Start groups

Start group allocation of four starting groups will be administered for World Cup Middle and Long races.

For Middle race, the fourth Red Start Group will consist of the follow­ing competitors, provided they are members of their Federation’s team (as per Competi­tion Rule 6.6) for this competition:

• the reigning World Champion of the format

• the 9 top-ranked competitors in the IOF World Ranking list as published 10 days be­fore the event. In the case of a tie, all competitors concerned will be included in the Red Start Group.

If the above rules provide less than 10 runners, the Red Start Group will be increased to comprise 10 runners by adding the next-best ranked competitors from the IOF World Ranking list (in the case of a tie, all competitors concerned will be included in the Red Start Group).

The Red Start Group is mandatory for competitors who qualify for it.

For the Long race there will be no “Red Start Group” but instead the 10 entered riders with the highest World Cup ranking will start last in the reverse order of their World Cup ranking.

Start bibs

World Cup participants for Middle and Long distance will receive start bibs numbered according to their start order.

For all other competitors (Masters and Open) it will be same start bib for all races.

The start bib should be attached in front of the bike.