Cruise the Blues Rules and Regulations - 2026

Please, pets must be leashed and attended at all times while visiting the farm.

RACE CLASSES BASED ON AGE
All age classifications are based on the age of each racer as of July 18th, 2026. The minimum age for racing is 5 years old. All team members must be registered together in the MTB Teams category. The teams will be categorized by the sum of the total age of individuals that make up that team.  By definition, coed teams must have a minimum of one female and one male member.
(Example: Rider 1 = 22 years old, Rider 2 = 36 years old is a total age of 58. This team would compete in the 31-60 years category.)

BIKE BIB AND TRANSPONDER STRIPS
All riders must install their race plate on their bike in a flat manner so it is not wrapped around the head tube. Laps and times will not be recorded without a bike bib and RFID strip attached to your bike.

STARTING PROCEDURES
The race will start in the middle of the farmstead under the big flag PROMPTLY at 9 am. It is a group mounted rolling start. All participants must start the race with their bike bib/RFID strip strap on their bike. Please acknowledge your speed ability and be courteous in allowing faster riders to start at the front, while slower riders stay to the back of the group. Only one member of the Team categories should line up for the start. Remember, this is a family-friendly event. Go out of your way to be kind and courteous to riders of varying ability and experience. 

GENERAL RULES
1. Team Captains: Each team will designate a team captain. Team captains will represent the team in all official correspondence and communications before, during, and after the event. Only team captains may file protests.
2. Pre-race Meeting: The team captain must attend the pre-race meeting, however, everyone is welcome.
3. Team Pit Area: Teams must designate a location, and only one location, as their pit area. Typically, this is at your campsite. Racers may change or repair any equipment in their pit area. Pit areas are not allowed on the course or in the start/finish area. However, emergency repairs may be performed in the start/finish area, and you may even swap out entire bikes. (See rule #7). Racers may accept support from anyone in the start/finish area or the team's pit area. Also, teams may bring as many support people as they like, but their support is limited to the start/finish area and the team's pit area, not on the course.
4. Support On The Course: Support on the course may only be supplied by other registered racers. Supporting racers must access the course by their own power (foot travel or on bike), and that access can only be achieved by following the course in the racing direction. Shortcutting the course is not allowed (See rule #11). Supporting racers should stay clear of all competing racers. Supporting racers may take any equipment or tools with them, and they may even swap bikes (see rule #7) with their teammates. Cannibalizing bicycle parts is legal. Support can be provided by any registered racer on any team to any registered racer on any team. If a rider has a major mechanical failure on the course, they can leave the course and return to the pit area under their own power to repair their bikes. Once they have made the appropriate repairs, they must return, under their own power, to the exact area they left the course and finish the lap was not completed.
5. Water and Food: Water and food may be supplied to any racer by anyone anywhere on the course. However, racers must stay clear of the course when taking the food or water. Please do not throw empty wrappers on the ground. Remember - Leave no trace.
6. Permitted Course Riders: Only officially registered racers, credentialed media, emergency personnel and event staff may ride or be present on the designated courses during the event.
7. Team Number Display: Racers must display their race number bib on the front of their bikes whenever on course. In the case of a bike swap, racers must swap the race number bib to the new bike before continuing the race. Race officials may request to see this at any time.
8. Right Of Way: Racers riding bicycles have the right of way over racers pushing bicycles. When practical, racers pushing or carrying their bikes should stay on the least rideable portion of the trail when being passed. Racers pushing or carrying their bikes may overtake a racer riding his bike provided that they do not interfere with the riding racer.
9. Lapped Racers: Lapped racers should yield to leaders. Leaders should be very vocal when preparing to pass any racer. "Passing on your left!" and "Passing on your right!" should be called out loudly and clearly. It is the responsibility of the challenging racer to overtake safely. Racers being lapped must yield on the first command. Please be courteous and patient when sharing the trail with riders of varying ability. 
10. Vying For Position: When two racers are vying for position, the leading racer does not have to yield position to the challenging racer. However, a racer may not bodily interfere with intent to impede another racer's progress, as this is considered to be highly unsportsmanlike behavior (see rule #13).
11. Shortcutting: Shortcutting the course by any registered racer shall result in a disqualification of that racer and that racer's team.
12. Law Abiding: Federal, State, and County laws and ordinances will be abided by at all times.
13. Sportsmanship: Disrespectful riding, use of profane or abusive language, and other unsportsmanlike behavior will not be tolerated. Such behavior by any racer shall subject that racer or his/her team to a warning or immediate disqualification. This will be strictly applied when such behavior is directed at course officials, volunteers, or spectators. The penalty imposed is at the discretion of the race director or co-director, should the race director be unavailable. Again, please remember that your behavior should reflect that this is a family-friendly event intended to provide a fun experience for riders of all abilities.
14. Protests: Protests can only be made by solo riders and team captains. Protests will be made in writing and delivered to the race director or co-director any time during the race or after the end of the race, up to 30 minutes after the posting of the final results. Protests should contain any information that supports the protest, including description of incidents, witnesses, names, addresses, phone numbers, and the signature of the protesting solo rider or team captain. A $50 fee shall be submitted, in cash, with the protest. The race director, after his own discovery, will promptly rule on the protest. The fee will be forfeited to the race director if the protest is denied or refunded if the protest is upheld.
15. Final Rulings: The race director has the final say in any ruling, including rulings made by the co-director.
16. Start/Finish Line – Time Logging: After the start, riders must pass across the Start/Finish Line at the end of each completed lap for the scoring system to properly record their lap time. It is the responsibility of the RIDER to perform this task and ensure that their lap was properly recorded. Riders are not required to dismount at the completion of each lap but are required to use CAUTION in the scoring area as they pass through.  This is a very busy area with teams exchanging riders at this location.  After a rider has completed a lap, they may stop at their designated pit area to complete whatever tasks they need for equipment repair/tuning, hydration/food, etc.  When they are ready for another lap, they simply proceed through the pit area to begin the next lap.  The time they spend in their pit area is part of the time recorded for the next lap once they proceed and finish it.  They should NOT pass again through the Start/Finish Line area before proceeding, as this act would mistakenly record the completion of yet another lap.  Again - each rider is responsible for their completed lap and time being recorded before proceeding to their pit area and then starting their next lap. (See also rule #19.)
17. Consecutive Laps: Team members are not required to alternate laps and may ride consecutive laps. However, each team member is required to complete a minimum of 30% of the total laps. Example: If a team completes a total of 7 laps, each member is required to complete at least 3 laps.
18. Loss Of Bike Bib/RFID Strip: Loss of the bike bib/RFID strip will result in a 5 minute time penalty that will be applied to the racer or their team's finish time on the last lap and will accrue to the racer finishing that final lap. The logging official will issue a new bike bib/RFID strip.
19. Verifying The Log Sheet: It is a team's responsibility to verify that each racer is logged in and logged out correctly. Please be courteous and patient while verifying information with your registrar. Registrars and race officials may request to see your bike bib/RFID strip on your handlebar at any time. Helpful hint: Before a racer "on deck" begins a lap, they should repeat their team number and name to confirm that the registrar is logging them correctly.
20. Canceling A Lap: Once on course, a racer must complete his or her lap. However, a team has the option of canceling a racer's lap and restarting it from the Log Trailer with a substitute racer. This is a difficult and costly decision, but if the first racer is unable to complete the lap for any reason, it may be to the team's advantage to cancel that racer's lap. Any team member can cancel a racer's lap by notifying the team's registrar at the Start/Finish Line and initialing the log sheet next to the canceled lap. If a team cancels a racer's lap and is restarting with a new racer, a new bike bib/RFID strip will be issued without penalty. The new racer inherits the log in time of the canceled racer's lap. Once a cancellation has been made, it cannot be rescinded. The canceled lap does not count as a completed lap.
21. Substituting A Team Racer: To substitute a team racer, the new racer must fill out an accident waiver, complete with team name and original signature, and deliver it to the race director no later than the end of the registration. No racer substitutions will be accepted after registration closes.
22. Finishing Prior To 12:00PM: At any time during the race, a participant may choose to turn in their bike bib/RFID strip, state that they are finished racing, and sign the log sheet. Their final lap and finish time will be recorded for ranking. If the racer does not execute this option, it will be assumed that they are proceeding with a new lap and they must complete that lap to receive a final lap number and time. If you start a lap and do not finish that lap, you need to return to the Start/Finish Line and request that timing officials cancel the final lap that was not completed.
23. The Finish: The race will start at 9:00am and end at 12:00pm. Racers must log off the course from 12:00pm. Each team's final placing will be determined by the number of laps the team has completed and the sequential order of finish within the team's last lap. For example, a team that has completed 9 laps with a finish time of 12:31pm. would beat a team that completed 9 laps with a finish time of 12:45pm. And, of course, a team that completed 10 laps with a finish time of 1:00pm would beat them both. RIDERS WILL NOT BE ALLOWED TO START A NEW LAP AFTER 12:00PM.
24. Catastrophic Failure: In the case of catastrophic failure due to weather or other extenuating circumstances that prevent the ongoing scoring of the event or creates a racing environment that is deemed too dangerous for the participants, the race director may call the race as of a certain time. Final results will be calculated based on each team's placement at the call time as determined by that team's last completed lap. This rule is intended to be exercised as a last resort, in unsafe situations, when no other means is available to continue scoring the event or when the potential for serious harm or loss of life becomes imminent.
25. EMS Ghost Rider: In the event that a racer stops to assist in the care of a seriously injured fellow racer that requires an EMS response, ghost rider procedures will be implemented. The EMS personnel will radio the name and number of the assisting racer to the Log Tent. Race staff will then inform the team of the assisting racer to prepare the next racer on their team. That racer will be allowed to start his or her lap based on the assisting racer’s “ghost rider” lap time which is based on the fastest lap of either the assisting racer’s average time or the team’s average time.