Mountain - XC and MarathonThe following are commonly offered mountain bike events in Alberta:Cross-country (XC) is a mass-start competition, and may be contested on a circuit, or as a point-to-point race. XC racing requires fitness, smooth skills, flowing hair and a high pain tolerance. Provincial XC champions are recognized in all categories. Marathon (MA) races are comprised of off-road events with courses longer than 60km. The courses can be either a marathon format where the competitor has to complete the set distance over 60 km or they can be a timed event where the competitor completes as many laps as they are able to in a set amount of time. Alberta Provincial Mountain Bike CategoriesNovice Youth (Age 10-16) U13 Novice, U15 Novice, U17 Novice Sport Youth (Age 10-16) U13 Sport, U13 Expert, U15 Sport, U15 Expert, U17 Sport Novice (Age 17+) Junior Novice, Senior Novice, Master Novice, Master 40+ Novice Sport (Age 15+) U17 Expert*, Junior Sport, Senior Sport, Master Sport, Master 40+ Sport Expert (Age 17+) Junior Expert, Senior Expert, Master Expert, Master 40+ Expert Elite (Age 18+) *Age as of Dec 31st of the current racing year |