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Rules & Regulations

The Halfords Tour Series

Learn more about The Halfords Tour Series

The Tour Series will be held under the rules & regulations of British Cycling and those specific regulations of The Tour Series as detailed in full within this document. Riders and teams must be familiar with, and abide by these regulations. By having entered The Tour Series, all personnel are considered to have accepted the regulations in full and to bear sole responsibility for any injury, accident or loss that may occur.

Objectives of The Tour Series

The key objectives of The Tour Series are to:

Provide a ten round Series of televised town and city centre circuit races for the benefit of the general public, media and competitors (both as teams and riders).
Provide a televised and free-to-attend showcase for the sport of cycling in Great Britain.
Raise the standard of competition amongst the top level of professional teams and racing cyclists in Great Britain.
Form an integral part of a cycling festival at each venue, that will take the shape of youth races and events (for example Go Ride and Bikeability), demonstrations and entertainment that will promote cycling as a mode of transport, a healthy lifestyle and a sport.

The Tour Series Event Regulations

Article 1. The Tour Series

1.1 The Tour Series will be open, by invitation only, to a maximum of ten elite category male teams holding current British Cycling and / or UCI racing licences.

1.2 A team must comprise of a minimum of five riders, who are registered at the Elite, First, or Second category senior level or Juniors as per National A events, or are foreign nationals holding UCI recognised overseas competition licences at the commencement of the 2009 season. Individual rider entries will not be accepted.

The Series will comprise ten rounds in 2009 and the emphasis will be based entirely on the team’s performance. Teams may change their riders for any one of the ten rounds, provided that they are registered & licensed members of that team at date of entry.

Upon registering for The Tour Series, teams will be required to nominate / register a minimum of five and a maximum of ten riders who can be used during The Tour Series.

All riders will be assigned a ‘squad number’ by the race organisation that will also form their race number for The Tour Series. These numbers will be assigned by The Series organisation prior to the first event on the calendar. Teams will be assigned numbers 1 – 10, 11 – 20, 21 – 30 and so on.

1.6 The Tour Series organisation reserves the right to contract guest riders and / or teams for individual rounds and / or the entire Series.

1.7 Upon entry to qualify for the overall total prize fund each and every team must field five riders at each round throughout the Series, unless receiving an exemption from The Tour Series organisation (See 4.3).

Article 2. The Tour Series Calendar

2.1 The Tour Series will comprise of ten rounds held at various locations on Tuesday and Thursday evenings across the UK during May and June 2009.

Article 3. Series Entry

3.1 Invited teams must pay an entry fee for the whole Series. The entry fee will be set at £100 per team per round (equalling £1000 for The Series). This is to be paid in full, no later than 30 days before the first event of The Tour Series.

3.2 All entry fees are non-refundable.

3.3 Teams invited must agree to participate in every round of The Tour Series.

Article 4. Race Format

Based on 1-1.5km Town and City Centre circuits, each round of The Tour Series will comprise of approximately one hour of racing plus five laps.

4.2 A lapboard will be shown at each round after five laps of racing.

4.3 Should changes to the regulations be deemed necessary for specific rounds then these may be implemented by the organisation at any time. Any such changes will be notified to the invited teams at least 24 hours prior to the next round in The Series.

4.4 Teams must enter five riders in each round of The Tour Series, unless provided with an exemption from The Series organisation because of extenuating circumstances (for example injury, illness etc).

4.5 The Tour Series is based on accumulated team points. To gain points in any one of the ten rounds, a team must finish the race with at least three riders.

4.6 The first three riders of any team across the line at the end of the race will determine the finishing position of that team for that particular round. This will be calculated on the lowest cumulative finishing position. E.g. 1st = 1, 2nd = 2, 3rd = 3 and so on. Thus if a team’s first three riders finish 2nd, 5th and 9th they have a score of 16, while a team finishing 3rd, 4th and 11th would have a score of 18. Should any two or more teams record the same score, a result will be declared on the basis of the higher placed first rider in each team.

The Tour Series organisation reserves the right to insert extra cash / prize primes at any of the rounds, in addition to the Sprints Classification (see Article 6). Any additional primes will be communicated to the riders and teams at the pre-event briefing (see Article 10).

The Tour Series organisation reserves the right to neutralise the race at any time without recourse. A red and white chequered flag will signify the neutralisation of the race while a red and white chequered flag with a black border will signify the end of the neutralised period and the recommencement of racing.

Following a neutralised period, the race will be restarted from the Start / Finish line, minus the number of laps completed prior to the neutralisation.

4.10 In the event of a neutralisation that causes the cancellation of the round, the organisers reserve the right not to award points or prize money for that round of The Tour Series.

Article 5. Overall Classification

5.1 The team that accumulates the most points overall across the ten rounds will win the overall Tour Series.

5.2        Points will be awarded to teams on the following basis per round:
   1st Team           12pts                            2nd Team          10pts
                                                    3rd Team           8pts                              4th Team           7pts
                                                    5th Team           6pts                              6th Team           5pts
                                                    7th Team           4pts                              8th Team           3pts
                                                    9th Team           2pts                              10th Team         1pt

5.3 At the end of the final round in The Tour Series, in the event of two or more teams being tied on points, the organisation (in conjunction with the commissaires panel) will use the following criteria to establish an overall classification.

Number of Team 1st Places in The Tour Series
Number of Team 2nd Places in The Tour Series
Number of Team 3rd Places in The Tour Series and so on down to 10th Place

5.4 In the event of there still being a tie, teams will be split according to their team finishing position at the final round of The Tour Series.

The overall team’s leader board will be posted at each round with the total accumulated points clearly displayed. The leader board will also be displayed on www.tourseries.co.uk and made available to the media.

5.6 In the event of two or more teams being level on points in the overall standings, it will be the team with the highest team finishing position at the previous round who take precedent on the leaderboard.

Article 6. Sprints Classification

6.1 There will be a Sprints Competition at each event for individual riders, comprising of three Sprints, held approximately every 15 minutes.

6.2 One lap to Go for the Sprint will be indicated by a klaxon, while the completion of the Sprint lap will be indicated by a white flag being displayed at the Start / Finish line.

6.3 The first five riders across the line at the Sprint will receive points on a 5 – 4 – 3 – 2 –1 basis.

6.4 The rider with the most points at each round will be the winner of those evenings’ Sprints Competition. In the event of a two or more riders being level on points, The Tour Series organisation (in conjunction with the commissaires panel) will use the following criteria to establish a result:

Number of 1st Places in that races’ Sprints
Number of 2nd Places in that races’ Sprints and on down to 5th Places

6.5 The rider that accumulates the most points overall across the ten rounds will win the Sprints Competition. In the event of two or more riders being level on points, The Tour Series organisation (in conjunction with the commissaires panel) will use the following criteria to establish a result:

Number of round wins in the Sprints Competition
Number of 1st Places in Sprints across the entire Tour Series
Number of 2nd Places in Sprints across the entire Tour Series and so on down to 5th Places

6.6 Riders lapped at the sound of the klaxon may not participate in the Sprint.

Article 7. Changing Facilities

7.1 Changing facilities will be provided by the race organisation, with the location communicated in the Event Manual.

7.2 It will be the team’s responsibility to leave the changing facilities as they found them.

7.3 Changing facilities will be open from 16.30 on the day of the round, unless otherwise stated in the Event Manual.

7.4 Teams will not be allowed to change in any other location; this must be strictly adhered to, as vital rider briefings will be carried out from this location (see Article 10).

7.5 Riders are not to change in public areas where spectators may be located.

Article 8. Team Parking

8.1 Parking for teams will be provided by the event organisation in the vicinity of the changing facilities and notified in the Event Manual. There will be no parking at the circuit, other than for one car per team in the Pit Area as per 18.2. All other team vehicles must remain at the parking provided at the changing facilities.

Article 9. Race Numbers and Photo Finish

9.1 The Tour Series will provide body and frame numbers.

9.2 All riders must wear body numbers (two, to be fixed left and right on the lower back) and attach frame numbers to their bikes. Failure to adhere to this regulation may result in non-placing of a rider.

9.3 Race numbers must not be defaced/folded in any way shape or form. Failure to adhere to this regulation may result in non-placing of a rider.

9.4 Race Numbers will be available at the changing rooms prior to the round and should be affixed prior to signing on.

9.5 Video Photo finish equipment will be utilised and in place throughout the entire series.

Article 10. Compulsory Rider / Team Briefing

10.1 A rider / team briefing will be held by the Tour Series organisation at the changing facilities (unless otherwise stated), conducted by the Race Director, prior to each round of The Series. The time of these briefings will be at 17:30hrs at each location (unless otherwise stated) and notified in the Event Manual. This briefing will be compulsory and has to be attended by all team riders and managers.

10.2 Riders will be required to produce racing licences and sign on during the briefing at each round. A ceremonial sign on will be held at the podium (see Article 13), at which all riders must present themselves.

Failure to attend may result in removal from that event and/or subsequent rounds of The Tour Series. At this briefing the Race Director and / or commissaires will provide essential information regarding the circuit the starting order and the event. This information must be adhered to.

Article 11. Race Radios

11.1 Race radios will not be permitted at any round of The Tour Series. Checks will be carried out by commissaires and / or judges to ensure this regulation is complied with at all times during The Tour Series.

Article 12. Pre-event Warm Up

12.1 Teams will be allowed access to the race circuit for warming up approximately 45mins prior to the race start. Exact warming up times will be notified at the riders briefing.

12.2 Only those riders entered for that evening’s round will be allowed on the circuit.

12.3 Appropriate team clothing plus helmets must be worn at all times.

Article 13. Signing On

13.1 A ceremonial signing on will take place at the podium adjacent to the Start / Finish line. This will close 15 minutes before race start. Teams failing to present themselves at ‘signing on’ within the time period will be subject to penalties.

Article 14. Starting Grid

The grid formation will be laid out with five rows of ten riders, as illustrated below.

The grid order at each round will be decided on the basis of the overall standings, with the leading team taking position one, and so on down to the tenth ranked team. In the event of two or more teams being level on points in the overall standings, it will be the team with the highest team finishing position at the previous round who take precedent.

14.3 For the opening round of The Tour Series, the grid positions will be decided by a draw, conducted by the race organisation prior to the first round.

14.4 Teams will line up one behind the other, so the team in position one on the grid will have riders in position one on each of the five rows. The team in position two on the grid will have riders in position two on each of the five rows and so forth.

14.5 Team managers must notify the race organisation at the pre-round briefing which of their riders will take up their front row position for the race. Managers are requested to take into consideration riders local to the venue, recent winners etc, when making their decision on which rider will ‘lead’ his team to the grid. The remaining four riders of the team may be placed in any order desired.

14.6 Each team will be led to the grid by a mascot, as detailed below in Article 15.

After warming up prior to the start, riders will return to the Pit Area before being directed to proceed to the Start / Finish straight, where they should line up at the ‘50m to go’ board. Each team will then be called forward to the Start line in reverse order (ten down to one) and introduced to the crowd via the Public Address system.

14.8 Any guest riders will be positioned on the grid at the discretion of the organisers.

Article 15. Team Mascots

15.1 The local town or city will provide a mascot for each team represented in The Tour Series.

15.2 Each team will be asked to provide a suitable small Jersey/top for the mascot at each event. Teams must supply ten suitable tops to The Series organisation prior to the first round of The Tour Series. These are non-returnable.

15.3 Each mascot will carry a team flag (provided by The Series organisation) and lead the team to their position on the starting grid. The mascots will line up on the front of the starting grid and be asked to leave the circuit approximately five minutes before race start.

15.4 Teams must provide The Series organisation with a high-resolution, print quality image (in EPS or JPEG format) of their team logo when registering for The Tour Series, a minimum of 30 days prior to the first round.

Article 16. Safety Moto / Medibike

There will be a Safety Moto / Medibike at all rounds of The Tour Series.

The Safety Moto will complete one lap of the circuit prior to the Warm Up, before the course is opened to riders. The Moto will also complete a lap of the circuit following the Warm Up to close the circuit before crossing points are re-opened. During this period riders will be held in the Pit Area, before being directed to proceed to the Start / Finish straight by a member of the event organisation.

Following the finish of the race, the Safety Moto will complete one lap of the circuit to check its condition before crossing points are re-opened.

16.5 In case of an incident requiring the neutralisation of the race, the Safety Moto will be used to neutralise the round along with a red and white chequered flag and PA announcements. Riders will then form up behind the Safety Moto on the Start / Finish line (or at another point on the circuit deemed suitable by the organisation and / or commissaires) until the race can resume. At no point will any rider pass the Safety Moto, unless directed to by the race organisation.

Article 17. Lapped Riders

17.1 In the event of individuals or small groups of riders being lapped by the leading group, these lapped riders will continue until three laps to go, where they will be withdrawn and placed, after sprinting for position on the line.

17.2 If commissaires and / or judges deem riders are deliberately flouting this regulation, then they will be withdrawn from the race. Riders and / or teams considered to be continually in breach of this regulation will be withdrawn from The Series.

If more than one rider laps the field, the race will continue until three laps to go, when the bunch will sprint for the remaining available places, leaving the leaders to continue to contest the top positions.

17.4 All riders when retiring from the race, whether individually or as a part of a group, must retire via the Pit Area.

Article 18. Pit Area

18.1 Each team will be responsible for their own servicing in the Pit Area. There will be sufficient area for one car per team at each round.

18.2 Teams will be invited to place one, suitably equipped, team car in the pit location, together with a maximum of three accredited personnel.

18.3 Team cars will be required to take their relevant place approximately one hour before start of the round, immediately after the Rider / Team Briefing. Failure to do so will result in the team car not being allowed entry to the pits.

All team cars in the Pit Area must prominently display their vehicle accreditation at all times.

18.5 There will be no feeding or handing up of bottles from the Pit Area or any other part of the circuit during the race.

Article 19. Laps Out

19.1 Laps out will be governed by commissaires in the Pit Area.

19.2 Riders will be allowed a maximum of two laps out for mechanical difficulties or due to accident or injury, unless the race has reached the last five laps.

19.3 There will be no laps out permitted in the final five laps of the race.

19.4 Riders rejoining from a lap(s) out must rejoin at the back of the group they were in when the incident occurred, unless otherwise directed by a commissaire in the Pit Area.

Article 20. Podium Protocol / Awards Ceremony

20.1 The post-race podium ceremony will take place immediately after the finish of the race at the podium, located adjacent to the Start / Finish line.

20.2 The following persons will be required at the podium ceremony:

The individual winner of the round
All five riders from the winning team of the round
All five riders from the team leading the overall Team’s Classification following the round
The winning rider in the rounds’ Sprint Competition

Article 21. Leader’s Jerseys

All members of the team leading the overall classification shall wear the leader’s jersey provided by The Series organisation at the subsequent round. Failure to do so will result in the removal of the riders and / or team from the event.

All five members of the leading team in the overall team’s classification will be presented with a presentation jersey during the post-race podium ceremony. This jersey will be solely for the ceremony and should be returned once podium procedures have finished. Teams will receive their five, race leader’s jerseys at the briefing prior to the next round of The Tour Series.

21.3 Teams are free to place their own logos and / or branding on the front of the leader’s jersey.

Article 22. Post-Race Function

Should there be a post-race function at any of the rounds, this will be communicated to the teams in advance. All teams and / or riders will be free to attend these (where refreshments will be available), while the following from the round must automatically be expected to attend:

The winning individual rider
The winning team
The leading team overall following the round
The winning rider in the Sprints competition

Article 23. Discipline

23.1 Depending on the nature of the offence, The Tour Series organisers and /or commissaires may at their discretion impose a range of penalties upon riders, managers, helpers or officials.

23.2 Such penalties may range from a reprimand/warning, relegation, points penalty, disqualification or a fine.

23.3 Riders infringing the regulations will jeopardise the further participation of their team for the remainder of the series.

23.4 Riders and teams are to demonstrate safe and clean racing at all times.

23.5 The organisation reserves the right to dismiss persons from the race for the following reasons:

Improper behaviour
Acts of violence
Serious breaches of regulations
Swearing / urinating in public

Article 24. Appeals

24.1 There will be no appeals allowed after the organisation and/or commissaries have made their decisions.

Article 25. Prize Fund

25.1 The total prize fund for The Tour Series 2009 will be in excess of £50,000

25.2 The Prize Fund for The Tour Series will be split as follows:

Overall Team Classification

Position	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	5th	6th to 10th
Prize	£6,000	£4,000	£3,000	£2,000	£1,500	£1,000 per team

Teams Per Round

Position	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	5th	6th to 10th
Prize	£1,000	£700	£400	£300	£200	£100 per team

Sprints Per Round

Position	1st	2nd	3rd
Prize	£250	£150	£100

25.3 There will be an overall non-cash prize for the winning rider in the Overall Sprints Classification.

25.4 Each individual round winner will receive £200.

25.5 All prizes will be paid within 30 days following the final event in The Tour Series.

Article 26. Press Conference

26.1 The Tour Series organisers reserve the right to hold a post-race Press Conference following each event, held immediately after the podium ceremony. Teams will be informed at the pre-race briefing if there is to be a press conference that evening.

26.2 In the event of a press conference, the individual race winner (the first rider across the line) plus a minimum of two riders from the evenings winning team are required to attend the conference.

26.3 The Tour Series may also select individual riders who must attend the conference. These riders will be informed before the race at the briefing.

Article 27. Accreditation

All teams entered will receive one vehicular accreditation pass to allow a team car into the Pit Area.

27.2 Teams will receive a maximum of three accreditations to allow support personnel to access the Pit Area.

Article 28. Anti-Doping Control

British Cycling anti-doping regulations are applicable at every event in The Tour Series.

28.2 The Tour Series reserves the right at any point in The Series to refuse entry to riders and / or teams that are either currently under, or pending, suspension under British Cycling and / or UCI rules, and whose participation may be detrimental to the image and reputation of The Tour Series.

The Tour Series is organised by SweetSpot Group Ltd in association with Cyclevox Ltd.

Please direct all enquiries to either:

SweetSpot
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