Rules & Regulations

CONDITIONS OF PARTICIPATION

• This event is affiliated with CSA & SAMTB.
• Participants must be in good physical condition to participate in any of Faces ADVENDURANCE's events. The minimum age to enter is 18.
• Age is determined on 31 December in the year of the event.

WITHDRAWAL

• Participants who wish to withdraw from the race must inform the organisers immediately.
• Failure to inform the race directors may cause a search and rescue action, the cost of which will be charged to the participant’s account.
• If you need to withdraw from the race for whatever reason, you need to inform any one of the following personnel directly:
  – Paramedics
  – Faces ADVENDURANCE personnel at any one of the checkpoints.
  – Inform the race official on the motorcycle
  – Call our emergency number on the race documentation.
• Merely informing another participant of your withdrawal will not be deemed sufficient notice of withdrawal. In such an instance, the race organisers cannot be held liable for any search party costs.
• If you need to withdraw from the race and find yourself before the halfway point, a sweep vehicle will recover you from the route and take you to the halfway point. You will be responsible for arranging your own and your bike's transfer from there.
• If you need to withdraw from the race at any point between the halfway mark and the finish, a sweep vehicle will recover you from the route and take you to the finish. You will be responsible for arranging your own and your bike's transfer back to the start.

EVENT BATCHING

• Please make sure you start in your allotted batch.
• If you need to change your batch, please arrange a batch change with the registration personnel.

FAIR PLAY

• Slower participants must make way for faster riders.
• Riders must take caution when the route is not clear or coming to an intersection or road crossing.
• Riders should be prepared to brake before steep downhills.
• Riders must obey all traffic rules.
• Bike repairs should be done in a visible area on the edge of the trail, road or path and not on the trial itself.
• In case of a sprint to the finish, you must hold your line.
• No outside seconding or assistance is permitted under any circumstances.
• Outside assistance includes assisting with bike maintenance, water and nutrition support and physically assisting riders.

SAFETY & BAD SPORTSMANSHIP

These rules are essential to the safety of riders and if disregarded may lead to immediate disqualification. Faces ADVENDURANCE has the right to disqualify any participant on the following grounds:

• Technical or equipment problems.
• If a rider has been declared medically unfit to ride by a medical official.
• Disregarding any of the fair play rules.
• Unsportsmanlike behaviour.
  ”Pushing” or “pulling” by a third party.
• Any disrespect to the environment or race personnel.
• Not wearing a helmet.
• All helmets must comply with international ‘ANSI’ standards.
• Appropriate riding attire, including a shirt, must be worn at all times.
• Smoking on the route is not permitted.

RIDER IDENTIFICATION

• Riders must display their race numbers at all times.
• Bike numbers must be firmly fixed on the front of the bike, and may not be obscured by cables or any other item.
• Race numbers may not be modified or mutilated in any way, including cutting, adding stickers, removing existing stickers or trimming.
• Removing or obscuring any official sponsor logos or advertising may result in disqualification from the race.
• Race and category leaders are obliged to wear the leader jerseys supplied by Faces ADVENDURANCE.

NUTRITION & WATER POINTS

• Riders retain the ultimate responsibility to carry enough water and nutrition with them.
• Faces ADVENDURANCE will provide water at official water points on the route.

ENVIRONMENT

• We will enforce stiff penalties for littering, cutting trails, and environmental abuse. Every participant who is caught disregarding the environment will be fined two (2) hundred Rand for the first offence and disqualified for the second offence.
• In the case of environmental concerns, Faces ADVENDURANCE has the right to cancel, delay, or reroute the race. Participants will not be reimbursed if the event or part of an event had to be cancelled due to environmental conditions that were out of Faces ADVENDURANCE’s control.

RACE TIMING

• Riders have to report to the start line at least 30 minutes before the start of their race.
  Riders will be briefed 15 minutes before the start.
  In the event of a batched start, riders will be briefed before the start of each batch.
• The start line will remain open for 15 minutes after the start “gun”.
• Timing will start with the start “gun”.
• Riders who do not reach designated cut-off points in time will be prevented from continuing, swept from the course, and classified as DNF (did not finish).
• Cut-off points can be enforced at any time if the organisers deem the situation as unsafe.
• Riders who start in a batch higher than the one they were batched in, will be summarily disqualified.
• Riders may start in a group lower down. The rider is responsible for reporting this to the timing personnel to ensure accurate times.
• Riders are only eligible for the overall prize podium if they start in the first batch at a particular distance.

REFUND POLICY

• No entry fee shall be refunded to a participant for a cancellation of the Event due to acts of God (so-called Force Majeure), which acts shall include but not be limited to adverse weather conditions, riots, strikes, political unrest and/or any other occurrence, not within the control of the event organiser.
• No refund will be given if a participant cancels their entry into the event for any reason. However, the event organiser may consider a refund under exceptional circumstances, such as illness and/or any other extraordinary circumstance. In that case, the organiser will evaluate a request for a refund on its merits, and such refund shall be at the discretion of the Event Organiser.

DISCRETION OF THE CHIEF COMMISSAIRE

• Where any additional rule interpretation is required or where a specific provision for any incident has not been made in these rules, the decision of the chief commissaire will be final.
• There will be no reimbursement of costs to the participant in case of disqualification.

LIABILITY

• The organisers, sponsors, volunteers and event personnel are not responsible for any injury or damage that may occur during the event or cancellations, delays or re-routing due to extreme weather (including, but not limited to, heat, tornadoes, earthquakes, fires, storms, lightning and floods), accidents, acts of war or terrorism, military conflicts or riots, pandemic or endemic outbreaks or for any reason that, in the organiser’s discretion, will protect the safety and security of Event participants and spectators. In the event of such cancellation, registration fees will not be refunded.
• By entering this event, participants agree that Faces ADVENDURANCE, their agents, officers, directors, employees, volunteers, and sponsors shall not be held responsible for any death, illness, injury, loss or damage of any kind sustained by any rider while participating in this event and all related activities, caused in any manner whatsoever.

BASIC MOUNTAIN BIKE RACING RULES & ETIQUETTE

• Riders must complete the entire route, and the responsibility for following the official route lies with the rider.
• A rider is not permitted to take any shortcuts or take advantage of a similar nature against competitors.
• Riders who exit the course for any reason must return to the course at the same position exactly.
• Any walking, running, or riding by a rider carried out without the intention of directly re-joining the course or other activity in breach of the regulations outside the marked course area can result in disqualification.
• A rider cannot receive technical assistance from an outside party along the course.
• Riders must respect the countryside and ride only on the official route.

GENERAL

An E-Mountain Bike is a bike operated with two energy sources, human pedal power and an electric engine, which only provides assistance when the rider is pedalling. An E-Mountain bike must conform to the following bike standards:

• Engine of maximum 250watts
• Engine assistance up to 25km/h
• Pedalling assistance only, although start-up assistance not exceeding 6km/h without pedalling is allowed.

AGE CATEGORY

E-Mountain Bike events are open to riders aged 19 and over.

BATTERY

E-bike riders can switch their batteries at the half-mark point/spectator point.