Middle Tennessee Ultra Cycling Series Rules

The following rules apply to all HBC Ultra Cycling Series Events:

• Riders must be present at least 45 minutes prior to the start to allow for bike inspections, filling out paperwork, etc. Check-in will close 15 minutes before the ride start.
• Riders are highly encouraged to pre-register for any events they choose to ride. This allows the event officials adequate time to process all of the necessary registration materials before the date of the event.
The HBC Event Registration Form can be downloaded from our web site.
• Each entrant must complete an event registration form and sign the Accident Waiver and Release of Liability (AWRL) form. Please take time to read and understand the AWRL form before registration begins.
• These Ultra Cycling Events are club rides of the Harpeth Bicycle Club (HBC). In order for us to obtain economical liability coverage for you and our club, rides are open only to members of Harpeth Bicycle Club. You must be a club member to start an Ultra Cycling Event. The HBC Membership Application can be found on our web site. Please turn in your completed and signed membership application, and fee, to the event official during the pre-ride registration process.
• Membership in the Ultra Marathon Cycling Association is optional. The UMCA Membership Application can be found on their web site, or you can get a membership application from the event official.

• Each rider’s bicycle must be road worthy and in a good state of repair.
• All riders must carry proper personal identification, any pertinent medical identification, and a personal emergency contact name and phone number at all times while cycling. We recommend the fine products from Road ID.
• All riders must wear a properly fitted and fastened ANSI or Snell approved helmet at all times while cycling.
• All riders should carry the appropriate tools and supplies to repair multiple flat tires and to make minor repairs.
• All riders should access their own hydration requirements and bring the appropriate equipment for the event. There may be extended distances between resupply points.
• All bicycles on the road after dark must be equipped with securely mounted front (white) and rear (red) lights visible from 500 feet in both directions. Lights must be fully functional at all times during the hours of darkness, or other low-light conditions. At least one of the rear lights must be in a steady (rather than flashing) mode.
• All riders are not permitted to cycle at night, or in other low-light conditions, without working front and rear lights attached to their bicycles. Therefore, it is recommended that riders carry spare bulbs or backup lighting systems, and batteries in case the primary lighting systems fails.
• All riders on the road after dark must wear a reflective vest, sash, safety triangle, Sam Browne belt, or some combination thereof on their upper body that clearly provides reflective properties facing in all four directions.
• All riders on the road after dark must wear reflective ankle bands on each leg.
• You must have all night riding gear (i.e. lights and reflective gear) on board prior to the start of a 200 mile or longer Ultra Cycling Event.
• Riders will be immediately disqualified for riding on the roads after dark, or in other low-light conditions, without the required night riding gear specified above.
• Bikes and Riders will be inspected for compliance prior to the start of each event.

• At all times and in all situations, SAFETY is the most important issue. All riders must follow the basic rules for safe cycling: ride to the right, single file, stop at all stop signs and signals, protect and warn one another about road hazards and traffic, do not overlap wheels, practice safe pace line and group riding etiquette, etc. Riders that engage in unsafe practices will immediately be disqualified from the event.
• Unlike traditional club rides, NO OFFICIAL SUPPORT, of any kind, is provided by HBC for any of the Ultra Cycling Events. Riders are expected to be self-sufficient.
• Unlike traditional club rides, ROUTES ARE NOT MARKED. Riders must be able to read and interpret the cue sheets and/or maps provided, and be able to navigate the route from one point to the next.
• Unlike traditional club rides, FOOD AND BEVERAGES ARE NOT PROVIDED. Riders must purchase their own food and beverage supplies along the route, so bring a sufficient amount of money.
• Riders must obey all local traffic laws. Riders that break laws will immediately be disqualified from the event.
• Riders must check in at every checkpoint, unless instructed otherwise.
• All events will be timed events, with time including all off-the-bike time. The clock does not stop for any reason until the course officially closes. Course closure times are based on the event distance divided by a 10 MPH, all-inclusive, minimum pace from the starting time. Final results will be available within two weeks after the conclusion of the event.
• Riders must stay on the official route. If riders get off the route, they must return to the route, at the point of departure from the route, prior to continuing their ride.
• In case of an injury, call 911 first. While we are concerned with your safety and well-being, we are not qualified to assist you in such an emergency. Riders will bear all costs associated with an emergency evacuation.
• Determination and resourcefulness are key attributes of a successful Ultra Cyclist. Riders that abandon the event must notify the event official that he/she is not finishing their ride. Riders who abandon are responsible for arranging their own transportation back to the starting location. These events are not sagged. If a rider requires assistance in returning to the start, he/she may have to wait for several hours before a ride can be arranged.

• Riders are allowed no more than one PSV on the route during the event.
• Pace Vehicles (i.e. those that follow directly behind the riders) are not allowed on the route.
• All PSV must be road worthy and in a good state of repair.
• All PSV must be properly registered with their state of domicile and carry at least the minimum insurance required by law, by the state the vehicle is registered in.
• PSV must obey all local traffic laws and travel at posted speed limits. PSV that break laws will immediately be ejected from the event.
• PSV must not interfere with the normal flow of traffic in either direction.
• PSV must use their headlights whenever the PSV is in operation, during both daylight and nighttime hours. This will make PSV much more visible at all times during the event.
• PSV may not block or impede the progress of another rider, at any time during the event.
• PSV must leapfrog the rider from one location of support to the next.
• PSV may only provide support when both the rider and the PSV are safely off the roadway.
• PSV may not travel alongside a rider for the purpose of handing off food or supplies.
• PSV may only travel alongside a rider for the purpose of exchanging information, as long as the exchange doesn't interfere with the normal flow of traffic, and it does not block or impede the progress of any other riders.
• Riders are personally accountable for the behavior of the crew in the PSV. A crew’s misconduct may result in the disqualification of the rider.
• PSV crewmembers that willfully violate, or attempt to violate, a rule in order to aid or gain an advantage for their rider will be immediately ejected from the event.
• PSV crewmembers may offer assistance to any other rider or crew, at any time during the event, but cannot give misdirection on routing to another rider or crew.
• Each crewmember that operates a PSV must have a valid drivers license issued by their state of residence.
• Each PSV crewmember must be a HBC member to start an Ultra Cycling Event. In order for us to obtain economical liability coverage for you and our club, rides are open only to members of Harpeth Bicycle Club. The HBC Membership Application can be found on our web site. Please turn in your completed and signed membership application, and fee, to the event official during the pre-ride registration process.
• Each PSV crewmember must complete an event registration form and sign the Release and Waiver of Liability, Assumption of Risk, and Indemnity Agreement (“Agreement”) form. Please take time to read and understand the Agreement form before registration begins. The HBC Event Registration Form can be downloaded from our web site.

• The event official has the authority, at any time, to overrule any rule or to invent a new rule based on extenuating, unforeseen, and unusual circumstances and/or to maintain the integrity and fair play necessary for the successful completion and continuation of the event.
• The event official has ultimate authority in regards to all rules, their interpretation, and their enforcement. There is no "appeals committee" or "appeals process". All riders and their support crews willingly acknowledge this fact, as well as all other event rules by participating in this event, in any capacity.

Download a copy of the Ultra Cycling Rules