Why are some riders pulled out of a cross-country race before the finish?
I · Intermediate · The cross-country race · 4 of 6To keep them out of the leaders' way. A rider who is lapped finishes that lap and leaves the race. Under the 80% rule a rider is taken out earlier: once they are behind the leader by 80 per cent of the leader's first lap time, they must leave at the end of their lap.
How it works
- Lapped riders: they "must complete the lap during which they were lapped and leave the event" by an exit before the finishing straight.
- The 80% rule: "Any rider whose time being 80% slower of that of the race leader's first lap is pulled out of the race."
- How it is worked out: as usually applied, the cut-off is a gap to the leader equal to 80 per cent of the leader's first lap time. The article does not spell out the sum.
- Where they leave: in the 80% zone, at the end of their lap.
- The last lap: a rider already on their final lap is not pulled out.
- Who decides: the president of the commissaires' panel, after talking to the organiser.
- Compulsory: at continental championships, World Cups, world championships and the Olympic Games the rule must be applied.
- In the results: riders taken out are listed in the order they were pulled, with the number of laps they were down.
- Short track: the rule can be applied there too.
The glossary has the 80% rule and cross-country.
Tricky cases
Is a rider who is pulled out under the 80% rule a non-finisher?
No. They are listed in the results in the order they were pulled out, showing laps down. A DNF is for a rider who abandons.
A rider falls outside the cut-off on the last lap. Are they stopped?
No. A rider on their final lap is allowed to finish.
Is the rule used at every race?
No. At lower events the president of the commissaires' panel decides. At the top events it is compulsory.
Does the cut-off change if the leader slows down later?
No. It is fixed from the leader's first lap time.
Why the rule exists
On a short lap the leaders would otherwise spend the last part of the race threading through slower riders on narrow tracks, which is dangerous and can decide the result unfairly. Taking riders out before they are caught keeps the front of the race clear, and they still get a place.
Where it differs
| Where | What changes | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Top championships, World Cup and the Games | The 80% rule must be applied | UCI 4.2.064; UCI 4.10.004 |
| Other Olympic-format and short track races | The president of the commissaires' panel decides | UCI 4.2.064 |
| Downhill | A different limit: a time twice the first time set means DNF | UCI 4.3.003bis |
From the rule book
Union Cycliste Internationale, Cycling Regulations, Part 4: Mountain Bike Races (JCF edition 2025, amendments applying 1 January 2026), articles 4.2.062 to 4.2.065 and 4.10.004 to 4.10.006. Checked 14 October 2026. Official document: UCI Cycling Regulations, Part 4 (PDF).