also. Promoters, please make sure you have adequate volunteers for timing and scoring.

Protests:

The protester shall file the protest in writing with the Chief Official (or Race Director in the absences of a Chief Official). The protest period is immediately following the race and up to 15 minutes following the posting of complete results for their class.

An Official Protest form should be used. These are available from the race Director or the Chief Official. If a protest form is not available, a protest in writing must be submitted to the Chief Official including the following; rider number, date of event, time of protest, description of incident, desired outcome, witnesses, name, address, phone, license number and signature of rider and promoter. A $20 fee shall be submitted in cash with the protest.

Protests can only be made by and against racers in the same event. (for more information check your NORBA rules book)

Results submission:

It will be the duty of each race director to submit a duplicate of the race results to the TdD when submitting to NORBA. This has to be done within 14 days of your event; however, it is customary to submit the results during the week after the race. These results should be submitted following the NORBA results format, either on diskette or by e-mail or e-mail attachment.
Send results to the NORBA Ranking Manager, the USAcycling State Rep. and to Robert Farris of the TdD.

Prizes and Awards:

No system for cash payout and/or prizes is mandated for individual events. It is up to the individual race director to decide how much, how deep and how many at each race will be prized. The top three in each class is a common standard. Cash payout to Experts is customary but not mandatory. Merchandise awards and raffle prizes are commonly awarded to Sports and Beginners at individual events. Unique trophies are commonly awarded and appreciated by the racers.

For end of the year TdD series awards the top three qualifying annual NORBA license holders in each class will be recognized. The type of awards depends on the amount of funds generated through racer fees and sponsorship funds for that year.

An end of the season TdD awards ceremony will be held at the monthly OEF Membership Meeting, on Thursday December 1st, at 7 PM at the Santa Fe Cattle company near I-240 and Penn (1445 SW 74th).

Teams:

Each team will consist of a team manager and unlimited members. Each manager must register their team and members before the members finishing points can be counted. Team members must also hold an annual NORBA license. Registration is $5 per team member and $5 for the team manager. The top 5 finishers of each team in an event will add their race points together. Teams can also use the “PayDirt Program”, the teams points would take the place of their worst finish at the end of the 2005 season. All the series races count except 12MOH. The State Championship Teams Cup will be given out at the awards ceremony. The winning team will have the cup on display, at a local bicycle shop, until they give it to the next year’s winners. Team Sign Up Form (MS XLS)

PayDirt Program:

The purpose of the PayDirt Program is to encourage more racers/teams to get involved in the maintenance and development of the trails they race on.

How it works: