2024 BAR/BAT Competition Rules

Purpose

To encourage teamwork and competitiveness by recognizing both the leaders of the BAR (Best All-Around Rider) competition, the BAT (Best All-Around Team) competition in each designated category, and the Overall BAT competition by combining all results from eligible events. 

Best All-Around Rider (BAR) / Best All-Around Team (BAT) Format 

Best All-Around Rider & All-Around Team Category Competitions

There are two separate category competitions, BAR, for individual placings and BAT for team placings. Note: Teams must be registered both with USAC and NCNCA to be eligible for BAT. Eligible points are combined by category competition field and combined at a rider level for BAR and at a team level for BAT. Only fields below are eligible for category competition. Combined fields may be eligible according to the rules in the section later in this document.

BAR and BAT Category Competition Fields

Best All-Around Team Competition

All individual rider points are counted for that rider’s registered team for the Overall BAT Competition. This competition runs from January 1 to October 1. 

Overall BAT Competition

Eligibility and Rules

Riders

Racers are eligible for points on the date the USAC office processes their membership application. Results in events prior to a rider's USA Cycling license being processed and appearing in the USAC database will not be eligible for points. Be aware that if you renew your license or purchase a new license at race registration, it may take up to 8 weeks for your application to be processed by the USAC office. USA Cycling licenses purchased online are usually processed and appear in the USAC database in 2 to 3 days.

Novice / Category 5 races are INELIGIBLE to earn BAR/BAT points.

Clubs/Teams

The cut-off date for BAT competition eligibility is the last day of February. Only Clubs that are both USAC Clubs and NCNCA Member Clubs on or before the cut-off date are eligible to earn BAT by category and Overall BAT points starting on January 1st. Clubs that become eligible to earn team points after the cut-off date will only earn points after their eligibility date (no retroactive points will be awarded).

If a rider changes Clubs, the points they have earned stay with the Club under which they were earned. Points are not transferable from one Club to another. It is the rider’s responsibility to have the correct Club/Team affiliation in their USAC account, no exceptions. Riders can manage their Club/Team affiliations in their USAC "My Account" page. 

Events/Promoters

• Only USAC permitted Road events (and other permitted events that pay NCNCA the USAC rider day rate) within the NCNCA region will be eligible.

• Road events include Road Races, Stage Races (general classification only), Circuit Races, Criteriums, and Time Trials.

• BAR/BAT points will not count until the event results are posted on the USAC website and include: Place, First Name, Last Name, License Number, and Team.
• After November 1st, promoters who add a race on the same date as an existing race on the calendar must contact and discuss the event with the existing race promoter. If an agreement cannot be reached for the new event (i.e. adjustment of fields/categories or dates), then the new race will not be eligible for BAR/BAT points. The new race promoter may appeal the rule to the NCNCA BoD.
• If a race has changed dates or a new race is added and it does not interfere with an existing race, it will be included in the BAR/BAT Competition.
• Events permitted outside USAC must be voted on and agreed by the board to be included in BAR/BAT, otherwise the event will not be eligible for the competition. The promoter must pay NCNCA the current year rider day rate that NCNCA would have received from USAC. This payment must be made within 30-days after the event.

Scoring

Only the following categories in qualifying Road events will be eligible for BAR & BAT by category points:

Note: All points from qualifying Road events will be counted in the Overall BAT competition.

Points are awarded to the top 15 places as shown below. For events with less than 15 riders, points will be adjusted to reflect the field size.

• Example: a field size of 6 riders, 1st place will earn 6 points

Combined fields

Sometimes multiple categories race together in the same field. There are two setups for this:

• Racing together and scored together, all as one field

• Example: Register in the P/1/2/3 field where everyone in the field is scored together regardless of category.

• Racing together and scored separately

• Example: Register as a P/1/2 or a 3, P/1/2/3 all race together, but P/1/2s and 3s are scored separately in the USAC results.

The following rules apply:

• Combined fields, scored separately will be counted for all eligible categories. Results must be posted and uploaded to USAC as separate fields. The field size used to calculate BAR points is the number of racers in the field in that category, equalling the field size shown in the USAC results.

• Example: Master 35+ and 50+ 1/2/3 raced together and the results are posted separately

• P/1/2 races that include lower category riders will count for BAR points.

• Example: a "P/1/2/3/4" race will count for 1/2 BAR even though category 3 and 4 riders are allowed to race.

• Races that include higher category riders will NOT count for BAR points. As a reminder, this does not apply if the categories race together but are scored separately on USAC.

• Example: an "Elite 2/3" race will NOT count towards Elite 3 BAR points.

        Championships

• District Championship masters races (Criterium, Road Race, and Time Trial) will count for respective BAR and BAT category competition points as follows:

• Men’s 35+ 123 = 35-39, 40-44, 45-49
• Men’s 50+ 123 = 50-54, 55-59
• Men’s 60+ 1234 = 60-64, 65-69, 70-74, 75-79
• Women’s 40+ = 40-44, 45-49
• Women’s 50+ = 50-54, 55-59
• Women’s 60+ = 60-64, 65-69, 70-74, 75-79

• Eligible District Championship events (Criterium, Road Race, & Time Trial) will earn double points (maximum 15 places, based on field size as shown above).

        Premier Series

Premier Series events will earn double points (maximum 15 places, based on field size as shown above).

        Stage races

Stage Race placing in the final general classification will receive double points. Individual stage placing does not earn points.

Additional rules

• It is the rider’s responsibility to verify their placing on the Official Results posted at each event within the published USAC protest period. Results cannot be changed once they are final.
• If a field fills up and a second overflow field is created, each field will be scored separately.
• Twilight races or Training races will not be eligible for BAR/BAT points.
• The BAR/BAT competition will start January 1 and end the first weekend in October.
• Any protests or request for corrections and/or modifications to the BAR/BAT Competition results must be made before October 15th. All BAR/BAT Competition results will be final on October 15th.
• At the conclusion of the BAR/BAT Competition, the rider and team with the highest number of points will receive BAR and BAT winner designations. In the case of a tie, the highest number of 1st place finishes will act as the tiebreaker. If no 1st place then 2nd place finishes will count, and so on. BAR winner awards will be presented at a year-end awards ceremony.

For additional information or questions contact the NCNCA Points Series coordinator at results@ncnca.org