Section 5: Rules of Play
5.1 Road Race
Road races begin with a mass start (peloton). All riders start together, and the first rider across the finish line wins. Key tactical elements include:
- Peloton dynamics: Riders draft behind others to save up to 30–40% of their energy. The peloton naturally organises with team formations at the front controlling the pace.
- Breakaways: Small groups of riders (1–10) attack off the front of the peloton. Breakaways succeed roughly 10–15% of the time in flat stages. Success rate increases significantly in mountainous terrain.
- Sprint finishes: On flat stages, teams organise lead-out trains to deliver their sprinter to the line. The final kilometre is marked by the flamme rouge (red kite). Crashes within the last 3 km do not affect GC time (the rider receives the same time as the group they were in when the incident occurred).
- Climbing: Mountain stages are decisive for the general classification. Key climbs are categorised (Hors Categorie, Category 1–4) based on length and gradient. HC climbs are the most difficult.
- Time gaps: In stage races, riders within a group (peloton or breakaway) receive the same time as the group. Gaps are measured between groups. A gap of more than 1 second between riders constitutes a separate group.
5.2 Individual Time Trial
- Riders start individually at intervals of at least 90 seconds. Fastest cumulative time wins.
- Drafting prohibited: Riders must maintain a gap of at least 25 metres from any other rider or vehicle, except when overtaking. A rider being overtaken must drop back to at least 25 m.
- Aero equipment: Time trial-specific bicycles with aero bars, disc rear wheel, deep-section or tri-spoke front wheel, and aero helmet are standard. Skinsuits may feature textured fabrics for aerodynamic advantage.
- Pacing: Following vehicles must remain at least 10 m behind the rider to avoid providing a drafting advantage.
5.3 Stage Race Format (Grand Tours)
- General Classification (GC): The overall winner is determined by the lowest cumulative time across all stages. Time bonuses of 10, 6, and 4 seconds are awarded to the top 3 finishers of each road stage.
- Classification jerseys: Yellow (maillot jaune in the Tour de France) for GC leader. Green for points/sprint classification. Polka dot for King of the Mountains classification. White for best young rider (under 25).
- Team classification: Sum of the top 3 riders' times per stage. Lowest cumulative total wins.
- Time cut (elimination): Riders must finish each stage within a percentage of the winner's time (typically 6–18%, adjusted based on average speed and terrain). Riders outside the time cut are eliminated (OTL — outside time limit).
- Feed zones: Designated zones where soigneurs hand musettes to riders. Littering outside designated litter zones incurs fines (CHF 200–500) and can result in time penalties for repeat offenders.
5.4 Track: Sprint Events
- Individual Sprint: Match sprint format, best of 3 rides over 2–3 laps (500–750 m on a 250 m track). Only the final 200 m is timed for seeding. Tactical riding dominates the early laps — riders may near-trackstand (ride extremely slowly) to force the opponent to lead. The rider in the rear position has the tactical advantage of being able to launch a surprise attack.
- Team Sprint: 3 riders (men) or 2 riders (women). Each rider leads for one lap then peels off. The final rider's time crossing the line is the team's time. Fastest team wins.
- Keirin: 6–8 riders follow a motorised pacer (derny) that gradually increases speed from 30 km/h to 50 km/h over approximately 5.5 laps. The derny pulls off with 2.5 laps remaining, and riders sprint for the finish. Tactical positioning behind the derny is critical. Draw determines starting positions.
5.5 Track: Endurance Events
- Team Pursuit: Two teams of 4 riders start on opposite sides of the track. Distance: 4 km (men and women). The team time is recorded when the 3rd rider crosses the finish line (one rider may be dropped). A team wins by recording a faster time or by catching the opposing team. Riders rotate the lead position in a pace line, each taking pulls of approximately half a lap.
- Madison: Teams of 2 riders. One rider races while the partner circles slowly at the top of the track. Riders exchange via a hand-sling (physical push), transferring momentum to the incoming rider. Points are awarded in intermediate sprints every 10 laps. A team gaining a full lap on the field receives 20 bonus points. Named after Madison Square Garden, where the format originated.
- Omnium: A 4-event multi-discipline competition held over a single day. Events in order: scratch race (7.5 km men, 5 km women), tempo race (10 km men, 7.5 km women), elimination race (last rider eliminated every 2 laps), and points race (25 km men, 20 km women). Points accumulate across all 4 events; highest total wins.
5.6 BMX Racing
- Gate start: 8 riders per heat. Riders are held in starting gates on an 8 m (26 ft) starting hill. An electronic random-cadence gate drops to signal the start. False starts result in a warning; two false starts in a single race result in relegation to last position.
- Motos system: Riders compete in 3 rounds of motos (heats). A points-based system determines advancement: 1st place = 1 point, 2nd = 2, etc. The lowest cumulative score advances to quarter-finals, then semi-finals, then the 8-rider final.
- Race duration: A single BMX race lasts approximately 30–45 seconds. First across the finish line in the final wins.
- Contact: Incidental contact is tolerated, but deliberate elbowing, pushing, or blocking results in disqualification from that heat.
5.7 BMX Freestyle Park
- Run format: Each rider performs 2 runs of 60 seconds each. The best single run score counts for the final ranking.
- Judging criteria: Scored from 0 to 100 by a panel of judges, evaluating: trick difficulty, execution and style, height and amplitude, originality and creativity, course usage (variety of features used), and flow/continuity of the run.
- Qualifying and finals: Qualifying round determines the top 9 riders who advance to the final. In the final, riders perform their runs in reverse qualifying order (lowest qualifier rides first).
5.8 Mountain Bike Cross-Country (XCO)
- Lap format: Number of laps is determined by the first lap time, targeting a total race time of 1 hour 20 minutes (men elite). Lap count is announced at the end of the first lap.
- Start: Mass start. Grid positions determined by UCI world ranking. Front row is highly advantageous on narrow courses.
- Feed/technical zones: Designated feed zones on each lap. Mechanical assistance is only permitted in designated technical assistance zones (pit zones). Outside these zones, riders must perform their own repairs or abandon. Riders may not receive a replacement bicycle from team support outside the pit zone.
- 80% rule: Riders lapped by the leader who are more than 80% of the leader's lap time behind are pulled from the race to avoid impeding the leaders.