Deadline extended for expression of interest in competing at World CX Championships

Deadline for riders to register their interest in competing in the 2019 World Cyclocross Championships, Denmark has been extended to Tuesday 15 January 2019 @ 9 pm.

The purpose of this of this document is to set out the selection process for Irish riders to compete in the 2019 UCI Cyclocross World Championships in Bogense, Denmark (2-3 Feb 2019).  The selection is open to riders in the following categories: Junior men, Junior women, Under 23 men, Under 23 women, Elite men and Elite women.

Selection takes into account a rider’s domestic and international performances throughout the season and their commitment to cyclocross. Athletes must also adhere to Cycling Ireland’s anti-doping policies.

All selections are made by the Cycling Ireland Off Road Commission. The team will be selected on a discretionary basis by the selection panel. The selection panel will consider riders to be competitive at this level and who would also benefit from experiencing competition at this level. The panel may select fewer riders than the maximum number permitted under UCI rules should they not meet the desired selection criteria.

The selection panel will exercise its discretion fairly and without bias in making its final decision. If a selected rider is unable to compete for any reason, substitute selections will be at the discretion of the selection panel. There is no automatic selection, nor will any performance in one event or competition be a defining factor in selecting one rider over another.

THE NUMBER OF RIDERS SELECTED TO COMPETE WILL BE FINALISED AFTER THE NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS. THIS IS DICTATED BY AVAILABLE BUDGETS AT THAT TIME AND MAY MEAN THAT RIDERS MEETING ALL OR SOME CRITERIA MAY NOT BE SELECTED.

A rider contribution of up to €200 will be required to make up for any potential short fall in the budget depending on the final number of riders to qualify. We don’t want a shortfall in budget to dictate whether or not qualified riders can attend if possible.

Riders wishing to be considered for selection to the World Cyclo-cross Championships must submit their cycling CV by close of play  Tuesday 15 January 2019 @ 9 pm.  An example CV is available here.  CVs should be sent in PDF format to cyclocross@offroadcyclingireland.ie.

 Criteria

• Riders must hold a current racing licence issued by Cycling Ireland or another federation affiliated with the UCI with the nationality marked as “IRL‟.
• Riders must have the flexibility to travel to the event perhaps up to 5 days in advance.
• In order to be considered for selection riders must have raced cyclocross outside of the island of Ireland between 1 September 2018 and 6 January 2019.
• All riders who compete at one or more UCI C1 or C2 events and/or Cyclocross Worlds Cup between September 1^st 2018 and January 31^st 2019 will be automatically considered for selection for the 2019 Cyclocross World Championships.

When making its selection, the panel will consider the following factors in any order.

Junior Men

• Top three placing in 2019 Junior Men’s Irish Cyclocross Championships.
• Any athlete finishing on the same lap of the winner in a World Cup CX or C1 event in season 2018/2019.
• Hold 30 or more UCI Points after the 2019 National CX Championships.
• National and international race performances in the period 1 September 2018 to 9 January 2019 which demonstrate evidence of a rider’s progression and development. The selection panel will take into account the age and experience of riders as well as the quality of fields in competition and the percentage of time behind the winner.
• Achieve top 5 placing in one or more Junior National Trophy Cyclocross UK races or similar UCI C2 event between September 2018 and January 2019.
• Participation at Irish National Squad training and coaching events during 2018/2019.

U23 Men

• Top three placing (U23) in 2019 Elite Men’s Irish Cyclocross Championships.
• Any athlete finishing on the same lap of the winner in a World Cup CX or C1 event in season 2018/2019.
• Hold 30 or more UCI Points after the 2019 National CX Championships.
• National and international race performances in the period 1 September 2018 to 9 January 2019 which demonstrate evidence of a rider’s progression and development. The selection panel will take into account the age and experience of riders as well as the quality of fields in competition and the percentage of time behind the winner.
• Achieve top 3 placing (U23) in one or more National Trophy Cyclocross UK races or similar UCI C2 event between September 2018 and January 2019.

Junior Women (race within U23 category)

• Hold 20 or more UCI Points after the 2019 National CX Championships.
• National and international race performances in the period 1 September 2018 to 9 January 2019 which demonstrate evidence of a rider’s progression and development. The selection panel will take into account the age and experience of riders as well as the quality of fields in competition and the percentage of time behind the winner.
• Achieve top 5 (junior) placing in one or more Women’s National Trophy Cyclocross UK races or similar C2 event between September 2018 and January 2019.

U23 Women

• Top 5 placing in 2019 Women’s Elite Irish Cyclocross Championships.
• Any athlete finishing on the same lap of the winner in a World Cup CX or C1 event in season 2018/2019.
• Hold 30 or more UCI Points after the 2019 National CX Championships.
• National and international race performances in the period 1 September 2018 to 9 January 2019 which demonstrate evidence of a rider’s progression and development. The selection panel will take into account the age and experience of riders as well as the quality of fields in competition and the percentage of time behind the winner.
• Achieve top 3 (U23) placing in one or more Women’s National Trophy Cyclocross UK races or similar C2 event between September 2018 and January 2019.

Elite Women

• Top three placing in 2019 Irish Elite Women’s Cyclocross Championships.
• Hold 60 or more UCI Points after the 2019 National CX Championships.
• Any athlete finishing on the same lap of the winner in a World Cup CX or C1 event in season 2018/2019.
• National and international race performances in the period 1 September 2018 to 9 January 2019 which demonstrate evidence of a rider’s progression and development. The selection panel will take into account the age and experience of riders as well as the quality of fields in competition and the percentage of time behind the winner.
• Achieve top 10 placing in one or more National Trophy Cyclocross UK races or similar UCI C2 ranked event between September 2018 and January 2019.

Elite Men

• Any athlete finishing on the same lap of the winner in a World Cup CX or C1 event in season 2018/2019.
• Top three placing in 2019 Elite Men’s Irish Cyclocross Championships.
• Hold 60 or more UCI Points after the 2019 National CX Championships.
• National and international race performances in the period 1 September 2018 to 9 January 2019 which demonstrate evidence of a rider’s progression and development. The selection panel will take into account the age and experience of riders as well as the quality of fields in competition and the percentage of time behind the winner.
• Achieve top 10 placing in one or more National Trophy Cyclocross UK races or similar UCI C2 ranked event between September 2018 and January 2019.

Extenuating Circumstances:

In evaluating the performances of athletes under these criteria, the Off Road Commission may consider “extenuating circumstances”, meaning a riders’ inability to attend or perform at an optimum level arising from injury or illness, travel delays, equipment failure, bereavement or personal misfortune, and/or any other factors reasonably considered by the Off Road Commission to constitute extenuating circumstances.

In the case of injury or illness, athletes will be required to provide documentation and may be asked to undergo an examination by a doctor nominated by the Off Road Commission. A decision in each case of extenuating circumstances will be made by the Off Road Commission on an individual basis.

It is the responsibility of each athlete who has indicated their wish to be considered for selection to ensure that their full contact details have been provided to the Cycling Ireland Off Road Commission to be able to communicate important information to the athlete to ensure compliance with the obligations of providing whereabouts information in accord with Anti-Doping Policy and the World Anti-Doping Code.