Category Information from The Offroad Commission

Following on from positive feedback from the wider MTB community, ability-based categories will be introduced for the 2011 XC race series (NPS and XC Leagues).

The Offroad Commission have produced a categorised list of riders based upon lap times from 2010 NPS. We would like each club to review their riders race categories and make any updates they feel necessary,based on their previous performance and current form.

This list is only a recommendation and will not be enforced in 2011.

It is hoped that riders will enter into the spirit of competing in their respective categories with riders of similar ability. We will produce grading criteria for the 2012 season and form a Grading Panel to oversee the promotion and relegation of riders. Riders must race in their designated category in 2012 after the grading system is introduced.

New Race Categories

The categories will be named Senior 1, Senior 2, Senior 3 and Senior 4.

It is anticipated that the top 5 or 6 riders from Experts, Masters and Veterans will now move to Senior 1. The middle field of Expert, Master and Veterans will make up the Senior 2 category and the remaining riders from Experts, Masters and Veterans will compete in the Senior 3 category.

The Elite race distance and category will no longer exist. Elite riders will now compete in the Senior 1 category.

The original “Sports” class will now be re-categorised as Senior 4 and is still viewed as an introductory category.The race distance from Senior 4 (formerly Sport) to the next category (Senior 3) is now that bit closer and it is hoped that this will encourage riders to move into Senior 3.

All Senior categories will now be league categories (points tables for all categories).

Category Race Time Lap Count

Senior 1 1:30 for the winner 5 laps
Senior 2 1:20 - 1:25 for the winner 4 laps
Senior 3 1:10 - 1:20 for the winner 3 laps
Senior 4 1:00 for the winner 2 laps

Womens Categories
Women’s categories will be renamed to correspond with the above changes


Elite Women -> Senior Women 1
Expert Women -> Senior Women 2
(Sport) Women - > Senior Women 3

National Championships
The XC National Championships will not be affected by these changes.

The full recommended rider categories list and details of the new categories will be published on 14th February on offroadcyclingireland.ie and irishxcmtb.com
Well, I think this is a major step and it looks like it is 100%.

Great news, I think all riders can look forward to great RACING. Ok, not everyone may win like the did before, but it will bring the standard on.

the comm got a slating for not dealing with this in the last few months, but hats off for taking it on.

Bring on the racing!!!
yeah, hats off to Fergal and the Commission for bringing this in, should be deadly racing this year !!
Now heres the list that i've come to with the spreadsheet The Commission sent me, if you don't agree with your Category , Email me, i'll just change it, no questions asked. I have a problem with people who would be lower 2's or upper 3's so i just tossed a coin.
So if you are feeling strong then get me to move you up.
But I won't be moving anybody down !




Club XC Category Name
EPIC MTB Cat 1 Adam Wojnar
EPIC MTB Cat 1 Alfie Wallace
EPIC MTB Cat 1 Beth Mccluskey
EPIC MTB Cat 1 Damian Mulchrone
EPIC MTB Cat 1 John Doris
EPIC MTB Cat 1 Maciej Staroniewicz
EPIC MTB Cat 2 Eoin Keith
EPIC MTB Cat 2 Daragh Mortimer
EPIC MTB Cat 2 Gerry Mcinerney
EPIC MTB Cat 2 Adrian Hennessy
EPIC MTB Cat 2 Andrew Boland
EPIC MTB Cat 2 Daniel Morrogh
EPIC MTB Cat 2 Daragh Smith
EPIC MTB Cat 2 Ger Jackson
EPIC MTB Cat 2 Hughie Geraghty
EPIC MTB Cat 2 Oscar Macananey
EPIC MTB Cat 2 Paul Keogh
EPIC MTB Cat 2 Ross Mcclure
EPIC MTB Cat 2 Brian Hutchinson
EPIC MTB Cat 2 Steve Timmons
EPIC MTB Cat 2 Colm Mcgarvey
EPIC MTB Cat 2 Damien Kelly
EPIC MTB Cat 2 John O’Reilly
EPIC MTB Cat 2 John Richardson
EPIC MTB Cat 2 Michael Dardis
EPIC MTB Cat 2 Richie Byrne
EPIC MTB Cat 3 Philip Tighe
EPIC MTB Cat 3 Rory Walsh
EPIC MTB Cat 3 Simon Keating
EPIC MTB Cat 3 Steve Thomas
EPIC MTB Cat 3 Steve Millist
EPIC MTB Cat 3 Terry Mcdonagh
EPIC MTB Cat 3 Dave Millist
EPIC MTB Cat 3 Dave Kelly
EPIC MTB Cat 3 Eamonn Weir
EPIC MTB Cat 3 Eoin O'Donoghue
EPIC MTB Cat 3 Kevin Lysaght
EPIC MTB Cat 3 Michael O'Reilly
EPIC MTB Cat 3 Miguel Costa
EPIC MTB Cat 3 Jer Price
EPIC MTB Cat 3 Paul Kennedy
EPIC MTB Cat 3 Owen Cullen
EPIC MTB Cat 3 JJ Higgins
EPIC MTB Cat 3 Richard Lynch
EPIC MTB Cat 3 Robert Trench
EPIC MTB Cat 3 Ronan Dunne
EPIC MTB Cat 3 Stephen Millist
EPIC MTB Cat 3 Vincent Price
EPIC MTB Cat 3 Derek Mulvey
EPIC MTB Cat 3 John Harrington
EPIC MTB Cat 3 Kenneth Mulvey
EPIC MTB Cat 3 Killian Donoghue
EPIC MTB Cat 3 Simon Mulvey
EPIC MTB Cat 3 Don O Connor
EPIC MTB Cat 3 Orla mcClean
EPIC MTB Cat 4 Dave Joyce
EPIC MTB Cat 4 Shona D'Arcy
EPIC MTB Cat 4 Brian Deasey
EPIC MTB Cat 4 Eoghan Geraghty
EPIC MTB Cat 4 John Deegan
EPIC MTB Cat 4 Kevin Lysaght
EPIC MTB Cat 4 Caroline Murphy
EPIC MTB Cat 4 Carol Farrelly
big well done on this to all involved,it should make for better racing throughout the categories.again fair play to the commision for having the b*lls to implement such a radical change to the format of the nps
I'm really looking forward to this .... it'll be like racing Sports again (but with a proper race length!!) .... lots of equally incompetent people in front of and behind me! After about 30 minutes in the Vets last year the only thing I had to concentrate on was who was going to lap me first and how many times I'd hear Robin saying "Excuse me"!! Well done guys!
EPIC MTB Cat 1 Daragh Mortimer

I Feel I should be in cat 2, only did around 3 races last year and the best result was 10th in Belfast. Maybe they were taking results from 1997!
eh..thats my list, if you had seen the list Fergals robot gave me you would really have cried..last time I looked Johnny McCabe was in Cuchulaain and Dave o Neill was a Worcie !!
I don't know what your talking about though..you're clearly cat 2
Richie
I'd really like to praise the Commission on this huge change..after the stick I gave them and the anti Commission attitude put about by my buddy Dave, they have come through and really shown that they want what we want.
I've been on more Commissions than I can remember and this is the first time the Commission has been nudged/bullied/coerced into something new !!
So its historic !!
Shake their hands, clap them on the back !!
Well done to the comission for implementing this. The suggested Cat list looks good Richie. Should be great racing.