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What is knockout (xce / 4x / put) in Mountain Biking? | OpenSourceSports

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Mountain Biking
Knockout (XCE / 4X / PUT)

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Knockout (XCE / 4X / PUT)

Mountain Biking (UCI)

🏛️Official — UCI

What is knockout (xce / 4x / put) in Mountain Biking?

Verdict

Heat-format brackets; top finishers advance through quarterfinals/semis/final

Why people argue about this

People often think that Knockout (XCE/4X/PUR) is a knockout-style race where you go straight from heats to final without preliminary rounds, but actually, it follows a structured format with quarterfinals and semifinals leading up to the final. The confusion arises because they mix up its progression with other racing formats like criterium or road races.

Send this to your friend — argument over.

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Read full rulebook More Quick Answers Community What ChangedSource: UCI Cycling Regulations — Part 4: Mountain Bike Races

Rules sourced from UCI Cycling Regulations — Part 4: Mountain Bike Races · Governed by UCI · Last verified: May 2026

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Course Conduct
Knockout (XCE / 4X / PUT)
Mass Start (XCO/XCM/XCE)
Section 2: Equipment
Section 3: Playing Area
Section 4: Players & Officials
Section 5: Rules of Play
Section 6: Scoring
Section 7: Violations & Penalties
Section 8: Safety Considerations
Time-Trial (DHI)

PreviousCourse Conduct NextMass Start (XCO/XCM/XCE)

Suggest a change ← Back to Mountain Biking rulebook

Section 5: Rules of Play

Mass Start (XCO/XCM/XCE)

Riders gridded by UCI ranking; mass start with countdown
Riders complete prescribed laps; first across finish line wins
Lapping: lapped riders pulled when caught (XCO)

Time-Trial (DHI)

Riders descend one at a time, separated by ~30s starts
Single seeded qualifying run; finals = fastest qualifiers in reverse order
Fastest aggregate time wins

Knockout (XCE / 4X / PUT)

Heat-format brackets; top finishers advance through quarterfinals/semis/final

Course Conduct

Riders must complete every section under their own power (running with bike permitted)
Outside assistance restricted to designated tech zones

Rule Change Proposals

Think this rule could be improved?

1. Suggest a specific wording change above
2. The community votes on your proposal
3. Highly-voted proposals go to moderators for review — approved changes flow to the governing org or the data repo

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More Mountain Biking Topics

Course Conduct Mass Start (XCO/XCM/XCE)Section 2: Equipment Section 3: Playing Area Section 4: Players & Officials

Section 5: Rules of Play

Section 6: Scoring

Section 7: Violations & Penalties