COCHRANE BMX FAQ

The BMX Language Decoded

If you are new to the sport it might sound like everyone is speaking in code.  
Here is a quick reference guide to help you through some of the most
​commonly used BMX Racing terms and phrases:
BEGINNER / ​NOVICE
Each rider starts as a NOVICE.

Riders remain at Novice until race wins are achieved. 

Boys must win 10 races to move from Novice to Intermediate
  • A rider’s wins will reset to 0 after an upgrade has been issued. 

  • Novice Male to Expert Male: 15 wins. This will apply to 30-39 and 40+ Male 20” categories only. 

Girls must win 20 races to move from Novice to Expert  (there is no Intermediate female class)

These "wins" are accumulated over a lifetime and are not cleared each year. Although these wins are tracked by Alberta Bicycle is it a good idea that you keep track of your own wins. Wins refer to an overall win for a particular race night and not a “moto win.

Mandatory Upgrades: A rider must upgrade to the next most difficult ability class whenever the following conditions occur:

Follow this link to read an article on upgrading from Alberta Bicycle  http://www.albertabicycle.ab.ca/upgrading
INTERMEDIATE
Intermediate is the classification for male rides after they have accumulated 10 race night wins. 
  • A rider’s wins will reset to 0 after an upgrade has been issued. 

  • Novice Male to Expert Male: 15 wins. This will apply to 30-39 and 40+ Male 20” categories only. ​

Female riders do not race Intermediate, they move directly to Expert after 20 wins vs 10 wins required for males to race Intermediate.

These "wins" are accumulated over a lifetime and are not cleared each year. Although these wins are tracked by Alberta Bicycle is it a good idea that you keep track of your own wins. Wins refer to an overall win for a particular race night and not a “moto win.

​Follow this link to read an article on upgrading from Alberta Bicycle http://www.albertabicycle.ab.ca
EXPERT
Racers looking to move from Intermediate to Expert must have;

Male -  20 wins as an Intermediate

Female -  20 race wins to move from Novice to Expert  (there is no Intermediate female class)

These "wins" are accumulated over a lifetime and are not cleared each year. Although these wins are tracked by Alberta Bicycle is it a good idea that you keep track of your own wins. Wins refer to an overall win for a particular race night and not a “moto win.
​
Mandatory Upgrades: A rider must upgrade to the next most difficult ability class whenever the following conditions occur:

Follow this link to read an article on upgrading from Alberta Bicycle  http://www.albertabicycle.ab.ca/upgrading
Upgrades
  • All riders who upgrade from Novice to Intermediate, Intermediate to Expert, Novice to Expert in the case of Female classes, Challenge to Championship and Junior to Elite may continue to use their awarded plate with the requirement of placing a zero (“0”) in front of the first digit on the plate. They shall use this number until such time as they achieve another valid awarded number.

  • When a rider accumulates enough wins in order to upgrade to the next skill level, it shall be that rider’s responsibility to return their current license to the ABA or track operator for replacement. If the ABA office does not receive the rider’s license within 2 weeks of this upgrade, the rider will not be permitted to register at any Alberta Cup BMX race following the expiry of the 2 week grace period until such time as that rider returns their incorrect license for re-issue. Further, following the expiry of the grace period, such a rider who attempts to register at an Alberta Cup BMX Race or provincial championship with an incorrect license will be fined $50.
​
  • When a rider upgrades from Novice to Intermediate or from Intermediate to Expert their District Points are transferred to their new ability class. For example, a Female rider with 300 Novice Points who upgrades to Expert will begin her Expert career with 300 Expert Points for the current season.
    • District Points are not used to determine ability class upgrades; this is still done by tracking the number of wins earned by each Novice and Intermediate rider.

    Age Group Upgrades: Currently, the ABA respects the UCI regulations concerning Age-Group upgrades. As such, Age-Group upgrades are not permitted. As a result, upgrades to Junior (17 & 18) or Elite (19+) by those not old enough to be in those classes are not permitted.
 
  • Double Wins: Any rider who earns a win at an event with higher rank than a District Race (i.e. Alberta Cup, Canada Cup, or National Championships), will be awarded double wins towards an upgrade in ability.

Mandatory Upgrades: A rider must upgrade to the next most difficult ability class whenever the following conditions occur:

Follow this link to read an article on upgrading from Alberta Bicycle  http://www.albertabicycle.ab.ca/upgrading
NUMBER PLATE
Plates:
All riders must use a race plate and numbers that comply with UCI regulations. Such plates are available from your home track. Decorative stickers are not permitted as they obscure the readability of the plate.

Challenge Male:
yellow plate background, black letters
Challenge Female:
blue plate background, white letters
Elite (Male & Female):     
white plate background, black letters

Cruiser (All Classes): 
red plate background, white letters

Junior (Male & Female):
black plate background, white letters

Numbers:
Riders need to use a race number corresponding to their highest earned ranking in the previous year. Race results from the UCI, CCC and ABA races have been used to determine which number each Alberta rider should use for both 20” and Cruiser. It is the rider's responsibility to confirm their correct number on the ABA plate list prior to season's start. In the case that a rider achieves earned numbers in several different race series', the number achieved at the highest ranking event must be used. For example, a rider who achieved an N5 at National Championships and a AB1 in the Alberta Cup must use the N5, as National Championships is the higher ranked standing. The order of priority from highest to lowest is: World Championship Race (W), National Championship Race (N), Alberta Provincial Championship Race (AB), Alberta Cup Series (P).

Riders without a ranking use a number equal to the last 3 digits of their UCI code. For example, the plate number for a rider born on August 8 would be 808 (Sample UCI code of CAN19950808). 

source: http://www.albertabicycle.ab.ca/racing-bmx 

CRUISER
  • A BMX BICYCLE WITH 24" WHEEL DIAMETER. THE STANDARD WHEEL IS JUST 20"​
​MOTO NUMBER 
  • A SINGLE RACING HEAT (OUT OF THREE), OR REFERENCE TO A RIDERS' SPECIFIC HEAT.
MAIN
  • TO DETERMINE THE FINISHING PLACE RANKING IN CLASSES WITH MORE THAN 8 RIDERS, IT'S A FINAL RACE AFTER ALL QUALIFYING HEATS HAVE TAKEN PLACE TO DETERMINE FINAL PLACEMENT OF THE TOP 8 QUALIFIED RIDERS.
MOTO SHEET
  • The paperwork displaying the class heats in specific numbered order and the riders starting lane position (1 –8) for each (of their 3) specific heat.
MANUAL
  • THE ACT OF RIDING A WHEELIE WITHOUT PEDALING – TYPICALLY OVER TOP SECTIONS OF VARIOUS JUMPS AND THROUGH RHYTHM SECTIONS.
CASE
  • Coming up short on a jump where the back wheel of the bike hits the peak of the landing.
RHYTHM SECTION
  • A back-to-back series of jumps or rollers within a section of the track.
ROLLER
A track obstacle that is rolled over as opposed to being jumped.
STEP-UP
  • A jump in which the landing is elevated above the launch.
TABLE TOP
  • :A jump that has a angled takeoff and landing but a completely level or flat 'table' across on the top. These are better for less experienced riders who come up short of the landing and need to ride across the top of the jump.  
STAGING AREA
  • An area before the gate where the riders are organized into their motos prior to loading the gate.
STARTING GATE
  • These gates are positioned on the top of the start hill. They can accommodate up to eight racers and are mechanically synchronized to release riders simultaneously at races. Riders balance the front wheels of their bikes against a vertical barrier that falls away when the race starts. A random start gate timing cadence, audio and light system is used to start the race. In general it consists of the phrase “Ok riders, Random start. Riders ready? Watch the gate". This cadence is followed by 4 tones that coincide with the display of a light tree and the gate begins to fall on the last tone and light. It is up to the rider to push their bike forward at the moment the gate drops.
HOLE SHOT
  • TAKING THE LEAD POSITION OUT OF THE STARTING GATE GOING INTO THE FIRST TURN.
BERM
  • A corner of the track that is built-up on the topside of a turn to create a banked curve.
SANDBAGGING
  • Intentionally allowing other riders to pass during a main event, or within any round of a total points race, with the purpose of not gaining wins towards class advancement.
New Rider Manual If Racing in BC or in a USA BMX Race