The Victorian XCO MTB Series is focused on rebuilding and bringing back XCO racing to Victoria
A race series held over multiple weekends of summer, the season is aiming to help provide pathways for riders of all levels and backgrounds to come together, compete and have a fantastic time in a positive environment.
You can either aim to battle it out with the best, or come riding and plug away to achieve the rewarding feeling of finishing the ride.
Your training doesn’t need to be too extreme to achieve a finish in these events and you can try to improve on your skill and fitness as the series progresses throughout the summer.
Here’s the upcoming calendar or check out the FAQs below to find out more about the race format, rules and categories of race.
FALLS CREEK
Falls Creek MTB Park is the naming rights partner of the series and also plays host to two rounds of the season. The Falls Creek hosted rounds are worth 1.5 x points, so are a great way to get some extra points if you’re looking to claim the overall title!
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
ABOUT THE XCO RACE FORMAT
XCO or Cross country Olympic Format is one of the most common disciplines of mountain biking. Cross-country MTB became an Olympic sport in 1996 and is the only form of mountain biking practised at the Olympics. The rules for cross-country mountain biking for the Olympics are actually pretty simple.
The race has a mass start, with all of the riders starting at the same time, and the riders then have to finish a set amount of laps around a course between 4km and 6km in length. The number of laps to be completed is dependant on the category entered.
WHAT TIME DO THE RACES START?
Each from below starts 2 minutes apart. Ie. 1B starts at 9:02am
CATEGORIES
- Elite Men & Women
- Under 30 Men & Women (18-29)
- Masters 1/2 Men & Women (30-39)
- Masters 3/4 Men & Women (40-49)
- Master 5/6 Men & Women (50-59)
- Masters 7 Men & Women (60+)
- U19 Men & Women
- U17 Men & Women
- U15 Men & Women
- U13 Men & Women
- E-Bike Open Men & Women
- E-Bike Recreational
The current standard XCO format uses a course between 4km and 6km in length. Depending on the category entered there will be a certain number of laps to be completed to create a race time within a given range
WHAT CATEGORY/AGE GROUP AM I IN?
HOW LONG ARE RACES? (TARGET TIMES)
- Elite Men & Women (1h30 – 1h45)
- Under 30 Men & Women (1h00 – 1h15)
- Masters 1/2 Men & Women (1h15 – 1h30)
- Masters 3/4 Men & Women (1h00 – 1h15)
- Master 5/6 Men & Women (0.45 – 1h00)
- Masters 7 Men & Women (0.45 – 1h00)
- U19 Men & Women (1h00 – 1h15)
- U17 Men & Women (0.45 – 1h00)
- U15 Men & Women (0.30 – 0.45)
- U13 Men & Women (0.30 – 0.45)
- E-Bike Men & Women (1.30 – 1.45)
- E-Bike Recreational Men & Women (0.45 – 1.00)
HOW THE SERIES WORKS
HOW ARE POINTS AWARDED?
Did not finish (DNF) will get 15 points
Did not start (DNS) will get 0
The Championship round at FALLS CREEK will be worth 1.5 x points.
INSURANCE
All our events are cover by AusCycling’s insurance policy.
You can purchase a 1 or 7-day event license part and it must be valid on the day of the event go to the AUS CYCLING MEMBERSHIP page purchase this day permit and show proof of this at registration. Failure to do so will mean the event host is unable to allow you to compete
There are two options – a 1-day event license for $44 or a 7-day event license for $74. If you are going to race for both days on an event weekend we suggest you buy the 7-day option
e-MTB POLICY + RULES
eBikes have a race category for both men and women. They also have 2 start options. 9:55am BOOST start group for those that want to go full speed ahead or start between 10:05 and 10:15 if you want to take a more relaxed time out there.
New rules in 2024
- E-Bikes must be limited to the Australian standard of 25km/ph motor support
- Battery swaps are allowed but discouraged and hope riders can challenge themselves to finishing the full race on a single battery.
