Cycling Ireland Offroad Commission

Mountainbiking, Enduro and Cyclocross in Ireland.

XC racing details

The following is an overview of various aspects of XC racing.

  • Register online for the event.
  • Turn up at the event in good time.
  • Go to the sign-on tent to get your race number (you will need a licence to race)
  • Go for a practice lap.
  • Get to the start line 10 mins before your race starts.

Events

There are many XC racing events during the year, these can include:
NPS XC series
National XC Champs
Marathon Champs
Club/inter-club leagues/races

Other events can also be scheduled, check here for the latest race schedule information.
Below is an explanation of the format of the various racing events.

NPS XC (National Points Series Cross-Country)

This series of events is run over a time period from (approx) April to July each year.
Each rider in points-categories competes to attain points over the series.

The points scheme for the XC NPS and regional leagues is as follows:

Position: 1 Points: 30
Position: 2 Points: 25
Position: 3 Points: 21
Position: 4 Points: 18
Position: 5 Points: 16
Position: 6 Points: 14
Position: 7 Points: 12
Position: 8 Points: 11
Position: 9 Points: 10
Position: 10 Points: 9
Position: 11 Points: 8
Position: 12 Points: 7
Position: 13 Points: 6
Position: 14 Points: 5
Position: 15 Points: 4
Position: 16 Points: 3
Position: 17 Points: 2
Position: 18 Points: 1
Position: 19 Points: 1
Position: 20 Points: 1

The NPS consists of approx between 5 to 8 race events at various locations in Ireland.
Click here for information on the various race categories.
The race courses usually include a mix of fireroad and singletrack and possibly open mountain sections.

National XC Championships
This single event is usually run in July each year. The categories are based on age groups (Juniors, Seniors, Masters).

Marathon XC Champs
It consists of a single lap of a course which can be from 50km to 80km long.
This is a very physically strenuous event and is ideally suited to riders with intermediate/advanced experience.

Club/inter-club leagues/races
Various clubs hold league races in which their members compete for positions.
There are also inter-club races where members from different clubs can race each other in the same race series/league.
These races are excellent training and experience for such races as the NPS series.